359 CADEN'S DILEMMA

Keisha slowly opened her eyes as she tried to turn on her bed. The harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital room blurred her vision as she awoke. As her gaze adjusted, she saw her brother Caden sitting beside her bed, his face etched with worry and distress. "Hey, Caden," she managed to say out loud, her voice hoarse due to her slumber and fatigue. "What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?" She asked, but he tried to play it off. "Don't worry about me; how are you?" He asked. "Well, I'm thankful to be alive," she said with a smile. "Seriously, Caden, what's eating you up?" She asked once more, and this time, he was unable to hold back. Caden's eyes welled up with tears, and he took a shaky breath before speaking. "I... I can't find Aiden," he choked out, his voice trembling with fear. "We went to that party together, but he's gone, Keisha. He's nowhere to be found." He stammered through. Keisha's heart sank upon hearing those words. A cold knot formed in the pit of her stomach as a