Author's Note: And I'm back. This one's the prologue, so the events in this chapter take place three years prior to the events of the main story. What should you expect for this one? A bit of mystery, scandal, intrigue, difficult situations and of course... romance. Let's take a look, shall we?

Disclaimer: None of this. None of this is owned by me. Okay the story-line is, but the rest... songs, characters uhh... and the alphabet is owned by the Latin people.

January 20th, 2014

Know what I hate absolutely more than anything? Impossible school projects. Don't get me wrong, I love going to Hollywood Arts. I'd take going there over any regular school any day. But there's sometimes where I'm just like… why? Why do we have to do this? For example, right now I'm working on a performance project. We had to split into pairs and create a script that's based solely on a specific theatre movement. I, being oh so lucky, was giving the task of working on Dadaism. Do you know what Dadaism is? Yeah, neither does anybody else. It's literally the theatre movement of "art for art's sake". So, it's theatre with crazy shit and no meaning. Ask me again how I'm expected to write a script for that.

Know what I love more than anything? That I got paired with Cat for this project. I have never been more grateful to be with the perky, absent-minded red-head for a project in my life. Her detachment with reality and random thoughts will actually be so helpful for this. Literally, I can just ask her to talk about what she's thinking about and I'll just write down what she says. Perfect. Easy grade. Not only that, but Cat and I grew to be really good friends since I came to Hollywood Arts. Her personality was a bit overwhelming to me at first, but I've grown accustomed to it and even to appreciate it. I like being in her presence. It's relaxing because I don't ever have to worry about her judging me or thinking I'm weird. She's the only person I could comfortably don mustaches and talk in poorly done accents with. She lets me let loose, and I love it. That's why I'm proud to call her my best friend.

Like right now, even though I'm so completely annoyed by this project, she's sitting next to me on my couch and just twirling a strand of her red velvet hair around her finger in whatever concentration she can muster. She looks down at our Theatre Movements Through History textbook, gently chewing on her lip. I watch her thoughtfully, and she looks up at me with a small smile. Yep, something about her presence just puts me at ease.

And yet… Lately I've felt less at ease around her lately. Like I said, I've grown accustomed to her personality and mannerisms. So much so that if anything ever seems off with her, I take notice. And something has definitely been off with Cat lately. Before you call me paranoid or think I'm overreacting, I realize that everybody has their bad days including Cat. Usually when that happens, she tells me she saw the Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial or something like that, and then I go buy her ice cream or take her to the pet store to cuddle with puppies. I don't know why I go out of my way to see her smile. I guess the idea of Cat Valentine being sad just doesn't sit well with me. We all need a little more sunshine in our lives, and I think Cat supplies that.

So, you can imagine my worry when I've noticed something off with her ever since Christmas break. First off, she wouldn't tell me what was up. She just kept denying anything was wrong, and then she would go very quiet and I could barely get a word out of her. I know she was lying. I know her. I'd take her to get ice cream, to the pet store, rent the happiest movies I know she loves, tell her the lamest jokes – and nothing. None of my tactics work. She'll give me a small smile with a far off look in her eye, but that's about it. And even then I think she's just trying to humour me because she knows I'm trying and she appreciates it. I just miss that airy laugh of hers, and that bright smile and those twinkling eyes. When will that side of Cat show itself again? I haven't seen it in over a month, and usually Cat gets over things quickly even without me trying to cheer her up.

"You think of anything?" I ask her.

"I'm trying. This is hard. I never realized how much meaning my random thoughts had until I had to do this." Cat pouts. I throw myself back into the couch with a frustrated huff.

"Ugh, this makes me wish we had gotten Symbolism or something." I groan. She touches my arm gently.

"It could be worse." She states softly.

"Yeah, you're right." I sigh. See, even when she's worrying me she still calms me down. "I mean, we could have had to do Theatre of Cruelty like Beck and Andre. The kinds of plays they have to use for reference involve scorpions climbing out of a vagina." I grimace. Yeah I just said that. Theatre is a weird, mysterious medium at times.

"Jade really wanted that one." Cat wrinkles her nose.

"Yep, but she got Realism instead. She was absolutely livid." I grin. I watch as Cat's mouth turns into that almost smile before it drops off her face completely. I frown and try to shake it off. "Anyway, toothpaste."

"Toothpaste?" Cat asks, confused. I give a shrug.

