KATHERINE

CHAPTER 1 OF 1: WELCOME TO CAMPUS As The Day Broke, A Glimmer Of Sunshine Went Straight For Katherine's Eye She Then Turned Away From It.She Didn't Want To Wake Up So Soon Cause She Wasn't Ready For College But Her Mom's Voice Woke Her Up,She Grumbled Out Of The Bed And Lazily Strolled To The Bathroom To Wash Her Face And Brush Her Teeth. A Knock Sounded On Her Room Door, She Instantly Knew It Was Her Mom Coming To Drag Her Out Of The Bed,She Rinsed Her Face And Went To Open Up The Door."Hey Kat You Up Already?" Her Mom Asked Surprisingly, She Thought She Would Have To Wake Her Up But Seeing That Katherine Was Up By Herself Lizzy Was Both Surprised And Happy."Good Morning Mom, Wow Try Not To Be Too Surprised" Katherine Said Sarcastically Then Sat On The Bed To Stall But Her Mom Wouldn't Allow Her, Lizzy Dragged Her Up From The Bed And Told Her To Take Her Bath And Come Down For Breakfast,Kat Was Surprised That Her Mom Didn't Give Her Any Motivational Talk To Get Her Ready For The New Chapter Of Her Life.She Furrowed Her Eyebrows And Asked Her Mom If She Was Okay "Are You Okay Mom?" She Asked But Lizzy Replied With A Nod And A Smile On Her Face.Kat Suddenly Knew There Was Something Wrong But She Didn't Know What It Was.She Decided To Let It Go And Take Her Bath Before Going Down For Breakfast, Lizzy Watched Her Daughter Go Into The Bathroom Before She Left The Room. Maddie,Alex, Lizzy,Katherine's Dad And Her Brother Were All Seated Around The Dining Table Waiting Patiently For Katherine To Come Downstairs. "Must We Wait For Her?, I'm So Famished" Michael Said Impatiently.But Lizzy Ignored The Question.Few Minutes Later Katherine Walked Down The Stairs Nonchalantly Like She Wasn't The One They Were Waiting For,Her Brother Michael Didn't Even Wait Until She Was Seated,He Started Eating Before The Grace Was Said.After Breakfast Kat Went Up To Her Room With Her Friends Maddie And Alex So She Would Take Her Remaining Things To The Car Where Her Mom, Dad And Brother Were Waiting."I'm Going To Miss This House A Lot Of Memories Were Made Here" Kat Thought To Herself.She Carried The Last Box To The Car And Placed It In It's Truck Then Sat At The Back With Her Friends. ****** ****** ****** The Journey Took Some Hours But They Finally Arrived At Their Destination, They Were All Relieved To Step Out Of The Car Maddie And Alex Stepped Out First Then Michael And Her Dad Followed, Lizzy Noticed Katherine's Mood Wasn't Good She Then Asked "Hey Honey Are You Good?" She Asked Softly "No Mom I'm Not Good, I'm Genuinely Not Ready For College Yet What If I Don't Fit In?, What If I Can't Figure It Out?, I Can't Be Here Alone I Still Need You And Dad Mom."She Said With A Shaky Voice "Oh Honey I Know You Think You Won't Be Able To Figure It Out But You Will My Love, Besides Your Dad And I Will Always Be Here You Can Always Call Us If There Is Any Issue At All" She Said With A Little Smile On Her Face. Alex Maddie And Lizzy Helped Kat With Her Stuffs They Were So Excited To Help Her Settle In Her Room,On Getting To Entrance Of Her Room She Mistakenly Bumped Into Sophie And The Scene Wasn't A Pretty One,"I'm So Sorry I Didn't See You There "Katherine Apologized But Sophie Didn't Bother To Hear Her Out She Gave Her A Slap And Told Her Not To Ever Allow The Incident To Repeat Itself And She Attempted Walking Away But Alex Who Saw Everything Blocked Her Way And Told Sophie To Apologize To Her Friend For Hitting Her.Sophie Scoffed And Said "What? Are You Daft? Or Are You Blind? Cause She Clearly Bumped Into Me And You Tell Me To Apologize? Really? Can