~~~~~*~~~~~

"'Lo?"

"Hey, Clare. It's Justin. Can I talk to Lib?"

Clare let out a groan and mentally berated him for waking her. "Can't you call her cell instead of waking me up?" She replied moodily as she climbed out of her bed and made her way through the apartment towards Libby's room. Since she was already awake, she figured that she might as well go and wake Libby too. It was, after all, her fault that Justin had woken her in the first place.

"I did, but she didn't answer. Maybe it's off?" Justin suggested as he waited for Clare to pass the phone to Libby.

"Okay, hang on. I'll get her," Clare said as she knocked on Libby's closed bedroom door with her fist and waited for a reply. "Did you consider the fact that maybe she didn't answer 'cause she doesn't want to talk to you?" Clare snapped at him before realising that he'd probably called to check that Libby was okay after being so upset the day before. She couldn't deny that his concern for her friend was rather sweet.

"Come on, Lib, get up!" Clare shouted through the closed door of Libby's bedroom after waiting several seconds but getting no response. "Curly's on the phone and he wants to talk to you."

Still there was no answer and Clare felt her irritation increase. There was nothing Clare hated more than someone who was sleeping peacefully while she had to be awake.

"Lib!" Clare shouted again as she increased the strength of her pounding on the door. It wasn't like Libby to ignore her so deliberately, and Clare knew that there was no way that her friend could sleep through her shouting and banging.

She cautiously opened Libby's door and peeped inside. "Lib?"

Instead of finding Libby sprawled in the middle of her bed asleep as she'd expected, Clare was surprised to find the room empty and exactly as it had been when she'd returned from work the night before. Libby's books were still scattered across the room and the blind was still up, suggesting that her friend hadn't been home at all.

Now that she thought about it, Clare couldn't remember hearing Libby arrive home late, or, in fact, at all, but then she'd been so tired herself that she'd gone to bed early to get some well needed rest. It was possible that she was deeply asleep and hadn't been disturbed by her friend's arrival.

"J, did you see Libby at all last night?" Clare asked Justin as she tried not to let her imagination run wild. There was a slim chance that Libby had spent the night out with some friends and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility for her to crash on someone's couch instead of returning home to sleep. There was no reason for her to panic, she kept reminding herself.

"Nah, I tried calling her cell last night, but it was off or not receiving signal or something. Why'd you ask?"

"'Cause I don't think she came home last night," Clare replied. Even to her ears the words sounded strange. It was so unlike Libby. Other than a few days ago when she'd accidentally stayed late at the Compound, Clare couldn't remember a time in recent history when her friend hadn't at least called to say if she wasn't going to be coming home.

"What makes you say that?" Justin asked Clare with an edge to his voice. He, too, was beginning to dislike the direction the conversation was headed. He didn't like the thought of Libby being out all night, especially with her having been so upset the day before. She could have got into any kind of trouble without someone looking out for her.

"Her room is untouched!" Clare said as she headed back into the living room to look for her friend's keys in the key bowl. "Her car keys are gone as well as her door keys. She normally calls if she's not gonna be home..."

"Don't panic, Clare," Justin reassured her as he heard the concern growing in her voice. "Maybe she headed out early somewhere and you've just missed her. I'll tell you what, I'll come over and swing past the Compound on my way. Maybe she's there?"

"But why would she be?" Clare asked as she headed back towards Libby's room to see if her friend had left her a note to say where she was. "Neither of us is working today."

"Well, I'll check anyway. You try the other girls in case she's with one of them. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, Gid'. I'll see ya in a bit."

"Yeah... okay. Bye," Clare said in an unconvinced voice as she hung up the phone. There was just too much adding up that didn't make sense to her. Libby was usually a very reliable and trustworthy person, and Clare couldn't fight the niggling feeling of panic in her stomach that something wasn't right. It just wasn't Libby's style to disappear without telling someone.

Clare made her way automatically into the living room and forced herself to sit down on the couch so that she wouldn't start pacing the floor.

