Chapter Text
Miskatonic University was a mystery, the prestigious college rivaling the likes of Princeton and Harvard easily and yet standing out for its penchant for the peculiar. Class lists consisting of occult occurrences and supernatural studies could be found with almost any student, along with rumors conspiring about its haunted campus and sometimes even worse ideas floating around a student’s mind. Today’s occurrence however was anything but supernatural.
[9:20 PM: Miranda (Penny’s Cousin)] Hey, have you seen Peterson? They haven’t come home yet.
Jo frowned, staring at her phone for a moment before looking up just in time to see Millie walk out of her room, staring at her own phone. “Hey Millie, you seen Peterson?”
“Miranda asked you too? I ain’t seen them since our last class. But that was about five,” Millie said, tapping away at her screen before falling next to Jo on her bed. Jo hummed softly to herself, tapping out a quick reply to Miranda and turning to Millie. “You think we should go look for them?”
She shrugged. “They said they were goin to study after class and probably lost track of time. I’ll just call them and tell them to text Miranda before she worries herself to death,” Millie said, putting her cell phone up to her ear.
Jo nodded, turning back to face the tv in front of them even as she felt a growing sense of unease. It wouldn’t be uncommon for Peterson to lose track of time while studying, Jo had seen it happen enough times herself to know how the doctor to be would get. But it was late for them to be out studying by themself. Peterson was the one to force them into a buddy system after dark anyway.
Millie shifted on the couch beside her, pulling Jo’s thoughts away from one friend and to another. Jo glanced at her, the unease growing at the sight of furrowed brows and a pinched frown. “What?”
Millie glanced at her. “Their phone must be off. Straight to voicemail.”
Jo’s stomach flipped. No, that wasn’t right. Peterson didn’t turn their phone off, too used to having to bail Jo out of trouble or last minute test cramming having made it something Peterson always had on and fully charged. “That’s weird. Why would they turn their phone off?”
Millie shrugged. “It probably died. They’ll be home soon, Miranda just likes to worry.”
Jo nodded. “Right. I’m sure they’ll be home soon.”
[10:00 PM] Hey, Peterson ever come home?
[10:05 PM: Miranda (Penny’s Cousin)] No I’ve called them like 50 times. No answer
[10:06 PM: Mills] They’re phone probably died.
[10:07 PM: Miranda (Penny’s Cousin)] They carry like 6 chargers!
[10:08 PM: Cass (Barkeep)] You guys better have a damn good reason to keep this thing dinging every two minutes. I’ve got a lecture at 9 tomorrow morning.
[10:10 PM] Peterson’s missing.
[10:10 PM: Miranda (Penny’s Cousin)] Peterson’s missing.
[10:10 PM: Mills] Peterson’s missing.
[10:11 PM: Cass (Barkeep)] Why the hell didn’t you start with that????
[10:12 PM] I mean the first message is “Did Peterson ever come home.”
[10:13 PM: Mills] I mean, she’s got a point.
[10:13 PM] Thank you Millie.
[10:14 PM: Miranda (Penny’s cousin)] Guys! Remember, Peterson? Missing?????
[10:15 PM: Cass (Barkeep)] Miranda, breathe. I’ll grab Winter and head over. We can look for them.
[10:16 PM] Me and Millie can check out the clinic. Make sure they didn’t get lost in research again.
[10:15 PM: Mills] Six of us can’t cover this entire campus.
[10:16 PM: Cass (Barkeep)] I’ll call Tulip and tell her what’s going on.
[10:17 PM] I can call Brynn.
[10:18 PM: Miranda (Penny’s Cousin)] Okay, yea. I’m gonna get a jacket. Cass, I’ll meet you by the door.
Jo let out a soft breath, nodding to Millie who stood and moved back to her room, probably for warmer clothes. Jo scanned through her contacts quickly, pressing Brynn’s number and holding the phone to her ear. The line rang for a moment before a rough voice answered. “ ‘ello?”
