"Snow," I said, standing by the wooden door. "I told you not to tell anyone else."
"Sorry," Snow said. "I accidentally sent my reply in the group chat." I looked at her then at the rest of our friends behind her. They were standing in the hallway. I sighed.
"Just come in before one of the nurses scolds us," I said. I walked back a few steps to the edge of the door and held it open. Snow went in first followed by the rest.
"Hey," Pan said as they skipped past me, carrying two plastic bags. "We brought food."
"Thanks," I said. "You can put it down at the table there."
"Yo," Robin said. He quickly walked past me while carrying two plastic bags as well.
"Sorry for the intrusion," Virginia said. She tipped her head. I tipped mine back.
"Hi," Flounder said, trying to catch up to Virginia. Asterion waved their hand while walking in. I waved back. After him, Oceanna bowed at me. Finally, Rammie patted my shoulder before they took more steps forward. I closed the door. Someone else is not here, I thought.
"Where's Scorpius?" I asked.
"Probably busy," Robin said. "You know how he is - he comes and goes whenever he pleases." He sat down on one of the chairs of the square table a few feet to my right. Pan was seated across of him.
"Yeah," I said. I walked towards Snow who was standing to the left of Zen's bed. I passed the table and chairs and positioned myself at Snow's left.
"Snow, were you able to get-" I asked.
"Oh right, here," she said. She handed me a large tote bag.
"Thanks," I said. I opened the bag and looked inside. Shit, I thought. I grabbed the small cardboard box on top and pulled it out.
This is from them isn't it? I thought. "It was left in front of your door so I assumed it was a package for the two of you," Snow said. "I brought it just in case it was something important."
It is, I thought. "What's in it?" I heard Flounder say.
"It's a silly thing Zen and I randomly bought one day," I said as I put the box back in the bag. I looked at Snow.
"Thanks for bringing these Snow," I said.
"You're welcome," Snow said. I walked around the foot of the bed.
"So uhm, what happened?" I heard Snow ask.
"Yeah," I heard Pan say. "We were surprised to hear that Zen was hospitalized and you weren't going to tell us." I stopped walking right in front of the wooden cabinet at the corner, diagonally to the right side of the bed. I quickly opened the cabinet and put the bag inside. I sighed. I shouldn't risk talking about what happened, I thought. I don't have proof yet but I know the ones who kidnapped Bea,are the ones who kidnapped Maine. I would think they would want to keep everything especially the part about Bea and the thing that attacked us under wraps. I closed the cabinet doors and turned around.
"We didn't want you guys to worry since Zen only got minor injuries," I said.
"From where?" Oceanna asked. She was sitting on the L shaped couch opposite of me. To her right was Asterion and Rammie while to her left was Virginia and Flounder. Uhhhh, I thought.
"They just got into a minor fight when we were asking around about Maine," I said. "There was this aggressive guy at the bar."
"Bar?" Virginia said. "I thought Maine's last phone signal was at a house." Shit, I thought. Calm down.
"There was a bar nearby and we thought to check it out since Maine loves drinking," I said. "So we thought she might've passed by there before going to that house."
"I see," Virginia said.
"What did you find in that house?" Asterion said.
"Nothing," I said. "The house was abandoned, old, and empty."
" That's unfortunate," Asterion said.
"Yeah," I said. I turned towards the cabinet and quickly patted my pockets. Shit, I thought. Its not here. Where did I put it down?
" What was she doing in that house then?" I heard Asterion say. "It doesn't make sense. Its not her style."
"What's this then?" I heard Rammie say. I clicked my tongue. It must've fell out of my pocket when I laid down a while ago, I thought.
"Isn't that Maine's?" I heard Virginia say. I slowly turned around. Rammie was letting the lion keychain dangle in front of them for everyone to see.
"Why is this here Dos?" Rammie said.
"Its not what you think," I said. "We found that at the house."
"So why didn't you tell us that?" Rammie asked. "Why did you hide it?"
"You weren't supposed to see that," I said.
"Why?" Rammie asked.
