The blue glow of David's computer monitor illuminated his face as he stared at the Skype window, waiting for Morgan to accept his call. David had spent the last hour trying to focus on his physics homework, but his mind kept wandering to the town meeting tomorrow, the bizarre energy that he and Tony had witnessed in the park, and now Morgan's increasingly frantic messages about Melissa.

The town meeting was weighing on him for multiple reasons. For one, it would address the disappearances—a topic that had taken on new urgency with Melissa now missing. But there was also the memory of Francine Holderman standing by their lunch table, looking directly at him as she'd invited them to attend. "I hope you guys can make it," she'd said with that smile that made his stomach flip. He'd already arranged with his parents to pick him up from his shift at Morgan's Grocery, figuring he could still catch most of the meeting even if he missed the beginning.

When Morgan's face finally appeared on screen, David could immediately see the strain etched into his friend's features. Morgan's normally casual demeanor was gone, replaced by tense shoulders and shadowed eyes.

"Hey," David said, adjusting his headset. "Any word from Melissa yet?"

Morgan ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of frustration that David had rarely seen from his usually composed friend. "Nothing. It's been over twenty-four hours now. My parents are completely freaking out."

"Have they called the police?" David asked, leaning closer to the screen.

"Yeah, but they're being useless." Morgan's voice held an edge of bitterness. "They said since she's eighteen, she's technically an adult who can go wherever she wants. And since she's come back after disappearing before, they're not considering her a missing person yet."

"But with everything else happening in town..." David left the implication hanging in the air between them.

"Exactly." Morgan nodded grimly. "Four people already missing, and they're acting like my sister just decided to take a spontaneous road trip. My dad's been driving around town all afternoon looking for her."

David wished he could offer something helpful, but all he had were questions. "When did you last see her?"

"Yesterday morning before school. She was acting weird—weirder than usual lately. Just sitting at the kitchen table staring at nothing. Wouldn't talk, wouldn't eat. Then when I got home, she was gone." Morgan glanced away from the camera, looking toward his bedroom door. "My parents think she might be on something. Like drugs or whatever."

"Do you think that's possible?" David asked carefully.

Morgan hesitated. "I don't know. A few months ago, I would've said absolutely not. Melissa was always anti-drug, wouldn't even take aspirin for headaches. But lately..." He shook his head. "She's changed so much. It's like there's a different person walking around in my sister's body."

David remembered the unsettling encounter at Quick Mart, how Melissa had stood motionless in front of the energy drinks, her eyes vacant yet somehow too intense. Then there was her strange behavior in the cafeteria, circling the room and observing everyone with calculated precision.

"The last time she disappeared and came back," David asked, "did she say where she'd been?"

"That's the thing that's freaking my parents out the most," Morgan replied. "She said she'd been 'exploring,' but wouldn't explain what or where. And then she said something about how 'existence is just a hollow performance in a meaningless universe.'" He made air quotes with his fingers, his expression troubled.

David felt a chill run down his spine, remembering similar phrases from his dream, though not exactly the same words. "That's... pretty dark, even for Melissa."

"It's either serious depression or cult-talk," Morgan said flatly. "My mom's convinced she's gotten involved with some kind of weird group. She keeps checking Melissa's computer for clues, but there's nothing there except her normal stuff—occult forums, mythology research, gothic music playlists."

"Has she been hanging out with anyone new?" David asked. "Or going anywhere different than usual?"

"Not that I've noticed. She's been more isolated than ever, actually. Stopped talking to the few friends she had." Morgan sighed heavily. "I should have paid more attention. I knew something was wrong, but I just thought it was typical Melissa drama, you know? Being all dark and mysterious because that's her thing."

A door slammed somewhere in David's house, the sound echoing through his headset. A moment later, his own bedroom door flew open, and Janice burst in, her face flushed with irritation.

"David! Mom said to tell you dinner's..." She stopped abruptly, noticing the video call. "Oh. Sorry."

"Ever heard of knocking?" David snapped, turning to glare at his sister.

Janice rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's not like you're doing anything important. Just playing games or whatever."

"First of all, I'm not playing games," David retorted. "And second, remember what happened last time you barged in while I was streaming? Want a repeat of the towel incident?"

Janice's face immediately flushed crimson. "You swore you'd never bring that up again!" she hissed, glancing nervously at the computer screen. "That wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know you were broadcasting to the entire internet?"