"I'm trying to get into the mindset of a Dadaist now. Just say things that don't make sense." I state.

"Oh." Cat blinks. "Unicycle."

"Cactus."

"Overalls."

"Kitchen."

"Hungry."

"Food."

"Snacks?"

"Yes."

"That didn't take long to gain meaning." Cat sighs. I laugh, getting up to go to the kitchen. I grab some chips and turn back toward the couch. Cat's sitting and hugging her knees to herself, that far-off look still in her eyes. What I wouldn't give to see what's going on in her head right now…

I place the chips in front of her and she quickly opens it up, digging her hand in. Geez, she really was hungry. "I don't know how these Dadaists did it. I mean, everything in life has meaning, and even if it wasn't created with meaning, people find meaning in it." I mumble. Cat swallows a handful of chips and points at the textbook.

"That's what it says here. Dadaism is a huge controversy because the whole movement is flawed for that reason. That's why it's barely practiced anymore." Cat explains.

"So they literally gave us the most impossible movement to work with. Great. Perfect. Wonderful. Thanks, Hollywood Arts." I grumble. Cat leans her head on my shoulder and I immediately relax again. How does she do that? "I'm sure we'll think of something… there's got to be something out there that's just mindless with no meaning."

"Yeah, something like The Funny Nugget Show." Cat mutters. I freeze, the cogwheels in my brain sputtering to a start.

"Cat, what'd you say?" I ask.

"Something like The Funny Nugget Show?" Cat repeats.

"That's it!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up in the air. Cat removes her head from my shoulder and looks at me in confusion. "Cat, you're a genius!"

"…How?" She asks slowly. I quickly pull her into a hug and give her a happy kiss on top of her head. When I pull back from the hug, her cheeks are tinted pink.

"The Funny Nugget Show! It's so obvious! That's the single most meaningless, absurd thing in existence and we've already done it!" I ramble in excitement. I see my words starting to dawn on Cat as her eyes go wide.

"So, we just take one of The Funny Nugget Show videos…" She starts.

"And we write it down as our script! It's perfect!" I laugh, pulling her into another tight hug.

"Yay!" Cat mumbles into my shoulder. I pull away again, smiling.

"Who's the smartest, most ticklish red-head in this room?" I gush, poking her in the sides. She lets out a squeal and I see the most genuine smile form on her face that I've seen in a long time.

"Haha! I am! Tori, stop!" She giggles. I pull my hands away and I grin at her. She keeps giggling as she looks at me, smiling big. Then, as if something clicks in her brain, her face falls immediately and she turns away, back to her somber state. Damnit, I was so close! I saw happy Cat for a moment, but she didn't stay. I can't take it anymore. Giving her a look of concern, I place a hand gently on her knee.

"Cat…" I whisper. She looks at my hand on her knee and starts running her fingers between my fingers and over my knuckles. That actually feels really nice. "You've been really worrying me lately, you know?"

"I'm sorry." She mumbles, not taking her attention off our hands.

"Don't be sorry, just tell me what's going on with you lately. You haven't been yourself…" I sigh.

"Sometimes, I think you're the only one who notices." Cat whispers.

"Of course I notice. When you're sad it's like the world isn't in balance." I state softly. Really, I mean that I feel like my stomach isn't in balance because it's twisting from so much worry. Cat lets out a breath.

"I don't want you to worry about it, okay Tori? Please don't worry about it." She mumbles.

"I just want to know if I can help. Or, just give me some clue that you're going to be okay." I squeeze her knee gently. Cat's lip trembles and she bites down on it. My eyebrows rise in concern. "Is it Sam?"

"What?" Cat asks, finally looking up at me. It looks like there are tears threatening to fall from her eyes. It makes me want to envelop her in a hug more than anything.

"Sam… from iCarly. Your roommate." I explain quietly. Cat had a chance encounter with Sam at the beginning of last year and they'd started living together in her Nona's old apartment. I let out a deep breath. "I've only met her once so I don't know her very well, but from what I saw on the web show and from what you've told me, she seems to have some anger issues and violent tendencies…"

"Oh, no! No, Tori. It's not that. Sam wouldn't hurt me. Well… not badly. Sam and I are getting along great." She assures me. I can't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"Oh. Great, huh? I guess you two spend a lot of time together, so you must be like, best friends now." I mumble. Way to go, Tori. This conversation is supposed to be about Cat and you drag your own insecurities into it.

