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Chapter 521 Amy's POV The adults always thought they were so clever, that they did things and no one was the wiser. They didn't notice how much we watched them. Stacy and I already knew when the guard changed around the house, and we also knew they always took a couple of minutes to talk to each other. That was the perfect time to sneak out without being seen. So, after packing up our backpacks with the necessary supplies - flashlights, blankets, and snacks - we waited for the perfect moment and then slipped right out the back of the house unseen by everyone.
Mom was still talking to Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Jake, so they weren't paying attention. The guards, like usual, were taking a minute to chat to each other. Sitting to the bushes and the wall, we were able to sneak right out the back exit and into the forest. We walked through the forest for a while, staying as quiet as we could. I followed Stacy mostly, trusting her to know the way. We walked for a while, until we finally got a pretty good distance away from the house. We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. "I think we are far enough away now," I said. "Yeah," Stacy replied.
We stopped walking at the same time and looked at each other. "This is pretty far into the woods," I said. "Yeah," Stacy replied. "I'm surprised you knew the way here." I stilled. "Um. I was following you." "No," Stacy said, laughing like I was joking, "Don't tease. I was following you." My stomach twisted up into knots. "I'm not teasing," I said. "I was really following you." "But that can't be," she said, her smile turning nervous before fading entirely. "I was following you, Amy. Or I thought I was." She looked around. "So where are we?" I looked too.
We were in a forest, but nothing looked very familiar. "I don't know. Are we lost?" We weren't supposed to be actually lost. We were just supposed to hide until Mom and Dad came together. "It's fine," Stacy said, but I could see the fear in her eyes. "I'm sure it's fine. We're fine." "Maybe..." I wasn't as good at faking my feelings as she was. In fact, I was starting to feel very overwhelmed. Even my hands were starting to shake. Stacy rallied herself. "Listen. This doesn't change the plan. So what if we were just going to pretend, and now we aren't.
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Mom and Dad will still work together to find us. So we don't have to worry. In fact, we should have some fun before they do." 1/4 "Okay..." That did make me feel a little better. "Come on. Let's keep walking." She laughed again, still a little nervous. "Maybe we'll find them before they find us. Wouldn't that be funny?" I tried to laugh but couldn't manage. "Yeah..." We continued to walk through the forest. By now, the sun was starting to get kind of low so the shadows were getting longer. My tummy rumbled. It was dinner time. "Here," Stacy said, and pulled out a granola bar from her pocket.
She handed it to me. I munched as we kept walking. Then, suddenly, Stacy stopped me. "Do you hear that?" I strained to listen, stilling mid-chew. Yes. I did hear it. Off in the distance a bit. It sounded like kids laughing. That had to be a good sign, didn't it? "We should check it out," Stacy said. "Okay." Together, we followed the sound of the laughter until we reached a small clearing. There, we saw a woman with a basket of wild berries and two kids running around. One was a boy and one was a girl. They seemed around our age. The woman seemed strangely familiar.
I was certain I'd never seen her before, but there was something about her that made me feel like home. Like she was family or something. That was silly, of course, but I couldn't deny the feeling. It was like I instinctively knew she was safe. So I stepped first out of the clearing. Stacy hurriedly followed me. The kids spotted us first, then gasped and ran to their mother. She turned then and seeing us, she dropped her basket, some of her berries falling out onto the ground. "Uh, excuse me," I said, trying to remember my manners. "Can you help us?
We're lost." "Who are you?" the woman asked. She didn't move an inch otherwise, just to stare and ask that. "Uh, I'm Amy." "I'm Stacy," Stacy said. "Who are you?" "Are you..." she lowered her voice. "...Damien's children?" Relief flooded through me. "You know Daddy?" Relief did not fill this lady's face. Instead, the opposite, she paled a little. "Yes, I... Gods, you are just children. If they find you..." "Who?" Stacy asked, tilting her head. 2/4 Chapter 521 +25 Bonus The lady looked behind her and then back to us. I was starting to feel like something was wrong.
"What did you say your name was again?" I asked her, knowing full well she hadn't given it yet. "I'm Victoria," she said. "And you two should never have come here." Amelia's POV I walked to the stairs and called, "Girls! I heard you sneaked in without saying hello. Come and talk to your grandparents!" I waited for the telltale sounds of children's hurried footsteps. Instead, I heard only silence. That was strange. The girls loved their grandparents and would usually rush to see them. I couldn't imagine that they would be up there hiding. Unless this was part of a game? "Alright," I said.
"Ready or not, I'm coming to get you!" I went up the stairs, a smile prepared, as I was ready to be pounced. Instead, again, at the top of the stairs, nothing. I went to Amy's door and opened it. The room was dark. "Amy?" I called, a touch of fear starting to enter my voice now. I went to Stacy's room instead. It was dark too, and there was no sense of the girls. No presence. I checked the closet and bed of both rooms just to be sure. There were no little girls hiding there. "Amy? Stacy? This isn't funny!" I said, unable to keep the panic out now.
"Come out this minute." I listened, but there was no sound of movement. No muffled laughter. No sign of the children at all. My heart jumped up into my throat and I ran downstairs. Mom, Dad, and Jake were already there, having heard my calls. "What's going on?" Mom asked. "I can't find them," I said. "They have to be here," Dad said. "We'll search." He went at once to talk to the guard at the door. "Don't panic," Jake said. "Keep a clear head." I wanted to but the thought that my children could be out there somewhere taken. Gods, I was going to be sick.
Mom touched my back, bringing me back into the moment. "It's going to be okay. If they left, they couldn't have been gone for long. We will find them. Stay strong." She was right. I needed to stay focused. But first, I had to call Damien. Gods, I hoped he would know what to do. 3/4 Joseph King
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