"Maybe by knocking? Like a normal person?" David raised an eyebrow. "Morgan's sister is missing, by the way."

Janice's expression immediately shifted from annoyed to concerned. "Wait, Melissa? For real missing, or just doing her usual disappearing act?"

"Twenty-four hours," Morgan said from the screen. "No contact."

"That's serious," Janice said, stepping further into the room. "Especially with those other people who've vanished. Have you called the police?"

"They're not taking it seriously yet," David explained.

Janice frowned. "That's stupid. Everyone knows something weird is happening in town." She moved closer to the screen. "Morgan, my dad knows Sheriff Thompson pretty well. I could ask him to call and push them to actually do something."

"That... would actually be really helpful," Morgan replied, looking slightly surprised by the offer. "Thanks, Janice."

"No problem. I'll talk to him right after dinner." She turned back to David. "Which, by the way, is getting cold. Mom says to come down now."

"I'll be there in a minute," David said, softening his tone in response to her unexpected helpfulness.

Janice nodded and headed for the door, but before leaving, she turned back. "Morgan, I hope they find your sister soon. Really."

After she left, closing the door behind her, Morgan gave a weary smile. "Your sister being nice? That's new."

"She has her moments," David admitted. "Usually when something actually matters. Just don't mention the towel incident if you see her at school."

"Do I even want to know?" Morgan asked, momentarily distracted from his worries.

"Trust me, you don't," David said with a grimace. "Let's just say it involved an unexpected entrance, a live stream, and sixty-three viewers getting more than they bargained for."

A crash sounded from Morgan's end of the call, making them both jump. The noise was followed by muffled cursing.

"What was that?" David asked.

Morgan glanced over his shoulder. "My dad just knocked over the family photo display in the hallway. All those framed pictures from our trip to Yellowstone last summer." He winced at another loud thud. "And now he's apparently taking out his frustration on the coat rack."

David could hear Morgan's father's voice rising in the background, though the words were indistinct. The sound of a woman's voice—presumably Morgan's mother—followed, attempting to calm the situation.

"I should probably go help clean up," Morgan said, turning back to the screen. "And make sure my dad doesn't break anything else."

"Yeah, of course," David nodded. "Text me if you hear anything about Melissa, okay? Any time, day or night."

"I will. Thanks for listening, man." Morgan managed a weak smile. "Sometimes it helps just to talk it out, you know?"

"That's what friends are for," David replied. "And hey, I'll keep an eye out for her at school tomorrow. Maybe she'll show up."

"Maybe," Morgan said, not sounding convinced. "Later, David."

The call ended, and David sat back in his chair, staring at the blank screen. The situation with Melissa was deeply unsettling, especially in light of the other disappearances. And that phrase—"temporal limitations are meaningless in the great design"—why had it appeared in his dream before Morgan ever mentioned it to him?

A soft knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.

"David? Dinner. For real this time." His mother's voice held a note of concern. "Is everything okay? Janice said Morgan's sister is missing."

David stood and opened the door. "Yeah, since yesterday. No one's seen her."

His mother's expression grew troubled. "That poor family. With everything else that's been happening..." She shook her head. "Your father and I were just talking about the town meeting tomorrow night. We're definitely going."

"I'll be there after my shift," David confirmed. "Mr. Morgan already approved me leaving exactly at seven-thirty. I should be able to make it for most of the meeting."

"Good. I think it's important for everyone to stay informed." She glanced at his barely touched physics homework spread across his desk. "Francine Holderman mentioned organizing student attendance, didn't she? I remember you talking about that."

David felt his face warm slightly. "Yeah, she's trying to get as many students as possible to attend. She said something about numbers making a difference with the town council."

His mother smiled knowingly but chose not to comment further. "Well, come eat before everything gets cold. And please, wash your hands first."

As David followed her downstairs, his mind kept returning to Melissa. Her strange behavior had been easy to dismiss as typical teenage angst or her usual gothic persona taken to an extreme. But in retrospect, the signs seemed more ominous. The vacant staring, the mechanical way she'd moved through the cafeteria, that unnatural stillness at Quick Mart—all of it felt wrong in a way that went beyond normal teenage moodiness.

The family dinner table offered a brief respite from his troubled thoughts. His father was animatedly discussing the upcoming town meeting while his mother nodded along, occasionally interjecting with practical concerns about the recent disappearances. Janice, true to her word, brought up Morgan's sister.

