While Sarina was all ready to fight her first biggest battle of her life, her parents on the other hand were in a completely different situation.
As they went to bed quite late last night, by the time they woke up today, it was already quite late for their regular schedule.
Worried that the children might be waiting for them, they quickly got up and rushed to get ready. While waiting for Clara to get done with her make up, Adrian sat down on the couch in the room and switched on his phone.
"It seems that we were rushing for nothing. The twins are probably still asleep while Sarina had gone out for a run in the nearby park in the morning. Though she should definitely be back by now and must be trying to wake up the twins and getting them ready."
Reading the message Sarina had sent a few hours back, Adrian exclaimed, chuckling as recalled his eldest daughter's expressions when she was assigned the task to get the twins ready on holidays.
"Since that's the case then let's go to their room and check whether they are ready or not. After all, we still have to visit many famous places in the Capital city and also go to Crestwood academy and the housing prices around it as well."
Giving herself a last look in the mirror and nodding in satisfaction, Clara turned around to face Adrian, reminding and urging him to be quick.
Locking the door, they made their way to the room next door and opened the door with the extra key they had kept with themselves as precaution and stepped inside only to be left speechless by the site in front of them.
Before them, the twins who were supposed to be ready by now were still snoring happily on the bed while their eldest daughter who was supposed to be probably shouting in exhaustion by this time was actually missing from the room.
"Adraian what is going on and where is Sarina? Didn't you say she should have been back by now?"
Clara worriedly asked, a bad premonition arising in her heart upon not finding Sarina in the room. She was very well aware of her eldest daughter's habits. She would have definitely informed them if she was going to get late.
But here, there was simply no message or anything by her side, which was very out of character for Sarina. Understanding the hidden meaning behind Clara's words, even Adrian started to feel a little apprehensive now.
"Don't worry. Sarina might not have come back from her exercise. You wake up the twins and get them ready while I will go look for her. She will be nearby."
Adrian exclaimed, trying to reduce the increasing unease in his heart and immediately left the room, running fast towards the park Sarina had went to, continuously trying to call her but got no reply.
Reaching there, he painstakingly searched for her, calling out her name loud with a little hope that she might hear his voice and come looking for him.
"Sarina…. Sarina, can you hear me? Sarina where are you? Sarina….!"
He called out loud but got no response. The people around looked at him in surprise, everyone wondering the same thing,
'Who is this Sarina that this guy is looking for so diligently?'
After a long trail of shouting and calling out but getting no response in return, he looked around and quickly pulled out his phone, rushing towards the closest person near him.
"Hello sir. Have you seen this girl, my daughter anywhere near by?"
Selecting a random picture of Sarina in his phone, he showed it to the man and anxiously asked, his heart heavy in pain and concern as he looked at him with hopeful eyes, only to get it dashed from the other person's answer.
"I am sorry sir. I have been in this park for more than an hour now but hadn't seen this girl anywhere."
The man truthfully answered, feeling genuine pity for Adrian.
Though sad, Adrian still didn't give up, asking the same question with anew hope from the remaining people around, only to get the same disappointment each time.
Looking at Adrian, who liked he had aged a few years in just these few hours, the people sighed in sympathy but also felt very helpless in this situation. After all, none of them had any clue about where Sarina was.
'No, I can give up like this. Clara and the twins are still waiting for me to return with Sarina. I have to find her as soon as possible.'
Adrian kept on repeating these words to himself again and again, trying to push himself to not to give up just like that; his back drenched in sweat, his entire body tensed as he rigidly continued with his search in nearby areas when he finally came across a positive reply.
"Hello sir and madam. Have you seen this girl anywhere? She had come out to exercise a few hours back in that park over there."
He anxiously asked the old couple who were pulling their cart and were on their way back home. They were none other the old couple whom Sarina had went to for breakfast.
"Oh! Isn't this the girl who came in our stall this morning? Why are you looking for her?"
Looking carefully at picture, the old lady excitedly exclaimed. After all, she had left quite a lasting impression on them when she visited by.
"Really! This is my daughter, Sarina. Do you know where she is now? Please help me."
Ecstatic to finally hear a positive reply, Adrian asked, feeling very impatient to finally meet his daughter, only to get all his hopes turn into sorrow by their next words.
"I am sorry young man but we only saw her once a few hours back when she came to our stall. After eating, she left in that direction. We haven't seen her since then and have no idea where she is at the moment."
The old man honestly told him the truth, pointing in the direction of the hotel he had come from. Following at direction pointed by him, Adrian looked towards the hotel he had come from.
Adrian's entire body stiffened when the realization of all his fear becoming reality hit him like a slap in his face making it go pale as he stumbled back on his feet.
'How is this possible. If Sarina was already done with her exercise and breakfast then she should have returned to the hotel long ago but she hasn't. Where is exactly are you Sarina? What happened to you? How am I going to tell your mother about this.'
Adrian thoughts were in a mess, feeling extremely dreadful of how he was going to disclose the news of their daughter going missing to Clara and the twins.
Adrian didn't even know how he walked back to the hotel, completely dazed, his heart beating anxiously at the thought of Sarina and where she was.
Stepping inside the children's room where the twins were all ready for their day with Clara's help, he looked at their excited faces and sighed, unsure on how to break the news of Sarina going missing.
Clara, who had been anxiously waiting for her daughter to return immediately recognized Adrian steps and turned around.
"Thank god Adrian you are back. Where is Sarina? Today I will really give her an earful for this carelessness of hers. She could have informed us if she was going to get late. This girl, where is she?"
Delighted to see him coming back, Clara exclaimed, going around in circle behind him, repeatedly asking for Sarina. The smile left her face when she didn't find her in her sight.
"Adrian, I am asking you something. Where is my Sarina?" Standing in front of him, she once again asked, shaking him by his shoulders; more firm this time but the visible fear in her eyes gave away the weakness she felt at that moment.
"Cl…. Clara, our Sarina… She… She is missing. I looked around everywhere but couldn't find her anywhere. One old couple told me..."
Stammering, Adrian truthfully told Clara everything. His every word hitting her heart like a hammer, shattering it into pieces.
"No…. no it… It can't happen. My Sarina… No she can't get lost like this. You must haven't looked for her properly. Yes. She must be playing hide and seek with us, just like when she was young. Even then she used to hide from you and only come out when I called her. You see, she will come out again when I call her."
Stumbling back in shock, Clara mumbled, tears falling down her cheeks as she shrieked at Adrian in anger and despair; quickly rushing out to look for Sarina herself but Adrian grasped her wrist, pulling her back into his arms where she let go of her defense, bursting into tears like a child.
The twins, standing beside them also had tears welled in their eyes at the fragile sight of their parents.
"Mom, dad. What happened? Why are you crying like this? And where is sister? I want sister right now."
The twins asked together, their voices pulling the elders from their grief as they immediately pulled them in their arms, patting their back to calm them down.
"Clara, you take care of the twins. I will go contact Ms Forren to see whether she can help us and also let the police know so that they can start looking for Sarina as soon as possible."
Take deep breath to gather his strength, Adrian told Clara before stepping outside the room, closing the door behind him.
Clutching his phone tightly, he dialed a number. As soon as the other person picked up, with even letting her speak, Adrian impatiently exclaimed;
"Sarina is missing. We have to find her as soon as possible."