Justin was right. She needed to call the others first before assuming that something was wrong. Maybe Libby had gone to see Lisa? It would make sense for her to try to reach out to another student who might understand what she was going through. She picked up her landline phone from its position on the coffee table and dialled Lisa's number. Subconsciously, she began tapping her foot on the floor.

Calm down Clare! She told herself as she waited for Lisa to pick up the phone. There's no need to assume the worst has happened.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Not more than ten minutes later, a tapping at the front door caused Clare to start, and she realised at once that Justin had arrived. So far she'd managed to call Lisa, Sara and was just dialling Jamie's cell when she heard the tapping at the door. Ending the call before she heard the connecting sound, Clare rushed to the front door hoping that Justin would have some good news for her.

Clare opened the door in a hurry and felt her stomach sink with disappointment when she saw JC standing before her. "She's fine. I know it!" He assured her as he reached forward and pulled her into a tight hug, which she gratefully reciprocated.

Clare wasn't sure how to feel. At first she was surprised, then disappointed and now relieved to see him. Of course, had Justin turned up with Libby at his side, all of her worries and concerns would be over. But having JC around during her moment of need already made her feel so much better.

"J called me," he explained into her hair as he held her tightly. "He told me that you were worried and asked me to come over and wait with you. I know what you're thinking, Clare, but I am sure this is just a misunderstanding."

"That's what I keep trying to tell myself," Clare replied in a shaky voice.

JC pulled back and held her in front of him so that he could look her in the eye. "Maybe she's had a few drinks and ended up on a friend's couch?" He suggested with a small shrug. "It happens."

Clare rolled her eyes at his remark. Does he really think I haven't already considered that? "But how would she get alcohol? She's too young to be served..." She reasoned.

"Then she's probably on campus somewhere with someone who could. Maybe Jenny knows...?"

"I tried calling Jenny. She didn't answer."

As she said this, a voice could be heard calling Clare's name from behind them, and both JC and Clare turned to see Jamie heading up the path towards them. "Lisa just called me," Jamie explained in a slightly breathless voice as she jogged over to them. "She said you couldn't find Libby? That she's disappeared?"

"She didn't come home last night," Clare told her and tried not to react to the look of alarm on Jamie's face.

"That's not like Libby, is it?" Jamie asked as she turned to JC to gauge his reaction to the news. JC glanced quickly at Clare but instead of answering the question he suggested that they all make their way into the apartment instead of standing in the doorway.

"No, it's not like her," Clare told Jamie as the three of them made their way into the living room. She took a seat on the couch and waited for her friends to do the same. "She always calls me when she's not gonna be home."

Jamie reached out to squeeze Clare's hand. "I know it's easy to panic here, Clare, but let's not assume the worst. Is anyone out looking for her?"

Clare nodded sadly. "Justin. He's at the Compound."

"Good," Jamie said as she turned back to JC. "Is there anywhere else we could try?"

"The college campus? Don't they have student guidance people that could help?" he suggested.

As Clare listened to Jamie and JC deciding on their next plan of action, she felt a surge of panic overwhelm her once again and she stared unseeing at the floor. Despite her wishes, she couldn't block thoughts of terror from her mind. "Something's happened," she said in a scared voice.

"No, Clare," Jamie said firmly as she began to frown. "We mustn’t assume that unless we have reason to," she said.

"It has. I know it has, Jam."

JC detected the distress in her voice and pulled her into his lap, where he cradled her against his body. "Come on, we have to stay positive. Justin isn't back yet. For all we know, she might be with him."

"No," Clare mumbled as she sat upright. She searched his eyes desperately as her tears began to fall. "She would've called me. She would've..."

Jamie and JC exchanged a glance before JC pulled his cell–phone out of the pocket in his jacket and checked the time. He calculated back to the time that Libby had last been seen and made a mental note of it. "We need to keep calling the others," he said as Jamie reached out to stroke Clare's hair comfortingly. "We need to determine if she's really missing, or if she just hadn't called."

Hearing the sound of screeching tyres outside on the street, Jamie quickly got up from her place on the couch and headed over to the nearest window, where she saw Justin's car pulling up beside her own. She quickly turned to Clare, who had begun to cry against JC's chest.

