MORYN LODEZA
Rhyme and I returned to where we left Leah and Night earlier. Leah was still queuing at the Ferris wheel ticket counter, now closer to the front with only four customers ahead of her. I frowned as I looked around. Where is Night?" I asked in wonder. "Didn't you see each other?" Leah answered, who also seemed surprised.
"I asked her to follow you." She explained. "What!" Rhyme reacted with great surprise which made Leah even more puzzled. "Why? And where have you been anyways?" Rhyme avoided meeting anyone's gaze after Leah's question. I felt my cheeks start to heat up. "I had just gone to the restroom, and then, I ran into Rhyme as I was leaving, so we decided to come back here together," I explained.
"You took so long, so I asked Night to go find you." Rhyme and I looked at each other. I felt like we were thinking the same thing. Hopefully, Night didn't see us earlier and heard our conversation. If that happened, it would inevitably lead to another argument between Rhyme and Night.
Until we were the ones at the counter, but Night still hadn't returned. We started to worry. We bought tickets, but we didn't ride yet. We looked for Night. We went back to where the restroom was, but she wasn't there. I couldn't help but feel anxious. I couldn't sit still. We went out of the amusement park and were surprised to find that Night's bike was no longer there.
His bike was locked, so it was impossible for someone else to take it. There was only one meaning to that, Night had left. But why? Why she didn't tell us? We tried calling her, but her phone was off. We didn't continue with our plan to ride the ferris wheel. We were worried about Night. She wouldn't just leave without a reason, and now he hadn't even inform us.
As Leah drove the car, we kept looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Night. Rhyme sat next to Leah while I was in the backseat. I glanced at the back of Rhyme. He had been silent and seriously observing the surroundings. I let out a sigh. I feel like everything is my fault. If Rhyme and I didn't take so long, Leah wouldn't have asked Night to follow us. "Hey! Stop the car!" Rhyme quickly said while looking out the window. I leaned forward to see what Rhyme saw from outside.
Rhyme immediately got out of the car, so we quickly followed him. "Oh no!" Leah's reaction was a mix of sadness and surprise when we saw Night's bicycle lying on the right side of the road. I covered my mouth with both hands due to shock. We couldn't be mistaken, this bike belonged to Night. "What are we gonna do now!" I said, my voice starting to sob until I began to cry. I could see the extreme worry in Rhyme's expression even though he remained silent. But we were shocked when he suddenly ran away and left us. "Hey! Where are you going!" Leah shouted, but Rhyme ignored her. "Come back!" Leah added, but he just continued running.
I don't have any idea where he would look for Night, and I don't know what to do either. Leah immediately called the police for help. I kept crying and even though Leah tried to help me calm down, I still couldn't do it. I couldn't help but worry about what might have happened to Night. I'm scared.
We never leave the spot where Rhyme left us. It took a while before he came back carrying Night. She was unconscious, and I almost fainted when I saw that she had some scrapes on her legs. It's noticeable, especially since some parts of her pants were torn. I can't imagine the kind of struggles she went through. I wonder what could have happened to her?
We immediately rushed her to Destine University Medical Center, our school's own hospital. The car raced towards the hospital, and I couldn't stop crying while Night's head rested on my lap. "Don't worry," I looked at Rhyme, who was sitting in the front seat next to Leah when he spoke. He turned to look at me from the rear. "Everything's gonna be fine. Okay?" He smiled at me, trying to ease my worry about Night.
When we arrived at the hospital, Night briefly woke up, but she didn't respond when I tried to talk to her. I informed my parents, who had just returned from a business trip, about what happened to Night. They were about to send someone to pick me up, but I told them that I would just ride with Leah on the way home.
The doctor assured us that nothing serious had happened to Night, and they treated her wounds. She just needs to rest for a while. To be honest, I didn't want to leave the hospital. I didn't want to leave Night behind. But I also didn't want my parents to worry about me. The car was moving, and the three of us were silent when Rhyme suddenly spoke up. "Drop me at the amusement park." I looked up from my bowed head and stared at Rhyme in the front. "What? Are you kidding me?" Leah exclaimed. "No. I'm not. Just go on."
