It had been about a week since the incident had occurred. I'd been staying at home in my room all week, barely ever leaving except for when I needed to go get the mail while David was out. I would come out to get something to eat, go back to my room and eat there.

The incident itself wasn't why I felt this way. I was a lot more anxious the day after everything had happened. Pacing around the house, trying to find a distraction. I would play video games, or read an old magazine, or I'd try to nap. Nothing worked.

I was getting impatient, and I just wanted to get an answer. I wanted to know if Miku was missing, or if she was okay and when I'd get to hang out with her again. There was a long list of things on my mind that I felt like talking to her about.

A few days later, the police called me, wanting to ask some further questions about the incident. It was nothing more than just a check on to see if I remembered anything else from what happened. I told them nothing had changed from my initial story.

"Okay, we just had something attached to your report, and wanted to make sure," he continued. "Was there anything else you wanted to let us know?"

"I only have a question regarding my friend Miku. Is there a chance you've been able to contact her?"

"We can't give that information out," the officer replied sternly, "especially on a minor. If you have her number, I'd suggest calling her yourself."

"I don't have my phone," I said, "it was stolen, and I can't remember her number, either. You really can't tell me anything?"

"Listen, kid," the officer said, "if your girlfriend wanted to talk with you, she'd contact you herself."

I stumbled to follow up, "But, she told me-"

"Regardless of what she told you, she may not want to actually talk to you. Ever hear of 'letting you down easy'?

"But- I, well, uh-" I couldn't finish my sentence. I paused after stumbling so much.

"If nothing else, I apologize," he said, breaking the silence, "but, we have some other business to take care of. Thanks for your time."

"I- Thanks-" He hung up before I could finish. This whole thing left me feeling horrible. My stomach had churned, and my heart was racing faster now.

Did Miku actually not want to talk to me anymore? What happened? I wish I had an answer to that question, but I didn't. I went back to my room and pretended this whole thing was a nightmare. I wanted to wake up from it. I wanted to be away from all of this. It didn't make any sense.

That was a week ago, though. A lot happens in a week, and I'd been able to think it over. I started questioning a lot of what I was told. Did Miku really say that or was the officer not telling me something? Was she really trying to stay away from me? Why? It started to seem suspicious the more I thought about it. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had the feeling Miku didn't really say those things. Looking back on it, it felt like the officer was trying to hide something.

There wasn't anything I could do, though. I had no answers, and nowhere to confirm if my suspicions were even right in the first place.

It's hard to figure out if something is right or wrong, and it's harder to figure out when someone is lying to you, but I couldn't shake the feeling that's what was going on here.

I couldn't really dwell on this all day today. Mostly because school was starting, and I had to put all of my energy into getting used to being in school again. I didn't want to go, but I know as well as anyone that there's laws to follow, and this is one of them.

I came downstairs to get breakfast, and David was sitting there reading the paper.

"Nice to see you up earlier," he said. "I'd figure you'd want something to eat before school today."

I sat down and looked at the eggs and toast he prepared.

"Thanks, I kinda forgot school started today."

"Kinda? I'd have figured you were in a coma with how much you were sleeping." He chuckled, but stopped shortly after. He knew I was still messed up over this whole thing. I couldn't be mad at David, though. He was trying.

"I know how you feel, Griff," he stood up from his chair and pulled something from his shirt pocket. "I think you might benefit from this." He placed a pamphlet for a youth therapy group at the local hospital. "A colleague of mine who works in the medical field suggested it. She thinks it might help you."

"I'll think about it," I said. "I'm not too sure about that right now."

"Well, keep it in mind," David said. "I can take you today, even. You're already registered so you can start right away."

I nodded.

I finished my breakfast, brushed my teeth, and got my shoes on. I think I was ready to finally tackle the day. I felt like, maybe, I was finally going to be able to get my mind off this whole debacle, at least for just a little bit.

I grabbed the pamphlet before school. Maybe it would be a good idea to check this out.

Well, I thought to myself, better get today over with.

I'll be honest, I wasn't doing so well. School may have helped me get my mind off things, but I still felt really nervous. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. Sleeping let me escape from this sort of stuff, but I guess that's not how you solve problems in the real world, huh?

The lectures felt like they dragged on forever, too. It wasn't even really a lecture, either. Just explaining how things would go about this year, and all the normal things you would expect out of a high school classroom. I didn't really pay much attention. I just sort of drifted through the day.

I started writing random things in my notebook so I could get stuff out of my head and on paper. Stuff about Miku, about the officers, about the mall fiasco, some of it about the people that rescued me.

"Miku was rescued," I whispered to myself, "but what if they're just trying to cover something? Was she kidnapped? But if Miku was kidnapped, then why wasn't I, too? Wouldn't they have made a statement about that sort of thing?" I kept scribbling notes in my notebook when I should have been paying attention in class. For whatever reason, though, I felt like this was more important than class introductions.