"I can't tell you anything else," I said.
"The fuck," Rammie said. "You can't tell us anything else?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Calm down Rammie," Virginia said. She stood up and walked in between us.
"Calm down?" Rammie asked. "They're clearly hiding something from us." Virginia looked me straight in the eyes. I looked away.
"There must be a reason," Oceanna said.
"What reason?" Rammie said. "What reason could there possibly be not to tell us everything they know when it can help us find Maine?"
"Please just tell us," Virginia said.
"I really can't," I said. I took a deep breath.
"Even if it can help us find Maine?" Virginia asked.
"I'm sorry, what I know can't help Maine," I said. "Let's just please calm down and let it be."
"Let it be?" Rammie said. "Maine, who is our friend, is missing. The only thing we know is that the last place she was at was that house you went to and this keychain proves it. So what the fuck really happened at that house?" I sat down on the floor.
"Believe me," I said. "I would tell you if I could."
"Seriously?" Rammie said. They put down Maine's key chain on the small coffee table in front of them. Virginia knelt in front of me.
"Is there anyway you can tell us what you know?" Virginia asked. "We're only worried about Maine as well. We want to help looking for her too."
"Sorry," I said. "I just can't. But we'll get her back. I promise. Please trust me and Zen to do that."
"Liar," I heard someone shout. Robin, I thought. I looked right and saw them walking towards me. They stop right before Zen's bed.
"What?" I said.
"There are no bars near that house," Robin said. "Not for miles." He showed me his phone. Shit, I thought.
"Of course they lied about that too," Rammie said.
"Rammie," Oceanna said.
"What?" Rammie said. "It's true isn't it? So let me ask you this Dos, how can we trust you and Zen now?"
"You just have to," I said. "Somehow." I sighed.
"Dos," Snow said. "You didn't kidnap Maine right?" I looked to the right and saw that Snow had walked all the way in front of me. I looked up.
"What?" I said. "No. We didn't kidnap Maine. Why would you think that?" I looked around the room. Everyone was deep in thought except for Rammie who was staring straight at me.
"The two of you have been acting weird since Bea's death," Snow said.
"We're still grieving," I said.
"That may be, but you changed," Snow said. "Especially with how you are with us. You've become secretive. You weren't like that before." She started crying.
"You were the one who would cheer everyone up with your made-up stories and would care for everyone," Snow said. "You always had a smile on your face. You were the one everyone trusted for a fun time. You never failed to make us smile even once no matter what happened. Where did that Dos go?" She fell to the floor, crying even louder. I crawled closer to her and hugged her. I had to face this entire situation with Bea's suicide, kidnappers, and now Maine who is missing, I thought.
"I just don't want anyone else to die," Snow said.
"No one else will I promise," I said.
"Snow is right," I heard Virginia say. "We're all just worried and hoping to find her already."
"I know," I said. "But right now, I can't give you any answers yet or anything at all. I want to but I can't."
"Please," Snow said. "We just want to know if she's okay."
"I sincerely don't know that as well," I said. "I'm hoping she is."
"So you expect us to wait around for your updates until you find Maine?" I heard Rammie say.
"Yeah," I said. "I beg of you, please trust me and Zen. We'll explain everything when it's over." I looked down on the ground.
"Whatever," I heard Rammie say. "I'm leaving." I heard the couch squeak.
"I'm going too," I heard Pan say.
"Me too," I heard Robin say.
"I have to go to," I heard Flounder say. "But not because I'm mad. I, I don't know how to feel. But I should be getting back home to my lola. I shouldn't leave her alone any longer."
"That means I have to go to," I heard Virginia say. "I'd rather drive him home than him take a taxi. Tell Zen to get well quickly."
"I will," I said. "Thanks." I heard a shuffling for a few seconds before I heard the door lock into place."
"For what its worth," Asterion said. "We trust you."
"Yes," Oceanna said. "We know that there's a good reason why you're hiding things from us."
"Thanks," I said. We better confront Valentina, I thought. Fast.