Hebe heard only one of them laugh this time and then footsteps passed her. This was feeling familiar. Flashes of her dream came to her like premonitions and Hebe suddenly realized that her heart was beating wildly. As she listened to the man circle the table Hebe reached for her cell phone. As silently as possible she resent the text she had received to the first name she could find on her contact list.

“Always so childish. I could always read your face like an open book, you know?” the voice came. “If you’re smart you would probably have guessed who I am by now. But I have to tell you I didn’t mean to hurt your children that way. I have lots to tell you before I let your pain disappear from this world. I think being naïve runs in the family even though we’re not related or anything. Do you get what I’m saying? Yes, I’m just mumbling on to pass time. Until I drag you out from under that table.”

He suddenly kicked the table cloth and Hebe suddenly threw her hand over to muffle her cry. She heard him laugh with satisfaction at her fear. What was going to happen next?

“Please…please. Someone come quickly.” Hebe silently prayed.

||||||||

Aaron was just about to head down to his car when he received a text message. Flipping his phone open he glanced at the text he’d received from Hebe. Frowning deeply Aaron wondered if it was some kind of sick joke from Hebe, but knew better. Hebe would never speak about her children like that. Suddenly the world spun before him and he became confused momentarily. Something was wrong. He tried to call Hebe and the phone rang a bit before it suddenly ended and then he couldn’t reach her anymore. The ringing tone disappeared and the recorded voice came.

“…the number cannot be reached…”

Hebe would always answer her phone no matter what. What was going on? Aaron thought for a long time and suddenly recalled the investigator that had approached him twice.  Maybe he would know something. Rushing to his car Aaron made his way to the police station.

Without even glancing at the flowers at the front of the building Aaron rushed toward the stairs. He dismissed the remodeled walls and hurried pass all the people entering and leaving. Reaching a solid counter he found a man tapping the keyboard to his computer wildly.

“Is Jiro Wang in?” Aaron questioned, surprised that he’d remembered his name. Maybe the panic he was feeling brought back Jiro’s name from within his memory.

“Jiro Wang? You should go find Lu Yu next door. He handles all Jiro’s matters now.”

Giving the man a slight frown Aaron did as told. Usually at the front desk anyone would be able to acquire any information they wanted, but why did the man seem a little unhappy when he mentioned Jiro?

Aaron glanced at the desks and finally found Lu Yu’s name board on one of the desks.

Approaching the shy looking man Aaron asked, “Is Jiro Wang in?”

“He’s been out the whole day.” his voice was so quiet Aaron had to strain his ears in order to hear him.

“Can you contact him? Tell him I need him immediately. I think my friend is in danger.” Aaron explained as calmly as possible, but his heart beat so wildly he wasn’t sure he would be able to stand still any longer.

“Let me try.” the shy guy picked up his phone and dialed a number then looked up at Aaron, “His phone’s ringing. He should answer soon.” Aaron waited then perked up as the shy guy began speaking into the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

Aaron grabbed the phone from him more aggressively than he’d expected, “Hello?”

“Who’s this?” Jiro questioned.

“Aaron Yan, father of the missing twins, Hebe’s ex-husband. You’ve came to interview me a couple of times.”

“I remember you. What’s wrong?”

“I received a weird text. I want to you look at it.”

“A text?”

“It’s from Hebe, something about the twins. But knowing her she would never joke about the twins like this. I think she may be in danger, but I want to meet you first. Where are you?”

“I’m at the cemetery, I’ll be at the station in about 15 minutes. Hold on.”

Aaron nodded and handed the phone back to the shy guy. Anxiety and worry filled his body. What in the world was going on? Why would he receive such a strange text from Hebe?

|||||||

It was strange upstairs. Just stepping into the hallway sent shivers down her spine, literally. There were two doors on each side of the hallway and the doors were all closed.

“Hebe?” Selina called doubting for a moment that Hebe had even come up to the second floor, however she continued on. “Hebe? Are you in here?”

Pushing the door open Selina found the first door to be a bedroom…a single twin bed had been placed by the right corner next to the window. It was small, dark, and ugly. Whoever had slept in there gave off a rotten smell. Quickly shutting the door Selina opened the last door on the right and found framed pictures on the walls. A boy, a girl, and as Selina’s eyes moved on to the right she found a big section dedicated to two twin boys. Suddenly feeling her lips tremble Selina reached for her cell phone, but felt something knock into the back of her head and suddenly out as she fell face down to the ground.

