Page 69 of Alive and Kicking
Sandy?
It was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. Is everything okay?
Sandy… I’m starting to get worried now.
What’s going on?
Please just let me know you’re okay.
Still there’s no response to any of my messages and I frown at the phone like that will prompt Sandy to answer my texts. This isn’t like her. I look around again hoping to find her in the crowd, but instead I see a professor talking to Serenity, the chapter President of Sandy’s sorority, before she purses her lips and finally nods.
Serenity steps toward the microphone and clears her throat. “Sorry for the wait everyone. Sandy hasn’t been reachable so we’re going to have to start without her. Hopefully she shows up soon.” She looks around like Sandy is going to burst out of the crowd. “Anyway, over the last semester Sandy has worked really hard to get this all set up. She and her friend Viv worked on figuring out what steps needed to be taken before Sandy wasable to get everything approved, then Delta Phi worked together to fundraise the money needed to make this a reality.” Serenity takes a step away from the microphone and the same professor whispers something to her, prompting her to step back up to the microphone. “Sorry. So let’s give a round of applause to Sandy for making this happen.” Everyone claps before she adds, “I now declare the water filters open!”
There’s more applause, but the longer this goes on without Sandy showing up the more worried I get. I’m about to have Nox hack into her student file to get her mother’s phone number when my phone buzzes. Relief fills me when I see that it’s a picture from Sandy. I have to unlock my phone to see it, and when I do my body tenses and I feel like a statue as I stare down at the image that has been sent to me from Sandy’s phone. An image that must have been sent to me by someone else from my best friend’s phone. I know this for a fact, because in the picture Sandy is gagged and tied up on a dirty concrete floor. The message that came with the picture is simple. It just says, ‘Your life, for hers.’
“What the fuck?” Sloane’s voice reaches me as he looks at the image and message over my shoulder.
I have no idea what to say to that because all I can think is that he took the words right out of my mouth.
What the fuck, indeed.
Someone thought they could take my best friend, but they’ve got another thing coming. I’m going to kill them. Slowly and painfully. They won’t get away with this and I’ll get Sandy back before they can hurt her.