I felt the cool touch of a wet cloth against my face and forehead, accompanied by the soft murmur of distant voices. My eyelids felt heavy, but I struggled to pry them open, only to be met with a blurred shadow hovering above me. The voices gradually grew louder, more distinct, as if pulling me from a dream. I inhaled deeply, the air filling my lungs, and focused all my strength on the shadow in front of me, trying desperately to make sense of where I was.

The shadow wavered as my vision slowly sharpened. A pair of gentle eyes appeared, filled with worry, their soft gaze contrasting with the tense lines of a furrowed brow. I heard my name being called—faintly at first, as if from a distance—but it grew clearer.

"Can you hear me?" the voice asked, trembling slightly.

As my vision sharpened, I recognized Joshua first—his familiar silhouette looming over me, his eyes dark with worry. Leroy was beside him, his presence calmer but no less concerned. My heart ached, not from pain, but from the rush of emotion their faces stirred. Memories flickered—brief and disjointed—filling me with a strange sense of guilt I couldn't yet explain.

"Babe, what happened to you?" Joshua's voice cracked as he spoke, his fingers brushing against my cheek, searching for any sign of an answer. "Uncle Samuel called me, said you weren't answering... I came as fast as I could." His panic was raw, and seeing it hurt more than any physical pain I could have felt.

I wanted to speak, to tell him I was fine, but I couldn't summon the words. The lightheadedness was overpowering, and though I felt oddly numb, something inside me knew this wasn't just about the moment I woke up. It was what came before.

Leroy sat down, pulling a damp cloth from Joshua's hand. He dabbed my forehead gently, his face drawn with concern, though his voice carried an awkward lightness. "Sorry, babe, but I might've... destroyed your door." His grin was sheepish, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes, as if he wasn't sure whether to joke or be serious.

Joshua shot him a look—half frustrated, half grateful. "Of course we had to break the door down!" he replied, though his voice trembled. "But what matters is you, Arwen. Are you okay? Do we need to get you to the hospital?"

Their voices seemed distant as they bantered back and forth, but I heard the fear behind their words. As much as they tried to stay light-hearted, I could see the cracks in their composure. They were scared for me—maybe even scared of what they didn't know.

I smiled weakly, trying to ground myself in their presence. But deep inside, I knew it wasn't just their worry or the broken door that weighed on me. Something darker lingered just beneath the surface. A flash—like a dream— then nothing.

My stomach twisted, and the sense of dread I'd been ignoring threatened to overwhelm me. I knew I should tell them what I remembered, but the thought of speaking it aloud terrified me.

"I'm... okay," I whispered, though even I wasn't sure if that was true. Joshua and Leroy exchanged worried glances. They didn't believe me, and honestly, I wasn't sure if I believed myself either.

A few hours passed, and the tension in the room only grew heavier. Joshua and Leroy had tried calling Nick repeatedly, but there was still no response. Each passing minute without hearing from him felt like an eternity. I shifted restlessly, my mind running through every possible scenario, none of them good.

Another few hours went by, and just as the quiet began to gnaw at me, I heard the distant murmur of vehicles outside. The sound made my heart race. I stood up slowly, the dizziness still clinging to me like a haze, and made my way to the living room window. My hand trembled as I pulled back the curtain.

Outside, two unfamiliar cars were parked beside ours. Panic flared briefly in my chest, but it quickly melted into relief when I saw my parents step out of one of the vehicles. The sight of them lifted a weight from my heart. First, because their presence felt like a shield against the fear that had been consuming me all day. And second, because if my parents were here, there might be news about Nick.

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He still hadn't come home since last night, and now it was nearly 5 in the afternoon. My stomach twisted with worry. Where could he be? What if something had happened to him too?

Joshua appeared beside me, his presence steady and reassuring. He didn't need to say anything. The moment he saw my parents, he rushed to the door, flinging it open in his haste. "I'll get them," he said, his voice tight with concern.

