4 Los

The maids and butlers paced outside their employer's study room anxiously. Everyone in the house knew young Mr. Wellington was not in a pleasant mood since the previous night. Although he had couple quarrels with Ms. Angela every so often, this one didn't resemble any of the previous ones at all.

They had never seen him look so stubbornly upset so they all tried their best to make as little contact as possible, leaving him to himself—just the way he liked to recuperate.

Although the current situation at hand was somewhat urgent, no one really wanted to be the one to approach the furrow-browed Kurtis when he was alone in his study. So they all just stood, waiting for a volunteer to brave the young master's wrath upon delivering the news.

Kurtis finally put down his pen after giving up on pretending to not hear the whispers right outside his doorway.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding mostly like he normally did, except in a lower octave.

"Sir…Ms. Angela—no…I mean the other Ms. Cades…"

Kurtis lifted an eyebrow.

"She has been missing since this morning," one of the maids finally blurted out.

The master of the house took a glance at the grandfather clock ticking at the corner of his room.

5:39.

P.M.

"When did you last see her?" he asked calmly, assessing the problem.

"Yesterday night…"

Kurtis shot up from his seat and immediately began giving orders. "Check all the rooms in the villa." He said as he walked and threw on a light jacket. "Check the shed near the garden area." Taking out his phone, he tried dialing Lyra's cell, but cursed when reception was bad as usual.

"Have four people scout the trails," he commanded. "Someone keep trying her cell. Inform me if anyone picks up any traces."

Young master jogged quickly down the stairs and headed straight for the inventory cupboard and grabbed out a red backpack. "Go in pairs and an emergency pack with you," Kurtis instructed before swinging the kitchen back door open and running out.

He took the path they used yesterday, checked around the rocky areas, and even searched along the shoreline a few times over. No signs. No one called yet either.

[This girl…] Kurtis put a hand to his head.

He did tell her to go home when the storm cleared, but he didn't expect her to disappear out of nowhere. He glanced down at his watch.

6:59.

He clicked his tongue as the sky dimmed the second time in the last fifteen minutes. 'It can get rather cold at night,' Kurtis thought before picking up his pace and went on to scavenge the next location.

"Ms. Cades!" the worried voices of the maids' echoed from the forest side. "Sir!" one greeted upon seeing him. "Any signs of Ms. Cades yet?" they beat him in asking the question.

Kurtis shook his head.

"Let us know if you pick up any traces! We'll search the waterfall area!" they called back and headed back into the forest.

Kurtis nodded. His staff was extremely dedicated, still managing to call out with so much energy even after so long into their search.

Coming to think of it…he hadn't even tried calling this whole time. If he could send a signal first, then Lyra could probably take hint to respond.

He still wasn't used to saying her name when the one he pictured was definitely Angela, but it didn't hurt to start practicing now.

"Lyra!" Kurtis called in a medium volume. He repeated a few more times every few minutes. And before he knew it. "Lyra" rolled off his tongue as easily as "Angela" did.

Lyra, who unconsciously fell asleep in the little cave blending in with the pile of rocks, was awoken by the beautiful sound of her name. Upon opening her eyes lazily, she was greeted by the same blurred scenery of tiny water tides crashing against the rock she was sitting on.

'So it was a dream,' she thought to herself. Kurtis never called her by her name, but if he did, she'd hope that it would sound like that.

"LYRA!"

Lyra felt a strong shake from her arm and looked up in a daze. A man with dark hair was saying something she couldn't really hear.

"LYRA CADES, STAY WITH ME!" the angelic voice she imagined earlier came back.

'Yes…this must be a dream,' the fevered girl convinced herself before falling back weakly against something hard, but not the same cold rock she was leaning on thus far. This support felt much more comfortable.

Then the rock beneath her seemed to disappear altogether and she felt as if she was floating on air besides the throbbing pain in her ankle. It was also suddenly much warmer and so she leaned closer to the source of her regained security.

"Why are you out here?"

[Hm? So I'm still dreaming.]

"Why'd you come all the way out here?" the mellow voice in her dreams asked.

Lyra sniffled. "I wanted to find it…I couldn't find it…" Lyra grew quiet and began to cry in her delusion.

Kurtis looked down at the feverish girl in his arms and then despicably at his right leg.

"Find what?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the recurring pain.

"I couldn't find it…"

He grimaced, but continued to walk.