TRIGGER MY HEART

Chapter 3: The Night He Vanished

The sun was still high when Kai stood under the shade of the old tree behind Evercrest High School. He was tossing a pebble into the air, catching it each time with ease. His bag lay at his feet. River sat on the bench nearby, sketching something into his worn-out notebook, the wind flipping some of the pages.

"Are you sure about this?" Kai asked, glancing sideways at him.

River didn't look up. "About what?"

"Giving your dad the money. Again. He's just going to blow it."

River's hand paused. His pencil hovered over the page. He sighed and gave a small, tired smile. "He promised. He said it's for mom's treatment this time."

Kai scoffed. "He always says that."

River closed the notebook and placed it on his lap. His eyes were distant, like he was trying to convince himself. "She's getting worse, Kai. If I don't give him the money, she might—"

"You shouldn't be the one carrying that burden," Kai cut in. "It's not your job. You're sixteen."

River looked down at his hands. His fingers trembled slightly.

Kai stepped forward and dug into his own bag. He pulled out an envelope.

River's eyes widened. "No. Don't. You already gave me so much last time—"

Kai shoved the envelope into River's hand. "It's my birthday money. I don't need it. You do. Use it for your mom."

River blinked, lips trembling. "I'll pay you back. I promise."

Kai gave him a small, lopsided grin. "You don't have to. But if you insist… one day, maybe you'll just buy me a lifetime supply of ramen."

River laughed through his tears. It was the first time Kai had seen him smile all week.

They sat in silence after that, side by side on the bench. It was their world—small, broken, but safe for a little while.

What Kai didn't know then was that this moment—this promise, this debt—would become the invisible string tying them together across the next ten years.

---

The school bell rang, echoing down the wide, polished hallways of Evercrest High. Students poured out of classrooms, their chatter loud, their laughter bouncing off lockers. It was Friday afternoon—the last day of the school week—and everyone was excited. Except Kai.

He leaned against the locker beside his own, arms folded, backpack hanging from one shoulder. His dark brown eyes scanned the hallway as students rushed past. He was tall for sixteen, with a sharp jawline and quiet confidence that made others notice him even when he wasn't trying.

Kai's attention kept drifting toward the hallway corner. He was waiting.

River was late.

Again.

Kai clicked his tongue and adjusted the strap of his backpack. River always stayed behind to help teachers clean the classroom or carry books. He was soft like that. Kind. Too kind.

But today was supposed to be different.

They had made plans—to go to the arcade, eat junk food, maybe sneak into that little comic shop near the station. Just like they used to before River started acting strange.

"Yo, Kai!" someone called. It was Noah, one of his classmates. "We're heading to the court. You in?"

Kai shook his head. "Not today."

"Still waiting on your boyfriend?" Noah smirked.

Kai didn't bother replying. People always joked about him and River. Said they acted like a couple. Like brothers. Sometimes Kai didn't know which was closer to the truth.

Fifteen minutes later, the hallway emptied.

River never showed.

Kai sighed and grabbed his phone. No new messages. He typed one quickly:

> Where are you? Arcade, remember?

Don't make me wait.

He waited. Ten minutes passed. Nothing.

Kai pushed open the glass door and stepped outside. The sun was warm, but there was a strange chill in the wind. He walked alone to the arcade and waited outside. Then inside. Then by the vending machines. Then at the train stop.

No River.

It wasn't like him. River might be quiet, soft-spoken, even a little secretive—but he never forgot promises. Not to Kai.

By sunset, Kai's mood turned bitter. He was pacing outside the arcade, angry and anxious. He called again. Still no reply.

He typed one more message:

> You said you'd come. At least say something.

But the message didn't deliver. Kai stared at the screen.

Not Delivered.

A strange feeling sank into his chest.

Something was wrong.

---

That night, Kai couldn't sleep. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. The city lights blinked through his window blinds like tired stars. He checked his phone again. No message. No call.

At 1:13 AM, he made up his mind.

He got up, pulled on his hoodie, and left through the back door without waking his parents.

River's house was only a few blocks away. He knew the route by heart.

When he got there, he noticed something strange—the lights were all off. The porch light, which was always on, was dark. The gate wasn't locked. He pushed it open.

"River?" Kai whispered, standing at the door. He knocked. Then rang the bell.

No answer.

He waited for ten more minutes.

Nothing.

He turned to leave—then paused. One upstairs window had a faint light. He looked up, hoping. But the curtain moved, and the light went off.

---

The next morning, Kai went back again.

This time, River's sister, Clara, opened the door. She looked surprised.

"Kai?" she said, voice tight. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see River. He didn't meet me yesterday. I'm worried."

Clara forced a smile. "Oh. River left early this morning. Didn't he tell you?"

Kai frowned. "Left? Where?"

Clara shrugged. "Just… he said he was going to stay with a cousin. For a few days. No phone."

"No phone?"

She nodded quickly. "Family issues. It was all last minute."

Kai didn't believe her.

But what could he say?

He walked away, heart heavy.

That night, he tried calling again. Still nothing.

---

A week passed.

Kai stopped going to the arcade. He stopped replying to texts. Even his teachers noticed the change. He looked tired. Disconnected. Always staring out the window.

Then, one morning, everything changed.

He walked by River's street again—just hoping to see him.

But the house… was empty.

The curtains were gone. The garden looked untouched for days. A "For Sale" sign stood on the gate.

Kai stood frozen.

River's family was gone.

Just like that.

---

He didn't cry.

Not at first.

He walked home slowly, his shoes dragging on the pavement. That night, alone in his room, Kai opened the little wooden box he kept under his bed.

Inside were small things—movie tickets, a handmade bracelet, a paper plane River folded in class once. Kai sat on the floor and looked at each one.

Then he cried. Quietly. Like the silence was too loud to fight.

On the fourteenth day, Kai did the unthinkable.

He called the police.

"Hi… I'm looking for someone. He's sixteen. His name is River Ellison. He's been missing—"

"Are you a family member?"

"No. I'm his…"

He hesitated.

"…friend."

There was a pause on the line.

"I'm sorry. We can't open a report without a legal guardian."

Kai's hand trembled as he hung up.

That night, Kai wrote a message on his phone.

River, if you ever read this… please come back. I don't care what happened. Just come back.

He stared at the screen.

Then deleted the message.

What was the point?

He didn't tell anyone. Not his parents. Not his friends.

He kept River's disappearance to himself.

And slowly, he changed.

The happy, goofy boy who once laughed at River's bad jokes faded.

And in his place, Kai built walls.

Cold. Tall. Unshakable.

Until ten years later, when River walked into his office—and he pointed a gun at him.