The Missing Link

"Now, if you think she's responsible for her own disappearance because she's an adult, I don't see anything wrong with that." Fabian doesn't seem to be bothered by the brief argument igniting around him.

"Wrong with what?" Ilona quirks her brows.

"Your thinking. Maybe it's for the first time I feel like it's okay somehow."

Ilona doesn't continue the conversation that she chooses to cut short with her signature eye roll.

"But this thing is crazy, really." Nevan scratches the back of his neck. "What's happening, guys?" Oriana looks as shocked as she could be. "Ah, miss, you're here. Do you know Raya the tenth grader?" Fabian

looks at her.

"Come on! This is no way to introduce a missing person." Alvis sounds edgy.

"Raya...a missing... What the hell?" Oriana's eyebrows are bunched together.

"She went missing, well probably! After my party last night." IIlona says flatly flipping her hair.

"What? How?"

Ilona tugs on a strand of her hair, "That's the problem with you, Oriana!

You don't listen...see, we're all..."

"We don't know that yet. We just know she didn't get back home after her night out." Fabian chooses to cut Ilona short, as usual.

"Well, that's worrying." Oriana feels a genuine bout of concern rushing through her as she remembers the bits and pieces of her own past.

"It is, isn't it? Her parents must be really worried and on top of that, her boyfriend isn't picking up the phone." Nevan stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"Boyfriend? I thought she was...um nothing." Oriana doesn't want to mess up the situation any further.

Leilani steps in the tuition center with eyes of a light-struck deer.

"Ah, Leila! Here you are. I last saw you kinda yelling at that Raya. Any idea where she might've gone after that?" Ilona crosses her arms on her chest.

"The tuition center is closed today, right?" Leilani's voice is unbelievably still given the shaken look that's slathered all over her face.

"Yes, but that's not what I ask..." Ilona bites on the nail of her pinky. "No... I mean, what's so important going on that Mr. Landon texted us to

come here?"

"Thing is, Leilani, a student from our tuition center went missing after the party where all of us were present." Alvis says sharply.

"Who...wait, Raya? Is that what you were talking about?" She turns to Ilona.

"Finally, someone actually cared to listen."

"Weren't you with her all night?...I mean, sorry, it came out wrong. I meant to say, weren't you with her throughout the party?" Leilani's eyes pierce through Alvis.

"What?...no, not the whole..."

"Dude, don't say you slept with her. That'd be too disgusting to stomach." Nevan scrunches up his nose.

"You fuckin kidding me right now? How could you even think about that?" Alvis almost screams at his coworker.

"See... Ilona said, Leilani is the last one she saw Raya with." Fabian's gaze is still on Leilani.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean...?" Leilani cries out.

Oriana remembers how Leilani told her to wait before they left the party. She recalled Leilani's angry face after coming back from the living room.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Oriana's voice shakes with unfamiliar anticipations.

"Say what? When?" Leilani looks legitimately shocked now. "The time when..."

"Ladies and gents, I'm beyond disappointed in all of you." Robert Landon marks his entrance with that partly annoying, partly boring and partly authoritatively booming voice. He looks more annoyed than usual as his bushy brows are bunched together over his tiny, fierce eyes.

Everyone knows a long lecture slash tongue lash is awaiting them as an uncomfortable silence falls onto the room.

"Did her boyfriend attend that lavish party we're talking here?" Landon throws a relatively comprehensible question at his employees after offering them a detailed account of jibber jabber aka the practical demonstrations of his unnecessarily authoritative anger issues.

"No, he wasn't there." Alvis replies.

"You, young man! What's your deal, huh?" Landon's eyes throw daggers at Alvis.

"Sorry?"

"I heard you were spending suspicious amount of time with that girl."

"Sir, I think there's some misunderstandings going on here...I didn't spend any suspicious..."

"Please! When I started this tuition center, what I had in mind was how to educate the youngsters, how to help them reach their full potentials and how to improve their aacademic results by making the learning easier for them... You know what was NOT in my mind?"

