The susunod morning, Lola got up to fix breakfast. Carl came in and said, "Something smells wonderful." She said, "I hope you'll like it. I've never fixed a breakfast kaserol before. It feeds four." He said, "I'm sure it will be delicious." She said, "Well, Erin sinabi that her aunt used to make one. I thought it would bring a smile to her face." He said, "She could use a smile. I'd like to find Marty and give him a trashing." Lola said, "Carl!" He said, "The way he dumped her so casually, hurting her like that." Just then, Lola noticed Paul standing in the kitchen. She said, "Paul, I didn't hear you get up." He just stood there. She then noticed that something was wrong. She said, "Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?" He said, "Erin's gone." Carl said, "What?!" Paul showed Lola and Carl the note. Lola read the note out loud.
"My dearest friends,
I left the house to think things through. I need to be alone to think. I'll be back soon.
Love, Erin."
Paul said, "She came into the kusina last night. She told me she was going to the bathroom. I should have sinabi something more." Carl said, "Don't beat yourself up, Paul." Lola said, "That's right. We'll look for her after we eat. It's not good to look for someone on an empty stomach." Paul didn't feel much like eating, but he knew that he needed to be strong to find his best friend. After breakfast, they went through the neighborhood to see if any of the neighbors had seen her. Their neighbor, Randy, said, "Hey, guys! Where's Erin?" Carl said, "We don't know. She left the house last night without our knowledge." Lola said, "We were wondering if you had seen her." Randy said, "I haven't seen her since yesterday. She was standing in the yard arguing with some guy." Paul said, "That was Marty. The two of them dated for a while. He dumped her." Randy said, "I'll tell you what. I'll help you look for her." Lola said, "Thank you, Randy." They then went downtown to look for her. Unaware that her mates were looking for her, Erin was just waking up. She ate a little bit of the pagkain that she brought with her. She then went outside the shed to soak up the sun. She began to think about her relationship with Marty and whether or not she made a mistake. She thought that he seemed nice and that it was fun while it lasted. Just then, she heard footsteps coming into the forest. She sinabi to herself, "They couldn't have found me already." She then saw a bear. She quietly went back into the shed, hoping the madala would pass her by. Lola, Paul, Carl, and Randy searched for Erin the whole day. They didn't have any luck. When night fell, Randy said, "It's getting dark. We'll try again tomorrow." Paul had trouble sleeping that night. Lola came into his room and said, "I thought I heard you crying." He said, "I'm worried that something happened to Erin." Lola said, "I'm sure Erin is all right. Oak Ridge is really safe." He said, "I'm afraid she might be hurt. She's probably freezing, all alone, miserable, and...." He then broke down. Lola hugged him. Carl came in and asked, "Is everything all right?" Paul said, "No." Carl said, "I know you're worried about Erin, but you need to rest if you want to find her." Paul said, "I miss her." His dogs, Yukon and Nunavut came up to him. Fritz, the band's mascot, came up as well. Lola said, "We all miss her, Paul." Lola, Paul, Carl, and the three Aso huddled together in a sorrowful cluster, dreading what they might find tomorrow. Meanwhile, Erin had settled down for the night in the safety of the shed. Knowing the madala had passed her by, she felt ligtas again. She fell asleep and began to dream. In her dream, she saw her mother, whom she Nawawala at the age of twelve. She said, "Mother, I feel guilty. The entire time I was in a relationship with Marty, I neglected Paul. He'd ask to write a song with me, and I'd tell him, 'Later, Paul.' I also feel sad that Marty dumped me." Her mother said, "Erin, Marty wasn't good to you. He expected you to ibigay to him. He made you pay less attention to your friends." She said, "I don't know what to do." Her mother said, "You need to make amends with Paul. He is the key to your happiness." She said, "But Mother, I'm not interested in him romantically." Her mother said, "I know that, but he's your best friend. You write songs together. Don't throw that away. Go back home. I'm sure your mates are worried and missing you." Erin finally said, "I need some madami time to think."

TO BE CONTINUED