It was still raining, though not as heavily as before. I forgot all about Rose as I went out and ran all the way to Valt's house.

I didn't bother grabbing an umbrella. I was more focused on getting to Valt's house. So by the time I ran the Aois' doorbell, I was soaking wet.

Chiharu opened the door. She looked like she had been crying. "Oh, Shu," she said. "Did Valt tell you the news?"

"Not yet," I said. "It's about his Dad, right?"

Chiharu nodded. "He's in his room."

I found Valt crying in his bed. I was really worried. The news must be really horrible. "Valt, what's going on? I'm getting scared."

Valt looked up. "My Dad... His flight disappeared! Nobody knows where he is."

I gave my best friend a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"I... I don't know if he's okay. He could be... Could be..." His words trailed off.

I knew what Valt wanted to say, but he couldn't say it. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to say that either.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Unless you can find my Dad, I don't think there's anything you can do. Can you stay with me until I feel better?"

I nodded. "I can do that."

I was at a loss at how to help Valt. I couldn't count the number of times he had been there for me.

Valt was the first person I told when my parents said something that upset me. He helped me when I was injured.

Valt was the one that freed me from being possessed by an evil Beyblade. He was even the first one to forgive me although I hurt him more than everyone else combined. I don't deserve a friend like Valt.

The least I could do was to help him through his sadness.

Valt and I played some board games, like Monopoly and Scrabble. But that got boring after a while.

Valt started to get tired. "I think that I need a nap," he said.

"I'll go to the living room," I told him. "You can come down there when you're finished with your nap."

But as I sat on a couch reading a comic book, something felt off. I felt oddly chilly and my nose felt stuffed up.

The twins weren't at home as they were at a classmate's birthday party. I don't think they knew the news yet.

I stood up to get a glass of water, but my body felt weak. Was there something the matter with me?

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. Did I pass out?

Valt was probably still sleeping, otherwise he would have seen me and freaked out. I tried to get up.

Something was definitely wrong. I felt weird all over. My legs felt like they weren't working and my body felt warm.

I suddenly sneezed. Did I have a cold?

At least it had stopped raining. I managed to stand up after a while of struggling.

Suddenly, I remembered Rose. I had left her sleeping at my apartment! What if she woke up and found that I was missing? She would probably freak out.

But where was my phone? Oh yeah, in Valt's room where he was currently napping.

Just then, the twins came into the house, chattering happily. They saw me and smiled.

"Hey Shu!" said Nika cheerfully, but then she frowned. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine. It's just a cold."

"Even if it's just a cold, you should tell Mom," said Toko. "Where's Mom, anyway?"

My stomach sank. How do I tell the twins the news?

The twins went into the house calling for their mother. The thought of their happy bubbles being shattered made my stomach turn. I felt like throwing up again.

But this time I didn't throw up, although I dragged myself to the bathroom. I spent half an hour dry heaving. Now I had a headache from attempting to throw up.

Valt suddenly came into the bathroom. "Oh Shu, thank goodness," he said. "The twins told me that you look sick."

Valt checked my temperature. "Shu, you have a fever. Must be from the rain."

"Valt, I left Rose at my house. I need to call her."

However, when we tried to reach Rose, we had no answer. We looked at each other worriedly.

Toko and Nika burst into the room, crying. Toko hugged Valt and Nika hugged me.

"Valt, is it true?" asked Toko. "Is Dad really missing?"

Valt looked sad. "Yeah, I'm afraid that it's true."

Nika cried. "Will we ever see Dad again?"

"I'm sure we will," said Valt although he didn't sound convinced. I knew that he was putting up an act so that the twins wouldn't get scared. But he couldn't fool me. I knew that he was helpless and terrified.

The worst part was that there was nothing we could do about the situation except to wait for news and worry about it.