Shawn broke down. He shouted angrily, "Shameless couple! How dare you!"
Felicia's face darkened. Nothing was going on between her and Stephan, but his outburst made it seem like they had some unspeakable relationship.
Felicia glanced at Stephan quickly and was surprised that he wasn't mad about it. She felt a little relieved and was about to find some object to keep Shawn quiet. But just then, she heard a rustling sound behind the bush.
Shawn exclaimed, "Help! Help—" He was instantly silenced, spitting and choking as a clump of grass was stuffed into his mouth.
Felicia picked up her flashlight from the ground and shone it in the direction of the noise.
"Who's there?"
The dense grass parted, and a small figure appeared, calling out cheerfully, "Felicia! It's me!"
"Lucas?"
Felicia rushed over and inspected him from head to toe. She sighed a sigh of relief when she saw him unharmed and his clothing still clean. She asked, "Lucas, where have you been all afternoon?"
Lucas pouted, clearly upset. "Earlier in the afternoon, I was playing marbles with my friends. Then a wicked man tricked me, saying that Grandpa was injured on the way to Hillfort. I trusted him and ran up the mountain, only to find out he lied!
"He then attempted to tie me up. I was scared so I just kept running. I found a tree to climb and hide. He couldn't find me, so he left. I was too scared to get down, fearing he might still be around to catch me. Then, just now, I heard that wicked man begging for help. I was so hungry and it was getting dark on the mountain too that I nearly fell from the tree. That's when I finally sneaked out to see what was going on. "
Felicia finally grasped the entire scenario after listening to Lucas' explanation.
No wonder Shawn refused to say where he'd hidden Lucas. Even though he had lured Lucas out, he eventually lost him. He had no clue where the kid was, either.
"Ah, you were so clever and brave!"
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