Chapter 449 I Don't Believe You
Elodie had just walked through the door when she picked up Lucas's call.
She quickly realized Clara wasn't home either.
A wave of panic hit her, and she barely registered Lucas mentioning that Katniss was already asleep and that he hadn't had a chance to talk to her. They'd have to discuss meeting up tomorrow, but Elodie couldn't focus on that now.
Clutching her phone, she stood in the middle of the room, her voice trembling, "Clara's missing!"
Lucas, confused, asked, "What?"
Elodie's shaky voice came through again, "Clara, she's gone!"
"I've been trying to call her, but her phone's off."
Elodie couldn't think of where Clara might have gone besides school, the hospital, or home.
Earlier at the hospital, Elodie had assumed Clara was at home.
When she got home, she thought Clara was at the hospital.
Now, back at home, she realized Clara was nowhere to be found.
Elodie's heart raced with anxiety.
Lucas tried to calm her down, "Don't worry, I'll be home soon. We'll figure it out."
He had just arrived in Starhaven and wasn't familiar with the area.
Elodie's sudden panic about Clara's disappearance left him with no clues on where to start looking.
Lucas was more inclined to believe that Clara wasn't missing and that Elodie was overreacting.
After hanging up, Lucas tried calling Clara.
When he couldn't connect with her, he decided to head home immediately.
Elodie, however, couldn't calm down.
She paced around the house, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
She kept dialing Clara's number and worried that Clara might have been kidnapped.
Her mind went there because Clara had been kidnapped before.
The current situation brought back those memories.
The more she couldn't reach Clara, the more convinced Elodie became that Clara had been taken.
She even started thinking about who might have done it.
It might be Katniss.
After all, Katniss was the one person in Starhaven who had been causing her the most trouble lately.
"It must be that brat Katniss! She must have done something to Clara," Elodie muttered to herself, her expression darkening with anger.
Her eyes and expression grew more determined, and she began to harbor a deep hatred for Katniss.
Remembering Lucas's call about not being able to talk to Katniss, she became even more convinced that Katniss was hiding something.
But Elodie didn't contact Katniss directly.
For one, Katniss wouldn't answer her calls, and for another, Lucas had told her not to act rashly.
Elodie decided to listen to Lucas, at least for now.
While Elodie was frantic about Clara's whereabouts, Clara herself was in a completely different situation.
From the moment Dione had invited her into the car, Clara's nerves had been on edge.
Meeting Emma had only heightened her anxiety.
Before Dione left, Clara's emotions were a rollercoaster.
After Dione left, Clara learned Emma's true intentions, which allowed her to relax a bit.
When Clara found out that Emma was targeting Maximilian, she tried to steer Emma's focus towards Katniss.
To do this, Clara even confessed her involvement with Ryan.
Emma showed interest when Clara mentioned that she had guided Ryan to go after Katniss.
Emma asked, "When did he make his move?"
Without hesitation, Clara replied, "He said he'd do it today. He should have succeeded by now, but since you brought me here, I haven't been able to contact him."
Clara's words were a clear hint that she wanted Emma to let her go or at least allow her to contact Ryan to check on Katniss.
But Emma didn't follow Clara's script.
Instead, she instructed one of her people, "Go check on Ryan and see what he's done with Katniss."
The person quickly agreed and left.
Clara was stunned by Emma's decision.
She whispered, "Ms. Kate, I could just ask Ryan."
Clara didn't understand why Emma was going through so much trouble.
She was also worried that Emma might find the photos Ryan had of her.
Ryan was an idiot, and Clara had hoped to eventually get those photos back.
But if Emma got hold of them, it would be a different story.
Emma wasn't as foolish as Ryan, and even if she were, her people certainly weren't.
If those photos ended up with Emma, Clara would have a hard time retrieving them.
Clara's mind was racing, and she lowered her head to hide her emotions from Emma.
Emma scoffed at Clara's suggestion.
Clara, not giving up, continued, "Ms. Kate, why don't I contact Ryan? I can have him bring Katniss to you."
Clara wasn't sure if Katniss was actually with Ryan, but she hoped so.
It was her bargaining chip with Emma.
Emma gave Clara a cold look and kicked her again, "I don't trust you. Sit tight and wait for my people to get the information."
Clara was left helpless.
She glanced at the darkening sky, unsure how long Emma's people would take.
She just hoped Ryan had done something to Katniss.
As the sky grew darker, Clara's anxiety and frustration mounted.
She sat stiffly on the floor, her body tense.
In contrast, Emma was much more relaxed.
She lounged on the couch, sending a few texts to Maximilian, receiving no replies as usual, and then leisurely started eating.
Emma could eat, but Clara couldn't. She was both hungry and increasingly anxious.
Clara also worried about Elodie, who would be concerned since Clara hadn't been home or checked in.
Thinking about Elodie worrying about her, Clara also remembered how Elodie had refused Nathan's kidney donation. It made her heart ache.
In Elodie's eyes, Clara was less important than Nathan.
Lost in her thoughts, Clara's anxiety and frustration grew.
Just as she was about to break down, Emma's person returned.
He quickly approached Emma, handed her some documents, and whispered something in her ear before standing behind her.
Clara immediately asked, "Did you find out?"
Although Clara felt like she had been waiting forever, the reality was that the person hadn't taken long.
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