Leah followed Rhyme's request. It was puzzling. What could he possibly do there? "After what happened, you'll still have the guts to go back there and ride the ferris wheel?" Leah added. Rhyme remained silent until we reached the amusement park. He quickly got out of the car and rushed inside the amusement park.
Leah and I decided to join Rhyme and followed him. "Hey, you dummy! Are you really that eager to ride the Ferris Wheel?" Leah shouted, hurrying to catch up with Rhyme. We came to a halt when he approached the shooting gallery that we had played at earlier. I couldn't help but wonder what he had in mind. As Leah and I stood beside Rhyme, we heard that he wanted to buy a bunny keychain, one of the prizes. However, no matter how hard he tried, the booth caretaker didn't allow him. They explained that the owner wasn't there, so they couldn't make the decision. If Rhyme wanted the keychain, he would have to win it.
Rhyme had no choice but to play again. But he had taken three shots already and still hadn't won. At first, I wondered what was going on, but suddenly, I remembered the moments when Night would gaze at those keychains. I smiled. I got it now. I moved closer to his side and placed my hand on his shoulder. He might be stressed about everything that had happened. "Don't worry. I know you can do it." After I said that, he took a deep breath and refocused on shooting the target.
However, Rhyme still couldn't hit a single one. Then, Leah asked the caretaker for a shooting gun, saying, "Think of me as your precious opponent." Rhyme glanced at her with a puzzled expression. "Precious? That stupid girl? No way." He chuckled, shaking his head, and returned his gaze to the target. "Oops! I didn't mention anyone specific," Leah defended herself, her teasing tone evident in her voice. "Shut up! I'm concentrating," Rhyme responded, making me laugh at his reaction. I wish I had a sibling like them too.
Rhyme suddenly fell silent, one eye closed as he focused all his attention on the moving targets. Leah did the same. I couldn't help but feel excited about the outcome. Who would win between the two of them? They both took their shots simultaneously, and I gasped when they both hit the same target. It was the large-sized bunny. This meant that they would receive a smaller prize since they hit the larger bunny. And since they both hit it simultaneously, I think the outcome was fair.
Leah burst into laughter, while Rhyme frowned and shot his sister a glare. "You did that on purpose!" Rhyme complained, clearly irritated. "Excuse me? And why would I do that?" Leah asked, still chuckling. "I don't know, maybe because you're a big stupid!" Rhyme retorted. I couldn't help but join in Leah's laughter. Rhyme really didn't like losing or being matched by his opponent. I didn't see it as his bad side, but to be honest, this is the reason why I find him cute.
"Fine. I gave up. You can have the prize," Leah surrendered with a grin. "No way! I don't want to get the prize in that way," Rhyme refused. "But right now, you know that it doesn't matter anyway." Rhyme fell silent for a moment after hearing that. His previously annoyed facial expression quickly shifted to a serious one. "But it does to me," he replied, causing our smiles to fade as we looked at him. Leah moved aside to give Rhyme space as he raised the shooting gun to take another shot.
This time, Rhyme managed to hit the large-sized bunny that we were all aiming for in order to win the keychain. Leah and I were overjoyed when Rhyme succeeded, but he remained silent until he received the prize. It was a cute and fluffy gray bunny keychain.
I was dropped off at my house by Leah and Rhyme. After talking to Mom and Dad, I immediately went into my room. I couldn't help but worry about what happened earlier. Rhyme became quiet again inside the car on our way here. What could be bothering him? It made me wonder what really happened and where he found Night. He told me not to think about it anymore and not to worry. But to be honest, I couldn't help but think about it. But Rhyme is my friend, and I've known him since we were kids. So I believe that's reason enough to trust him.