"Yep." Cat confirms. She twists herself slightly on the couch to face me, taking my hand that was on her knee in both of her hands. "But you're still one of my best friends as well, and you mean a lot to me." She states firmly, looking serious. I smile at her, feeling my heart beat faster at her words for whatever reason.

"Thanks, Cat." I sigh, placing my free hand on top of our other tangled hands. "And as your best friend I feel some responsibility to look out for you, you know? I'll respect that you don't want to talk about whatever you're going through… but I need you to know that I'm here for you to talk to. And if there's anything, anything at all that I can do to make it better, let me know." I claim. She blinks and the genuine smile comes back onto her face. I feel like it's just for me, and I feel my heart flutter again. Maybe I should see a cardiologist…

"Tori… do you trust me?" Cat asks.

"Yeah, I do." I nod. Her smile falls off her face, but I can still see remnants of it in her eyes. She detaches her hands from mine and places one on the side of my face.

"Then trust that I'll be okay… No matter what happens, I'm okay. I promise." Cat whispers. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes." I barely mutter out. I'm so entranced in her eyes right now. Have they always been such a deep caramel brown?

"Don't forget." Cat breathes, and then she leans forward to press her lips to mine.

Whoa.

Talk about taking someone's breath away. Cat's kissing me. Right now. What. Why? I mean I know Cat's random but we were talking and now she's kissing me and man her lips are soft. I've never kissed a girl before… Is it weird that I like it? Is that weird? No, I suppose it's fine. The weird part is that Cat's my best friend and I'm really, really enjoying the feel of her lips right now. And her smell. I've always liked the way Cat smells, but I'll have to ask her what kind of face cream she uses… you know, if she ever removes her lips from my mouth. Which I hope isn't any time soon…

Well, now I'm confused.

Eventually she pulls back, and her eyes are wide and searching. Her hand falls away from my face and she bites her lip again. "Thank you." She trembles.

"N…No problem." I croak out, unable to find much of a voice. She bends over to grab her bag and stands up.

"I'll… see you tomorrow at school." Cat mutters quickly, and then she rushes out the front door as Trina walks down the stairs. I'm sitting here awestruck, unable to comprehend… anything. I can still feel the sensation of her lips. My tongue darts out to taste whatever she left behind. Some sort of Lipsmacker. She would. That's adorable…

"What's up with her? Did you let her watch that Sarah McLachlan commercial again?" Trina asks. I just sit there, unable to form coherent thoughts. "I mean, I guess it's normal to get upset from some advertisements. Sometimes I get teary-eyed watching weight-loss commercials. I see the people on there and I'm just like, look at you! You did it!" Trina sniffs, getting emotional. Again, I say nothing. Not that I have any idea what to say to that, anyway. "Hey, what's up with you? You're supposed to be listening to me talking!"

"Hmm? Sorry." I mumble. Trina scoffs and heads back upstairs realizing she won't get any attention from me.

I wasn't able to get my mind off that kiss for a while. And I did see Cat the next day at school, but it was only very briefly. She'd literally see me and dart away, or excuse herself and leave. It stayed that way the whole week. I mean, I'm confused about what happened but I don't want her thinking I'm mad at her. So I texted her telling her that, and that I wanted to talk. I never got any replies. I didn't try too hard to get in touch with her, though. Personally, I was dealing with the possibility of forming a crush on my best friend, and I knew I would probably have to give her a definite answer the next time we talked about the kiss. I didn't have that answer, yet.

On the Friday, I was fiddling with my purse to get my keys out at the end of the school day. Yes I eventually got my licence. I was tired of everyone teasing me about it. So I was walking to my car and when I pulled out my keys, I saw a small figure leaning against the passenger side. Cat was looking at me intensely, biting her lip. I approach her and the car, furrowing my brow. She stands up straight, mouth quivering like she's trying to say something. Half of me wants her to just kiss me again. Okay more than half.