You Just Move Out Of My Way I Have A Class Now And I'm Late" She Said Pushing Alex Out Of Her Way But Alex Didn't Allow Her Go Without Apologizing To Her Friend, Katherine Whispered "It's Fine" To Alex So The Drama Will Stop But Alex Still Insisted "Yes She Bumped Into You But It Was By Mistake And Besides She Apologized So The Slap Was Unnecessary Now Apologize To Her" But Sophie Ignored Her And Walked Out,Alex Marked Her Face So She Would Take Her Revenge Later On. They Arrived At Katherine's Room,The Door Was Slightly Opened Katherine Just Assumed Her Roommate Was In Already, They All Went Inside The Room But They Didn't See Anyone, They Were All Confused If No One Was In The Room Then Why Was The Door Cracked Opened? Lizzy Scanned The Room With Her Eyes, She Noticed That The Other Side Of The Room Was Properly Arranged Nothing Was Kept Out Of Place So No One Had Broken In But The Question Was Where Was Her Roommate And Why Was The Door Left Open? "She Might Have Stepped Out To Get Something" Maddie Said Calmly.They All Decided To Drop The Boxes At The Other Side Of The Room, Lizzy Went Back To Get The Remaining Box. Meanwhile Alex Maddie And Katherine Started Unboxing And Arranging Kat's Stuffs, "Oh My God Kat Mr. Snuggles I've Missed Him" Maddie Said Holding Up An Old Teddy Bear, Katherine Still Looked Down,Alex Noticed That She Wasn't Fine "Kathy? Are You Okay?" Alex Asked With A Concerned Tone "No, I'm Going To Miss You Guys So Much I'm Going To Miss This" Katherine Said With A Shaky Voice Tears Rolling Down Her Cheeks, Maddie And Alex Then Hugged Her Assuring Her That Everything Is Going To Be Alright.Lizzy Came Back Up With The Remaining Boxes,She Helped In Arranging Them, They Were Done Arranging When Alex Noticed Kat's Roommate Isn't Back Yet "Hey Kat Your Roommate Isn't Here Yet?,I Wonder Where She Went To That She Isn't Back By Now" Alex Said With Worry In Her Tone, They All Decided To Wait A Little For Katherine's Roommate To Come Cause Lizzy Didn't Want Her To Be Alone On Her First Day In College She Also Wanted To Collect Her Roommate's Number In Case Of Emergencies. Thirty Minutes Later Katherine's Roommate Hasn't Arrived Yet They Were All Tired So They Decided To Get Going, Before Maddie Could Open The Door Sophie Opened It From Outside, They Were All Surprised And Confused At The Same Time "What's She Doing Here?"Katherine Said Quietly "You Know You've Got The Nerves To Barge Into My Friend's Room After The Scene You Caused In The Hallway, What Are You Doing Here?"Alex Asked With Anger In Her Tone, Sophie Ignored Her Question And Walked Past Her To Her Bed Alex Wanted To Stop Her But Kat Gave A Look That Says 'Let It Go' So Alex Just Left With The Others. A Month Later Katherine Had Adjusted Already She Has Gotten Familiar With Her Surroundings She Is Now Very Comfortable In College Although She Doesn't See Her Friends All The Time Cause They Got Into A Different College But She Has Been Calm And Happy,Also Her And Sophie Finally Got Along Turns Out That Sophie's Parents Are Very Rich And Powerful Though Instead Of Giving Their Daughter A Little Of Their Attention They Kept Sending Her To Different Colleges So She Decided To Be Rude,Cruel And Unapproachable To Everyone She Knows,She Was Infact The Reason Her Previous Roommate Changed Room But That Was A Story For Another Day. Sophie Had Her Own Friends Too Carla And Dawn They All Got Along Just Fine But Lately They Haven't Been Talking And She Feels Like It's All Her Fault That's Part Of Why She Was In A Mood When They First Met. How Ever Sophie