"I'm not sure if Calix has gone to the police yet, but this could be serious. We should report it and let them know that Cana's phone rang, but no one answered," Naia said.

"But what if we're wrong? What if Cana isn't really missing, and we're just overreacting?" Rina replied, unsure. "Also, your aunt will be mad if she finds out we're breaking her rules again. She said no going out after dark."

"She won't know unless you tell her," Naia said with a playful grin, trying to convince her friend.

Rina sighed. "Fine, but let's make it quick. I don't want us out in the dark."

"Thank you, Rina!" Naia said hopeful as they headed to the police station.

At that station, the officer looked startled to see them, as if they had no business being there. "You shouldn't be out at this hour," he said sternly. "Haven't you heard about the curfew?"

Rina and Naia exchanged glances. "There's a curfew?" Rina asked.

"Yes, you shouldn't be out after 7 PM," the officer emphasized.

"No, sir, we weren't informed," Naia replied. "But this is urgent. Our friend is missing, and we need help tracking her phone. I'm not sure if her brother has already reported it, but if not, I'd like to file a report on his behalf."

The officer frowned. "I don't believe any missing person report has been filed. I've been here the whole time. How long has she been missing?"

"About three hours," Naia replied.

"Young lady, we can't file a missing person report until 24 hours have passed," the officer said dismissively.

"But this is urgent!" Naia insisted, her voice rising with frustration. "With everything going on around here, are you really going to make us wait that long?" Her voice echoed through the room that drew the attention of everyone.

"I'm sorry, but it's protocol," the officer replied coldly.

Naia was about to argue more, but the officer quickly cut her off. "Go home, girls. If you're caught out after curfew, we'll have to take you in for breaking the rules."

Feeling defeated and helpless, Naia and Rina walked out of the station, their shoulders heavy with worry.

"They're not taking this seriously," Naia said, her voice filled with frustration. "What if Cana's in danger?"

"They're just following protocol, Naia," Rina said, trying to calm her down.

As they started walking home, they ran into another officer—the one who had solved the recent cat case at her aunt's house.

"You two again?" the officer said, recognizing them. "What is it this time?"

Naia's eyes lit up with hope. "Sir, we need your help. My friend's phone needs to be tracked. I think something's happened to her, but the officers inside said they can't help until it's been 24 hours."

"Ah, the 24-hour rule," the officer muttered with a weary sigh. "Sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Hand me the number, and I'll check it for you."

Naia quickly gave him the number, feeling hopeful again. "Thank you, sir. You're our last chance."

The officer glanced at the number, then looked back at Naia. "When did your friend go missing?"

"About three hours ago."

He raised an eyebrow. "Have you checked with the family, the neighbors? No one's heard from her?"

"Actually, no," Naia admitted. "But I just have this feeling... something's wrong."

The officer nodded. "Sometimes kids your age run away and come back on their own. But I agree, this shouldn't be ignored. I'll let you know if I find anything. For now, head home and stay safe."

Naia felt a wave of relief. "Thank you, sir," she said sincerely.

As they walked away, she held on to the hope that they might find Cana soon, and that she would be safe.

The next morning, after finishing their chores, Auntie Dina returned home with Grandma. The doctor said Grandma was okay now, which made everyone feel better. Naia and Rina asked if they could visit Santi, and since Auntie Dina knew him, she agreed but reminded them to come back safely.

Naia and Rina had something important to talk to Santi about—Cana's disappearance. They hoped he might know something or at least help them figure out what to do next. Even though the police officer said he would look into it, they still wanted to help.

At Santi's house, they started talking about the note and Cana, but Santi quickly shut them down.

"No, I'm not helping with that," he said. "I'll help with the note, but not anything about Cana."

Naia was surprised but tried to convince him. "But what if they're connected? The note and Cana's disappearance?"

Santi hesitated, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe they are, but I still won't help you with Cana. It's like asking me to help Calix."

Naia sighed, realizing why Santi was so reluctant. "I understand why you feel that way about him."

Santi looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"About your best friend from elementary school," Naia said softly.

Santi seemed surprised. "So, he told you?" he said, a little annoyed. "And I'm sure he made himself look like the victim. But Naia, how can you trust him?" he asked. "I saw how you acted with him yesterday. It's like you really believe in him."

Naia smiled faintly, unsure. "I'm not sure if I can fully trust him, but I believe he wouldn't hurt his sister. He cares about her."

Santi frowned. "But how can you be so sure? You don't know everything about him."

Naia was confused. "I may not know everything about him, but I'm sure he wouldn't hurt her. I've seen how much he protects her. He loves her."

Santi's voice grew cold. "You can trust him if you want, but I never will. There's always been something off about him. Maybe he told you about my best friend, but that's not why I can't stand him. It's the energy he gives off. I've always been able to see through people, even when we were kids. He and his sister—they've always played the victim, even when they weren't. Be careful who you trust. Some wear the mask of the wounded while wielding the knife. It can be anyone—even someone close to you."

"But—" Naia still trying to convince him, but Rina shot her a look that stopped her.

"You don't know him like I do," Santi continued, his voice firm. "You met him at a different time than I did. He might seem fine now, but he showed me a different side of himself. With everything I know, I can't help him. I'll help you with the note, but that's where it ends. I'm not getting involved in anything to do with Calix or his family."

Naia realized it was pointless to argue further. She could see Santi wasn't going to change his mind. "Alright, I understand. I'm sorry for even bringing it up," she said quietly.

Just as they were about to move forward with the note case, Damian rushed through the door. He had been away, handling some important matters that could help them. Santi had mentioned that Damian's uncle was with the police and could leverage his connections to gather information.

