CHAPTER 04

The driver stopped the car at the main entrance of the school and Calla ran towards Sophie's classroom. She heard some yelling. Principal Ellen was yelling at all the teachers. Calla entered in the classroom and spoke, breathing heavily. "Where is Sophie?" 

Principal Ellen gave her a worried look. But she also had to save her school's reputation. She replied to Calla. "Miss Davis you can't be here, you know the school rules."

 Calla anger rose and she spoke in a low but angry voice. "To hell with your school rules. My niece is missing and you're telling me your stupid rules." Principal shut her mouth knowing exactly what Calla is capable of. 

Calla asked her question again. "Now Where is Sophie?"

 Principal gave her a guilty look but Sophie's teacher Mandy, she shrugged her shoulders like it's not a big deal and spoke. "She's missing, she's not here." Before Calla could murder her, principal came between them and spoke again.

 "She never left the school. I've checked the security footage. She must be here around. We need to find her." 

Calla ran her hand through her hair and spoke again. "Okay I need to search the school. I know where she could be." Fear gripped principal Ellen and she shook her head. 

"I can't allow you that. We'll check the school, you can sit in to my office." Hearing that, Calla fumed up even more.

 She looked at the principal with threatening eyes and spoke. "You have to be grateful to me that I didn't call the cops by now. I left my niece her and this is your school's security that my niece is nowhere to be found. I want to search the school if not then I'll call captain Helena, who's a really good friend of mine." Principal shut her mouth and just nodded her head. 

Calla took a deep breath and started looking for her niece. She looked in every class, she checked every desk by herself but Sophie was nowhere. She asked the principal. "What happened before she disappeared?" 

Principal stood in front of her and spoke. " She went to the toilet with one of the maids, but never returned." 

Calla quickly asked back. "Where is the maid?" Principal narrowed her eyes and spoke.

 "She is also missing. Her things are still here, that means she didn't leave the school either." The first thing came in Calla's mind was, it must be the maid. She is the one behind it.

 Calla spoke again. "Have you checked the toilet?" She said it while running in the toilet's direction. 

Principal followed her and spoke. "A teacher checked it. It's empty." Calla didn't believe it just yet. She went to toilet and checked every single door. She opened the last door and horror gripped her and the principal. The maid was lying on the ground. She had wounds and scratches all over her body, she must have fought some one. Calla checked her pulse, she was dead. 

Calla turned around to look at principal and asked her angrily. "I thought you said one of the teachers checked it, then what is this?" Principal was now angry and called Mandy. She was the one who was sent to check the toilet. 

Mandy came in with a bitchy smile on her face. She stood in front of the principal and principal asked in a low tone. "You said you checked the toilet and it was empty."

 Mandy shrugged her shoulders carelessly and spoke. "Yeah." Principal anger rose as she grabbed Mand

y's hand and took her to the dead body and angrily asked her. "Then what is this?" Mandy's face changed it's colors. She was all pale now. She gulped in fear. 

Calla fished her phone out and dialed Helena's number, she picked up on second bell. "Hello." Calla spoke. "Hi Helena, you have to come to the TriStar school. Sophie is missing and there is a dead body here." 

Helena didn't speak much, she replied in a low voice. "I'm on my way." 

 Mandy angrily asked principal. "How could you allow cops? It's against the school rules." 

Principal replied her in a disappointed tone. "There is a student missing and a dead body. I can't believe your carelessness could be that dangerous to the others. I'm sorry Mandy, I can't help you with that." Mandy looked at the door and tried to run away but Calla was faster. She caught her before she could leave and punched her hard that she fell on the ground. 

30 minutes later, Helena came with cops and an ambulance. Helena was Calla's school friend. They took the body for the postmortem and Mandy was cuffed. Helena came to Calla and spoke in a tired voice. "Don't worry Calla. I promise you, I'll do everything to bring Sophie back safely." 

Calla nodded her head but she noticed, Helena was looking tired. She asked her. "What's wrong with you? You look exhausted."

 Helena took a deep breath and spoke again. "Since morning, this is the 15th case. All same, only thing different here is that there is a dead body. It's not a coincidence." Fear gripped Calla as she heard this. 

Helena hugged Calla and said. "Don't worry, I will find her. I promise."

TWO WEEKS LATER.

Calla was sitting in her room, holding the pendant Sophie had gifted her. Since then she didn't took it off. It had been two weeks, but cops had no clue what actually happened to all the people. There were more cases registered about people disappearance. Cops tried so hard to know the reason behind all these disappearances but there were no clues left behind. Maid's postmortem report came, Helena told her that she must have fought a lot to save Sophie. Calla felt guilty to even think that she was behind Sophie's disappearance. Helena asked Calla if she think of some one who can do it. The first name came in her mind was Henry, after all she broke up with him because of his behavior with Sophie. Police arrested him and questioned him but he had no clue. Helena checked his history. After Calla broke up with him, he took the first flight out of New York. As he came back, police arrested him. Calla was loosing hope. Sidney didn't leave her best friend alone in this hard time. A loud sob escaped Calla's mouth and Sidney came in her room. Sidney didn't speak a single word, she just sat with Calla and hugged her. Calla sobbed hard and Sidney rubbed her back. Calla laid down on the bed, Sidney tugged the comforter over her body, turned off the lights and left the room. Soon Calla fell asleep.

Calla…., Calla…. She heard someone was calling her. She tried to look around, but it was dark and couldn't see a thing. In a fearful voice she called. "Hello, is anyone here?" 

But no one responded. She started walking, but the darkness blinded her. She called out again but this time a little louder. "Hello, can anyone hear me?" 

Still nothing, silence was scaring her. Then she heard loud thumps coming her way slowly. It was a horse. She could tell that as she learned horse riding. The sound was getting clearer and louder, the horse was close. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and pushed her to the wall, carefully not to hurt her, then they wrapped their arms around her protectively. Thumps got louder and she could tell that it wasn't one horse anymore. Sky shone with a thunderstruck and she looked at the horse riders. She saw weird people in the dark capes, riding horses. She looked at the person who saved her. It was him, the strange man. He looked straight in her eyes. There was some thing about him. It never bothered her to be around him. He was holding her tightly and protectively, like he was keeping her safe from someone, hiding her from someone who would harm her.

Soon those riders were gone and she was left alone with him. He kissed the top of her head and spoke. "Beware the darkness that soon will rise." 

She got pissed, angrily she asked him. "What does that suppose to mean? Why don't you just tell me what do you want?"

 He smiled at her and spoke again. "The time will tell you and teach you everything about your future soon." 

Now he was getting upon her nerves. That's all he says, she can't understand a single word. 

She yelled at him. "What do you mean?" He didn't say anything for a minute then he replied.

 "Beware the darkness that soon will rise." With that he was gone in a flash. She initially cursed him. She looked around, she was all alone in a forest.

 She screamed on the top of her lungs. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" She stood still and looked at the sky, it wasn't night but it was dark. Someone tapped her shoulder, she turned around and found Xavier standing. She had so many things to tell him but all she was able to say was. "Daddy."