Found Out About A School Tradition That Hasn't Taken Place In A While And It Sounded Like Fun To Her So She Decided To Bring The Tradition Back To Life By Organizing Everything With Her Friends So She Told Them About It And They Agreed To Help Her. The Tradition Was That The Senior Students Will Each Prank Any Fresher They Know And The Prank Must Be Epic And Real,The Senior With The Most Pranked Freshman And The Most Epic Prank Would Be Massively Rewarded, Sophie Wanted To Do This Cause During Her Freshman Year She Was Pranked So She Wanted Someone Else To Feel The Way She Felt Back Then. It All Started With A Party To Get Everyone Comfortable, Katherine Was Informed Of The Party By Sophie So She Attended It, Minutes Later Sophie Stepped Up To The Stage And Announced How The Rest Of The Night Will Be, The Room Was Suddenly Filled With Mumurs They Were All Wondering What Was Happening No One Understood The Rules Of The "Game" They Were Supposed To Play, Carla Then Got Up The Stage To Properly Explain The Rules.But Katherine Didn't Want To Play She Asked If It Was A Compulsory Game But Dawn Said As Long As You're Here You Have To Play The Game No Backing Out Now. After The Announcement The Hall Went Dark And It Was Quiet For A Second Until A Voice Said "Now Let The Game Begin" People Were Being Grabbed Then They Were All Screaming, Katherine Was Still Confused On What Was Happening She Tried Reaching Out To Sophie And Her Friends "Sophie?,Sophieeee, Sophie,Carla?Dawn? What's Going On?" She Asked But No One Answered Her, All Of A Sudden Someone Grabbed Her She Screamed ,She Yelled She Tried Fighting But She Couldn't Break Free. CHAPTER 2 OF 2: THE MYSTERY BEGINS Katherine Opened Her Eyes Slowly, For A Few Seconds She Couldn't Remember Where She Was, Her Head Hurt And Her Vision Was Still Blurry, She Tried To Move But Nothing Happened, Her Hands Were Tied Tightly Behind Her Back, Panic Immediately Rushed Through Her As She Started Struggling Against The Ropes, She Tried Moving Her Legs And Realized They Were Tied Too, "What The..." She Whispered Looking Around The Room. The Room Was Dark, Not Completely Dark Though Because A Small Amount Of Light Was Coming Through A Narrow Window High Up On The Wall, Katherine's Breathing Became Faster As She Tried To Remember What Had Happened, The Party, The Lights Going Out, Everyone Screaming, Someone Grabbing Her And Then... Nothing. Her Eyes Widened As She Finally Realized That This Wasn't A Prank, She Tried Pulling At The Ropes Around Her Wrists But They Were Too Tight, "Help!" She Screamed Hoping Someone Would Hear Her, "Somebody!" Her Voice Echoed Through The Unfamiliar Room But No One Answered. She Swallowed Nervously And Called Out For Her Friends, "Sophie?" Silence, "Carla?" Nothing, "Dawn?" Still Nothing, Katherine's Eyes Slowly Filled With Tears As Fear Took Over Her, "Mom..." She Whispered As Her Mind Immediately Went To Her Family. She Thought About Her Mother, Her Father, Michael, Maddie And Alex, She Wished She Had Listened To Her Mother When She Told Her That She Could Always Call If Something Was Wrong, But Her Phone Was Nowhere To Be Found, She Looked Around Desperately Hoping To Find Something That Could Help Her, "Please..." She Whispered. Suddenly A Sound Came From Outside The Room, Katherine Froze When She Heard Footsteps Approaching, The Sound Became Louder And Louder Until It Finally Stopped Right Outside The Door, She Held Her Breath As The Door Slowly Opened And A Tall Figure Walked Into The Room. Katherine Couldn't See The Person's Face Because The Room Was Too