In The Midst Of Adventure

Episode 19

Beatrice's POV:

I didn't let 7am meet me at home, as early as possible I'd left the house to the police station to lay a complaint of my missing child and her friends. When I got there, I was asked to wait for the superintendent to arrive before I can go ahead and give details of what happened. By 8am, he arrived and I went to see him in his office, on his desk his name was boldly written on a short board, the name reads "Sean Braxton".

"Good morning officer, Sean" I greeted flashing him a brief smile.

"Good morning madam, what may I do for you?" He asked.

"My daughter is missing, not just her but together with her friends" I answered.

"Missing? How? What happened?" He asked with furrowed brows.

"I don't know, I don't know" I paused and started sobbing.

"Calm down madam, please calm down and tell me what happened" he calmed me down and I nodded dabbing my eyes.

"My daughter and her friends went for a picnic at the beach yesterday morning, they told me they'll be back before sundown but I waited till midnight and there was no sign of their return neither has there been a call or text from them."

"Did you find out if she had a sleepover at one of her friend's house?" He inquired.

"Yes I did, she have only two close friends which are the ones I'm talking about that went with her to the beach, I put a call through to their parent but they gave me a negative response as well." I explained.

"What beach did you say they went to?" the officer asked.

"Coronado beach", I answered.

"Was it just the three of them that went for the picnic?" He interrogated me once again and then I thought briefly and my mouth flew open with wide eyes. "Madam?" He called and I jolted.

"Yes, I mean no. No it wasn't just the three of them, there was a new girl i haven't seen that joined them yesterday when they were about leaving for the beach", I said recalling from the third girl which I didn't get her number before they left.

"And what was this new girl's name?", He questioned and I stared at him trying to recall her name.

"Cath... Catherine, yeah I think is Catherine" I replied confidently.

"Catherine what?" He asked for her surname and I stared at him dumbly.

"I don't know her surname, officer. I just met her for the first time and I didn't get to speak much with her before they departed, I don't even know where she lives." I answered sadly as I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks again.

"This will be a hard one madam" he replied with a sigh tapping his fingers on the table.

"Please officer, do something, send your men to go for a search or something, just do something Sir, please, my daughter must be in danger, this has never happened before" I cried.

"I can't do anything at the moment until is 24hours before I can declare them missing and a search can be granted", he replied and my heart broke at hearing that.

"Please officer, Sean, we can do an undercover together till when it gets to 24hours, please" I begged clasping my hands together.

"I'm not promising you anything but I'll try my best, you have to know that I've got no solid information to find your daughter but I'll try my best just because you're a mother and I know how it feels to lose a child" he replied and I felt a bit relief.

"Thank you very much, Sir" I said wiping my tears away.

"The new girl you talked about, is it someone from your daughter's school?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes she is" I replied.

"I'll have my men to investigate on all the Catherine's in the school and then I'll send pictures to you to pick out the one you know is your daughter's friend, but that is going to be after 24hours, okay?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes, yes, thank you very much officer." I stood up to leave. "Can I have an escort to the beach, I want to see if there's a chance...." I paused and felt goosebumps on my skin as thoughts of seeing my daughter's body lying lifelessly at the sand in the beach hits me. Immediately I felt nausea and my eyes did a little spinning.

"Madam are you okay?" Officer Sean asked me as I placed my hand on the chair I was sitting and held it firm.

"Yes, I'm okay...just uhmm a slight headache. I guess is because I've not had a enough rest since last night" I answered raising up my head.

"Maybe you should go home and have some rest while I send two of my men to search the beach for your daughter and her friends." Sean suggested.

"Thank you very much, but I'll love to go with them if you don't mind" I replied.

"If you insist, then is okay to go with them" He replied.

"Thank you very much sir, here's my number in case you hear of anything" I gave him my business card and he accepted it.

"I'll keep in touch with you, Mrs Rodriguez" he assured me. "Give me a sec let me inform two of my men to go with you, please be discreet while you're heading out with them, okay?" He requested and I nodded knowing his job is at stake if I don't do that.

"Sure, I will. Thank you once again." I left there with a little flash of hope in me. Oh God, please let me find my daughter.

****~~~°°°°°°°°~~~~~******

Cathy's POV:

I was sitting awake trying to think through all what has happened to us in the last couple of hours when I heard a rushing noise. Immediately, I stood up to peep out through the tent while my friends were sleeping soundly.

It was already day break and I haven't had some sleep, I was trying to sleep but I couldn't until now. The sound became like a hissing, I looked around the tent once more through the window and I went numb when my gaze fell on a huge cobra snake. I covered my mouth to avoid screaming out loud and turned around and tiptoe to my friends.

"Bernie, Nat" I called in a whisper tapping them on their legs and immediately they jerk up rubbing off their eyes and yawning while I stared at them. "There's a snake outside" I announced and in a sec their eyes were wide open staring at me blankly.