"Cat, are you okay?" I ask, worried. She opens her mouth to say something again, but it shuts once again as she bites her lip. She looks so sad, and it breaks my heart. I take a tentative step towards her. "Cat… if this is about that kiss… I told you I didn't mind-" I'm stopped mid-sentence, but not with a kiss. Cat leaped on me with a bone-crushing hug. Her arms wrapped around my neck and her face buries into my collar. At first I'm startled, but I become aware of how much her body is shaking and I quickly put my arms around her to hold her tight. We stay like that for a long while. I don't even know how long. All I know is that it feels right to hold her right now, and I feel like I should be holding her as if my life depends on it.

She squeezes me tighter and pushes into me more, if it's possible, and then she finally loosens her hold on me and her arms slip away. Reluctantly, I let go of my vice grip on her and she steps back. Now I can see the tears that have slid down her face, and are still sliding down her face. She gives me a very conflicted and pained look. I reach out for her again.

"Cat…"

She presses her lips together and then tears herself from me, quickly sprinting away. I can hear her sobbing.

"Cat!" I call after her, but she was already across the parking-lot. If I have one main regret in life, it's that I didn't go after her. I should have gone after her. I should have run like I never ran before. I should have grabbed her from behind and pulled her to me, kissing her passionately. I should have wiped her tears with my hand and told her that whatever she was going through, we would figure it out together. I should have done a lot of things. But I didn't. I didn't do one fucking thing.

The weekend was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I decided I would just see Cat on Monday, pull her into the janitor's closet and we'd finally talk everything out. So, I walk into Hollywood Arts on Monday. But I don't find Cat. Instead, I find a ton of police officers searching the area and talking to students. I furrow my brow in confusion. I stop one of the officers walking by.

"Hey, what's going on?" I ask. The officer shakes his head.

"I can't talk now." He says gruffly, and then he stalks away. Rude.

"Tori!" I hear the voice of my dad call out to me. I look over to see him walking towards me down the hall.

"Dad, what are you doing here? What's going on? Why is the entire police force here?" I interrogate. My dad pulls me to the side and lowers his voice.

"What are you doing here? Didn't you get my note? I told you to stay home today." He mutters quickly. What is going on?!

"I must've missed it. Why should I have stayed home? What's going on here today?" I goad. My dad looks away, running his hand down his face. "Dad."

He looks at me with a mix of seriousness and sympathy. What he says next hits me in the gut like a freight train.

"Cat Valentine is missing."

January 27th, 2014

I could've gone home. My dad got special permission from Helen to let me, Robbie, Jade, Beck and Andre take the day off under the circumstances. I couldn't do that, though. I couldn't sit at home knowing Cat's out there, somewhere. None of my friends went home, either. We didn't go to class, but we just sat in the hallway with each other, constantly texting, calling and messaging Cat. Maybe one of us could get through.

According to my dad, it's unknown just how long Cat has been missing, and the missing persons report was only filed this morning. It's not like she has a guardian living with her, so nobody really checked in on her whereabouts. I guess Sam didn't care enough. Cat's Nona called in the report after checking in on her old apartment to see how Cat was doing after she hadn't visited at all during the weekend. After Sam told her she hadn't seen Cat since Friday morning, Cat's Nona immediately called the police. I can't tell you how frustrated I am. A search for a missing person can take place 24 hours after they haven't been seen. This search should have started on Saturday, but no, thanks to an obviously indifferent roommate, the search only began today. Who knows where Cat could have gone in almost three days? She could be lost, or scared, or kidnapped, or…

"Pick up, Cat…" I mutter into my receiver as I listen to phone ring endlessly for what's probably the 600th time today. As usual, the fifth ring is cut off and the high, airy voice comes on the line.

"Hiii! You've reached Cat's phone! I'm not here to answer you right now, but tell me whatever and my phone will let me know later! Hehe!"

My throat catches a little more every time I hear her recorded message. At first I left messages calmly asking where she was. For some reason, I was convinced that she would get back to me as soon as possible and explain that she was with her parents and brother or something. After a few hours and no word from Cat for any of us, my messages became a little more demanding. Now, I just click the end call and then redial. I just need to hear her voice say anything else other than the pre-recorded message. Anything.

"Tori Vega?" An officer says after approaching me. I'm sitting on the steps in Hollywood Arts with the rest of my friends, so I have to crane my neck to look up at him.

"Yes?" I answer, a bit of desperation still present in my voice. The rest of the group turns from their electronic devices and attempts to contact Cat to watch our interaction.

"You're David's daughter, right?" He asks.

"Yeah, that's right." I confirm. He shifts a bit, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as if this information makes him feel uncomfortable.

