They thought you were gone. Everyone did. But you weren‘t. Not yet. Teeth gritted and voice trembling with unyielding resolve, you whispered to yourself in the darkness, “They think I’m dead… but I’m still here. And I’m going to find my way back to them… no matter what it takes.”

Every word you spoke was a promise. Even as your body ached and your captors tightened their hold, your determination only grew stronger.

Far away, the boys sat together, the silence between them heavy with loss. It had been weeks, but the absence of you lingered like a shadow over all of them.

Theo finally broke the quiet, his voice soft but resolute. “Do you ever feel like… she’s not really gone?”

Enzo looked up from where he sat, his face lighting with hope for the first time in weeks. “What are you saying, Theo?”

Theo shook his head, gripping the notebook in his hands tightly. “I don’t know. It’s just this feeling. Like she’s still out there somewhere.”

Mattheo’s voice cracked as he spoke, emotion thick in his tone. “She is. I know she is. I’d feel it if she wasn’t. We just… we need to find her before it’s too late.”

The room went quiet again until Tom stood abruptly, his voice cutting through the air, cold and sharp with resolve. “She is out there. I don’t care what anyone else says. We’re going to find her. Alive or… whatever’s left of her. We owe her that.”

The boys exchanged glances, the spark of hope igniting between them. Maybe, just maybe, they hadn’t lost you yet.

You broke free from the chains holding you down. Your body was weak, trembling from the effort, but you stumbled forward anyway, refusing to stop. Your voice, full of quiet determination, echoed in your mind like a mantra.

“I’m coming back. Just hold on.”