"A snake outside?" Nat asked.

"Yes, and is a very huge snake, not the usual tiny ones but a cobra, come with me so you'll see for yourself" I said to them in a whisper standing up and walking to the window. When I got to the window, I glanced out but to my amazement there was no more snake there where I had seen it. I gulped harder and fixed my gaze on my friends not blinking my eyes.

"Where is the snake?", Both girls asked in unison staring out and glancing back at me.

"I....it...was there" I replied in a stutter pointing out of the window.

"Well, I can't see a thing, so maybe you were hallucinating" Bernie replied and walked back to a small sit in the corner of the tent.

"I'm serious, I saw a snake! I don't know what happened, it has disappear but I saw it, believe me!" I half-yelled walking back to where Bernie was seated while Nat stood at the window side staring out in search of the snake I guess. Within a minute of turning my back on Nat I heard a scream and in a swift I turned around to see what was going on.

"Oh my God, Natasha!" I yelled in fright when I saw the snake bite her on her stomach without removing it's grip on her.

I ran to her and when I got closer to her I didn't know what to do, I was confused to the core. She was squealing on top of her lungs and I was imagining the pains she's going through right now.

"C'mon do something, kill it", she cries out. How do I kill a snake? Meanwhile, Bernie stood there petrified not what to do as well.

"Keep an eyes on her, I'm coming" I instructed Bernie and she nods shakily. I left her side and went for the tent door, I opened it and went outside in search of a stick, iron or anything I can lay my hands on. I sighted a stick close to a bush few feets away from me and I went for it, although it was not big enough but I can still make a good use of it.

I picked it up and ran to the back of the tent, I tiptoe closer to where the snake was and with all my strength I smack it hard close to the head and it released Nat's stomach and fell on the floor hissing and twisting. The snake made a move to come for me but then I used the stick and smack the head harder and the stick broke, "s**t!" I hissed and stepped back from the snake.

I was now panting heavily, I looked around to find something else to use and finish the snake but I couldn't sight a thing. I kept stepping back and the snake kept coming for me, oh God what do I do? I didn't know know when my back collided with something and I fell to the floor.

I knew this was it for me, I felt a stream of tears flowed down my cheeks as I shot my eyes closed waiting for it to attack me. And then I heard a gunshot and my eyes snaps open with a jolt. "Scott?" I mumbled in shock when I saw him standing a few feet away from the snake and me, well I glanced at the snake and I saw it was dead after the gunshot fired from Scott.

"Are you okay?" he asked and bent low to examine me while I stared at him dumbfounded.

"Uh...yeah" I gulped and sat upright, "thank you", I said quietly and he nods. "I thought you were dead when you didn't come back last night".

"I'm not done saving you girls yet so I can't die yet, until I get you all out of here safely then I can't think of dying" he answered flashing me a smile and I gave a frown. "C'mon I'm fine, okay? Where is Natasha and Bernie?".

That question reset my memory, Nat was bitten by a snake and has not gotten a treatment for a snake bite. She could easily die since it bit her in a sensitive place.

I stood up and ran inside the tent with Scott trailing behindme "Nat?" I called kneeling beside her while Bernie tries to wipe off the blood.

"Natasha? What happened to you?" Scott asked taking her hand and held it.

"Scott?" She called weakly, "You're alive?".

"Yes I am, what happened to you? Why are you bleeding on your stomach? Can someone talk to me, what happened to her?" he half-yelled.

"It was a snake bite, that was you saw me at the backyard with it, I was trying to kill it before you came", I explained.

"Damn it!" He cussed and ran his fingers through his hair confusedly. "A snake bite is poisonous, she needs to take something if not she'll die" he said and I gasps.

"I'll die, really?" She asked weakly as a drop of tears slide down her eyes.

"I'm not saying you'll die, you won't die if I get the cure. I'll run off to the bushes and find a herb to use for it, so don't worry nothing is going to happen to you, I promise" with that he kissed her forehead and stood up. "Please keep her awake, do not let her sleep, and make sure you try to stop the bleeding so she won't pass out, okay?".

Bernie and I nodded before he ran out of the tent to the bushes. How does he even know a cure for snake bites? He's such an intelligent guy. My gaze fell on Nat and she was sobbing silently.

"Don't worry you'll be fine, have my word" I assured her and she blinks her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Please don't cry, I can't stand it", Bernie utters sadly and I gaze up at her. She was at the brim of tears and when she blinks it started pouring down her cheeks, she stood up clasping her mouth and she went outside. It's quite obvious she doesn't want to cry in front of her friend.

I was left alone with Nat, I helped raised her head from the floor and I placed it on my laps. I patted her hair gently and look into her eyes, "I promise you, you'll survive this".

I picked up her jacket and pressed it on her stomach to suppress the bleeding. Oh God, please don't let her die, I can't afford to loose another friend.