Dark, "Who Are You?" She Asked Nervously But The Figure Said Nothing, "Where Am I?" She Asked Again But There Was Still No Answer, "What Do You Want From Me?" Katherine Asked As The Person Slowly Walked Closer To Her. Katherine Pressed Herself Against The Wall, "Please Don't Hurt Me," She Said With A Shaky Voice, The Figure Stopped Directly In Front Of Her Before Finally Speaking, "You're Asking The Wrong Questions." Katherine Stared At The Person In Confusion, "What?" She Asked, The Figure Crouched Down And Looked At Her Before Saying, "You Should Be Asking Why You're Here." Katherine Shook Her Head, "I Don't Understand," She Said, The Figure Slowly Stood Up And Replied, "You Will," Before Turning Around And Walking Toward The Door. "Wait!" Katherine Shouted, Causing The Figure To Stop, "Who Are You?" She Asked Again, There Was A Short Pause Before The Person Turned Slightly And Said, "You'll Find Out Soon Enough." The Door Suddenly Slammed Shut And Katherine Stared At It In Disbelief, "No..." She Whispered Before Starting To Struggle Against The Ropes Again, "Somebody Help Me!" She Screamed But Nobody Came. Meanwhile, Back At The College, The Party Had Finally Come To An End, Students Were Slowly Leaving The Hall While Some Were Laughing About The Pranks And Others Were Complaining About How Badly They Had Been Scared When The Lights Went Out, Everyone Seemed To Be Going On With Their Night But Something Was Wrong. Sophie Stood Near The Entrance Looking Around The Hall, Her Smile Had Completely Disappeared As She Looked Through The Crowd, "Where Is Katherine?" She Asked, Carla Looked At Her And Replied, "I Thought She Was With You." "No," Sophie Answered Shaking Her Head, Dawn Frowned And Said, "Maybe She Went Back To Her Room," But Sophie Immediately Shook Her Head, "She Wouldn't Leave Without Telling Me." Dawn Folded Her Arms And Said, "Maybe She Went With Someone Else," Sophie Looked At Her And Asked, "Who?" But Dawn Didn't Answer. Sophie Suddenly Remembered What Had Happened When The Lights Went Out, She Remembered Hearing Katherine Scream But At The Time She Had Assumed It Was Part Of The Prank, Now She Wasn't So Sure, "Turn The Lights Back On," Sophie Said Suddenly. Carla Looked At Her Confused, "They're Already On," She Said, Sophie Froze And Asked, "What?" Carla Pointed Toward The Hall And Said, "The Lights Have Been On For Several Minutes." Sophie Slowly Looked Around The Hall, Students Were Everywhere But Katherine Wasn't Among Them, Her Stomach Dropped As She Realized Something Was Seriously Wrong, "Search The Hall," She Ordered. "What?" Carla Asked In Confusion, "Search The Entire Hall!" Sophie Shouted, The Girls Immediately Spread Out And Started Searching Everywhere, They Checked Behind The Stage, The Bathrooms, The Storage Rooms And The Corridors But Katherine Was Nowhere To Be Found. Sophie Pulled Out Her Phone And Called Katherine, Once, Twice, Three Times But There Was No Answer, "Come On Kat," She Whispered Before Trying Again, This Time The Phone Rang But Nobody Picked Up. Sophie Frowned When She Suddenly Heard A Faint Vibration Coming From Somewhere Nearby, She Followed The Sound Until She Reached One Of The Tables, She Bent Down And Looked Underneath It, Her Eyes Widened When She Saw Katherine's Phone Lying On The Floor. She Slowly Picked It Up And Her Blood Ran Cold, Katherine Would Never Leave Her Phone Behind, Never. Carla Walked Over And Asked, "What Is It?" Sophie Slowly Looked At Her With A Worried Expression And Said, "This Wasn't Part Of The Game." The Girls Stared At Each Other In Silence, None Of