"We're going to have to pull you in for questioning." He states. My eyebrows shoot into the air.

"What? Why?" I ask. The police had been interviewing students all morning, but my dad convinced them to lay off us unless it was important.

"We've heard several students putting you and Cat Valentine in the school parking lot here Friday evening. If this is true, as well as our reports, this puts you as the last person to have seen her before her disappearance." The cop explains. Oof, that makes me feel sick to my stomach. I was the last person to see her.

"…Okay." I say slowly. I stand up with the officer and give my friends a glance. They're all giving me supportive looks – even Jade. I smile at them and then walk off with the officer. He leads me out into the parking lot and into the back of a police cruiser. I lean back, worried. I should still be calling Cat. "This all seems very official." I comment.

"It's an official investigation." The officer states. "You were very close to the missing person. We just want to get as much information as we can."

"…You don't think I had anything to do with her going missing, do you?" I ask quietly. Silence. Oh my god, he does. "Hey! Do you!?"

"I can't comment right now. Just know that we're trying to look at this from all angles." He says.

"I want to talk to my dad." I glower.

"He'll be at the station." The cop says. I run my hands through my hair. I don't believe this.

We head into the station with the cop keeping a close watch on me. Stupid cop. I enter the building and see my dad there. "Dad!" I call out to him. He looks at me solemnly.

"Just answer any questions they have for you, honey. I'm sorry about this." He sighs. I give him a desperate glance before I'm literally pulled into a room. The officer sits me down.

"Can I at least know your name?" I grumble.

"Officer Babcock." He says. "You know I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. I just want to help find a girl who is missing. Isn't that what you want, too?"

"Yes…" I sigh.

"Great. So I just have a few questions about the last time you saw Cat Valentine." He mutters after clicking a recording device. I stare at it. Now I feel nervous that I'll say something stupid, end up being thrown in jail, and then I'll never be able to find Cat.

I told him about our last meeting. I told him how she had been off the last while and wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I told him about how she hugged me tightly and then ran off crying without a word. I told him everything except that she kissed me. I felt like that was too personal – a closely guarded secret that needed to stay between us.

In response, he asked questions about why I didn't pursue her and try to find out what was wrong or call someone with my concerns if I were really her friend. That just caused me to sob hysterically and repeat "I don't know" over and over again. The guilt is crushing. As much as I hate that I'm being slightly accused for the disappearance of Cat, he's right. I was… am her best friend. Why didn't I take more action? Because of some confusing butterflies hanging out in my stomach? Fuck off, Tori.

I was then kindly asked to not leave the state lines in case I'm needed for further questioning. Well, a polite "fuck off" to you too, Babcock. The idea that I'm a main suspect in this so far makes me feel sick. I would never hurt Cat. Never. And to think that anybody has… No, I can't think that way. I have to believe that she's fine somewhere just being her Cat self somewhere. If I think anything else… I'll breakdown.

January 29th, 2014

I wake up and head downstairs. My dad is standing in the kitchen resting his hands on the table looking wildly distracted and pensive.

"Hey dad, any news on Cat?" I ask. He looks over and frowns at me.

"Yeah." He answers slowly. I stare at him.

"…Well? Is she okay?" I interrogate, quickly heading into the kitchen. He averts his eyes.

"I'm not sure if I should say." He mutters. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Dad. She's my best friend. I need to know. I need to know or I'll… I'll go crazy." I quiver out. He annoyingly stares at me and I feel my frustration rising. "Dad, tell me now." I demand.

"Tori… I need you to know this might not mean anything. There's still a chance she's okay." He sighs.

"Just tell me." I whimper.

"We've been checking out security cameras around the L.A. area. There was footage at a convenience store… the time stamp shows it would've been about an hour after you saw in the parking lot. On the bright side, I know you were home at the time so this clears you of anything. Unfortunately…" He trails off. And my anger keeps rising.

"What was on the tape?" I snap.

"Cat was. She seemed to be walking by and then a black truck rolled up. Tinted windows. Licence plate removed. Someone in a large hoody and mask jumped out. Impossible to tell if they were male or female. There was a bit of a struggle and then the person…" He pauses, letting out a sigh. "They drag her into the truck and then it drives off."

I feel numb. This can't be happening.

"I need to call her again." I mutter, pulling out my phone.