Leroy was at my side before I could even think to follow. "You should sit down," he said gently, his arm slipping around my shoulders. I wanted to protest, to stand strong, but my legs felt shaky beneath me. Leroy guided me carefully back to the couch, his touch tender yet firm, like he knew I needed the support, even if I didn't want to admit it.

As I sat down, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong—something beyond the chaos already unfolding. The relief of seeing my parents was overshadowed by the gaping absence of Nick. He should have been here by now.

Joshua's voice echoed from the entryway as he greeted my parents, but I barely heard the words. My thoughts were already drifting, consumed by the fear that something terrible had happened to my brother.

I barely registered the front door closing behind Joshua and my parents. The murmur of voices drifted into the living room, distant and muffled, like I was underwater. My heart pounded in my chest, my thoughts spiraling in every direction. Where was Nick? What if something had happened to him?

Mom entered first, her face pale but composed, though her eyes betrayed her anxiety—searching mine with a mixture of worry and relief. Papa followed closely behind, his jaw clenched tight, the stress etched into every line of his face. He didn't say a word as they both sat down beside me, the room thick with tension that felt almost suffocating.

"Arwen," Mom said softly, her voice careful, as though afraid her words might shatter me. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Mom," I replied, though the lie tasted bitter. I forced a smile, hoping it would convince her. My head was still foggy, my body weak, but Nick's absence weighed far heavier than any of that. The words slipped out before I could stop them. "Where is he?"

Mom and Papa exchanged a look—a silent conversation that comes only after years of understanding each other's thoughts without speaking. My chest tightened. I knew that look. Something was wrong.

"We've been trying to reach him too, honey," Papa said, his voice gruff with fatigue. He rubbed a hand over his face, the exhaustion sinking into his features. "He hasn't answered his phone since last night."

A cold chill crawled up my spine, and I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "But... where could he be?" My voice came out barely above a whisper, the words heavy with dread. "He wouldn't just disappear, Papa."

Mom reached over, grasping my hand with a firmness that was meant to reassure. But it didn't. "We don't know yet—maybe he stayed with a friend, and his phone died." She paused, her gaze intensifying. "But you know Nick. He always checks in." she whispered.

Her attempt to calm me only deepened the dread sinking into my gut. Nick always checked in. Even if he was busy or out late, he'd never leave us in the dark like this.

Joshua reappeared, his footsteps soft but the tension in the room pulling tighter as Michael and Rafail walked in behind him. Miel followed, holding Grae in her arms. The room felt crowded with worry, everyone on edge.

"We'll find him, Arwen," Michael said quietly, though the tremor in his voice betrayed his own uncertainty. "We just need to stay calm."

I snapped before I could stop myself, the panic bubbling over. "How can I stay calm when it's been almost twenty-four hours and no one's heard from him?" My voice cracked, the frustration I'd been holding back spilling out. Guilt immediately followed, but I couldn't help it. Every second that ticked by felt like another slice of panic cutting deeper.

Papa placed his hand on my shoulder, his eyes soft but filled with the same concern that was eating me alive. "We're doing everything we can, Arwen. The important thing is you stay strong—for yourself and for Nick."

I nodded, though my mind felt miles away. I bit down on my lip, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. I couldn't break down, not in front of them. But the fear sat heavy in my chest, pressing down like a weight I couldn't shake. What if something had happened? What if we never found him?

"I just don't understand," I whispered, my voice trembling with the weight of my fear. "He wouldn't just leave us hanging. Not like this."

Mom squeezed my hand tighter, her eyes filled with a mother's determination to protect. "I know, sweetheart. I know. But we have to have faith. We'll find him. I promise."

I wanted to believe her, wanted to hold onto the hope that Nick would come walking through the door any moment, grinning that carefree smile of his, apologizing for making us worry. But deep down, that unsettling feeling—the one that whispered that something was terribly, terribly wrong—clung to me, refusing to let go.