Forest Lake

Chapter 11

Mason POV

I was pissed as fuck.

I ran out of Emma’s room and back into mine.

The fear of something happening to her made me angry as fuck. I wanted to punch a wall.

No, I wanted to punch a fucker who was kidnapping girls.

Chris and Jax were inside my room, staring at their phones and talking quietly. They looked up as soon as I entered.

“Did you hear?” Chris asked me.

I nodded, sitting down on my bed. “It’s a shit show.”

“Who the fuck is doing this?” Chris sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“It has to be someone from school.” Jax mumbled. “I’m betting it’s Mr. Rodriguez.”

Mr. Rodriguez was a gym teacher. He was really creepy, especially with girls. I kept my eye on him every time we had a gym class and especially after she came to this school. If he looked at her weirdly or touched her, I would break his neck without a second thought. But I didn’t think he was capable of something like this. He was just a weird old guy who probably couldn’t get laid to save his life, so he had to fulfill his fantasies by watching young girls. Creepy, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a serial killer.

“You think it’s a teacher?” Chris asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“You don’t?” Jax snorted. “Who else has access to the gardens?”

“Everyone.” I said. “Anyone can come to the island with the ferryboat.”

“And carry the body back?” Jax asked, raising an eyebrow. “Someone would have noticed.”

“He is not wrong.” Chris mumbled, looking back down at his phone.

Jax was right about one thing. They wouldn’t board a ferryboat with a body. They had to have some sort of a hideout here on the island. But that still didn’t mean it was a teacher. Some fucker from the city could have come here and hid on the island.

“Of course I’m not.” Jax snorted, looking back down at his phone. “It’s a teacher.”

“It could be someone from the city who is hiding on the island.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Jax looked up at me and frowned. “Maybe.”

He looked back down at his phone and sighed.

“Where were you?” Chris asked me as he placed his phone back into his pocket.

I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw. I really didn’t want to talk to them about it. I am leading a huge battle with myself right now. I was scared and wanted to protect her. I was angry and desperate to stop caring. I was so fucking happy I finally got to hug her after all this time. I was shocked that I hugged her. I was shocked when I said her name, both in my mind and out loud.

“Mase?” Chris called me after I didn’t answer his question.

I looked up at him and sighed. I have to tell them the truth. I will need their help to keep an eye on her.

“I was with my sister.” I mumbled quietly.

“Emma?!” Jax asked, shocked.

I glared at him. “Do I have another?”

“I didn’t even know you had her.” Jax huffed, rolling his eyes.

I rolled my eyes back at him and leaned back on my bed, holding myself up on my elbows.

“Why were you with Emma?” Chris asked me.

“I saw her leaving the library alone.” I said, clenching my jaw. “I got pissed off because she was careless. She was all alone in the hallway, and there is a murderer on the loose.”

Jax snickered, but I ignored him.

“What did you do?” Chris asked, and I could hear amusement in his voice.

“Told her she couldn’t go to the party on Friday.” I said. “Told her she could never leave her room alone from now on. After that, we heard about the new missing girl and I dragged her back to her room.”

“Anything else?” Chris asked, chuckling.

“I ordered Hazel not to let her leave her room alone.” I mumbled. “I told her to call me if she ever tries to.”

Jax and Chris laughed out loud and my anger rose rapidly.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?!” I said angrily, sitting back up.

“You.” Jax said, trying to stop laughing. “I knew you would cave soon.”

I clenched my fists and narrowed my eyes at them. I really wanted to punch the shit out of them both.

“Sorry, Mason.” Chris said. “But it is funny, you know. All this time, you were insistent on making us believe that you hated her. Now, we are waiting for you to order us to keep an eye on her. The girl you apparently hate.”

Jax snorted again, and Chris shook his head, chuckling.

I rolled my eyes at them. I didn’t want to admit it, but they did know me pretty well.

“So, are you going to tell us to keep an eye on her?” Jax asked, looking at me and smirking.

“Of course.” I said sternly. “She can never be left alone. Am I clear?”

“Sure, Mase.” Chris smiled. “We would never let anything happen to her.”

I nodded. “Good. We need to keep an eye out for any suspicious people hanging around the school. No one can approach her.”

“Do you think that they will close the school?” Jax asked.

“And lose our parents’ money?” I snorted. “I don’t think so.”

“Mase is right.” Chris sighed. “The principal will do everything to keep the school open. He can’t afford to have it closed.”

Jax nodded, and Chris looked at his phone.

“We should go.” Chris said. “We are meeting the girls in an hour. We should eat something before that.”

I completely forgot that we agreed to meet the girls in the library to start on that stupid history project.

I sighed and stood up, following Chris and Jax out of the room.

The place was swarming with cops. It was surreal. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around what happened.

The cops were running around, talking into their walkie-talkies. The kids were staring at them wide-eyed, talking quietly among themselves.

We arrived at the dining hall and I grabbed a bottle of water only. I wasn’t really hungry. I looked around, hoping to see her, but she wasn’t here. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I wanted Chris and Jax to eat faster so we could go get them.

“Why are you so nervous?” Jax asked, chewing his food.

“Swallow first, man.” I mumbled, rolling my eyes at him.

Jax sighed and swallowed his food.

“Why are you so nervous?” he repeated his question.

“Just hurry up, okay?” I sighed, tearing the label off my water bottle.

“She will be okay, Mase.” Chris said quietly. “Nothing will happen to her.”

I looked up at him and he gave me a small smile.

I looked back down at my hands and started bouncing my leg up and down. Chris must have noticed the extent of my nervousness, because a few minutes later, he was done eating, and he told Jax to hurry up.

I rushed out of the dining hall and practically ran toward her room.

“Jesus, Mason, slow down.” Jax sighed, trying to keep up with me.

I ignored him completely and continued rushing toward her.

A few minutes later, I was in front of her room. I knocked loudly and wanted to barge in, but I held myself back. I didn’t want to be rude.

Hazel opened the door, and my eyes immediately looked behind her.

She wasn’t there.

My heart started beating frantically.

“Where is she?” I asked, pushing past Hazel to enter the room.

“Bathroom.” Hazel said, letting Chris and Jax inside.

As soon as Hazel finished speaking, the bathroom door opened and she stepped out. A huge relief washed over me.

She looked at the three of us, confused.

“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly.

“We just came to get you girls.” Jax smiled. “We don’t want you to walk to the library alone.”

“Thank you.” Hazel said, smiling at us.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked, looking at my sister.

She nodded, walking to her nightstand and picking up her phone.

Hazel, Chris, and Jax left the room. I followed behind them but stopped walking and waited for my sister to lock the door.

“Mason?” she called me quietly, turning around to look at me.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to tell me what she wanted.

“Can we talk?” she asked quietly, her voice trembling.

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Hello, my dear readers! 😄

I'm feeling a little bit better today, so I will probably post another chapter later. 😊

Whose POV of the two of them talking would you like to see, Emma's or Mason's?