Chapter Eighteen- Nick

When I get home from the hospital, I head upstairs to my room and get changed for work. I quickly race out of the house only pausing long enough to make sure that the door is locked and grab my bag to do some homework on my break. On the drive, I get a phone call but ignore it believing it to be one of my parents calling to check that I’m on my way to work. When I arrive at the restaurant, I race inside.

“Hey Sis,” I say when I get to the counter. “Did anyone call me?” 

“No,” She says with a curious look.

“That’s weird. I got a call one the way to work and I thought it was Mum or Dad checking that I was coming to work,” I tell her puzzled.

She is about to reply when my phone plays its ringtone. I quickly answer it. “Hello,” I say when no one says anything. There are a couple of seconds of heavy breathing and then they hang up.

“Who was it?” Kendall asks when I put my phone in my pocket.

“They didn’t say,” I tell her as I put my apron on.

“How is Oasis?” Kendall asks sounding worried.

“She’s awake,” I tell her with a smile. “She remembers what happened.”

“I’m glad she’s awake,” Kendall says giving me a hug. “She’s a brave girl, Nick, I knew she’d wake up.”

“Thanks, Sis, you’re the best ever,” I tell her grabbing my order pad and a pen from behind the counter.

I quickly head toward the tables and start taking orders. I move purposefully seating people, taking orders and serving food. I forget all about the phone call by the time my break comes. I head over to a quiet corner of the restaurant and pull out my maths homework. I am just about to start on a particular hard equation when my phone rings. I quickly answer it not wanting to disturb the customers.

“Hello,” I say wondering who is calling me.

“I know where you are and I have your sister,” the person on the other end of the phone says. I know the voice, but I can’t place it.

“Who is this?” I ask quickly looking around to see where Kendall went.

The other person hangs up and I can’t see Kendall. I quickly race to the back of the restaurant to see if my parents or brothers know where she is.

“Mum, have you seen Kendall?” I ask slightly panicked.

“No, she said she was going on break half an hour ago and hasn’t come back,” My mum tells me. “Why?”

“I just got a phone call from someone telling me that they have Kendall,” I tell her before racing back to the dining room and through the front door.

I look around the parking lot and see that she isn’t anywhere to be found. I spin around and go back inside and run into my father. He grabs my wrist and gently pulls me over to the corner of the restaurant where my homework is still lying open on the table.

“What happened?” He asks me quietly.

I quickly tell him what happened and when I finish telling him, he tells me he’s going to call the police. I sit down at the table to wait for the police to arrive when my phone rings again. I quickly answer it knowing that it is going to be the same person again.

“I have your sister, Kendall,” The voice says again and this time I know who it is.

“Taylor, if you hurt my sist-“ I start to say when he interrupts me, laughing before hanging up.