Lost Heart √

Nine

Skylar's POV

The moment I woke up from my short, fitful nap, I was literally counting down the seconds until Caden came by. Until we were out there, together, searching for Chicken. Mom was still somehow convinced that Chicken would come back herself. I couldn't exactly tell her that that alone wasn't comforting at all, not when she hadn't seen the guy lurking outside our backyard last night. She knew nothing about that letter.

Give me back what's mine, it had read. I didn't even know what he wanted.

"Maybe this is about that metal disk," I murmured, glancing over at Caden as we walked alongside a nearby park. I used to take Chicken here a lot. Maybe she'd lost her way, somehow. Maybe she was-- "Do you think it's about that?"

Caden met my gaze and frowned a little. Cold morning air swept his dark hair in a disarray. "I don't think it's that, Sky."

"Then what is it?" I asked him. "There's something..." I trailed off when a girl walked by us, her hand on a leash as her dog trotted by. Once she was gone, I looked back at Caden. "There's something that he wants from me. That's what the letter said."

I shivered when I thought about it, about Chicken and where she was right now. "Don't you think this is such a low blow, though? Like, kidnapping my cat goes way too far. Stalkers don't do that. They don't threaten to kill your pets, for fuck's sake."

Caden took my hand in his, warm fingers wrapping around my own, and I relaxed a little. "Are you cold?" He stopped momentarily at the corner of the street, looking down at me.

I stopped too and shook my head, nervously glancing around us on either side. "What if this is Blake?"

"Sky." Caden tugged on my hand and when I finally met his gaze, I noticed the exhaustion under his eyes. He looked tired. Like he'd barely had any sleep since the last time I saw him. "It's not him."

"Where were you last night?" I asked him instead.

He blinked, a little surprised. "Out of town."

"Why?"

"Some stuff to take care of." He answered, but that wasn't enough. His vague answers weren't ever enough. But then his phone rang and I didn't get to ask him to elaborate a little. He took out his phone and let go of my hand. "Stay here."

I did. Not like I knew where else to go either. I leaned back against the concrete wall and watched as he answered the call. Cars passed by and it was a normal morning out here in Crestmont. If only Chicken hadn't gotten herself kidnapped. If only I could call this normal.

Closing my eyes, I stuffed my hands in my hoodie pockets, breathing out a sigh. A second or so had just ticked by before, amongst the low screeches of tyres and chatters of people, I heard an unmistakable mewl. A loud one at that too.

And I literally froze.

"Oh fuck." I straightened and looked around, my eyes wide. Caden was still talking on his phone, frowning at something, and I think he hadn't heard it. Not even the second time, I realised, when I heard a meow again.

Heart starting to race, I took a few steps away from the corner of the street and followed the direction of the voice, hoping Caden had seen me leaving and would follow me. It had sounded like Chicken. God, I hoped it was her.