Red Dress-2

Liora's eyes searched for her phone in her purse. A wave of dread washed over her when she realized she had left it on the nearby table near the racks. She had been holding a top near the mirror, lost in thought about whether it suited her. Now, her lifeline was gone, and the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

'I can't call anyone. No emergency numbers, no help.' Her teeth began to clatter lightly against each other, not from cold but from the growing tide of panic rising in her chest.

'No, no, I can't give up hope—not now,' she told herself, swallowing hard.

She inhaled deeply, willing her shaking fingers to relax. She wasn't powerless. She wasn't defenseless. She had trained in Kali—a martial art that taught how to wield batons effectively for both attack and defence. She had honed those skills with determination, and she knew she could rely on them now if only she could find a long, sturdy stick. She couldn't engage in hand-to-hand combat. They were men, which would only exacerbate her PTSD if they made skin contact.

A new thought entered her mind, and she opened her purse to take a look.There it was—the pepper spray, the one that Evelyn had given her. She clenched the pepper spray in her hand, prepared to use it if they were discovered. Now, they just needed to remain silent until those men left.

"I need to pee," the blind girl whispered suddenly, her voice trembling with embarrassment.

"Now?" Liora whispered back, her brows knitting together in concern and disbelief. "How urgent is it?"

"I can hold it for five more minutes," the girl replied in a small voice, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I've been holding it for so long, but now…" Her voice cracked as she began to sob quietly. "I'm sorry."

Liora's expression softened as she pulled the girl into a comforting hug. "It's alright. Don't worry. It's normal, so don't apologize. Everything's okay." She gently brushed her back hair, trying to calm her down.

But Liora knew this moment of reassurance wouldn't change the reality they faced. They couldn't stay hidden any longer, and she had to act. She peeked to see the situation. The two men standing had begun smoking while the others moved to the other side.

"Wait for me here," Liora said gently, rising to her feet. "I'll be back soon."

The girl clung to her hand, her grip desperate. "No, I don't need to go to the washroom. Please don't abandon me." Alice was afraid, and Liora wished to leave because she might cause issues for her. She didn't want to inconvenience Liora, but at the same time, she was afraid of being alone in the darkness since she was blind.

Liora knelt beside her, meeting her tearful gaze. "I'll be back in two minutes, okay? Pinky promise." She extended her pinky finger, hoping to reassure her with the simple gesture. Pinky promises were sacred—a vow she wouldn't break.

The girl hesitated briefly but finally released her hand, trusting Liora's promise. Liora carefully peeked around the corner. The men were still there, chatting and smoking. 'I thought they were looking for Alice.' Liora pondered. 'They would qualify as the least effective workers of the month if they ever decided to work for a corporation.'

With her heart thudding in her chest, Liora stepped out into the open. She kept one hand behind her back, clutching the pepper spray tightly, her thumb ready to press the trigger. She bit her lip and swallowed hard, forcing her fear deep inside. Her face remained calm, even confident, as she moved forward.

The two men immediately noticed Liora. Their eyes lit up with interest, and they began to approach, their steps slow but deliberate.

"Wow! She's attractive," one of them remarked, his tone oozing with sleaziness.

"Did we hit the jackpot or something?" the other laughed darkly, his creepy chuckle filling Liora with disgust. Liora hated such laugh, reminding her of those four beasts.

"What's your name, beauty?" the first man asked in a mocking tone as they closed the distance between them.

Liora didn't flinch. She held her ground, her gaze unwavering. She bided her time for them to approach—just a bit closer. Though her heart raced loudly, she stayed composed. She was prepared. She was ready to kick their asses.

Back at the Venture and Vittles street, Rachel stood frozen, her eyes were fixed on the direction Liora had fled, unable to comprehend what had just happened. 

After a brief pause, her shocked paralysis transformed into worry. Rachel noticed Liora's phone left unattended on the table. She grabbed it quickly and rushed outside, her eyes searching the crowd for any trace of her friend.

"Liora!" she called out, her voice almost lost among the bustling street. But she received no response, nor did she catch sight of Liora's disappearing figure. "This girl runs faster than lightning."

She sprinted back into the store, her heart pounding as she made her way to the men's section. There, she found Daran looking through a selection of shirts.

"Daran!" she called urgently.

His head snapped up at her voice, his brow furrowing as he took in her flustered appearance. "What's wrong?"

"Liora... she ran away," Rachel said, gasping for breath.