"Tori. I don't think that will help." He mumbles.

"Don't care. Need to try." I rush out, dialing her number.

"Like I said this doesn't mean she's in a dire situation…"

"Shh." I shush him as the phone rings.

"Hiii! You've reached Cat's phone! I'm not here to answer you right now, but tell me whatever and my phone will let me know later! Hehe!"

"Cat." I breathe into the phone. "Cat, I don't know where you are, or who has you, but they need to let you come back to me now, okay? I know you can get away. You won't let them hurt you because… because I can't think of a life without you, okay? I need you here smiling and laughing and saying random things. I need to film more Funny Nugget Shows with you. I need to… to talk things out with you. Maybe… maybe we could be more, you know? Maybe we could look into that. But I can't without you here and-" The beep cuts me off. "Shit. No." I curse, desperately dialing again.

"Tori, what did you mean by being more?" My dad asks.

"Surprise, I have feelings for my female best friend. Not important now." I mumble out, waiting for the ringing to stop. What happens next breaks my heart. I expected to hear her happy message, but I don't.

"I'm sorry, your call could not be completed as dialed because it is no longer in service…"

February 7th, 2014

The past almost two weeks have been filled with me and my friends putting up missing posters of Cat and the make of the truck she was seen being taken away in. We've taken to social media sites and news stations begging people to contact the police if they have any information. The past while has also been filled with several almost nervous breakdowns. My studies and health has been rapidly declining. I haven't been eating or sleeping or doing any of my work. Everything's on the back burner until Cat is found. But Jade said maybe it's better if we don't find her now – we might not like the state she's found in. I nearly hit her when she said that. I nearly did. Beck and Andre had to hold me back.

Two days ago, our search finally warranted something. Some kids our age were hanging around a lake amongst a hiking trail, and a couple of them went skinny-dipping on a dare. That's when they found the truck, submerged in water. One of the kids recognized the truck from posts on The Slap and they immediately called it in. The truck was pulled out and searched – The only thing they found was Cat's phone. They couldn't determine if the moment the truck hit the water was also the moment her phone went out of service because PearPhones are so obnoxiously waterproof that it could've taken days for it to become waterlogged. Still, it was a clue, and Cat wasn't in the lake with the car. That means there's still hope.

Until now.

"Tori…" My dad sits me down today on the couch after school. "I think we should get you to see someone. You haven't been taking care of yourself." He sighs.

"I'm sorry, dad. It's just… this is eating me up inside." I choke out.

"I know. I know now how deeply you cared for Cat." He states. He was very accepting when he found out about my feelings, as was my mom. "And I'm certain that Cat wouldn't want to know you were doing this to yourself."

"You're right… She wouldn't." I frown.

"I want you to remember that…" He breathes. I look at him, puzzled. "We've found something else."

I sit up straight, waiting. My stomach twists in anticipation. "What is it?" I ask.

"I wanted you to find out from me before you saw it on the media… I wish I could protect you from this, but I can't." He sighs. "Since finding the truck, we've been combing the forest around it. About a mile off from the lake, there are these railroad tracks. One of our officers and a police dog found an area leading to it where it looks like someone was dragged. There's blood surrounding the area, up until right by the tracks. Then… then there was a lot of blood. We're lucky there hasn't been any rain or it would've been washed away." He explains. I stare at him, my pulse quickening.

"That doesn't mean it's hers." I say quickly. I won't believe it was hers.

"Tori… We crossed a sample of the blood with her parents and brother. It matches. It's the same DNA."

My own blood runs cold and my mind races a mile a minute trying to rationalize a reason for it.

"Is… is she…" I tremble.

"There wasn't a body found, no. But, Tori… the amount of blood found… The human body wouldn't be able to handle losing that much at one time." He sighs, tears in his eyes.

"No…" I gasp, my eyes finding the ground.

"We're going to keep looking – for her and whoever did this." He states softly.

"No… no, Cat… No…" I'm starting to shake. I'm going to vomit. Cat can't be dead. She can't be. Not my Cat…

"Tori…" My dad puts a hand on my shoulder, and that's when I lose it. All the tension from the last while reaches a peak point, and I have my breakdown. I collapse right off the couch, sobbing. And I just sob. And scream. And deny it. I refuse to believe it. Somebody has to know what happened to her… somebody…

Eventually I shakily get up and my dad is looking at me with worry. I clumsily head to the front door and grab my purse, tears still streaming down my face.

