"Does anyone know where Carson has been for the past day? Carson Shelley?" Mrs Fraser's voice cracked slightly, her usual stern tone softened with cancer. "Nobody has seen him since yesterday morning, and he wasn't at any of his classes."

Nellie looked up from her notebook, her pen hovering mid-air. Mrs Fraser's eyes scanned the classroom, landing on each student hoping that one of them held the answer. A hush fell over the room, heavy and uneasy. Nellie's gaze flicked over to her classmates. Some avoided eye contact, burying themselves in their books, while others exchanged nervous glances. Whispers began to fly across the room like dry leaves.

Mrs Fraser cleared her throat, her voice firmer now. "Alright, but if anyone knows anything, let me know." Again, she waited for someone to speak, but nobody did.

Nellie felt a strange shiver crawl down her spine. Mrs Fraser's words sunk in—another person was missing. She glanced around the classroom, her gaze moving from one easy face to the next. Heads were down, eyes glued to their desks, and a heavy silence hung over the room like a suffocating fog. Nobody knew. And if someone did, they didn't want to admit it.

**

She assumed the school disco that night would be cancelled, and so she was surprised when it went ahead. Nellie still got herself ready, as she would normally, but she knew the disco would be awkward. She slipped a poofy blue dress on, the dress lined with white lace. She paired the dress with some formal-ish shoes. Her hair was styled in a half-up, half-down look, with the top half of her hair in a french braid, which added a nice touch to the otherwise simple hairdo. She put on minimum makeup; only some mascara, lip gloss, and a touch of blush.

Once her look was ready, she knocked on Thomas's door. "You ready to go?"

"Just one second," he called back. Nellie heard Thomas bump into a few things before he opened the door. He was wearing a button up shirt with some fancy jeans. His hair was neatly styled with gel, and he didn't smell too bad.

"Okay, hurry up," said Nellie, grabbing her brother's wrist as she brought him downstairs.When Thomas put his shoes on, Nellie yelled, "Mom! We're ready!"

Soon, their mother came downstairs, and gave them a ride to the school.

They arrived at the school at around six, which is the time the disco started. Nellie spotted her friends waiting outside, and she quickly rushed over. There were only four of them at the time, so they still had to wait.

Teresa stood confidently in a tight red dress with a crossover back. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with two strands of hair framing her face. Teresa loved makeup, and she wore it almost every day. Her eyeshadow was shady, and it complimented her eyes well.

Standing next to her was Brenda, dressed in a yellow sundress, which was flowing in the slight breeze. Her makeup was minimal, just a subtle layer of pink lip gloss, and her hair was left down, except for two small braids adding a charming touch at the front.

The third person there was Sonya, who's blonde hair was styled into a fishtail braid. The dress she was wearing was plain white. It was strapless, and had a cut bow tied on the back. Like Brenda, she was only wearing a light shade of lip gloss.

Nellie's eyes flicked to the final person, and it was her best friend. Her short, curly hair was left out, and she was wearing a shiny silver dress, which showcased her figure. The dress was dotted with sparkles, and it looked perfectly against Anastasia's dark skin.

"Hi, guys," Nellie greeted them all, her smile sincere and wide.

Teresa gave her a kind nod. "Hey. Harriet is being annoying."

"Yeah," Sonya agreed. "She isn't coming tonight."

"Is Miyoko?" asked Nellie.

Instead of an answer, Brenda gestured behind Nellie.

Nellie turned around and two siblings caught her eye. Miyoko and Minho stepped out of their expensive car. Minho was dressed in a suit, with no tie, and dress pants. His hair had the usual amount of gel in it, and dimples became visible as he smiled. Beside him, Miyoko was wearing a short, wine coloured dress, which had spaghetti straps. The shade of purple went very well with her dark hair, and pale skin.

"Oh my..." Anastasia murmured, her cheeks flushing a shade of red.

As soon as Miyoko noticed the girls, she jogged over towards them. "Hey! Why aren't you guys inside yet?"

"We were waiting for you," Teresa replied, taking a step towards the door leading into the hall. "Let's go."

The hall was decorated with appropriate garlands for a disco, and there were stands of food, balloons accompanying each one. The atmosphere seemed perfectly fine at first glance, but if you paid attention you could tell that something was off. Because something was.

Soon, Nellie found herself by the dessert stand, and she was stuffing her face. The people around her were acting fine, laughing, drinking, and taking photos together. It was almost as if everyone was ignoring the fact two students were missing.

As Nellie was shoving another chocolate covered strawberry into her mouth, she noticed Miyoko stumbling over. Luckily, Nellie managed to catch the girl before she knocked down the whole stand down.

"Hey, what's gotten into you?" Nellie asked, forcing Miyoko to stand up straight.

"She's drunk," Minho explained, appearing beside his sister. He glanced back at her then scoffed. "Mama's going to be so mad! Finally I'm not going to be the one in trouble."

"How often are you in trouble?" Nellie knew Minho well, as both him and Newt are best friends with Thomas. The three of them met in third grade, and have been close ever since.

Minho scoffed. "The better question is how often am I not in trouble?"

"And how often is that?" Nellie questioned, cocking her head slightly as she raised an eyebrow.

"Hm... let me think." Minho tapped his chin dramatically, his fingers drumming on his jawline as if he was deep in thought. With a smirk, he clicked his fingers. "Oh, yeah! Never."

Nellie opened her mouth to reply, but she was silenced when the principal made an urgent announcement over the loudspeaker.

"Has anyone seen Ruby McManner?"