CHAPTER (VI)

"Amanda Hall please report to the principal's office." The school secretary's voice came through the PA system.

"Wonder what that's about." Melanie said to Amanda taking her books from her locker.

"Maybe they found Nates dead body under your bed," Bianca teased behind them.

Amanda made her way to the principal's office, the secretary gave her a rather too polite smile. "They are waiting for you." She told her.

"They?" Amanda asked and the secretary just pointed to the partially opened door to the principal's office.

She walked in and the principal stood from his desk. She turned to the lounge and locked eyes with a large man dressed in heavy cop wear, brown in color. The principal introduced him as Boyle Heights chief of police.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, a worried look growing on her face.

"Most definitely not, I just want to ask you a few questions," the chief said in a rather gentle voice for such a large man.

They sat, Amanda directly in front of the chief, the principal stood.

"Early this morning we received a call from a woman called Mellissa Connor," he paused and read her face to see if the name registered to her.

Amanda knew the name, that was Nates mother, her heart started racing, she hadn't seen him all morning.

"She informed us that her son went to party yester night, and hasn't been heard from. She tried his phone but he isn't responding." He paused and watched her, her face was plain. "Normally we wait for forty eight hours before we declare a person missing but Mrs. Connor really insisted so I came down here to see if I could get some answers."

"Many students say that you two were close." The principal told her.

The little worry that had grown inside her that morning escalated to a level 10. "Yeah we are close," she answered softly, "He is my boyfriend," she added.

"Did you attend the party last night?" the chief asked.

"I went home after school, had dinner and went to bed." She said. Repeating the exact same thing Farian had compelled her to say.

"So you weren't at the party?" He asked but before Amanda could answer, his phone rang, he took it out and read the screen, "Excuse me." Then he answered walking away.

"No need to get worried, I personally believe he is fine." The principal told her, but she wasn't really listening, she couldn't help but feel that she might have lied to the chief, but a voice inside her head she hadn't lied.

"Something urgent has come up and I've got to ran but I'll be back to collect statements from the others. Would you be so kind to draft a list of all students who were at the party?" The chief requested, the principal gave a nod and the chief left.

** ** **

"What did the principal want?" Melanie asked as they walked to their lunch table holding their food trays.

"I think Nate is missing." Amanda said as the girls sat around the circular lunch table.

"Who's missing?" A masculine voice asked from behind them. That was Benson Parker, their very good friend.

"Are you serious?" Bianca asked sorting her food tray.

"Are you talking about Nate?" Benson asked. "I've tried him like ten times he isn't answering," he turned to Amanda. "I also tried you."

"I misplaced my phone." She told him.

"Maybe you left it at Nicole's house," Jade suggested.

"Why would I leave it at Nicole's house-" Melanie cut in.

"You guys," she called and they all turned to her. "Nate is missing and you're seriously talking about a missing phone?"

"I'll try him again." Benson said and called, they all waited anxiously looking at him. "No answer."

"Where'd you guys go after leaving the party?" Jade asked looking at Amanda.

"I don't remember even leaving my house last night," Amanda told them.

"Stop kidding around Amanda, he may be dead! It's not funny whatever you are doing. Just tell us where you last saw him." Melanie threw at her, almost shouting, she was shaking. 

"I'm not trying to be funny, I'm being serious, I don't recall being at any party, after school I went home, had dinner and went to bed." She explained.

"Yeah then we came to your house and picked you up," Benson told her, "we even got photos of you two at the party."

"I'm not saying you guys are lying, all I'm saying is I don't remember being at any party last night." She was now desperate, desperate for them to believe her, for anyone of them to believe her. "Please believe me," she cried.

Benson took her hand, "We want to believe you Amanda, but we all know you were at the party and you wanted to go home, being late Nate took you, you guys walked out together. Don't you remember any of this?"

"No I don't, I wish I did."

They really didn't know what to think of Amanda's sudden loss of memory. A thought that maybe she had done something to him and was pretending not to recall to save herself had crossed their minds but they concluded that even Amanda Hall wasn't that crazy.

** ** **

"Is something wrong honey?" Amanda's mother asked at dinner. Amanda had been silent since she got home from school. She was troubled that everyone else was telling her she was to the party yet she could recall no such thing.

"Nate's missing."

"What! Nate your boyfriend?" Her older sister, Breanna, asked from across the table.

"I hope everything is ok with him," Jada, her mother, told her as they continued with the dinner. She later asked if she had found her phone and promised to get her a new one the following day.

On her bed, Amanda stayed awake for long, deep in thought but sleep eventually won.

A millisecond after her alarm went off, her eyes were open, she got ready for school and her mother dropped her off.

"Anyone heard from Nate?" she asked her friends in the hallway.

"No," Bianca answered. "Do you remember anything from that night?"

Amanda shook her head.

During first period, students who were at the party were called to the principal's office, including Melanie, Bianca, Jade and Benson. All were asked the same question, "did you see Amanda Hall leave the party with Nate Connor?" they all gave the same answer. "Yes."

"She is hiding something." The chief said to the principal when they were alone in the office.

** ** **

"The cop guy asked me like four times if I saw you at the party, did you tell him you weren't at the party?" Bianca asked looking at Amanda.

"I didn't say that, I told him I don't remember being at the party." She told them.

"Amanda we believe that you have recently developed some sort of amnesia or you hit your head and forgot but I don't think the chief will take it so lightly that you told him you weren't at the party yet everyone saw you at the party." Jade told her.

"And many saw you leave with him." Bianca added.

Amanda was about to respond but the sudden murmurs distracted her, all five of them turned to the left and saw the principal walk in their direction alongside the chief of police, to their right, two cops and a man dressed in a black suit walked to them.

"Amanda Hall," called the man in black, Detective McKenzie, and her heart skipped a beat. "You are under arrest for the disappearance of Nate Connor-"

"What!" Benson exclaimed. "This is outrageous," he added.

All eyes were on Amanda who made zero efforts to hide her terror.

McKenzie ignored Benson, "you have the right to remain silent," he continued as the two cops turned Amanda around. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you can't afford one, one will be provided for you." By the time he finished, Amanda had already been cuffed. Benson tried to defend her but was held back by the police chief. They all watched helplessly as they took her away.