"They've tracked Cana's phone, and they think it's connected to the Cat King murders!" Damian said, breathless as he entered.

"What? How do you know that?" Naia asked, her curiosity piqued.

"My uncle told me. He's a cop, and he knows we're friends—he's seen us together. I just got the info from him," Damian explained.

"We need to check this out. If it's tied to the Cat King murders, we might find the same person who stole your phone, Naia," Santi suggested and the others nodded in agreement.

"I've got my car outside. Let's go!" Damian said, heading for the door.

"You have a car?" Rina asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it was a gift from my dad." Damian gestured to a red car parked outside. "Her name's Chiquita."

"Your car has a name?" Naia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course! Every car does. You didn't know that?" Damian grinned. "Now hop in!"

As they drove, there was an awkward silence, especially after Naia and Santi's small argument. Rina noticed and decided to finally break the silence. "By the way, Damian, Santi, I've always wondered—how did you two become friends? You're so different. No offense, but you don't seem like you'd get along."

Damian laughed. "Right? Like, why would someone as handsome as me hang out with someone as average as Santi?" he joked, smirking.

Naia and Rina exchanged awkward looks, unsure how to respond. Damian noticed and quickly added, "I'm kidding, okay? Santi and I go way back. I'm a year older, and we met in middle school. I was his senior, and we joined the same club. We just clicked."

"Correction—he begged to be my friend because I was famous," Santi teased, and they both laughed.

"What about you two?" Santi asked Rina and Naia. "How did you meet?"

Rina's voice brightened with excitement as she answered, eager to share their story. She had always been proud of her friendship with Naia. "We met in middle school. I was the new kid, and she was the first person to welcome me. She's always been the friendliest, the one who makes everyone feel at home," Rina said with a smile.

"Just the two of you in your circle?" Santi asked.

Rina hesitated for a moment, knowing that the story wasn't just about the two of them—it involved Gab too. She wasn't sure how to answer without bringing up Gab, but before she could speak, Naia quickly jumped in. "Yeah, just us," she said, then smoothly changed the topic. "By the way, how far are we? Are we almost there?"

Rina looked at her with concern, knowing how much that incident had affected Naia. She reached for Naia's hand, and Naia responded with a quick, faint smile in return.

"Almost there—just one more stop," Damian replied.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a small clinic. Naia and Rina looked confused.

"Wait, this is—" Naia started, but trailed off when she spotted someone standing just a few steps away. It was Calix, looking lost and distracted.

"What are we doing here?" Rina asked. "Isn't this Dr. Ares' clinic?"

"Who's Dr. Ares?" Santi asked.

"He's the vet who gave Naia's cat, Prada, her vaccines. Why are we at a vet clinic?" Rina asked again.

Damian looked serious. "This is where Cana's phone was last traced," he said, and with that, they froze.

It took a moment before someone finally spoke. "What? Around here?" Rina asked, struggling to make sense of it.

"No," Damian said, pointing at the building. "Inside."

"What?!" Rina exclaimed, shocked. "Why would Cana's phone be inside a vet clinic?"

Damian shrugged, still clueless about the situation.

The group stood silently, unsure of what to do, as they stared at the clinic. Then, Naia began walking toward Calix, who was standing nearby.

"I never should've trusted him," Calix muttered, seeing Naia beside him. "You're not here by accident. How do you know about this?"

Naia paused, hesitant before speaking. "I reported to the police last night after I managed to contact Cana. I'm sorry I didn't tell you—I didn't know where you lived or how to reach you, so I went straight to the police."

"You contacted Cana? How do you have her number?" Calix asked, his voice rising. "I tried calling her, but her phone didn't answer. Did you talk to her? Do you know where she is? Is she inside?"

Naia shook her head. "No... I'm not even sure if it was really her who picked up."

Calix clenched his fists. "Then it must be him," he said, his voice low with anger.

"Who are you talking about? Do you know who's behind this?" Naia asked.

Calix didn't respond. His focus was locked on the clinic until the door opened, and the police stepped out with someone Calix recognized. It was his new friend, Ares.

"You!" Calix yelled, his voice full of anger. "Where is my sister?!" He shouted at Ares, but the police quickly stepped in to stop him.

"Calm down, Calix," the officer warned. "You don't want to get charged with assault. Let us explain."

Calix glared at Ares, waiting for answers.

The officer spoke firmly. "Your sister isn't here, but her phone is. Ares found it while walking home."

"Liar!" Calix shouted. "You have my sister, don't you?!"

"I don't!" Ares said defensively. "I found the phone on the street. It rang last night, and I answered, but the battery died shortly after. I even posted about it online to try and find the owner. Look!" Ares pulled out his phone and showed Calix the post. "I don't know where your sister is. I swear."

"Then where exactly did you find her phone?" Calix demanded.

"A few blocks from your house," Ares explained. "The police reviewed the CCTV footage from the area. I found the phone there, lying on the ground, so I picked it up, hoping the owner might come looking for it. That's all I know."

"And my sister? Did the cameras show her?" Calix asked desperately.

The officer spoke up, his voice firm. "We need to take this discussion to the station. We'll need statements from everyone involved, as we are now officially treating this as a missing person case." He looked at Naia and the others. "You kids should head home. Stay safe. We can't afford more disappearances. This town has been through enough. Please cooperate."

With that, they agreed to leave, but Naia couldn't shake the tight feeling in her chest. Cana was out there, and they still didn't know where to look for her.

As they walked away, Naia couldn't stop wondering—who could have taken Cana, and why? Was Ares really involved? The police said he was clear, so who else could it be? Could Santi be right? Could Calix have hurt his sister? But what if it was someone else? Who could she trust?