Chapter 60 - 60

Ava followed the trail all the way up the mountain.  In her haste to help Lily, she didn't notice there were no other arrows to direct her where to go. She has been hiking for a while, and she thought she would surely see one of her schoolmates up the path.

When she encountered a huge rock wall that blocked the trail, she suddenly realized she had not seen anyone for a while, and there was silence all around her instead of the constant chatter on the trail.

Her blood ran cold, "Am I lost? No, I followed all the arrows," she thought, "I'll just follow the same trail back. I didn't walk that far." But when she came across a fork in the road she knew for sure she was lost. She did not remember coming across this area. 

She started to panic, nothing seemed familiar, the trees looked bigger, the ground looked more covered in brush, and it didn't look like there was a trail to follow anymore. She screamed, "Help! Help! Is there someone out there?" But it was just silence that answered back. 

She started walking one way, thinking it would lead her somewhere, shouting for help from time to time just in case someone nearby could hear her. She scrambled up rocks, down muddy trails, up to areas that looked like a trail, only to be blocked by another rock wall or a ravine that was too deep to climb down from. 

Her throat was starting to hurt from too much shouting, she had run out of water a long time ago, and she was getting thirstier the more she walked. Thoughts started running through her head, "I wonder if they know I am lost. I hope someone is looking for me. Are they going to care that I got lost? Would anybody try to find me?" 

Tears started flowing, she did not know what to do anymore. She stood in the same place for a while, sadness taking over. She was sheltered most of her life, and staying at the dorms was a big deal for her, it signaled her independence, but this just proves she cannot be left on her own. Her parents will never let her out of the house again if she ever gets back home.

So she mustered enough courage to wipe her tears and walk some more, she was going to prove to everyone she can be independent. It was getting cooler, and she was hearing different animal sounds, first, she braved walking through the forest, but when she heard a growling sound she got scared. 

Fear made her run, her clothes and hair getting snagged on branches which scared her more, thinking that there was something after her. When she tripped on a root she did not see she gave up and started crying again, "I'm going to get stuck here, and nobody will find me. Tristan was right, I shouldn't have gone on this stupid trip. He doesn't even know I'm lost. He's never going to find me. I didn't even get to tell him I liked him. I'm going to die here."

There weren't enough forest rangers to cover the whole forest. They tried to cover the areas they thought she might have wandered off from but never found anything, not even her tracks.

When the students learned Ava was missing they were all worried except for one person. Lily was rejoicing with what she had done.

Hardin consoled Kelly when she started bawling about losing Ava, muttering that she was a bad friend for losing her best friend.

When he got the opportunity Hardin went straight to see Lily, and he found her in her room.

Lily was happy, she finally got Hardin to herself. She didn't even need to look for him, he came to her freely. "Now that is progress," she thought.

"Hey Hardin, have you come to visit me? You're not supposed to be here, but I won't tell if you don't," Lily teased.

Hardin pushed the door wider and entered her room.

"Oooh, Someone's in a hurry, slow down a little babe," Lily smiled.

"Now that Ava's not in the picture, he probably realized that I had always been the best choice," she thought as she smirked.

"Close the door," Hardin said in his poker face. Lily stood in front of him after closing the door.

"This is getting better and better," she was getting all tingly with excitement.

"Does this mean you're finally in the mood to be with me?" she says as she touches his cheek.

He twisted her arm away from his face, repulsed by this sorry excuse for a woman.

"Oww, what are you doing?" she screamed in pain.

"Tell me what you did to Ava," he stared at her coldly, his face getting red, his resolve was fading, he just wanted to hurt her, but he needed to get answers.

She has never seen this side of him before, he was always smiling and his sunny personality was what attracted her to him. Why he cared too much about Ava baffled her.

"I didn't do anything," she said indignantly. 

He twisted her hand a little more, "Ow, ow, ow, that hurts," she cried.

"If this is painful for you, just imagine Ava out there in the mountains right now and how much pain she's enduring," he gave her arm one last twist and pushed her away.

Blood drained from her face, she was shocked that he knew she was to blame for Ava's disappearance.

"Ava!  Ava! Why is it always about her? Why can't you see me? I'm right here!" she screamed.

"You got someone lost, and all you think about is yourself? You don't even look like you feel guilty about it," he said with disbelief in his voice.