This was the rest of the day for me, too. Writing in my notebook about each possible outcome. What happened to Miku, what happened to me, and how all of this didn't make sense. Was Miku of some serious importance? Was she in on this robbery the whole time?

I shuddered at that thought. There's no way she'd have worked with some really heinous people. She wasn't like that, so there's no way that made any sense. This was putting me into a worse frenzy than when I was at home and sleeping all day.

Maybe this is good, I thought to myself. You might be on to something after all.

The school day ended and I was still reading my notes the whole day. It was insane how much time and effort I had put into this, but I wanted to desperately know what really happened to her.

Putting my notebook away, I felt another paper in my backpack. It was the pamphlet David gave me earlier today.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

It was held at a local hospital near my home called "First Methodist", and I remembered David had suggested going today. I decided to take up that suggestion. When his car pulled up at the designated pick-up zone, I gave him back the pamphlet and asked him.

"Hey, would you mind driving me there?"

He smiled. "Of course not."

As we drove up to the hospital, David gave me some advice.

"Look, you don't have to tell them every single detail, just tell them what's on your mind, and go from there."

I nodded in agreement, "Got it, I'll be sure not to mess up."

"There's no messing up here," he reassured me, "it's just talking about your problems. I honestly think it'll help you get your feelings out to someone other than me."

This was true. Trying to talk out my problems with David felt less like I was getting advice, and more like I was talking to a wall. He's never been the best at relating with me. The fact I'm not his kid probably didn't help.

I looked at him, "You think so?"

"I know so."

As we got out, he offered to walk me there. I agreed; seeing as how he drove me this far, I couldn't say no to him.

I was anxious and just wanted to get this over with, but I was also hoping this would help me out a lot. I wanted to feel better, and after all the note-writing I did today, I couldn't tell if it was a breakthrough, or a breakdown. Maybe a little of both.

David and I walked through the hospital entrance. A young receptionist sat there, seeming like she was trying to pass the time.

"Hello," she greeted us, "how can I help you two today?"

"Hi," David said, rummaging through his pocket, "we were looking for this room. I set up an appointment for it earlier in the week, can I find who's directing it?"

Earlier in the week? Sounds like David all right. Scheduling things before I'd even give my answer.

"Ah, yes," she said after examining it, "it's room 206, Doctor Kellerman's up there now, I think."

David smiled, thanked her, and we went on our way.

The hospital was mostly a white interior with color coded walls directing you to different wards. Red, green, blue, and yellow, all of which would send you somewhere else if you followed them. As I looked at the walls, I noticed something.

Protected by Duodecim Security.

That name again. I had never noticed them before the incident, but there they were again. It was strange; it felt like I was being followed, but that was crazy to think. It was crazy to think I was being followed at all, even. Especially by the people who had saved me.

I stirred in my head about this whole thing, following behind David up the stairs until we reached the room. I was nervous, but I thought about how David told me this would help me. It was too late to back out, anyhow.

There was a man in a blue shirt and brown khakis standing by the door, he had a name tag that read "K. Kellerman." He shook David's hand, and introduced us.

"This is Griff," David said, "he's your newcomer today."

Doctor Kellerman smiled, holding his hand out to me. "Nice to meet you, Mister Griff."

I nodded, shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you, too, sir."

"No need to be formal. Just call me Karl."

"Karl," I said, "got it. I'll keep that in mind." We stopped shaking hands, and I proceeded into the session room.

No one had arrived yet, so I sat in one of the chairs that had been placed in a circle. The room was pure white, with dim fluorescent lighting. There was a water cooler, and a whiteboard with wheels beneath it. Behind it was a water cooler, which made me a little thirsty.

As I grabbed a drink, a group of kids walked into the room, with the doctor following behind them.

"Now, everyone," Kellerman said, "we have a new person with us today. I'd like to ask that everyone pay him respect. I understand that this is not anything new, but we practice tolerance here."

Everyone nodded, and we all sat in a chair as the session began. It would go on for an hour, and I felt as if I should try and relax and just see what I could get out of it.

The session was mostly uneventful. I'd like to say it helped, but I had talked so little it ended up with me listening to other kids my age talk about their issues. I felt bad, but I had no real advice I could give.

The session ended about ten minutes earlier than expected, and we all left the room. David wasn't outside waiting. He tended to wander off, which I was fairly used to. I decided to make a call from a nearby payphone on the off chance he went off somewhere without me.

The phone was right next to a water fountain, and a door leading to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that was taking place inside of it. While I was putting my change in, the doors opened, and people started leaving.

I made the call to David, telling him the session ended a little early.

"Yeah, it's me, Griff, you around?" I asked.

"You're done a little early." He said, "I'm on my way back, just picked up some groceries real quick. You want me to come in?"