Them Knowing What To Say Or Do, When Suddenly Katherine's Phone Rang, And It Was Her Mom Calling... CHAPTER 3 Of 3: WHAT HAPPENED TO KATHERINE Maddie Stood In Front Of Her Mirror, Fixing Her Hair While Alex Sat On The Edge Of Her Bed, Scrolling Through Her Phone. They Were Supposed To Go Pick Up Katherine For Their Hangout, And Maddie Was Already Excited To See Her. "We Should Probably Go Pick Up Katherine Now," Maddie Said As She Picked Up Her Bag From The Bed. Alex Looked Up From Her Phone And Smirked. "Yeah, We Should. Knowing Katherine, She's Probably Already Waiting For Us." Maddie Laughed Softly. "You Know She Doesn't Like Waiting." "Exactly," Alex Said As She Got Up From The Bed. "And I Don't Feel Like Listening To Her Complaining About How Slow We Are." Maddie Looked At Her And Smiled. "Katherine Doesn't Complain." "She Does When She's With Us," Alex Said, And The Two Girls Started Laughing As They Walked Out Of The Room. They Walked Down The Hallway Together, Talking About Their Plans For The Day, Completely Unaware That Something Was Wrong. Meanwhile, Sophie, Carla, And Dawn Were Still Standing Together In The Hallway After Searching Everywhere They Could Think Of For Katherine. The Three Girls Were Close Friends, And Even Though Carla And Dawn Could Be Mean Sometimes, They Were All Worried About Katherine Now. Sophie Was Still Holding Katherine's Phone In Her Hand When It Suddenly Started Ringing Again. She Looked Down At The Screen And Her Heart Dropped When She Saw The Name On It. "It's Her Mom," Sophie Said Quietly. Carla Looked At The Phone And Then At Sophie. "Are You Going To Answer It?" Sophie Didn't Respond Immediately. She Just Stared At The Screen As The Phone Continued Ringing In Her Hand. Dawn Moved Closer To Her. "Sophie, You Should Probably Answer It." "But What Am I Supposed To Tell Her?" Sophie Asked, Her Voice Filled With Worry. "That We Can't Find Her Daughter?" Carla Looked At Her Friend And Sighed. "We Don't Even Know What Happened To Katherine Yet." Before Sophie Could Say Anything, Footsteps Could Be Heard Coming From The Hallway. Maddie And Alex Were Walking Towards Them, Still Talking About Their Plans Until Maddie Suddenly Noticed The Serious Looks On Their Faces. "What's Wrong?" Maddie Asked, Looking From Sophie To Carla And Dawn. Alex Looked Around Them And Immediately Asked, "Where's Katherine?" The Girls Went Silent. Maddie Looked At Sophie. "Isn't She With You?" Sophie Slowly Shook Her Head. "No, We Haven't Seen Her Since Last Night." Alex's Expression Changed Immediately. "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen Her?" "We've Been Looking For Her Since The Party," Sophie Explained. "She Disappeared After The Lights Went Out, And We Couldn't Find Her Anywhere." Maddie Looked Shocked. "Disappeared?" Dawn Nodded. "Yes. We Thought Maybe She Had Gone Back To Her Room, But She Wasn't There." "Did You Call Her?" Alex Asked. "We Did," Carla Replied. "She Didn't Answer." Alex Looked At Sophie. "That's Not Like Katherine." "I Know," Sophie Said, Looking Down At Katherine's Phone. Maddie Took A Small Step Forward. "Did Anything Happen At The Party?" Sophie Hesitated Before Answering. "When The Lights Went Out, We Heard Katherine Scream, But We Thought It Was Part Of The Prank." Maddie's Eyes Widened. "You Heard Her Scream?" "Yes," Sophie Said. Alex's Face Became Serious. "And You Didn't Go Looking For Her Immediately?" "We Didn't Know Something Was Wrong," Dawn Explained. "Everyone Was Screaming And Running Around Because Of The Blackout." Alex Shook Her Head. "Katherine Wouldn't