“I can’t believe you got up here so fast,” Lu Wei Lian’s small voice came. “Well it looks like the story ends for you here. How about we go catch up with your other friend, eh?”

He turned Selina over and grabbed her around the ankle and started dragging her down the hallway whistling to himself.

||||||||

Hebe didn’t know how it happened. It went by so fast. Keven started pushing the two chairs deeper into the table trapping Hebe from trying to hide herself any longer.

“Get out. Get out!” he screamed.

Days of being secretly bullied by him shook her now. She hadn’t recalled him being so scary. Before she realized it he suddenly reached under the table and pulled her out by the arm.

“You! Do you know what day it is today?” he questioned.

Hebe’s lips were trembling so much she couldn’t even mutter a word, but the ringing of her phone broke the silence rescuing her. Keven reached for her phone, which she had clutched within her fist and pried it out. Glancing at the caller ID he suddenly tossed the phone to the ground and the battery went flying. Hebe’s heart took a wild beat for the last time as she looked at her broken phone.

“Are you going to answer me?!” he shouted.

Deep fear arose within her and Hebe had lost all her senses. What was she supposed to do? He shook her so hard she suddenly went flying into the staircase and when she had finally collected herself she pushed herself up turning around to run up the stairs. When Hebe got to the top she threw the door shut and leaned against it with her back. Taking a few deep breaths to help calm her down she didn’t realize the other man standing just a few feet away from her. When she finally saw him Hebe jumped and her breathing became even louder. She was so scared. Keven and his friend were taunting them.

Lu Wei Lian smiled a crooked smile, “You finally noticed me.”

Hebe’s eyes moved from his mischievous face finally realized that he was holding onto something. When she got a clearer view she noticed that he’d been dragging Selina behind him. What in the world had happened to her?

“What…what…” Hebe found herself stuttering helplessly. She was going to cry, she knew it.

They were locked away in a house in the middle of nowhere and no one would be able to find them. A loud banging suddenly came from behind her and Hebe screamed as the door opened throwing her forward.

||||||||

Jiro rushed up the stairs and found Aaron pacing back and forth in front of the doors. When Aaron finally saw him he started running.

“Where’s the text?” asked Jiro.

Aaron quickly pushed his phone in front of Jiro’s face, “Tell me you know what’s going on. Tell me you know Hebe’s not at that address, that place.”

Jiro could feel his heart beat loudly. Of course, he realized something was wrong and he feared for the worst but he didn’t want to say anything that would alarm Aaron.

“Hebe forwarded that message to you, she didn’t write it.” Jiro assured. “Someone probably set this up and once she realized she was in trouble she sent it to someone and you’re probably the first one she could get to.”

“What does that mean? Can’t you speak clearly?! You’re just saying she’s in danger right now!”

Jiro stared at the ground heavily averting his eyes away from Aaron, “Someone’s playing a sick trick on her, or it could be the kidnappers themselves.”

“What are we just standing here for?! I came to you for help, but all you’re doing is just standing here talking to yourself!” Aaron could feel himself become hot with anger. The investigator he’d come to for help was not doing anything he’d expected him to. Had it really been a good decision to come to him? Yet, Aaron waited for Jiro to go on, but nothing came from him. “Then I’ll go myself. I want to know where my children are.”

As Aaron turned away Jiro grabbed his arm, “I’m scared too. Give me a moment.” Aaron waited. “I don’t know if my superiors will listen, but we might need some backup. Just let me make a phone call.”

Aaron watched as Jiro got onto his phone requesting for a squad and got off his phone another second later. “I don’t know if they’re going to keep their word, but they said they’ll send a squad in 20 minutes.”

“I don’t care whether you guys keep your word or not, but Hebe is in danger and that’s all I know. Are you going to get a move on, or am I going to go by myself?”

||||||||

Hebe dropped onto her knees and quickly turned around to look up at her step brother who was now overshadowing her. Hebe tried to crawl back, but he grabbed her arm hoisting her up to her feet.

“I feel sorry for mom and dad who has loved you so dearly, but today is your last.”

She could hear his companion laughing behind him. “Now, Keven, there’s no need to be so rough on your little sister is there?”

“Shut up and mind your own business. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be here right now dealing with this mess. I really hate you.”

“Sure, whatever.” Hebe turned around slightly to see the other man harshly throw Selina over his shoulder and walked pass Keven.