Tara went into the house and found her sisters, each with a book, most likely from her fiancé's library. But Ben himself was not there with them.
"Where's Ben?", she asked of no one in particular.
"Back," was the response from Maalina, who was reading from two books at the same time.
Tara left the girls and went in search of her groom at the back of the house. But she didn't find him there. She tried the kitchen, calling his name as she searched. But he wasn't there. So she directed her search upstairs. Still, he wasn't there. She began to get worried. If Ben was playing a prank, this was certainly not the right time, not when they had guests waiting. So she called Joey.
"Have you seen Ben? Is he with you?", she asked as soon as he picked the phone.
"I thought he was with you."
"Just answer the question, Joey."
"No no, he ain't here. But ha..."
She disconnected the call and rushed back down.
"Lina, where did you say Ben went?"
"Back. That was where he said he was going. What is it? Can't find him?"
"What did he say he was going to do there?", she asked, ignoring her sister's questions.
"I have no idea."
"He wanted to go get some flowers for Braana," Lisha offered.
"But he's not there. Where the hell did he vanish into?"
"What's the problem?", Maana demanded, taking her attention from the album she had been looking at.
"It's Ben, Mother," Tara whined as she took a seat beside her mother. "I can't find him anywhere!"
"Maybe he went for a walk."
"On his wedding day? Come on, Mother."
"Maybe he's rethinking things," Lisha piped up, immediately earning a fiery glare from her sister.
Just then, someone appeared at the doorway and Tara quickly sat up, thinking it was Ben. But it was only Joey.
"He still hasn't returned?"
"Returned from where? If only we know where he went to. He even left his phone behind," she grumbled, nodding at the arm of the couch where Ben's phone lay.
"That's weird," Joey commented thoughtfully.
"Whatever prank he's playing, he has to know it's not funny."
"Nah. Benny doesn't play this kind of prank. Who was the last person that saw him?"
"Everyone.. except me. And it seems he went to back of the house."
But Joey was already headed that way. Tara simply sighed and leaned back on her mother's shoulder.
"Don't worry, dear," Maana said, patting her back gently. "He'll be back in no time."
"I hope so, Mother."
The absence of Ben had put a damper on everything for Tara and instead of getting ready, she was patiently waiting for her nowhere-to-be-found groom while her sisters busied themselves with books and television. Soon, Joey returned.
"Found something," he said quietly, earning the attention of the whole room, but only one person knew the significance of what he was holding. Tara blanched at the sight of the dirty and crushed shoe in Joey's hands - Ben's shoe!
"Oh God," she gasped as she jumped to her feet, but before she could take two steps, she slumped down on the ground.
"It's alright. I'll take care of her," Maana said as Joey and the girls rushed to Tara. "Where's the bed?", she asked of Joey.
"Upstairs. I'll show you."
He rushed over to the stairs to lead her to Ben's bedroom while she followed with an unconscious Tara in her arms. The girls gathered around the foot of the stairs, watching in mild confusion. They would have loved to follow their mother up the stairs, but nobody wanted to get on the wrong side of Maana today. They stood there in silence, waiting to hear any sound that could tell them what was going on up there. Then suddenly, Joey appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Lina, your mother would like to see you."
Before he could complete the statement, Lina was already flying up the stairs. He led her to the room where her mother was and she walked in to see her sister spread full length on the bed, as if she was just enjoying a normal sleep. Her face looked calm and Mother had arranged her hair and dress as best she could.
"So what do we do about the wedding and how do we find Ben?", Maana asked of both of them.
"I... ," Joey was saying when Lina cut in.
"Shouldn't we inform the police or whatever it is that land people call when someone goes missing?"
"No no no. That's not a good idea. They'll need to talk to us and have us stay around and we can't afford to do that. By the way, Rana has to get back home tonight and everyone will come along too."
"I.. I can hire a PI. A Private Investigator, I mean," Joey offered.
"Yes, do that. And every other thing you think is necessary, provided it doesn't expose us. But we also have to think about the wedding and the waiting guests. We have to find a way to disperse them without any trouble."
Joey nodded in concurrence.
"What will you tell them?", Lina suddenly asked, turning to him.
"Don't know. I..."
"I think the truth is always best."
"Not in this case, Lina," her mother said, shaking her head.
"Um.. I think.. I think I may have an idea," Joey intimated.
"Okay. Just make sure there's no fuss. Try to calm them down as much as you can. And call your PI to start work immediately. We leave in a few minutes. If you don't mind, we'll need your keys, for your house and your car. You can use your friend's car."
"Can um.. can you drive?", Joey asked as he presented the keys to her.
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.
"I was driving long before you were born, young man," Maana clipped.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude. Just.. I'll go er.. get everything done."
Feeling chastened, he hurried out of the room, leaving mother and daughters alone.
"You never told us you were once on the land, Mother," Lina said, after Joey had left the room.
"And how's that relevant to the current situation?"
"Just curious."
"No time for your trademark curiosity, Lina. Go get your sisters ready. We leave immediately."