Just Disappear Like That." Maddie Looked At Alex And Then At Sophie, Her Face Filled With Worry. "We Have To Find Her." "We Will," Sophie Said, Trying To Stay Calm. Just Then, Katherine's Phone Started Ringing Again In Sophie's Hand. Everyone Looked At The Screen. It Was Katherine's Mom Calling. The Girls Stared At Each Other In Silence, None Of Them Knowing What To Say Or Do, While Katherine's Phone Continued To Ring In Sophie's Hand. CHAPTER 4 Of 4 :THE TRUTH BEHIND THE DISAPPEARANCES Katherine Sat On A Cold Wooden Chair In The Middle Of The Dark Room, Her Hands Tied Behind Her Back As She Tried To Figure Out A Way Out Of The Situation. Her Legs Were Tied As Well, Making It Difficult For Her To Move, But She Had Stopped Struggling For A Moment Because She Knew It Wasn't Getting Her Anywhere. She Was Scared, But She Refused To Show It. Whoever Had Taken Her Wanted Her To Be Afraid, And Katherine Wasn't Going To Give Him The Satisfaction. She Heard The Sound Of The Door Unlocking, And Her Eyes Immediately Went Towards It. The Door Opened Slowly, And The Tall Figure Walked Into The Room Again. Katherine Watched Him Carefully As He Closed The Door Behind Him And Walked Towards Her. "So, Are You Finally Ready To Tell Me Why I'm Here?" Katherine Asked, Her Voice Calm But Filled With Anger. The Man Stopped In Front Of Her And Looked Down At Her. "You're Still Asking Questions." "Of Course I Am. You kidn*pped Me And Tied Me To A Chair In A Dark Room. What Else Do You Expect Me To Do?" He Didn't Answer. Instead, He Reached Up And Slowly Removed The Mask Covering His Face. Katherine's Expression Immediately Changed When She Saw His Face. "Nate?" The Man Standing In Front Of Her Was Nate, Her English Lecturer. Katherine Stared At Him In Complete Disbelief. "You're My Lecturer." Nate Gave Her A Small Smile. "Yes, I Am." "What The Hell Are You Doing?" Katherine Asked, Her Anger Growing. "Why Did You Take Me?" Nate Pulled Another Chair From The Corner Of The Room And Sat Down In Front Of Her. He Crossed His Arms And Studied Her For A Moment Before Speaking. "I Took You Because You Found Something You Were Never Supposed To Find." Katherine Frowned. "What Are You Talking About?" "The Old Building Behind The Library." Katherine's Eyes Narrowed. She Remembered The Building Immediately. A Few Days Earlier, She Had Gone There Looking For Somewhere Quiet To Study. She Had Found A Strange Room Inside, But She Hadn't Thought Much About It At The Time. "What About It?" She Asked. "You Went Inside." "Yes, I Did. So What?" Nate Leaned Forward. "You Opened The Wrong Door." Katherine's Face Became Serious. "I Didn't See Anything." "You Saw Enough." Katherine Was Quiet For A Moment Before Asking, "What Is In That Building?" Nate Stood Up And Walked Towards A Small Cabinet At The Side Of The Room. He Opened It And Took Out A Thick File, Then Walked Back And Placed It On The Table. "There Have Been Several Girls Who Discovered That Room Before You," He Said. Katherine Looked At The File. "What Happened To Them?" "They Left." "Why?" Nate Opened The File And Showed Her Several Pictures Of Young Girls. Katherine Recognized Some Of Them As Students She Had Seen Around Campus Before. "They Were All Students Here," Nate Explained. "They Found The Same Room, And They Started Asking Questions." Katherine Looked At The Pictures Again. "And You Took Them?" Nate Didn't Deny It. "Yes." Katherine Looked Up At Him. "Why?" "Because They Were Getting Too Close." "Close To What?" Nate Closed The File. "Something That Has Been Hidden In This School For A Very Long