"What do you mean she ran away?" Daran's voice turned sharp, agitated and filled with concern and panic.

Rachel held up Liora's phone as if it were evidence. "She left her phone behind. I tried to follow her, but she was gone. I couldn't catch up with the runner."

Rachel's answer only darkened Daran's expression. He dropped the shirt he had been holding and moved swiftly past her, heading toward the store's entrance. Rachel trailed behind, clutching the phone tightly.

"What exactly happened?" Daran demanded.

Rachel hesitated at first, but it wasn't the moment to remain silent. She knew how protective Daran was of Liora. He had warned her before coming to Valtham:

"She's sensitive, Rachel. Be careful. You never know what could trigger her."

Rachel fell into step beside him, still not understanding what wrong she had done. "I found this gorgeous red dress. I thought she might like it, so I placed it before her to see how it looked. But she pushed me away and bolted out like I had shown her something terrible," Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, trying to wrap her head around, "likely because the expression she wore suggested I had displayed a scandalous sexy nightgown or a skimpy bikini."

Daran stopped abruptly and turned to face Rachel. His hands gripped her shoulders tightly, his frustration barely contained. "A red dress?" His voice was edged with disbelief and sarcasm.

Rachel blinked, startled by his reaction. "Yes… what's wrong with a red dress?"

Daran exhaled sharply, releasing her shoulders. He raised his fingers to his forehead as if to signal a headache, "She hates red."

"Hates red?" Rachel repeated, confused.

Daran's jaw clenched as he wrestled with the memories that surged forward. He remembered how Liora used to love the colour—how it had once been her favourite. But everything had changed after that camping trip.

Since that time, she had declined to wear red, and her response to any physical contact, particularly from men, was to flinch if they came too close. Symptoms of PTSD had started to surface—minor details that others might miss but that he noticed.

And now, Rachel had unknowingly pressed one of those invisible triggers.

Without another word, Daran strode toward the exit, his mind set on finding Liora. He didn't need all the details to piece together. He knew Liora and some guys had gone missing that night, and the four senior boys had never returned to school. 

He didn't have the whole story of what happened during that trip, but he didn't need to. All he knew was that Liora was out there, alone and vulnerable.

"Rachel, you should remain here in case Liora returns," Daran directed, his tone strained and annoyed.

"I'll search for her. I can't leave this girl unattended for even ten minutes," he grumbled, raking a hand through his red-blond hair in frustration.

Rachel nodded, "Alright, I'll wait here. Just locate her, Daran. I really hope she is alright."

Without delaying another moment, Daran dashed out, manoeuvring through the busy crowd with urgency.

Only a few minutes had passed when Donovan's gaze was drawn to a golden-haired girl who ran away looking scared. Now, his attention shifted to a figure with red-blonde hair: Daran, who appeared to be in distress. 'Did that blonde run away from him?' He pondered. 'What is he doing in Valtham?'

Donovan's mind quickly went to Liora. 'Is she here as well?' A thought made his heart race. However, he quickly pushed that thought away.

The group sitting with Donovan noticed his distracted state this time, but Donovan's mind was consumed with memories of someone... someone he had left behind in Italy.

Donovan's previously fluffy pancake began to taste dense and heavy in his mouth, almost like chewing on fine grains of stone. He put his knife and fork down, reached for his water, and sipped. Even the water tasted lacklustre to him now.

He pushed his plate aside, feeling completely lost in his appetite, as he observed Daran nervously pacing around in search of someone.

Donovan's initial reaction was to get up and hurry over to Daran to demand information about Liora and check if she was alright. However, he faltered.

Another thought held him back. Whatever issues existed between Daran and Liora were their concern, not his. He should mind his own business.

Donovan forced himself to stay seated. He turned his attention to Rihana, who was glancing at him with a worried expression. Her light grey eyes searched his face for clues to his sudden distress.

Donovan reached out and interlocked his fingers with hers. 'She is my girlfriend. I need to focus on her.′ He reminded himself, attempting to eliminate thoughts of Liora from his mind.

He squeezed Rihana's hand gently, offering her a smile while tightly clenching his teeth in annoyance.

Rihanna's eyes grew wide with unexpected little intimacy from him. He had consistently kept his distance, but now she felt differently. She believed her birthday brought her good fortune and that it was only a matter of time before they would officially announce their relationship.

"I'd like to go. Are you finished?" Donovan questioned, glancing at Rihana.