-Two months later-
"Race you there!" Leilani called over her shoulder, already halfway to my porch. Thea and I raced after her, and we all arrived, breathless and laughing, at my porch, collapsing onto the swing outside. A plate of oatmeal-coconut cookies were on a small table, along with a pitcher of raspberry milk. Reaching for a cookie, Thea leaned back in her seat with a sigh of satisfaction. The warm, balmy summer sun soaked into my skin, and I closed my eyes for a moment. Life was perfect. But then the screen door swung open, and my mom looked out. She had a funny expression on her face.
"What happened?" Leilani was quick to ask her.
"It's about Hayley." Mom replied, her eyes darting from each girl to the next. Thea slowly put down the cookie, and Leilani nervously set down her glass of milk. I fiddled with the paint on the side of the swing. We all silently filed into the house. Two agents were sitting at our dining table, both of them squinting at my painting of a horse which hung in our dining room. We all sat down at the table, with Mom shifting in the back, her eyes ping-ponging from one officer to the next. One of the officers, who I think was called Officer Farrer, leaned forward.
"Did you get her?" Thea asked excitedly. Both officers glanced at each other, and they simultaneously shook their heads.
"She's still out there," the other officer said grimly.
In a shadowed room, Hayley slid a thick envelope across the table.
"You know what to do," she whispered. The hooded figure across from her nodded. Hayley stood up.
"Fail, and I'll kill you. Succeed, and I won't kill you yet." she left the room. The latter pulled out his phone and started tapping away. Soon he ended and set down his phone, which had a picture of a bright cruise ship on it.
END OF VOLUME 1