I run upstairs and burst through Abigail's bedroom door "ohmygosh you'll never believe what just happened" I exclaim running in. I look around her room but she's not in here "Abi!" I yell walking out of her bedroom and to the bathroom "Abi?" I say stepping into the bathroom, but she's not in here either. I walk into her parents empty bedroom "Abi?" Not in here. "Abigail!" I yell knocking on Ally's door. There's no reply so I step inside to find Ally crying as she sits on the floor, her face soaking wet. "Ally?" I exclaim running over and sitting down next to her. "Ally? What's wrong?" I ask worried. She doesn't reply as she pushes the crumpled note in her hand towards me. I pick it up and read the scribbled words.

Hello Bethany, you didn't believe me when I said you weren't safe, so I had to show you that I am capable of torturing and killing. I took your little friend Abigail.

I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth and my eyes fill with water. This panicky feeling arises in my chest as my breathing becomes erratic and tears pour out of my eyes like a broken fire hydrant. Abigail, oh my gosh Abigail. What has he done with her? It says on the note that he was going to show me that he can torture and kill and that he took Abigail, the two parts link. He's going to torture and kill Abigail, if he hasn't already. "How could she do this to me?" Ally asks, her voice cracking. I look over at confused, my vision blurry from the tears in my eyes "what do you mean how could she do this?" I ask. "I mean running away? Just because her and mom fought yesterday. I was there for her, I told her it was going to be alright, I stayed all night and day in her room. I mean yeah she was acting really weird, but I just thought she was angry or upset, I didn't think she would run away! And then today I left to go hang out with Caleb for three hours, three hours! And when I get back she's gone, with only a note telling me goodbye" Ally says before bursting into tears again. What the hell is she talking about? What note? I turn the paper in my hands over but it's blank. I don't want to bother her with questions while she's balling her eyes out, but nothing she said made sense, I had to figure out what she's talking about. "Ally, what note? Can I see it please?" I ask Ally sniffles loudly before looking up at me like I'm insane "what are you talking about?" She asks her voice cracking again "the note's in your hand" she says gesturing to the piece of paper I'm holding. I glance down at the paper to make sure again, flipping it over and over. "C-can you read it to me please?" Again Ally gives me a look that says I'm insane "forget how to read?" She asks "please?" She watches me for a moment longer, tears still falling silently down her cheek. She takes the paper from me and begins reading "Dear All-" her voice cracks, she clears her throats and begins again "Dear Ally, I can't stand living in this house anymore. Dad's always acting like I'm some sort of a disappointment, and mom treats me like I'm a no-good loser. We both know mom and dad favorite you, I honestly think that you'd be better off without me. I'm leaving and I'm never coming back. Bye" Ally reads whispering so that her voice won't crack. I feel my eyebrows push together in confusion as I take the note back, once again I read the scribbled letters, none of it says anything that Ally read. "It doesn't make any sense. Dad adores Abi, she's like his number one princess. Mom is always telling Abigail how amazing and mature she is, mom might like me better, but dad definitely doesn't. And last night, I was so sure her I had cheered her up. We were stayed up until six watching corny rom coms, she really seemed okay. It just doesn't make any sense that she would up and leave after only a small fight with mom. It wasn't even about anything really, it was hardly even a fight at all. And yet, she left, she's gone, and she's never coming back" Says before once again bursting into tears. I scoot closer and wrap my arms around Ally, rubbing her back and telling her it's gonna be alright all the while tears are silently sliding down my face. The whole time my mind is spinning with everything I just heard. None of it adds up, Abigail never said anything to me about being upset, I'm sure she would have told me something, or even if not I would have read it from her mind. But that's not really what's confusing me, what's really psyching me out is the fact that the exact same piece of paper, has completely different words to Ally and I.

After one straight hour of Ally crying loudly, we go downstairs and eat Ice cream as we talk about everything that has happened since school yesterday. Two hours later and their mom comes home, which means it's time to explain the note and everything. I of course am not part of the family, and I feel like I'm intruding in a private conversation, so I get up and say goodbye to Ally, leaving to the place I can go to cry, talk, and reason. I go home.

"Mom!" I scream running inside. Mom comes bolting in with a worried look on her face. "Mom" I say again quieter this time. "oh honey, what's wrong?" She asks looking at me with concern. We both walk to my bedroom knowing it's going to be a long, long talk. We sit down on my bed and instantly it all comes pouring out. All about how I looked in each room for her, and found Ally on the floor balling, and how I cried for a long time feeling like I couldn't breathe, how my heart ached more than ever, all about how what I saw the note saying, and what Ally saw the note saying. Mom listens without interrupting the entire time nodding and using all of the right expressions at all of the right times. Finally when I'm finished mom gives me one of her glorious hugs, then pulls away and looks at me at arms length "so you have the note?" She asks I shake my head no "Ally kept it to show to her mom, but I took a picture" I say handing her my phone. Her eyes move left to right as she reads the picture. When she's done reading it, I watch as her eyes move around, her brain spinning wheels as it calculates everything "mom...what's up?" I ask unsettled. "Honey, I'm going to ask you something, If you have no idea who I'm talking about, i'm going to sound insane, but I need you to tell me if you know him" my mom says slowly as she considers what she's going to tell me. I'm starting to get this totally creeped out feeling, I gulp audibly as I nod my head anticipating what she'll say next. Mom licks her lips, hesitating slightly before speaking six simple words that form one terrifyingly confusing sentence. "Do you know who Slyder is?"

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