Time." Katherine's Heart Began Beating Faster, But She Kept Her Face Calm. "So You Kidnap Girls Who Find Out About It And Force Them To Leave The School?" Nate Looked At Her. "They Leave Because They Become Afraid Of What They Discover." Katherine Scoffed. "And You Expect Me To Be Afraid Too?" Nate Smiled. "Eventually." Katherine Glared At Him. "You're Going To Regret Taking Me." Nate Walked Towards The Door. "They All Said The Same Thing." He Opened The Door, But Before He Could Leave, Katherine Called His Name. "Nate." He Stopped. "What?" Katherine Looked Straight Into His Eyes. "I'm Going To Find Out What You're Hiding." Nate Stared At Her For A Few Seconds Before Giving Her A Strange Smile. "That's Exactly What I'm Afraid Of." He Walked Out And Locked The Door Behind Him. Katherine Sat There In Silence, Thinking About Everything He Had Just Told Her. She Didn't Know What Was Hidden Inside The School, But Now She Knew One Thing For Certain. She Wasn't The First Girl Nate Had Taken. And She Was Determined To Be The Last. Meanwhile, Back At The Dorm, Katherine's Phone Was Still Ringing In Sophie's Hand. Everyone Stared At The Screen When They Saw That It Was Lizzy, Katherine's Mom, Calling Again. Alex Finally Took The Phone From Sophie. "I'll Answer It." Sophie Looked At Her. "What Are You Going To Tell Her?" Alex Looked At The Phone And Sighed. "I'll Figure Something Out." She Answered The Call And Put The Phone To Her Ear. "Hello, Auntie Lizzy." Lizzy Immediately Recognized Alex's Voice. "Alex? Where Is Katherine? I've Been Calling Her And She Isn't Answering." Alex Looked At Maddie, Who Was Standing Beside Her, And Then At Sophie, Carla, And Dawn. "She's Fine, Auntie. She's With Us." Lizzy Was Quiet For A Moment. "She's With You And Maddie?" Maddie Quickly Nodded When She Realized What Alex Was Doing. "Yes, Auntie," Alex Said. "We're All Together." Lizzy Knew Alex And Maddie Well, And She Knew They Were Some Of Katherine's Closest Friends, So She Didn't Find It Strange That Katherine Would Be With Them. "Where Are You Girls?" Lizzy Asked. Alex Quickly Thought Of Something. "We Went Out For A While. Katherine Left Her Phone Behind, So I Have It With Me." "Oh, Okay," Lizzy Said, Still Sounding A Little Worried. "Just Tell Katherine To Call Me When She Gets Back." "Of Course, Auntie. I'll Tell Her." "And Alex?" "Yes?" "Please Make Sure You Girls Are Careful." Alex Forced A Small Smile Even Though Lizzy Couldn't See Her. "We Will." The Call Ended, And Alex Slowly Lowered The Phone. Maddie Looked At Her. "You Think She Believed Us?" Alex Nodded. "I Think So." Sophie Looked At Katherine's Phone In Alex's Hand. "We Can't Keep Lying To Her Forever." "I Know," Alex Said, Her Expression Becoming Serious. "But Until We Know What Happened To Katherine, We Don't Have A Choice." Carla Looked At Dawn, And Dawn Looked Back At Her. For The First Time, None Of Them Had Anything Cruel Or Funny To Say. They Were All Worried About Their Friend. And Somewhere In The School, Katherine Was Still Trapped In A Locked Room With A Secret That Had Already Forced Several Girls To Leave The School. But Katherine Wasn't Planning To Be One Of Them. She Was Going To Find Out The Truth. CHAPTER 5 Of 5 :THE TRUTH COMES OUT Lizzy Had Not Been Able To Shake Off The Feeling That Something Was Wrong Ever Since She Spoke To Alex On The Phone. She Knew Alex And Maddie Very Well, And She Also Knew That They Were Two Of Katherine's Closest Friends, But Something About The Conversation Had Not Felt Right. Alex Had Tried To Make Everything Sound Normal, Yet Lizzy Could