"Tori, where do you think you're going?" My dad asks.

"I need to talk to someone." I mutter. I rush out before he can do anything. And then I drive. My hands are shaking and my reflexes are horrible right now, but I somehow make it to my destination. I stand in front of apartment number 22 in Venice, California, and I knock on the door. It slowly swings open on its own. "Hello?" I ask.

The apartment is filled with the furniture from That's A Drag, like Cat had said it was. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do. I walk through it slowly, looking around. And then I hear a sound out back I head to the sliding door and see a blonde girl around my age looking over a motorcycle, and I recognize the blonde girl as internet icon and Cat's roommate. Sam Puckett.

I slowly step out onto the patio as she looks into her helmet. Even though she's not looking at me, she freezes for a second and then quickly whips the helmet in my direction with an intimidating cry. I quickly duck and it barely flies over my head and into the house behind me. What's wrong with this chick?!

"Holy chiz! Don't sneak up on me like that." Sam scowls, looking me over. I scowl back. I don't like her. My impression of her is negative.

"I'm sorry but the front door was open and nobody was answering and was it really necessary to throw a helmet at me?" I scoff.

"If you surprise a Puckett, you're most likely going to some part of your body injured. Didn't Cat tell you anything?" Sam mutters, looking over her bike again.

"So you know who I am?" I ask.

"Sure. You're that Tori chick, her best friend. You're also that chick who dated that skunkbag at the same time as Carly." Sam recalls nonchalantly.

"Right. And do you know why I'm here?" I take a cautious step closer. Sam lets out a sigh and leans against her bike.

"I'm guessing this is about Cat's disappearing act." She sighs. "What, do you have questions?"

"Where is she?" I ask pointedly. She throws her head back a bit at the question, but shrugs.

"How should I know? She's been gone for almost two weeks, remember?" Sam drawls.

"And I think you know the reason why, or are the cause." I accuse. She stands up straight at this, narrowing her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Sam snaps. "Say that again." She dares.

"I don't know. Maybe Cat got a little too much on your nerves one day because you couldn't deal with her sweet personality so you just lost it and next thing you knew, you had a murder to cover up." I spit, shaking slightly.

"How dare you. I should pull the butter-sock on you!" She growls, stepping closer so that we're inches apart.

"Go ahead. Why don't you get rid of me just like you did with Cat." I tremble out. Suddenly I'm being pushed on the ground and Sam is angrily poised above me, rage in her eyes. If I'm right, then I should be scared. But I'm not. I'm just angry, and if I die at least I'll die knowing what happened to Cat. Her fist is raised for a moment and I brace myself, eyes closed. I wait… but nothing happens.

"Ugh… I can't hurt you." She sighs. I open my eyes to see her extending and arm to help me up. I carefully take it and she pulls me up with ease. "You're just like Cat. You care about other people more than yourself so it makes it hard to actually put you in harm's way. I hate people like you." Sam mutters. "Plus… Cat wouldn't want me to hurt you. She cared about you a lot."

"Uh…" I gape. Well, that changed quickly, and Sam seems to have some sort of heart. She steps past me and into the house.

"Are you coming in or what?" She asks.

"S-sure…" I stammer, following her in.

"Do you want a beverage? We have milk that's about a week passed its expiry date and something that might be orange juice." Sam offers.

"No thanks." I wrinkle my nose. She shrugs and sits down on the couch. I sit beside her.

"Yeah, Cat usually stayed on top of most of the food… I've just been having Inside-Out Burgers since she left." Sam explains. "That's why I was checking out my bike today. I'm leaving tonight. Turns out I'm not much of a babysitter without Cat, so I'm not making any money… So it's time to move on."

"So, you're skipping town." I mutter.

"Still on that?" Sam rolls her eyes. "Listen. I wouldn't hurt Cat… badly. I liked Cat a lot. She was easily manipulated which is perfect for me, but she also knew how to have a good time in her own carefree way. She balanced me out pretty well." Sam sighs. I stare at her.

"But then… if you really like her that much, why didn't you notice when she was gone for three days? I mean, you're her roommate!" I huff.

