It had been almost two weeks in Earth's time since three students mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The whole town was still shaken by the incident, but no one spoke about it openly. Rumors had already begun spreading, some believed they had been abducted by government officials for some sort of secret experimental program.
Others believed they had run away, tired of life in a small town where hopes and dreams were crushed. But Maya, Erin's aunt, didn't know what to believe.
Two weeks ago, the morning after the incident, the school had been turned into a full-blown crime scene. She had gone there to get answers about her niece's whereabouts, but the answers she received that day were not what she expected.
"What do you mean blackout?!"
One of the adults in the principal's office barked, slamming his hand against the principal's desk. At that point, the principal was already fed up with his antics, sitting slouched with two fingers pressed against his temples.
Just then, the doors cracked open and two detectives walked in. Gerald Ashford, Liam's father, the same man who had just banged the table, walked up to them immediately.
"Tell me you know what happened to my son, or I swear to God…" he threatened.
"Calm down, Mr. Ashford," the male detective said in a calm, unbothered voice. He glanced over to the couple sitting quietly in the corner, offering each other comfort. He gave them a small nod. "Mr. Brooks. Mrs. Brooks."
"We don't have time for pleasantries. Cut to the chase. I've got places to be and a son to bring home," Gerald said again, as his face twisted with anger.
"Let the man speak, would you?" Maya, who had been watching him bark at the principal all morning, spoke for the first time.
Both of them exchanged sharp glares, neither willing to back down. But before it could escalate, the second detective spoke.
"From what we've gathered, all three students were given detention for their unruly acts. They all clocked in at different times, but they were all present at exactly 4:30 p.m. We've checked the school surveillance, none of them left. At least, not until 7 p.m. when…" She paused, the words heavy on her tongue before she forced them out. "The school's cameras went dark. There was a blackout."
"So what happened? Were they taken?!" Jayden's mom asked, her voice breaking as she tried to hold back tears.
The female detective let out a slow, painful sigh. "We don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Isn't that your job? To know things..?" Gerald snapped again.
"There is something, though," the male detective continued. "We interviewed the librarian who was on duty. She said there were actually four students in detention that night."
Maya's head shot up. "Four? But you said three students went missing."
"Yes. One of them wasn't a student. She goes by the name Eira Monroe. We ran her through the school's database, nothing, we didn't find anything on her. We also ran facial recognition through state and federal databases. No match anywhere." He took a deep breath before delivering the blow. "She doesn't exist. She's a ghost. Whoever she is, she didn't end up in there with them by accident. If anyone knows where your kids are, it's her."
"But how do we find her? You said it yourself, she's a ghost. Doesn't that mean she'll be impossible to track down?" Gerald asked, fists clenched, his body itching to break something. But he forced himself to stay calm.
"Yes and no. We managed to pull a decent photo of her entering the school from one of the cameras. We've placed an APB on her. She's now at the top of the most wanted list in this town. We'll find her."
"Well you better," Gerald said, his voice low. "Or I'll have a full blown legal battle with your department."
And so, the search for Eira Monroe began. But it was fruitless, she was long gone. Two weeks passed with nothing. No word of Erin or the other two missing kids. Slowly, the town and probably the whole world began to accept that they were gone… all except for two.
—
On the other side of the world, more than 3,000 miles away from the chaos of Raven High, two figures moved hurriedly around a small apartment, stuffing bags like they were preparing to leave in a rush.
"Come on, Lora, we have to hurry. We can't miss the next opening."
"Are you sure about this, Mason?" Lora asked as she zipped up a duffel bag and placed it on the table.
"I'm certain. This is the only way."
"We barely survived that place last time, Mason. I don't think I can do this again. I can't…" Lora wheezed, on the verge of breaking down. Mason rushed over, pulling her into his arms.
"It's gonna be okay. Our baby girl is in there, and we're going to bring her back. We have to make sure she doesn't tap into the Riftlight. We never should have abandoned her in the first place."
"I know," Lora sobbed. "I know. But it was the only way we could protect her."
"Yes. And now we protect her by bringing her home, no matter the cost. Right?"
"Yes." Lora nodded, wiping her face clean.
"No matter the cost." He said as he dipped his hand in his pocket, pulling out a photograph. A photograph of Erin.