CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: EXTRA C AND INSPECTIONS (1)

The red ink on the crumpled receipt looked like dried blood.

A pair of wings. Vangels.

I stared at it, and the noise of the school courtyard seemed to drop away, replaced by the phantom hum of the air conditioning in that underground lounge.

I looked at Lia. She was leaning against the tree, her arms crossed tight across her chest. Her face, usually so composed and sly, had drained of color. She met my gaze, and for a split second, the mask slipped.

Fear. Genuine fear.

She knew. I knew. We were the only two people here who understood that Vangels wasn’t just a website. It was a physical place with armed guards and soundproofed walls.

"Mike..." Sebastian muttered, breaking the silence. He stepped closer to Sarah, his usual carefree grin completely gone. "Sarah, breathe. Tell us exactly what the police said."

Sarah wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "They... they said to wait. They said Mike has a history of staying out late. They think he’s just... blowing off steam or running away for a few days."

"Running away?" Emily asked, her voice sharp. "Without his phone? Without a bag?"

"He’s been getting into trouble lately," Sarah sniffled. "Since he started hanging out with those older guys from North High. He’s been asking Mom for money constantly. The police think he stole from the ATM and is hiding out until the heat dies down."

"It’s not just money," Anna said softly. She placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder. "If he’s missing, he’s missing. We can’t just wait."

"We won’t," Eric said.

I watched Eric and Sebastian exchange a look. It was a look of guilt.

They pulled their phones out almost in sync. I knew what they were checking. The Vangels website. The ’easy money’ they had been laughing about just days ago.

"We... we use this site too," Sebastian admitted, his voice low. "Me and Eric. We’ve been playing on it."

Sarah looked up, hope and confusion warring in her eyes. "You do?"

"Yeah," Eric said. He looked sick. "We thought it was just a game. Just some free cash for students. But if Mike was withdrawing money for it..."

"He was," Sarah said. "He was obsessed with ’leveling up.’ He said he needed to hit a certain tier."

Platinum status.

The realization hit them like a physical blow. I could see the gears turning in Sebastian’s head. The fun, the games, the easy wins—it was all bait. And Mike had taken the hook, line, and sinker.

"We have to help," Sebastian said firmly. He looked at the group. "We can’t leave this to the cops if they aren’t taking it seriously. Mike is our age. He’s one of us."

"I’m in," Emily said immediately.

"Me too," Lia added. Her voice was steady again, the mask back in place. She glanced at me. "What about you, Abel?"

I sighed.

Of course.

This was how it always went. In Heaven Waits, Hell Grabs, the main characters couldn’t walk past a burning building without running inside. They had a pathological need to insert themselves into every tragedy, every mystery, every loose thread.

It was admirable. It was heroic.

It was annoying as hell.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck.

"Not really," Sebastian said, managing a weak smile. "We need the whole team."

"Right. The team."

I looked at Sarah. "Can I see that receipt?"

She handed it to me. The paper was soft from being clenched in her hand.

I smoothed it out. The timestamp was from two days ago. 11:42 PM. The location code was for an ATM on the outskirts of Aversque Boulevard.

"He withdrew this late at night," I said. "Near Aversque."

"That’s the entertainment district," Eric noted. "Why would he be there?"

"Maybe he was meeting someone," Anna suggested. "Or maybe he was trying to pay someone."

"We should check it out," Sebastian decided. "The ATM. Maybe there are cameras nearby, or maybe someone saw him."

"It’s a start," Emily agreed.

I handed the receipt back to Sarah. "Keep this safe. It’s evidence."

This felt like a bad episode of a detective show. A bunch of teenagers running around trying to solve a crime while the adults sat around drinking coffee. But the reality was darker. I knew where that ATM was. It was three blocks from Syn Hotels.

Mike hadn’t just gone to an ATM. He had gone to the Lounge. And he hadn’t come back.

"We’ll find him, Sarah," Sebastian promised. "We won’t stop looking."

Sarah nodded, looking a little less like she was about to collapse. "Thank you. Thank you guys so much."

The bell rang. It was a jarring, shrill sound that cut through the heavy atmosphere.

"We should get to class," Anna said gently. "We can meet up after school to go to the ATM."

Everyone nodded and started to disperse. Sarah wiped her face again and headed toward the main building with Emily.

I hung back for a second. Lia did the same.

"He’s in the basement, isn’t he?" she whispered.

"Probably," I said. "Or somewhere worse."

"We can’t let them go down there, Abel. Sebastian and Eric... they’ll get eaten alive."