"What's so great about her anyway. Why do you care so much? I hate her!" Lily exploded.

"The answer is right in front of you. You tried to harm her, yet you're defending yourself. I bet Ava would have helped you if you were in trouble," he said, running his fingers through his hair. There was no use talking to Lily.

She knew he was right because Ava tried to help her when she saw her wound earlier. She was nice and kind as everybody said she was, and Lily knew that she would never even come close.

"Where are you going?" Lily panicked when Hardin opened the door. He was scared that he would tell everyone what she did, and she was not ready to get punished.

"What? Are you scared that I'm going to tell everyone?" he turned and asked mockingly.

"You don't have proof. I got away once, and I can do it again," she bragged.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing," Lily tried to deny what she did, realizing that she said too much.

"I am asking you once again, tell me the truth, or I will make them do it," he said as he held her shoulders very tightly, with the intent to hurt her.

"I'm responsible for Ava fainting in the lab," she said, cringing from the pain.

"You did that?" he was so angry that he slapped her, leaving a handprint on her cheek.

"Hardin, I'm so sorry, please don't tell anyone," Lily begged as he turned to walk away. But he didn't look back so she tried to pull his arm, "Hardin, please…"

"Take your hand away from me if you don't want me to kill you," he said with murder in his eyes.

So she let him go, hoping that he would not tell anyone what she did.

Tristan had so much work to do that it was already evening by the time he was done. He checked his phone, and there were no calls or messages from Ava. It was unusual that she didn't even bother to contact him. The resort had cell reception, so he had a bad feeling about her not contacting him.

He called her again but got the same response that her phone was out of the coverage area. The niggling feeling he had was making him suspicious, so he told PA Jack to call the school and get the number of the professor in charge. 

Jack was able to talk to him, and when he asked about Ava, the professor lied saying that the students were resting and he could not disturb them.

Tristan did not take that as a good excuse not to talk to Ava, he knew something was wrong, so they got him on the phone again. 

"Get me, Ava, on the phone within five minutes, or I will have you fired," Tristan threatened.

The professor knew he could not cover the truth anymore. "Sir Ava has been missing since this morning's hike," the professor confessed.

"What?" Tristan banged his hand on the table, "it's already dark outside, and you didn't bother to get people to find her?"

Jack has never seen his boss this mad before, and from the conversation, it seemed that something has happened to Ava.

"We have dispatched the forest rangers since this morning, and they are searching for her, we just haven't found her yet," the professor explained.

Tristan threw Jack's phone out of anger, cutting off the professor that was still speaking on the phone.

"Get me the fastest way to get to X city," Tristan said as he walked out of his office.

Jack bent down to retrieve his phone, but it looked like he could still use it to make phone calls. He will need to get a new one tomorrow.

There was only one person that could help Tristan now. Someone who had people from all parts of the city and had the manpower to search for his little one.

Dmitri Santoris had a special team he could dispatch right away.

"I need your special team," Tristan said to Dimitri as soon as he got him on the phone.

"Oh, so no more hello, how are you, you just order me around now?" Dimitri chuckled.

"It's urgent! I need to rescue someone in X city," Tristan said.

"What happened? Who it is?" Dimitri asked, intrigued.

"A group of college students went hiking in the mountains, and now one of them is lost in the forest," Tristan said.

"You never told me you had a sister," Dimitri jokes.

"It's my woman," Tristan declared possessively.

"What?" Dimitri could not believe what he heard, "Did you just say you had a woman, or did I hear that wrong?" Dimitri asked.

"You heard correctly. I need your special team to rescue Ava immediately," Tristan said.

"Tristan, you con man, did you trick a college girl to be with you?" Dimitri pulled his leg.

"Dimitri Santoris!" Tristan forcefully said his name.

Dimitri went back to business. Calling each other by their full name meant serious business, the other person was probably angry and they needed to behave.

"Okay special team will be on the way," Dimitri assured him.

"Good!" Tristan cut the call.

On the other side, Dimitri laughed out loud before he called his team. He could not believe that Tristan had someone. Did the iceberg finally melt? Who knew unexpected things do happen, like Tristan falling in love.

As soon as Tristan was done with Dimitri, he left with Jack to X city.