"Justin's here," She said hurriedly and spun back around to watch as Justin climbed out of the car. Upon seeing someone sitting in the passenger seat beside him, Jamie squinted to get a better look. "There's someone with him..."

"Is it Libby?" JC asked hopefully and Clare's head shot around to face Jamie.

"Err... no. It's Jenny," she said, and rushed to the front door to let them both inside.

"No, it's Jenny," Jamie said in a disappointed voice and walked to the front door to let Justin and Jenny inside.

As soon as she opened the door, Jamie was struck by how pale and distressed Justin looked and she felt a flash of panic wash over her. He obviously hadn't been able to find Libby at the Compound as he'd been expecting, and the fact that he'd picked Jenny up from the college campus suggested that she hadn't been there either.

Jenny rushed into the apartment and made her way straight over to where Clare was seated. "Clare!" She exclaimed as she crouched down in front of her friend. "Justin told me that Lib's gone missing. Are you okay?"

Clare looked across at Jenny through her tears and let out a sob of despair. "Where is she?" She struggled to ask, but Jenny could only look back at her helplessly. She didn't know.

"Oh, Clare..."

"She wasn't at the Compound?" JC asked Justin as he appeared forlornly in the doorway. JC noticed at once how pale his friend looked, but he put it down to the shock of what was happening sinking in. Justin met JC's eyes and shook his head slowly. JC could see the tension on his friend's face, and he slowly began to feel creeping doubt in his own certainty that everything was going to be okay.

"There's something y'all need to know," Justin muttered hesitantly as his voice broke. "While we were in the car, there was an announcement over the local radio station—"

Clare turned her head towards him and held her breath as she waited for him to tell her the news that she'd begun to dread, and yet expect, at the same time. She felt JC tense beside her as he, too, waited for the news.

"—They said that a young woman had been found by a dog walker last night having been involved in a rock climbing accident. They said she was in her early twenties, was around five foot six with blonde hair. They didn't have any more details, but it could be Libby—"

"We don't know it is," Jenny assured Clare quickly as she turned to look at her friend and squeezed her hand tightly. She tried to sound as confident as possible, but her voice faltered as she said the words.

"Rock climbing?" Clare repeated as she glanced first at Justin, and then at JC. A faint glimmer of hope lit up her face even as her tears continued to fall. "But, that can't be Libby. She doesn't go rock climbing. It must be someone else!"

For a fleeting moment, Clare felt a wash of euphoria overwhelm her and she looked into JC's eyes desperately, willing him to agree with her. JC nodded at her and offered her a weak smile before she flicked her eyes over at Jamie, who smiled back with a similar look of hope on her face.

Then Justin spoke. "It could be her, Clare..." he said weakly.

Clare snapped around to face him, her eyes hardening as she looked at his crestfallen expression. What was he talking about? Why would he say something like that?

"No!" She almost shouted at him. She refused to allow him to dispel her faith that Libby was okay. "I just told you; she doesn't go rock climbing. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard..."

As she said the words, she saw Justin's expression change and all the certainty disappeared from her voice. He hung his head, and she watched in horror as he began to sob, his shoulders shaking with the action.

"She started about a month ago," he said as he struggled to breathe. "She picked up a flyer at college about lessons for beginners... She thought it'd be a good way to clear her head during her exams. She wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, she wanted to surprise y'all."

Clare began to shake her head stubbornly. He was wrong. He had to be wrong. Libby wouldn't keep something like that from her. They told each other everything. Everything!

"No. She'd tell me," she argued, her voice rising in anger. "She wouldn't keep something like that from me." Why would she tell Justin something and not me? I'm her best friend, not him...

Justin let out a shaky breath and looked her straight in the eye. "She was worried people would laugh at her, or that you'd tell her it was a bad idea."

"Of course it's a bad idea!" She spat at him. "And why would she tell you anyway? I'm her best friend! Since when has she told you everything?" She abruptly broke free from JC's arms and rushed over to him. "Why didn't you say something, Justin?" She shouted into his face. "Why didn't you get her to stop?"

