Chapter 3 Rebel

Chapters 3- Rebel

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It was already 8:55 pm.

Ashley had packed her bags, ready to go, but she was still in her nighties, laying on her bed, covered with her soft duvet.

She knew her dad wasn't going to be home until early in the morning. All she was waiting for was for Aunty Ruth to come bid her good night.

Aunty Ruth was usually the last person to go to bed, and she usually went in by 8:30pm. Ruby was waiting for Aunty Ruth's routine night check before she went to bed.

Immediately after that, Ruby would go get out of her room and out of the house through the backdoor in the kitchen to the gate where her friends where waiting for her.

She heard a soft knock on the door, before Aunty Ruth popped her head into the room.

"I see you're ready to sleep, Ruby", she said with a smile.

"Yes, Aunty Ruth. I'm feeling really sleepy", Ruby replied and managed to fake a loud, long yawn.

"Okay. I'll leave you to go to bed, then"

"Goodnight, Aunty Ruth"

"Goodnight, Ruby", Ruth replied and closed the door shut.

Ruby slowly counted backwards from hundred to one in her head, so she would be sure that everyone including Aunty Ruth was asleep.

Once she got it over with, she got up from her bed and opened her closet to take the bags she'd already packed.

She'd already gotten everything she needed in the bag, so she slowly got the door open.

She looked down the hallway and was thankful that it was empty.

She got out of her room, quietly shut the door behind her, and stealthily tiptoed down the hallway to the stairs.

She tried not to make any noise as she moved with the bags she carried.

She moved stealthily until she was in the living room. She turned to the kitchen and began heading for it.

She opened the kitchen and unlocked the back door that led outside.

Once she got it open, she took a deep breath and ran as fast as she could to the gate.

Yes!

She could see her friends just around the gate!!

She got to the gate, got it open and went over to where her friends were waiting for her in a 2022 Toyota Sienna.

"Hey, it's Ruby!", Victor, Ashley's girlfriend who was behind the wheel announced once he saw her approaching the vehicle.

"You made it!!", Ashley squealed in delight as she hugged her tight.

"I thought you were not going to show up after all. We were almost leaving without you", Claire, one of her friends teased as she hugged Ruby too.

"You dare not!", Ruby panted in response. She was sweating from all the running.

"Why are you still your nighties?", John, Claire's boyfriend questioned, his eyes shamelessly ravaging her body despite the fact that his girlfriend was present.

"You boys should close your eyes. I'm about to dress", she instructed.

She changed from her nighties to a tight pair of jeans and red, classy shirt.

"Let's go have some drinks at the bar before we head out to the airport, shall we?!", Victor proposed and the rest of them ululated cheerfully in response.

He started the engine immediately and drove off.

******

PRESENT DAY

Mr. Lawrence was not able to come back home until early the next morning.

He walked into his house and tiredly dragged himself up the stairs to the master bedroom, when he decided to branch into his daughter's room first.

"Is my angel awake yet?", He asked, announcing himself into her room as he knocked.

He saw what seemed to be her figure covered under the duvet.

He assumed that she was still asleep... Or that she didn't want to respond to him.

"Are you still angry over our lady conversation?", He asked.

He got no response. Not even a budge.

"Come on. You can't still be mad at me. You know I was trying to protect you. Okay. You know what? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't let you travel for the concert. How about I make up for it with an all-expense paid trip to the Maldives?", He asked, expecting to see her bolt from the bed in excitement on hearing the word "Maldives".

But she didn't.

"Come on. Now you're being to hard on me, hmm?", He said and gently patted her back.

Wait...

That didn't feel like...

That wasn't possibly...

"Ruby?", He called in uncertainty, but he got no answer.

He immediately swung the duvet from the figure, only to see that it was just a bunch of pillows arranged perfectly to take the form of a sleeping Ruby.

"Ruby!!", He screamed in appall.

"Ruby?!! Where are you?!!", He hollered and began searching for her.

But she wasn't in her room!

He frantically ran downstairs, still looking for her, but he ran into Ruth, her nanny.

"Ruth..."

"Good morning, sir. I didn't hear you come in-"

"Where is my daughter?", He asked, cutting her off.

"She's in her room sleeping soundly, sir. Is everything okay-"

"Ruby's not in her room! She's not in this house! Where is she?!", He questioned in despair.

"Wh... What do you mean, she's not in room? I kissed her good night before I went to bed last night-"

"Ruth, my daughter is not in this house!! She's not..."

It took Mr. Lawrence a while to put two and two together, and figure out that she'd gone against his order and gone with her friends out of the country.

Ruth was frightened by her boss's widening eyes and gaping mouth.

"S... sir, please what is the problem? Do you know where she is?"

"She travelled out of the country", he answered faintly.

"What?! Did you know about it?!", Ruth asked, shocked at the information.

"Go, get out"

"Sir-"

"Get all the maids and get out!!! All of you should get out immediately!!! I need to think!! ", He flared up suddenly, startling Ruth badly.

She scurried away in fear immediately.

Mr. Lawrence got his phone and rang the number of the Chief of Police and his close friend, Aaron Carter.

They had been friends for many years now, since he left the shady mafia business to start a legal business. He had helped Aaron a lot of times, and this one time he needed his help badly.

"Yes, Carter. Good morning... I want to report a case to you. My daughter is missing. I need your help"