Dear Liz,

This journal I'm writing in isn't even mine. I found it hidden behind some boxes in the attic one night and secretly kept it to myself since then. If he ever finds out I have this though, he'd kill me.

I never thought I'd end up in a situation like this. Hell, I thought I was smarter than this. But I've let everyone down--including you, mum, and dad. I lost count on how many days have past since I've been taken, but I honestly don't know if I'm going to make it out of here alive anymore. Yesterday, he slapped me so hard that I fell onto the kitchen floor and scraped my knee, leaving me with nothing but a reddened cheek, bruised knee, and a warning that the next time I make him angry, I might not be so lucky.

I highly doubt anyone will ever see this entry, but I needed to get my thoughts out onto a page. It's the only way I can retain some of the sanity he's taken away from me. Hopefully, I won't have to be trapped in this hell hole much longer because I know that you'll be coming to find me soon.

Love you always,

Sarah


I could feel my heart push up to my throat as my eyes read over every single word she wrote in this letter continuously. Although the diary entry was undated, it gave me even more hope to hold on to. Sarah was still out there, fighting to see another day like the determined girl I know she is. She's one of the strongest people I've ever known.

I held the crinkled sheet of paper tightly against my chest as my lips trembled in sadness, tears beginning to form in my eyes. O, how I wished that I could see her again, hear the sound of her soft voice, and watch her beautiful smile light up an entire room. I should have been there to protect her. I'm supposed to be her big sister. Before I could stop them from falling, a few stray tears managed to roll down my cheeks as I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes.

Stay strong, little dove.

---

Elizabeth's POV

Next Day


The sound of letters being carelessly typed away on my computer keyboard was the only thing to be heard at this time of night. My shift had ended a little over thirty minutes ago, but as perusal, my butt was still glued to the seat of my leather chair while my eyes were trained on my computer screen.

I pulled up a file containing a report on the faculty members of the local police station's technical department and glanced over their backgrounds in fascination. Some of their employees had Master degrees in Computer Science from Oxford and Cambridge and other top universities in the country. I continued scrolling through the page with curiosity as my eyes came across a name with a description I found to be oddly familiar.

Louis Tomlinson joined the department after graduating from the University of Manchester in 2013 with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Finance. He works as a Technical Analyst to keep our computer systems up to date by performing complex functions that are necessary for system maintenance.

I bit my bottom lip in concentration as I tried to recall my own personal experiences from university. I graduated from the University of Manchester at the top of my class just a year before he did, but my major was in Journalism so it's unlikely that we had any classes together, yet his name still rang a bell. I wondered about it more whilst copying the email address he had written underneath his name onto a sticky note before powering down my laptop.

Whoever this Louis guy is, he's the key to my story--my access ticket into a system that probably knows more information about my sister's kidnapping than I do. But the question is...how can I get him to come to me first?

Notes

Another update as promised! I really wanted to get back into writing this story, and I'm sure the other girls want too as well. However, we've all been super busy. But! Your lovely thoughts are highly appreciated so please feel free to leave a comment...about anything, anything at all.

I personally love Liz's big sister characteristics. I'm the middle child so I look up to my older sister, and I know she'll always have my back. Is it just me or do you guys have the same tight-knit bond with your siblings?

Love
-M