“Brynn! Hey, um I need some help here.”
There was a groan and shuffling on the other end, the sound of feet hitting the floor clear in Jo’s ears. “Which bar and who am I hitting?”
Jo laughed, shrugging on her own jacket as Millie came back into the room. “No bar. We can’t find Peterson so me, Millie, Miranda and her friends are gonna go look for them but it’s a huge campus so I was hopin you’d help out.”
The sounds on the other end of the line paused and for a moment Jo worried Brynn had fallen back asleep before they picked up again, moving faster. “Shit, your partner’s gone missin?”
Jo frowned, rubbing the bridge of her nose as her cheeks flushed, following Millie out the door of their dorm and down the hall. “They’re not my—”
“—yea yea whatever you say. I’ll grab Rosa and Holiday. We’ll check out the grounds.”
Jo nodded, flinching at the harsh wind as her and Millie stepped outside. “Alright. We’re checking the clinic first. Probably the psychology clinic too. We’ll let you know if we find them.” Jo said before issuing a quick goodbye and hanging up.
“Shit,” Brynn cursed, rubbing her bruised shin and moving around the table in the dark. There was shuffling in the next bedroom, Shyla’s head peeking out the door.
“Brynn?” she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
Brynn turned quickly, yelping as her socks slid along the floor before steadying herself against the wall. “Sorry. Pete’s gone missin’. Rounding up a search party now.”
Shyla blinked, rubbing her eyes harder and squinting at Brynn in the dark. “Pete?”
Brynn nodded, hopping on one leg as she pulled on a pair of jeans. “Yea, Peterson, ya know, Jo’s ‘friend’” she said, using her one free hand for air quotes.
Shyla nodded. “Give me two minutes,” she said as she stepped back into her room. Brynn groaned, fastening her jeans and slipping her shoes on by the front door. She looked around quickly, grabbing her knife from a table and pulling her phone out of her pocket.
[10:26 PM] Wake up.
[10:27 PM] Wake up.
[10:28 PM] Either wake up or I’m waking you up when I get there.
[10:28 PM: Rosa] What’s wrong?
[10:29 PM: Holiday] I thought Jo Reeves was your contact for late night shenanigans.
[10:30 PM] Nobody can find Pete. Jo called, I said we’d help out.
Brynn glanced up as Shyla stepped out of her room fully dressed and wrapped tightly in a jacket. “Alright, let’s go.” Brynn nodded, stepping out the door and waiting for Shyla.
“Gonna get Rosa and Holiday. We’ll check the grounds. Make sure Pete didn’t get fuckin mugged out here.”
“I’ll grab Bernie and Celeste. They know some of the best places to hide on campus. If someone did try to mug them, they probably ran.”
Brynn nodded, skin crawling at the thought of Peterson having to deal with that. They were tougher than they looked, they had to be to keep up with Jo. But Brynn doubted they had been in enough fights to know how to handle one. She glanced down at her phone and sent off another quick text.
[10:32 PM] I’ll be at yours in 5.
[11:00 PM: Mir] Has anyone found anything????!!!
[11:01 PM: Jo] Clinics locked. Closed at 6. No way they’re in there.
[11:02 PM: Millie] Checking the psych clinic next. It’s probably the same.
[11:03 PM: Brynn] We checked the paths from the dorms. Good news, they’re not in a ditch!
[11:04 PM: Holiday] Brynn!!!!
[11:04 PM: Rosa] We haven’t found anything around the dorms. Or the class buildings.
[11:05 PM: Shy] And they’re not hiding anywhere.
[11:06 PM: Mir] So they’re still gone??? They just disappeared???
Cass sighed, placing her phone down on the bench beside her and looking up at her two friends just feet away. Winter had an arm wrapped around Miranda, rubbing soft circles in her back as their friend’s breathing began to pick up again. Cass stood, pocketing her phone and moving to her friends, kneeling down in front of Miranda and trying to meet her eyes. “Miranda, you need to breathe. You won’t help Peterson by passing out and we sure as hell can’t carry you back to the dorms.”