Justin hung his head and avoided her eyes as he continued to cry. Jamie immediately crossed the room and placed a comforting arm around his shoulder in an effort to comfort him. He always looked like a little boy when he cried, and she hated seeing him so upset. They still didn't know what had happened to Libby, but it seemed, at least to Justin, that the explanation was already clear. "Hey... it's okay," she said soothingly into his ear but Jamie could tell that his inner turmoil was blocking out her words.

Jamie exchanged a look with JC, who rose from the couch and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. Things were beginning to unravel quickly, and he realised that he needed to bring back some sort of order—and fast.

"What did the radio say had been done for this woman? I take it she's in the hospital?" JC asked Jenny, who had quickly steered Clare away from Justin and back towards the couch. She was in the process of handing Clare a tissue to dry her eyes when JC spoke.

"Florida Hospital Orlando," Jenny clarified as she looked over at his serious face. "They said that if anyone had any information that might help identify her they should contact the hospital directly."

JC nodded gloomily and paced across the room towards Jamie. Using her elbow he gently steered her towards the window where he could speak to her more privately. Noting the serious look on his face, Jamie realised that he had something to say that the rest of the group—particularly Justin and Clare—wouldn't want to hear.

"I think I should go down to the hospital," he told her in a low voice. "If this young woman is Libby, then the sooner she's identified the better."

"And if it isn't her?" Jamie asked him causing JC to hesitate for a moment. She'd made a good point; there was still a slim chance that Libby could walk through the door at any moment. "Then someone ought to stay here, just in case. I think we should keep calling her friends and family, too. Perhaps someone knows something that might help..."

"I'm sure Jenny wouldn't mind staying with Clare and Justin," Jamie suggested. "Would you like me to go with you?" She was all too aware how upset he would be if he were to discover that Libby was in the hospital and he had no one with him for moral support. Jamie personally hated hospitals, but she was prepared to put herself out of her comfort zone to help a friend.

"I'm going with you," Clare told JC firmly and both him and Jamie stopped mid–conversation to look at her. She stared them down stubbornly. "I mean it. You're not leaving me here."

"Clare, it might not be easy for you—"

"I don't care. If it is Libby then she needs me. That's all I need to know."

JC and Jamie exchanged a look before deciding to bow to Clare's wishes. They both realised that it was pointless to argue with her.

"Me too," Justin said, returning to the conversation now that he'd managed to get his emotions somewhat under control. Clare turned and glowered at him.

"Look, we can't take everyone!" JC said irritably. His patience was waning under the intense pressure he found himself under, and he was unable to stop the words from spilling out. "The hospital won't let crowds of people in. Even if it is Libby, we probably won't be allowed to see her straight away anyway." Or at all, he thought gloomily. If she really has been in a rock climbing accident then I doubt she'll be fit for visitors... He shuddered at the thought.

"It doesn't matter what you think," Justin spat back angrily, "I'm going. You can't stop me." He turned on his heels and without a backwards glance, stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door closed behind him. JC threw his hands up in the air and let out a groan of frustration.

"Fine!" He said through gritted teeth. "I'll drive me, Clare and Justin to the hospital. Jenny? Jamie? Would you mind staying here, please? I promise I'll call you from the hospital if there is any news."

"Of course," Jenny and Jamie said simultaneously, and they turned and offered each other a weak smile.

"We'll keep calling around until we hear from you," Jamie told him as JC went to help Clare get to her feet. Clare was still visibly upset and shaken, but Jamie could tell that the prospect of going to the hospital had given her something to cling on to. Until they knew for sure that it wasn't Libby in the hospital, there was still hope. Hope that Libby was okay, and hope that she'd still turn up somewhere. She'd be in for the telling off of her life, but at least she'd be home and safe.

As she followed them to the door, Jamie reached out a placed a hand on JC's shoulder. He turned his head and glanced at her.

"Drive safe, okay?" She told him and he flashed her a warm smile in return. It was times like this that the affection that they all shared for each other really showed.

"Will do," he assured her. "I'll be in touch."

~~~~~*~~~~~