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I can’t wait any longer though. Something has to be wrong, because Silla wouldn’t let anything keep her from learning something new. The girl is voracious for knowledge, and she’s really fucking smart.

There’s this intuitive feeling that has been building over the past hour as well that keeps telling me that something is wrong. Locking up my office, I go hunting for her.

Walking to her room, I knock on the door. When there’s no answer, I mutter an apology under my breath as I open it. Glancing around, it’s clear there’s no one here. The world feels off, a little darker, and my heart begins to pound.

Slamming the door shut behind me, I force myself to put one foot in front of the other. Dinner has already come and gone, but something makes me bypass the dining hall in favor of her classroom. It should have ended ages ago, but her instructors were planning something.

I pass by the guy named Zachary, and almost trip over my feet as I change directions to speak to him.

“Hey, you’re friends with Silla, aren’t you?” I spit out, eyes taking him in. Personally, I enjoy my men a little more built, but I can see the appeal.

Zachary’s eyes grow wide, his nostrils flaring in alarm before he attempts to shut it all down. “I haven’t seen her today, man. Why are you looking for her?” he asks nonchalantly.

“Do not lie to me. I can make your life very unpleasant. She thinks highly of you, so don’t make her believe her intuition can’t be valued,” I growl.

“Look, I really don’t know where she is,” he says weakly. “She wasn’t at dinner tonight. That’s all I know.”

I am very good at observing people and picking up telltale signs of lies. Zachary’s vein in his neck is jumping in alarm. Deciding I’ll be back for him later, I shake my head in disdain. Continuing on, I make my way to her classroom. There’s a note taped to the wall that states that their location has been moved, but I don’t remember getting a notification email.

Typically, if a class venue is changed, instructors are expected to inform the other staff members. Grunting in annoyance, I trek across the building to the auditorium. This part of FRC is quiet, which mounts my growing fear.

At the very least, I should be able to hear the instructor’s voices. Throwing open the door, I hear a crying sound that reminds of a wounded animal. Walking faster, my eyes look for where it’s located.

“Silla!” I yell, and I hear someone startle in surprise.

Turning, I see Andrya on the stage, her arms wrapped around her as she stares at a wall that has a heavy piece of furniture pushed in front of it. Other than her, no one is in the room.

“Andrya, where is Silla?” I ask, taking a running start and jumping onto the stage. Her head turns to me, and the blood appears to have drained from her face.

“I didn’t know she’d react like that,” she whispers. “Ayden and Sidney left after class as quickly as they could, but I can’t move the couch. Issac… Silla is stuck in the wall.”

My eyes move to where the furniture is shoved against the wall, and I weave on my feet as I realize just how cruel fate was today. My gorgeous girl’s worst nightmares came to life, and I was too damn busy to check on her.

Looking down at the crying girl at my feet, I shake my head. “If you’ve broken her mind, I will break you,” I rasp, anger filling me as I clench my teeth. They say people see “red” when the haze of fury overcomes you, and I barely register my actions as I snatch Andrya from the ground by her throat.

Squeezing, I half drag, half carry her down the stairs. She barely struggles, her feet heavily hitting each step. Throwing her away from me when I arrive at the furniture, I roar as I push it away so hard that it crashes into the adjacent wall.

Seeing that there’s a grate covering the opening where Silla is, I snarl. Looking around on the floor for a way to open it, I’m prepared to get her out with my bare hands.

“Silla, Baby, I’m coming,” I swear, struggling to keep the mounting panic out of my voice.

How the fuck did they get her in there?

“Here,” croaks Andrya, waving a screwdriver at me that she picked up from the floor.

Snatching it from her, I ignore the way she rubs her throat. I may apologize to Andrya later once Silla is safe, but I doubt it.

Shelistenedto her scream and did nothing.

“I tried to get her out, I swear,” Andrya insists as I get to work on the screws. “I couldn’t get to her, so I stayed. I couldn’t… Gods, I didn’t want her to be alone.”

Andrya breaks down crying, and I ignore the tears threatening to surface in my own eyes. I can’t lose my shit right now. I have to be strong for Silla, because I have no idea what condition she’ll be in when I get her out.

“Silla, can you hear me?” I ask, working faster. Screw after screw drop as I go, and I need to hear her voice.

A shuddering breath comes from inside, and what she says breaks my heart. “He’s not there, no one’s coming for me. It’s not real…”

Fuck. “No! I swear, Baby. I’m right here,” I promise. Struggling to find something that she’ll react to, I stand to get the top screws open so I can get to her. “Little Hacker, you missed your class with me. I came to find you, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to make it here sooner. I should have known something was wrong, and the Trio of Fucks had something planned.”