Miranda hiccuped, wiping her nose as Winter nodded beside her. “Cass is right. They probably just fell asleep somewhere. You said yourself they weren’t sleeping that well.”
Miranda shook her head, still staring at her phone. “But they know better! If they were tired they would have studied at our dorm. Or Jo’s! They wouldn’t have just—”
“—Miranda? Is everything alright dear?” a voice called out, all three women jumping at the sound.
Cass turned first, standing straight and blocking her friends from the new voice only to immediately relax at the sight of Professor Lovewing standing before them. “Sorry Professor. Peterson never came home so we’re out looking for them,” Cass said.
A flash of emotion crossed their professor’s face, Cass couldn’t make it out in the dark. But it was gone as soon as it appeared, a familiar soft smile taking its place. “Oh, I’m sorry. Well I’m sure they must be here somewhere. They are quite studious. Hm, well, I know the library stays open quite late. Could they be there?”
Miranda sighed. “We’ve already checked the library Mrs. Lovewing. We couldn’t find them.”
Professor Lovewing nodded slowly, eyes still lingering on Cass as her smile changed from soft to almost knowing. “Sometimes it’s worth double checking dears. Especially in a place as big as that. There are a lot of old hiding spots students discover over the years, you know?”
Cass’ eyes narrowed, hiding spots, library, a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head as Professor Lovewing’s smile grew. “I think I know where they are,” Cass said firmly, turning to her friends who both stared at her with confusion. “We should head back to the library. Thank you Professor.”
The professor just smiled as Winter and Miranda just stood, still confused. “Glad I could help dear. Tell Peterson that if they need help sleeping I know a few tea recipes that can help, hm?”
Cass nodded and quickly bid the woman goodbye as she led her friends back toward the library. “Cass, where are we going?” Miranda asked, her height making it easy to keep up with the woman.
“Yes, this feels very sudden. Why are we going back to where we just left?” Winter added, struggling to keep up with her friends.
“Because Professor Lovewing is right. There are tons of hiding spots in that library. Peterson’s there so much they’ve probably found all of them. I know a couple the librarians don’t even know about. I bet you anything that’s where they are.”
“Then why haven’t they called us??? Or me??? They have to have seen the chat!” Miranda said, holding the door open for both Cass and Winter who stepped inside quickly. The librarian shot Miranda a stern look as her voice almost rung through the large library making her duck her head slightly and offer a quick apology.
Cass shook her head, quickly leading her friends through rows and rows of shelves and to the stairs leading to the lower floor. “Because they’re probably asleep Miranda! It is almost midnight,” she said, leading the other two down the stairs and through more rows of books.
Winter sighed, slowly following behind her friends through the different sections, trying to ignore the tiredness of her body as they wandered through section after section. This was ridiculous. They were just here! And she knew they had checked every corner of this library. Why was Cass so convinced they were even here? Peterson could have been home by now! She shook her head, pausing for a moment and leaning against a shelf as she tried to adjust her shoes. There was nothing down here! Just tables and books and tables with books and…snoring? Who was—she glanced around, ignoring her still bickering friends a few rows away as she moved closer to a table hidden in the corner. The table was stacked high with books, some stacks verging on total collapse as she peeked around them. And there, sitting with their head against the table, glasses skewed on their face was Peterson. “Hey guys? I found them.”
[11:20 PM] We found them!
[11:21 PM: Jo] Thank god! Where were they?
[11:22 PM: Brynn] It better have been somewhere good to drag us out of bed.
[11:23 PM: Holiday] She’s kidding. We were happy to help.
[11:24 PM: Millie] But where were they?
[11:25 PM] Asleep in the library. Miranda’s taking them home now.
[11:26 PM: Win] Thank you for the help everyone. Miranda appreciates it.