Tell From Her Voice That She Was Hiding Something. She Tried To Ignore The Feeling At First, Telling Herself That She Was Probably Just Worried For No Reason, But As The Hours Passed, Her Concern Only Grew Stronger. By The Next Morning, Lizzy Could No Longer Sit At Home And Pretend Everything Was Fine. She Picked Up Her Bag, Grabbed Her Car Keys, And Drove Straight To Katherine's School To Find Out What Was Really Going On. When She Arrived, She Went Straight To The Hostel And Knocked On The Door Of Katherine And Sophie's Room. Sophie Opened The Door, And The Moment She Saw Lizzy Standing There, Her Face Changed. "Mrs. Lizzy?" Lizzy Looked At Her Seriously. "Yes. Where Is Katherine?" Sophie Suddenly Became Quiet, And That Silence Immediately Made Lizzy Suspicious. "Why Aren't You Answering Me?" Lizzy Asked. "Where Is My Daughter?" Before Sophie Could Respond, Carla And Dawn Came Out Of Their Room, And A Few Seconds Later, Maddie And Alex Also Appeared In The Hallway. Lizzy Looked At All Of Them, And She Could See The Uneasiness On Their Faces. "Why Is Everyone Acting Strange?" She Asked. Nobody Said Anything. Lizzy's Voice Became Sharper. "I Asked Where Katherine Is." Sophie Finally Took A Deep Breath. "Mrs. Lizzy, We Were Going To Tell You." "Tell Me What?" Sophie Looked At Alex, And Alex Looked Away. Lizzy's Heart Dropped. "You Girls Know Something." Maddie Quickly Stepped Forward. "Mrs. Lizzy, Please..." "No," Lizzy Interrupted. "I Want The Truth. Where Is My Daughter?" Sophie Finally Told Her Everything. She Told Her About The Party, The Blackout, The Scream They Had Heard, And How Katherine Had Disappeared Afterward. She Told Her About Searching The School And Finding Katherine's Phone Under The Table, And She Also Told Her That They Had Been Trying To Find Katherine Themselves. Lizzy Listened To Everything In Complete Shock. "You Mean My Daughter Has Been Missing For Days And You Didn't Tell Me?" "We Were Scared," Sophie Said. "We Thought We Could Find Her." Lizzy Looked At Her Angrily. "You Thought You Could Find Her By Yourselves? She Is My Daughter. You Should Have Called Me From The Very Beginning." "We're Sorry," Alex Said Quietly. Lizzy Turned To Her. "You Know Me Well Enough To Know That I Would Want To Know The Truth." Alex Lowered Her Head. Lizzy Took Out Her Phone, But Before Calling The Police, She Realized There Was Someone Else Who Needed To Know What Was Happening. Her Husband. Katherine's Father. She Stepped Away From The Girls And Called Him Immediately. He Answered After A Few Rings. "Hello, Honey. What's Wrong?" Lizzy Tried To Speak, But Her Voice Shook. "It's Katherine." There Was A Short Silence. "What Happened To Katherine?" Lizzy Took A Deep Breath. "She's Missing." "What Do You Mean She's Missing?" Lizzy Explained Everything She Had Just Learned, Including The Party, The Blackout, The Search, And The Fact That The Girls Had Been Looking For Katherine Without Telling Them. Her Husband Became Silent For A Moment. "How Long Has She Been Missing?" "Several Days." His Voice Immediately Became Serious. "And Nobody Told Us?" "They Were Trying To Find Her Themselves." "We're Going To The Police," He Said. Lizzy Looked Back At The Girls. "Yes. That's What I'm Going To Do." She Ended The Call And Immediately Contacted The Police. A Few Hours Later, The Police Arrived At The School And Began Their Investigation. They Questioned Lizzy, Sophie, Carla, Dawn, Maddie, And Alex About Everything That Had Happened On The Night Katherine Disappeared. They Asked About The Pranks ,The Blackout, Also..................