"I know."

"So what’s the plan?"

"We play along," I said. "We go to the ATM. We let them feel like they’re doing something. And meanwhile, I handle the real problem."

Lia looked at me. "You handle it? You mean we handle it."

"Sure. We."

She narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue. She turned and walked away, her skirt swaying.

I watched her go, then looked up at the school building. It stood tall and white and pristine against the blue sky. A monument to youth and innocence.

"What a hassle," I muttered.

Lunch was a tense affair.

Usually, the cafeteria was loud, filled with the chaotic energy of hundreds of students. Today, our table was quiet.

Sebastian and Eric weren’t eating. They were staring at their phones, scrolling through the Vangels site, looking for clues that weren’t there.

"It’s weird," Eric said, breaking a breadstick in half. "The site... it feels different now. Knowing Mike is gone."

"It feels predatory," Anna said. She was eating a salad, methodical and calm. "Gambling always is."

"We need more help," Emily said. She had joined us today, skipping her usual table. "Checking an ATM is fine, but we need someone with influence. Someone who can make the police actually listen."

"Like who?" Sebastian asked.

"The Student Council," Emily suggested. "They have a direct line to the administration. And the President... he’s really popular with the faculty. If he raises a stink, the school board will pressure the police."

My hand froze halfway to my mouth.

Nathaniel Reed.

"That’s a great idea," Sebastian said, sitting up straighter. "Nathaniel is a good guy. He helped the drama club get funding when the school cut their budget. He listens to students."

"He’s definitely influential," Lia added, her voice devoid of inflection. She was looking at her fingernails.

"I can talk to him," Eric volunteered. "I know him a little. We’re in the same advanced math class."

I took a bite of my sandwich. It tasted like cardboard.

The irony was thick enough to choke on. They wanted to ask the wolf to help find the sheep.

"Is that wise?" I asked.

Everyone looked at me.

"Why not?" Sebastian asked. "He’s the President. It’s his job to look out for us."

"He’s busy," I said, shrugging. "Elections are coming up. He might not have time for a missing person case from another school."

"Mike isn’t from Fairfax, but Sarah is," Emily countered. "It affects a student. Nathaniel will care."

"He seems like the type who cares about his image," I said. "Getting involved in a police matter might be messy for his campaign."

"You’re too cynical, Abel," Sebastian said with a shake of his head. "Not everyone has an angle. Nathaniel is genuinely nice."

"If you say so."

I wasn’t going to stop them. If I pushed too hard, it would look suspicious. Besides, Nathaniel Reed was smart. If they approached him, he wouldn’t turn them away. He would smile, offer his support, and then bury the investigation so deep it would never see the light of day.

But it would put them on his radar.

"Did you guys hear the other news?"

A student from the table next to us leaned over. It was a guy named Mark, a notorious gossip with messy hair and glasses that were always sliding down his nose.

"What news?" Sebastian asked.

"About the election," Mark said, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "You know Gary? The guy running for President against Nathaniel?"

"Yeah," Eric said. "The guy from the debate team. Smart guy."

"He’s gone," Mark whispered.

The table went silent.

"Gone?" Emily asked. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Missing," Mark said. "Didn’t show up for school today. Didn’t show up yesterday. His campaign manager—that girl from the chess club—she’s freaking out. She said he went to meet a donor or something two nights ago and just... vanished."

A chill ran down my spine.

Mike went missing two nights ago.

Gary went missing two nights ago.

"Two people," Anna whispered. "In two days."

"Maybe he just dropped out," Sebastian said, his voice shaking slightly. "Maybe the pressure was too much."

"Without telling anyone?" Mark shook his head. "Nah. Gary was intense. He wouldn’t just quit. People are saying..."

"Saying what?" Lia asked sharply.

"Saying the election is cursed," Mark said with a nervous chuckle. "Or fixed."

He turned back to his own table, leaving us in a pool of silence.

The cafeteria noise rushed back in, but it sounded distant.

I looked at the group. Their faces were pale. The reality of the situation was settling in. This wasn’t just about a bad kid running away. This wasn’t just about gambling.

It was about power.

"We need to go to that ATM," Sebastian said, standing up. He looked determined, but his hands were trembling. "Right after school. We can’t wait."

"Agreed," Eric said.

I finished my sandwich.

Gary. The rival candidate.

"Let’s go," I said. "Before it rains."

There were no clouds in the sky. But I could feel the storm coming.

It was going to be a long week.