Rain lashed against the windshield as David's car sped through the city, Amira silent in the passenger seat, her hands clenched tight.
Missing.
The word kept echoing in her mind like a siren she couldn't shut off.
A girl with her smile.
Her blood.
Gone.
And Rihanna, missing too.
"What school did she attend?" Amira finally asked, her voice sharp with panic.
"St. Theresa's Primary. In Ilupeju. I called this morning. They confirmed she was dropped off… but never entered the compound."
Amira's breath hitched. "That's not a child's decision. Someone took her.
They reached the school in less than an hour. Rain had soaked the grounds, leaving muddy footprints leading nowhere.
The headmistress, an older woman with tired eyes, met them.
"Yes, Kaira was expected," she confirmed. "But she never showed up at her classroom. Her guardian,Mrs. Odetayo said she handed her off to the school's gatekeeper."
"Can we speak to him?" Amira asked.
The headmistress shook her head.
"He hasn't returned since that day."
David and Amira exchanged a look.
This wasn't a random disappearance.
Someone had planned this.
They drove to Mrs. Odetayo's residence. She was a heavyset woman in her sixties with nervous eyes and hands that wouldn't stay still.
"She was a quiet girl," she mumbled. "Loved drawing. Never gave trouble."
Amira's throat tightened.
"Did Rihanna ever come by?"
"Only once. She was… scared. Kept looking over her shoulder."
"Did she say why?"
"She said someone from her past found her. Someone dangerous."
Amira felt her stomach twist.
Who was Rihanna running from?
And why hadn't she told her?
Inside Kaira's small room, they found notebooks, crayons, and stuffed animals. One sketchbook lay under the pillow.
Amira flipped through it—until she froze on one page.
A rough sketch of a woman with Rihanna's hair.
Standing beside a man in a long coat.
No face.
Behind them: fire, Smoke, A little girl hiding in a wardrobe.
And scrawled beneath the drawing, in shaky letters:
"He found us."
Just then, David's phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
"Tell her to stop looking. Or the girl vanishes forever."
Amira snatched the phone from his hand, eyes wild.
"What do they want?"
David didn't respond.
Because another message came in.
A photo,
Kaira,
Tears streaking her face.
Holding a sign that read:
"STOP DIGGING."