"I'll be alright, I'll meet you outside, 'kay?"

"Sure, see you then."

He hung up. As I did the same, I felt someone's presence behind me.

I looked over, and saw a woman. She was taller than me, had short brown hair that measured to her neck, a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black combat boots. She had an intimidating aura about her, with her gaze almost piercing into my soul.

"Are you Griff?" she asked, her arms crossed.

"Do I know you?" I asked, my voice a little anxious.

"No," she answered "but I wanted to see you," she said, with a serious look on her face.

"See me? Are you one of the people who attacked the mall?"

"No," she replied quickly, "I'm just one of the people that wants to help you."

I stared at her. "Help me? I have no idea who you are. How the hell do you expect to 'help me?'"

"Does the name Miku ring a bell?" she asked.

I wanted to ask her how she knew her, but she continued before I could.

"I know who took her," she said, and then she leaned in closer. "And I know that they want her to remain a secret."

"A secret? Why would I believe that, especially from someone who I don't even know!?"

"Meiko," she said, "my name is Meiko, and if you don't want to believe me, that's fine, but I know who took her. And I know you don't believe the story you were told."

I looked away, trying to deny what she was saying. It would have been so much easier to accept Miku just went missing because she didn't feel safe anymore and wanted to cut off contact from everyone. But deep down, I knew that couldn't have been true.

"I know people," Meiko continued. "And those people, myself included, want to help, but we need you to be willing to take a risk."

"Okay, Meiko," I said, "then tell me how you can help."

"It's not safe here," Meiko warned. "I'm taking a huge risk coming out to see you, but this should be proof enough."

Meiko took out her phone, and showed me an image.

"This should be proof enough," she said.

On the image was what looked to be security footage, and then I realized that's exactly what it was. I was laying on the ground, with Miku standing on the right, and the two armed gunmen pointing their guns at Miku.

"Where did you get this!?" I asked.

"I can't tell you," she said. "At least, not now. And I need to know if you believe me or not."

I took a deep breath, and nodded. "I believe you."

"Good," she said, "then my plan is we meet back here tomorrow, after you're done with school. We'll go from there. Keep this a secret, and don't tell anyone, not even your guardian, got it?"

I nodded again. This girl seemed to have done her homework on me. If I told David, I got the feeling she'd find out somehow. Plus, she seemed to have known enough about Miku that I needed to believe what she was telling me.

"Then it's settled," she said, walking away, "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't make me wait."

She ran off downstairs and when I tried to follow behind her, she was gone. This girl was a mystery, and, if I wasn't careful, probably dangerous.

David arrived, I got in his car, and while we talked about the therapy session, I would think about the meeting I had just had with a complete stranger. Someone who knew plenty about me, but I hadn't a single clue as to who she was.

I spent the ride home in silence, thinking about the photo that was just shown to me. That couldn't have been easy to acquire, and it was proof enough that both Meiko, and the people she worked with, knew enough that I would be able to find answers.

I wanted the truth. Even if it meant trusting a complete stranger to get there, I'd take it.

"Hey, I'm back," Meiko said. "How are you two holding up?"

The two women Meiko was speaking to turned their attention to her. One of them, a girl named Luka, who had pink hair and a very mature cadence when she spoke. The other was Gumi, a girl with green hair who had a knack for all things computer.

"Oh, hey Meiko," Gumi said, her attention returning to her monitor. "I noticed you paid a visit to the hospital today."

"Obviously," Meiko said. "But you knew that."

"Guilty," Gumi said, wryly. "Luka and I were just talking about it. If he agrees to show up tomorrow, then we've got a lead going."

"If," Luka said. "And let's not forget how much of a risk it is for Meiko to even be out in the public eye like this."

"A risk, sure," Meiko said, "but I can take care of myself if anything goes wrong."

"Right, neither of us doubt your ability to hold your own, Meiko," Gumi said. "My worry is your new friend."

"I know," Meiko said, "and I know you're both going to say he's a security risk more than anything, but I think we need the help."

"Fine," Luka said, "but he's your responsibility. If he ends up bringing the authorities in here, it's on you."

"I doubt that'll happen," Gumi said. "Not like anyone would believe him if he did tell anyone."

"Besides," Meiko said, "he seemed to react when I told him I knew what happened to Miku. It's a good indicator he wants to know what happened to her."

"I almost wonder," Luka added, her brow furrowed, "is the reason you're wanting to help him is because your situation is similar."

"It isn't," Meiko said, frustrated, "it's not the same. Not even close."

"Are you sure? Because you both seem to be in the same boat."

"It isn't," Meiko repeated. "I'll take my chances with him."

"Fine, fine," Luka said. "Just be careful, especially out in public."

"You're acting like I don't go out in public at all," Meiko shot back. "I'll be fine, just worry about your plans."

Meiko stepped back out, leaving Luka and Gumi to work. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day for all of them.