"Same reason I wasn't called in for questioning! My alibi. I left for Seattle Friday morning to visit some peeps. Plenty of people confirmed my presence in Seattle… Came back late Sunday night, I thought she was asleep in her bed… I didn't think of anything of it until her Nona called. Believe me, I feel pretty bad about it." Sam explains.

"Oh…" I sigh. So she didn't do it. "I'm sorry I accused you."

"No worries. Anyone who is willing to step up and fight for a friend is okay in my book." Sam leaves a light punch on my shoulder. At least, I think it was supposed to be light. It still kind of hurt. "And try not to worry too much. Cat may have been a bit of a loon, but I've seen her be able to take care of herself. Maybe she's not in as bad of a situation as you think she's in."

"I doubt that." I choke out, feeling the despair flood back into me. Somehow, the anger at Sam was what pushed it out, but now it's back with nothing to block it.

"What makes you say that?" She raises her eyebrow. I have to swallow hard to keep the lump in my throat at bay.

"My dad told me… they found blood. Lots of blood. Cat's blood." I whimper out. Sam's silent for a moment before putting her face in her hands, massaging roughly.

"Oh man." Sam mutters.

"Yeah." I croak. Sam suddenly stands up and heads to the back.

"Wh-Where are you going?" I ask, tears already streaming down my face.

"I'm leaving now. I can't stay here anymore." Sam huffs, grabbing her riding jacket and pulling it on. I stand up and follow her. "No offense to your dad but in my experience, police are useless. I'm going to go find Cat, or at least the people who did this to her and make them pay." She growls.

"Do you really think you can?" I ask weakly.

"I'll sure as hell try." She states, heading to her bike. She looks around a moment and huffs, pushing past me again to head into the house. "Did you see where I chucked my helmet? Never mind. Found it." She picks it up and dusts it off.

"Wait, Sam." I say, still shaking from all my emotions. She looks at me. "Did you… notice anything odd about Cat the last while before she disappeared?"

She thinks for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I guess she was a little more quiet leading up to the events of her disappearance. Why?"

"No reason." I mumble. I can't help but remember her small voice saying, "Sometimes, I think you're the only one who notices".

"Well, I'm off." Sam states, climbing on her bike. "You stay here and contact me if the police get any news, okay?"

"I'll need your number." I request.

"Oh, right." She takes my phone and quickly puts her name and number in, then hands it back. She revs the engine a bit. "Let's both try to hold hope that Cat's still out there and okay, alright?"

"Alright." I agree quietly. I have to believe she's still okay. The alternative is…

"And Tori?" Sam starts, kicking her stand up. I stare at her. "…Cat really did care about you a lot, you know. She spoke very highly of you. Seriously, sometimes she would wake me up in the middle of the night just gushing about you. It annoyed the hell out of me but it made me think, man, this girl is really special to her. Guess now I understand why. You care about her, too?" She asks, I merely nod. "Good. Then hopefully that's all you'll need to find her again. Best of luck to both of us… and Cat."

And then she drove off. I stood there for a good while before I headed into their 50/50 split bedroom. Cat's side was easy to pick out. I threw myself on her bed and breathed in her scent before giving into the crushing sadness. I thought about how scared she must've been. The pain she must've went through. I can't even begin to imagine… And I can't believe she's gone for good. I can't. I'm going to hear her beautiful voice again. I'm going to see her shining smile. I'm going to feel her light, comforting touches.

I'm going to find Cat Valentine.

Author's Notes: So, was that terrible? Do you like the concept? I'm pretty excited about this story. Big plans, BIG plans. It's going to be a great one, I promise. If you liked Falling-Out, I think you'll like this... if you didn't like Falling-Out, I still think you'll like this. I mean, it'll still have it's dark parts but in a different way. Let's start a brand new journey together, shall we?

I should mention it's no longer summer and this week sees me going back to school. This means I won't be able to update quite as frequently as I have in the past, but I'll try not to have large gaps in between chapters. Expect chapter one maybe... between Thursday and Saturday? Maybe? If you follow me on Twitter, I can give you better updates (as well as quotes for future chapters and other fun things.) Yeah!

Fun Fact: Dadaism really is horrible. I saw a Dadaist interpretation on stage once and saw strange... strange things. Still better than Theatre of Cruelty though. A Theatre of Cruelty production once released rabid dogs on and audience. Yeah. Do people want me to continue this fun fact thing? Because I will. It's fun, and that's a fact.