Chris held his younger sister tightly in his arms. Julie refused to let go, her fingers clutching his shirt as if releasing him would make everything fall apart again. Gently, Chris wiped away her tears.
His eyes drifted to the wounds on her palms—the price she paid for refusing to let Nicole be dragged away by whoever planned the kidnapping. Even now, it felt unreal.
Their mother was already on her way.
Soon after, Jonathan's parents arrived. Chris noticed Nicole crying again, her shoulders trembling quietly. Melissa had woken up by then, and the first names she asked for were Kelly and Nicole.
"Julie."
Chris turned at the sound of his mother's voice. She rushed into the hospital room, panic etched across her face, and immediately pulled Julie into her arms.
She didn't say a word—she didn't need to. She gathered both Julie and Chris into her embrace. He knew the call he made earlier had shaken her just as badly.
"Mom… I'm okay," Chris said softly.
She only nodded, then turned her attention to Julie, holding her close in silence, as if words wouldn't be enough.
Not long after, Kelly's mother arrived.
"M–Mommy?" Kelly asked weakly, surprised. "I thought you were coming home tomorrow?"
Her mother didn't answer right away. She carefully inspected Kelly's wounds, then Melissa's.
"I couldn't focus in my meeting," she said gently. "So I told your dad I was coming with him. Are you okay, Kelly? Melissa?"
Melissa managed a small smile and shook her head. "It was Sis Kelly who saved me earlier. I—I thought I was going to lose her…"
She broke down in tears.
"You were both very brave," her mother said softly. "Especially you, Kelly."
Chris smiled faintly. He was glad—this time, Kelly's mother didn't blame her. She supported her.
He overheard her ask about Nicole.
"How's Nicky?" she asked Jonathan's mother.
"She cried a lot earlier," Jonathan's mother replied with a sigh. "But she's fine… probably just exhausted."
"Nicky…" Julie whispered, her gaze drifting anxiously toward Nicole, who had already fallen asleep.
"Kelly," her mother asked suddenly, "were you bullied again?"
Kelly shook her head. "Mommy, no."
"Are you sure? You're not hiding anything from me?" her mother pressed.
"Mom, I'm okay," Kelly said firmly. "And I wasn't the only victim. None of us know who did this."
Her mother's gaze swept across the room, lingering on Kelly and Nicole. Then, unexpectedly, she stepped closer to Chris's family.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your children," she said, bowing her head slightly. "Because my daughter was involved, yours were dragged into danger. Please forgive her."
Does she really blame Kelly for this? Chris thought.
"Kelly isn't at fault," Julie said immediately, shaking her head. "Please don't blame her."
"My sister's right, ma'am," Chris added. "It wasn't her fault."
"Mrs. Santibañez," Chris's mother said kindly, "none of our children are to blame. The only ones responsible are those who planned this kidnapping. There's no need to apologize."
Kelly's mother nodded, her shoulders finally relaxing.
"Sis, don't overreact," Jonathan's mother added with a sigh. "This isn't your daughter's fault."
She turned to Chris's mother. "Sorry about my sister."
Chris's mother chuckled lightly. "It's alright."
"Thank you," Kelly's mother whispered. Years of guilt had weighed on her—always believing Kelly caused the trouble that found her. But the truth was, Kelly had simply been caught in other people's mess.
"Hon, can we shoulder their hospital bills?" Kelly's mother suddenly asked her husband.
"Sis—can you stop your wife before I lose my temper?" Jonathan's mother snapped, glaring at her brother-in-law.
"My relatives are embarrassing," Jonathan muttered, scratching his head.
Chris chuckled. I think I have cousins like that too, he thought.
"It's fine," his mother said firmly. "Everyone just needs to calm down."
*****
Later, Dave approached Chris quietly.
"You took a picture of the plate number, right?" he asked.
Chris nodded and showed him the photo on his phone.
They walked over to Kevin.
"Maybe Tito can help us with this," Kevin suggested.
"Yeah," Dave agreed.
Kevin handed the phone to Kelly's father.
"Is this the van's plate number?" he asked.
They nodded.
"This will help," Kelly's father said. "The police will file a report and take statements from witnesses."
"P–Police?"
Nicole's soft, frightened voice cut through the room.
"Tito… why are there police?"
"Nicky, it's okay," Kelly's father reassured her gently. "They won't hurt you. They'll just need your statement. I know you can do it, right?"
Nicole hesitated, fear clear in her eyes—then she nodded.
"It's okay," Julie said softly, smiling at her. "We're all here."
She was crying so hard earlier, Dave thought. And Cielo still isn't here.
He checked his phone. A message from his brother explained that he couldn't come yet—he was still with Dawn.
Dave sighed and walked over to Julie.
"Are you really okay?" he asked gently.
Julie smiled and nodded.
"Cielo's busy right now. Sorry about that," Dave added.
"It's fine," Julie replied softly. "I just… really wish I could see him."
Dave smiled. "Don't worry. I'll scold him later."
Julie laughed quietly.
Soon, the police arrived.
Nicole trembled again but steadied herself. The four girls gave their statements.
The van had stopped suddenly. Kelly was the first target, followed by Nicole. Julie had clung to Nicole and refused to let go. Melissa had thrown her shoe in desperation. When that failed, the men tried to drag Julie and Melissa inside as well.
There were six of them—all wearing ski masks.
"B–Brother," Kelly said, turning to Kenjie, "when I was fighting back… I accidentally pulled down one guy's hood. He was wearing a uniform."
"A uniform?" Kevin asked.
She nodded.
"That explains it," Jonathan said. "They fought like students. Most of them wore black jackets, but their build was just like ours."
"Is that why they couldn't hold Julie down?" Chris asked quietly.
He frowned, thinking.
"Melissa," Raymond asked, "did you notice anything else?"
Melissa frowned. "I heard them talking. One of them said they'd be in big trouble with the woman who ordered this. They knew her well."
"A woman…" Chris muttered.
She targeted Kelly first, Dave thought. Then Nicole.
That meant both girls knew her.
"What school?" Jonathan asked Kelly. "Do you remember?"
"I'm not sure," Kelly admitted. "But the uniform looked familiar. If I see it again… I might remember."
The police wrote everything down. For now, their only solid lead was the van's plate number.
But one thing was clear—
The kidnappers were students, just like them.
This is connected to what happened to Nicole, Dave thought grimly.
After the interviews, the police left. The doctors made their rounds. None of the girls needed to be admitted for long, but Dave knew Nicole would need counseling again.
He let out a long sigh.