“Didn’t he get rescued with you? Or did he go back home without telling you?”
Upon seeing Jennifer’s reply, Ariana furrowed her brows, sensing that something wasn’t right.
Holden mentioned that Mitchel had arrived and rejoined the program’s crew. Why hadn’t Jennifer seen him?
Thinking about her unsettling dream, Ariana felt a surge of anxiety.
Clutching the edge of her clothing tightly, she tried to calm herself before asking, “Have you been with the crew all this while?”
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“Yes.” Jennifer replied, “After the accident, we were all asked to stay on the ship. No one left or returned. Maybe Mitchel didn’t want to disturb you and Holden, so he headed home first.”
Ariana’s anxiety spiked. She paused to gather her composure, pretending to be calm as she talked with Jennifer. After the call ended, she immediately dialed Mitchel’s number.
But all she encountered was the waiting silence.
Ariana grew increasingly anxious. She had been silently wishing for Mitchel to answer, but the line stayed silent until it disconnected.
As soon as the call ended, Ariana quickly dialed again.
This time, the phone was finally connected.
“Hello? Who is this?” A rough male voice answered, obviously not Mitchel’s.
Ariana’s anxiety rose as she feared Mitchel might be captured by someone. She quickly asked, “Who are you? Where is the owner of this phone?”
Static noise crackled from the phone, and the voice on the other end was barely audible. Ariana strained to hear, but the call abruptly ended.
Suddenly, Ariana felt even more unsettled.
Knowing Mitchel’s cautious nature, Ariana couldn’t believe he wouldn’t handle a lost phone situation promptly. She dialed again, determined to get answers.
When the call connected, she asked urgently, “Where’s the owner of this phone?”
“I don’t know. I stumbled upon this phone near a reef,” the man said with a strong accent.
Before Ariana could ask further, the call disconnected once more.
Ariana quickly dialed the number again, only to discover that Mitchel’s phone had been turned off.
Panic surged as Ariana recalled the man’s accent and the mention of the phone found near the reef. It was evident something had happened to Mitchel.
Ariana rushed to get dressed and leave the room. As she was about to step outside to search for someone, she coincidentally ran into Holden returning from outside.
Noticing her distress, Holden asked, “What’s wrong? Where are you going?”
Tears in her eyes, Ariana looked at Holden and said, “You said Mitchel had returned.”