Mia: chuckles OMG, can you believe another one fell for it? XD
DesertRoseCharm
HIA MIA 😋😋! HOW COME U NEVER TOLD ME THAT U HAVE A DOG?
Well, I wouldn't exactly call him a "dog"... more like a...a... uh...a cute little puppy? Yeah, that's it!
DesertRoseCharm
HAHAHHA! REALLY? I CAN SEE HIM!!
Oh sure, you can! But only if you promise not to tell anyone else about him. He's sort of...uh...my little secret.
DesertRoseCharm
AY OKAY!
whispers Alright, but you have to swear you won't tell anyone. Now, come closer and I'll show you.
DesertRoseCharm
AY SWEAR!!
takes out a tiny leash and walks over to the closet Okay, so apparently he can fit inside this closet. Isn't it adorable?
DesertRoseCharm
WHAT!? IS HE DEAD? WHY IS HES IN THE CLOSET? OH MY GOD I WONT SAY ANYTHING I SWEAR!!
laughs No, no, he's not dead! And yes, he is in the closet. It's actually his favorite place to nap. Isn't that right, buddy?
DesertRoseCharm
OHHHHHH BUDY?!?! IS IT A PUPPY?
opens the closet door to reveal a small puppy curled up inside Ta-da! Meet Buddy, the world's cutest little secret.
DesertRoseCharm
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
grinning mischievously Surprise, surprise! Buddy here has his own little Instagram account.
DesertRoseCharm
OMG!
shows DesertRoseCharm the Instagram account Look at all his adorable pictures! He's got more followers than I do!
DesertRoseCharm
AY IDGFSBS!
giggles I know, right? He's a social media sensation! But shh, don't tell anyone else about it. It's our little secret.
DesertRoseCharm
OMGGGGG GONNA TELL YASHESSSSSHHHHHH!
As DesertRoseCharm excitedly shares Buddy's Instagram account with her friends, Mia worries that their secret might be discovered by someone who could harm Buddy.
DesertRoseCharm
HELLOOOO!
Yo, what's up? Everything alright?
DesertRoseCharm
HELL YES! MY FRIENDS LOVED UR PUPPY!
Great, glad they liked Buddy! But remember, we need to keep his identity a secret, okay?
DesertRoseCharm
OKAY!
furrows her brow Wait, something's not right. I just received a strange message from an unknown number. It said something...off.
DesertRoseCharm
WHAT!?
reads the message aloud "I know your secret, Mia. Your little puppy...he belongs to me." a chill runs down her spine
DesertRoseCharm
YEAH I KNOW! WE HAVE TO CALL THE POLICE NOWSERIOUSLY!
frantically grabs her phone No, wait! We can't just call the police without being sure. We need to find out who this person is and what they want.
DesertRoseCharm
BUT IF THEY HAVE THE PUPPY THEN WE SHOULD STILL CALL THE POLICE!
paces back and forth, biting her lip You're right, we should definitely be cautious. But before we involve the police, let's try to handle this ourselves first.
DesertRoseCharm
GRRRRR NO!
determined Look, DesertRoseCharm, I know it's scary, but involving the police will only make things more complicated.
DesertRoseCharm
Ummm alright..
takes a deep breath and composes herself Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We'll send a polite message to this person, find out their intentions, and see if we can negotiate.
DesertRoseCharm
BUUUUT!
quickly types a message on her phone Hi there, whoever you are. I'm Mia, Buddy's owner. Can we talk about what you know about him? Let's meet and discuss this in person.
DesertRoseCharm
WAITTTTTTTT!
Mia receives a quick reply from the mysterious person: "Sure, meet me at the old park at midnight. I'll be waiting." Mia feels a mix of fear and determination as she reads the message.
DesertRoseCharm
WAITTT!
grabs DesertRoseCharm's arm Come on, we need to go to the old park now. I have a bad feeling about this.