"Dad, you know Sheriff Thompson pretty well, right?" she asked, interrupting their father's monologue about community safety measures.

"Tom? Sure, we go way back. Played football together in high school. Why?"

"Morgan Altura's sister Melissa has been missing for over twenty-four hours, and the police aren't taking it seriously." Janice's tone was uncharacteristically earnest. "Could you maybe call him? Try to get them to actually look for her?"

Their father's expression grew serious. "Missing for a full day? With everything else that's been happening?" He shook his head. "That's not something they should be brushing off. I'll call Tom right after dinner."

"Thanks, Dad," Janice said, then glanced at David with a small nod of accomplishment.

"That poor family must be beside themselves," their mother said. "Especially with the news about that college student who disappeared near the park." She took a sip of her water before continuing. "We should definitely bring this up at the town meeting tomorrow too. They need to address the pattern, not just treat these as isolated incidents."

"Good idea, honey," their father agreed. "A public forum might push them to devote more resources to the search."

"So what time should we pick you up from work tomorrow?" his mother asked, turning to David. "The meeting starts at seven, right?"

"I get off at seven-thirty," David replied. "I already cleared it with Mr. Morgan. He said I could leave right on the dot since it's for the town meeting."

"Perfect," his mother nodded. "We'll swing by the grocery store on our way. That should get you there for most of it."

"Do you think Francine will be impressed by your civic responsibility?" Janice teased, the gleam returning to her eyes.

David felt his ears burning. "It's not about that. It's about the disappearances."

"Mm-hmm," Janice smirked. "Nothing to do with the way she specifically invited you at lunch."

"She invited all of us," David corrected, stabbing at his lasagna. "It wasn't just me."

"But she was looking at you," Janice persisted. "Morgan told Emma who told Kaylee who told me."

"Can we talk about something else?" David pleaded, glancing at his parents who were watching the exchange with barely concealed amusement.

"The timing is certainly suspicious," their father agreed. "Four people in three weeks, and now potentially a fifth?" He frowned deeply. "Something's not right in this town."

"Do you think they're all connected?" David asked, picking at his lasagna. "The disappearances, I mean."

His father considered the question. "It's hard to say. Millridge isn't that big—four or five missing persons in such a short time can't be coincidence. But without more information..." He shrugged. "Hopefully the town meeting will shed some light on the situation."

The conversation shifted to other topics—Janice's homecoming committee drama, their father's ongoing Studebaker obsession, the upcoming weekend plans—but David remained preoccupied with thoughts of Melissa and the strange events unfolding in Millridge.

Later that night, as David prepared for bed, his phone buzzed with a text from Morgan: "Still no sign of her. Dad spoke with Sheriff Thompson. They're taking it more seriously now, starting a proper search tomorrow morning."

David texted back: "Good. My dad called too. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Morgan's reply came quickly: "Thanks. Not sleeping tonight. Will update if anything changes."

David set his phone on the nightstand and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep felt like a distant possibility, his mind too full of unsettling thoughts. Between the town meeting tomorrow, the continuing mystery of the strange red light in the park, and now Melissa's disappearance, everything felt increasingly connected in ways he couldn't quite grasp.

He mentally rehearsed how the next day would unfold—school, then his shift at Morgan's Grocery, then the town meeting. If Francine would be there organizing student attendance, he'd almost certainly see her. Would he find the courage to actually talk to her? Maybe the circumstances would make it easier—they'd have something real to discuss, not just awkward small talk.

Then he thought of Melissa again, and immediately felt guilty for letting his mind wander to Francine. Melissa was missing, possibly in danger, and here he was worrying about talking to a girl. What kind of person did that make him?

He tried to recall his dream from the previous night—the one where Melissa had appeared saying something eerily similar to her talk of a "meaningless universe." The details were slipping away, but the emotional tone had been the same—a nihilistic emptiness that seemed to go beyond normal teenage angst. How had his subconscious conjured something so close to Melissa's actual words?

As he drifted toward an uneasy sleep, David's thoughts continued to cycle between concern for Melissa, the upcoming town meeting, and his work shift tomorrow. Eventually, exhaustion won out, and he fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep, his alarm set for another ordinary school day that would nonetheless be overshadowed by Melissa's absence and the questions it raised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End Chapter!

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