"No! Enlighten us." Fabian steadies his eyes at currently reddened face of Landon.

"That was supposed to be a rhetorical question before I say the rest of the sentence. Don't you understand the figurative expressions, Fabian?"

"Why, no I do understand that, Mr. Landon. But thing is, I never really cared much about what you are saying but still had to go with the flow with my verbal engagement. So, this one is no exception but this time..."

Oriana squeezes Fabian's hand, "Come on! Don't piss him off any more.

He's fuming already." she whispers.

"Unbelievable!" Landon covers his face with his hands for a dramatic effect and doesn't say anything for a couple of minutes to emphasize that effect.

"...I'll deal with your big mouth later, but coming back to where I was. I didn't want this tuition center, this brainchild of mine to turn into real life

bumble where teachers and students can swipe left and right to choose their match." He glares at Alvis. "This matter won't be easy to handle as her father is a big shot here. Does anyone here have the slightest idea about the anticipated doom that our reputation is awaiting to face because of this

event?"

He scanned all six faces, mostly looking down at the ground at this moment.

"I want you to confess aanything that you know of. Anything that you believe would be good for us so that we won't have to inform the police right away."

"So, the police haven't been informed yet?" Nevan incredulously looks at Landon.

"No! I convinced Raya's uncle not to rush to the police and I informed her father that Raya is safe and went on an excursion arranged by us. Yeah, I know, you're welcome. I could just throw one of you under the bus but I didn't."

"Wait a minute, Sir. First off all, we never arrange anything for students here at this tuition center let alone a full-on excursion. God forbid, that'd cost you fortunes...and secondly..."

"My point is, wouldn't it be helpful to inform the police already? Sir, it seems we can't help in this situation now that we have no idea what

might've happened to her and her boyfriend, what's his name...Fred is not even picking up his phone. Aren't you just shoving the girl towards more danger?" Oriana cuts Nevan off.

"What part of 'my business...my tuition center is gonna be ruined big

time if the truth is out' don't you understand? Huh? You want to jeopardize other students' lives because of one student? Besides, I'd believe to think

one of you knows something...something about what happened to her last night." Landon's eyes switch to throwing flames from the previously

daggers throwing mode.

"I think Leilani might know something..." Ilona utters in a lilty voice. "Really? Here, Ilona, there's a reason I always rely on you as an

employee." Landon's seething demeanor suddenly shifts.

Ilona flips her hair before replying, "Yes, Sir. I believe she was with Raya last time I saw that poor girl. She looked so happy until that

moment...tsk tsk."

Leilani looks at Ilona in shock, how is she blaming her for a potential murder case? She can never harm a fly let alone a human....

"Is it true, Leilani?" Landon cocks his head.

"What the...Ilona, you serious? What is wrong with you?"

"With me? Nothing, actually. I simply said what I saw and what I thought would be helpful fort his investigation."

"Investigation! Fucking joke." Nevan smirks.

Landon chooses to completely ignore that but makes a mental note to threat Nevan privately. He can't afford to fire him as it's hard to come across good teachers like this brat.

"Leilani! I asked you a question." His eyes go fierce once again. "Mr. Landon, are you really gonna believe this cheating bitch?"

Leilani's wild eyes shift from Landon to Ilona in an instant, "You are the

one who fucks her sister's boyfriend behind her back while trying to seduce the hottest guy at work." Leilani's voice trembles.

Ilona looks at her in disbelief. "You psycho! If you are too scared to admit what you did to Raya, then just keep quiet. Why the fuck are you making shits up about me?" She quickly steals a glance at Nevan who doesn't look her way, as usual.

"Ladies! Quit your cat fights now. I want answers." Landon raises his voice.

Oriana's eyes are fixated on Leilani's face which looks pretty shook right now. Something is definitely off about this girl. If she really didn't do anything, why can't she just say it?

Leilani sharply inhales. What should she answer to Mr. Landon's inquiry when she has no clue what happened last night. She helplessly looks at Nevan who silently stares her way. She needs to say something...