At the White House.

"Yayyy, I won again!" Bell exclaimed, her voice bubbling with joy as she hopped around, game controller triumphantly in hand.

Aisha offered a strained smile, her frustration thinly veiled. She muttered under her breath, "This is so frustrating. How can I not win against a mere child?"

"Now the score is 10-0. Shall we play another round?" Bell chirped, oblivious to Aisha's growing vexation.

Aisha, weary from her unbroken losing streak, was loath to admit defeat to a child yet again. As her gaze drifted to the clock, and a pang of alarm shot through her as she realized it was past 10 o'clock.

With a glance at the time, a wave of solemnity washed over Aisha. "Oh, the time has come," she whispered to herself. Rising to her feet, she addressed Bell with a newfound gravity, "Bell, we'll continue our games later. For now, your dear father needs your's help, Bell."

"Papa needs help? Did something happen to him?" Bell asked, her eyes wide with innocent concern, a hint of confusion and fear lacing her words.

"He's fine, but he needs you. Shall we go see him?" Aisha replied, her smile reassuring as she met Bell's gaze.

"Okay! I'll help them. Come on, Sister Aisha!" Bell declared, dashing towards the door. Aisha took Bell's hand, and together they left the room.

In the shadowy alleys

I searched desperately for Aris, but she was nowhere to be found. I retraced the usual route to her friend's place, but there was no sign of her. Anxiety gnawed at me, fearing something untoward had befallen her. With each passing moment, my concern deepened as I scanned every street in the vicinity.

I halted my bicycle, gasping for air after pedaling non-stop for three hours. My legs ached from the relentless cycling, but I couldn't rest—not until I found Aris. As I pondered other places she might be, a thought struck me—perhaps she had sent a text.

Checking my phone, I found two unread messages from Aris. The first, sent around the time I left school, and the second, timestamped around 10.

The initial message was an our deal to the cafe, her words tinged with irritation and punctuated by angry emojis.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I had forgotten about our meeting after school because I got caught up in a last-minute meeting with the vice president and the secretary of the council. I didn't remember our promise at all.

The second message conveyed her haste; she had left the shop, fretting that her brother might reach her friend's house before her if she lingered for me.

Yet neither message shed light on Aris's whereabouts. I redialed Zen, hoping he had uncovered some trace of her, but he, too, was still searching. As time slipped through my fingers like grains of sand, my anxiety mounted. Lost in thought, I was startled by a soft voice calling out.

"Papa... Papa, what brings you here? I was so worried about you," the girl said.

Whirling around, I found Bell standing beneath the streetlight. Initially, I was taken aback by her presence, but she soon became a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. Perhaps Bell, with her wish-granting innocence, could aid me in finding Aris. Without hesitation, I grasped Bell's shoulder gently and pleaded.

"Bell, why are you here? No, wait—first, you must help me. Do you remember Aris, the girl with raven hair and sapphire eyes who visited our apartment? Can you tell me the location of her? " I implored, urgency lacing my words as the peril to Aris intensified.

She recoiled slightly, her eyes wide with concern. "I know of her, but..." Her voice trailed off, uncertainty clouding her features. "I don't know where she is."

"Don't say that! Yes, I know Bell, I wish to know Aris's location. If you're unsure, just suggest any direction. Your words might just make it so. Please, Bell, I'm desperate," I beseeched, my voice thick with urgency.

"Okay, I may not know where she is, but for Papa, I'll do my utmost," Bell replied, her smile a small comfort.

Mounting the bicycle with Bell, I pedaled with fervor, following her haphazard directions. With each turn, my heart sank further, for they seemed to lead us astray.

Eventually, we arrived at an abandoned construction site, isolated from the residential area.

"Are you certain this is the place, Bell?" I questioned, skepticism creeping in.

"I'm not sure, but I have faith that Sister Aris is here," Bell responded hesitantly, her own doubts surfacing.

"Don't fret," I reassured her, patting her head as we ventured into the building.

Ascending the stairs, guided by Bell's tentative directions, the faint sounds of commotion grew louder with each floor. My conviction strengthened—Aris had to be here, and she was in peril.

Reaching the fifth floor, Bell indicated that Aris was just above us. The muffled voices became clearer, though whether they belonged to one man or two, I couldn't discern.

Then, a chilling scream pierced the silence—a girl's cry of distress. Driven by fear and resolve, I charged upstairs. There, a man was attempting to clothe Aris, who was bound by ropes and tearful.

"Stop this at once!" I bellowed.

"Who? Who are you? what are you doing here"

The man turned to face me, his intentions clear as he lunged. I tackled him, fueled by a tempest of rage. He struggled beneath my blows, but my fury was relentless. With each strike, his cries of pain echoed until, at last, he lay unconscious.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I was suddenly struck from behind. An iron rod connected with my skull, and as I spun around, another assailant loomed over me, weapon in hand.

The impact was so powerful as I collapsed, the world fading to black as Aris and Bell receded into the distance...