Laurits burst inside the dining hall, with André at the heels. All the guests looked their way. Mrs. Kannenborg's wore a face of mild distraught but trying her best to hope for anything but what she was fearing.

"I'm sorry but a Scene has manifested itself in the gardens."

The guests gasped. Mrs. Kannenborg froze completely now.

"If I could, I want all guests to remain here at the Kannenborg Estate until the local OS arrives. In the meantime, if I could speak with the Kannenborg Family immediately then that would be best, I think."

"O-of course!" Mr. Kannenborg said. He got up and walked towards a smaller sitting room nearby. Mrs. Kannenborg took a moment, but then, still aghast, got up as well. Laurits and André joined the two of them inside the smalle room. On their way, they heard the worried whispers and murmurs of the guests.

The room itself was actually further away than Laurits had first thought. There was a small corridor from the dining hall that led into a parlor of sorts, that overlooked the garden, and then another connected sitting or drawing room to that was where they resided.

"So, Laurits, what has happened?" said Mr. Kannenborg, "At least tell me that nobody has been liquidated or anything." At this remark, André looked horrified and burst out, "Nothing of the sort!"

"André!" Yelled Mr. Kannenborg, but then sighed in regret, "I'm sorry. But if not that, then what?"

Laurits mustered some courage.

"Mr. Kannenborg, I regret to tell you, that your son, Sylver, has gone missing."

He never liked to be the bearer of news. Not even good news, really. Sometimes he wondered if he was actually fit to be a COS. But it always came down to just being nerves. Or, that's what he told himself.

A quietude fell upon the room. It seemed as if everyone inside held their breath. Then Mrs. Kannenborg said "Just that?"

"I tried to tell him!" Said André. Laurits turned towards him

"Yes, you did. But I'm sorry, but disappearances aren't to be taken so lightly!" He turned back to Mrs. and Mr. Kannenborg, "And so I decided that it was best to handle this myself; telling you and then planning a course of action."

Again the room fell silent. Laurits felt really odd in this situation. It was as if he had done something wrong; as if he was acting like a rookie, but this was standard procedure for disappearances. Especially amongst the upper classes. Had it been other social spheres, he would simply have already coordinated information-distribution, a search party, and a temporary communications division. Disappearances weren't so rare that a well-optimized procedure hadn't already been in the works for years.

"Laurits," Mrs. Kannenborg began, "Sylver disappears all the time."

"He.. does?"

"Indeed. Now, I do wonder what we'll do with the Litation. André, will you be able to do it this year in Sylver's stead?"

"Of course; I was already planning to do so."

"That's good, dear. Now, you gave us quite the scare, Laurits, but should we get back to dinner?"

Laurits was dumbfounded.

"P-pardon me, but. I really think we should-"

"He'll come back again, Laurits. He always does," said Mr. Kannenborg.

And with that, Mrs. and Mr. Kannenborg, and André walked back to the dining hall, leaving Laurits alone in the parlor's side room.

Laurits was stuck in thoughts. Why were they taking it all so lightly? He understood, that Sylver might have done this before but. To put trust in it so much. And also the fact that Sylver most likely had been taken. Not necessarily, though. But highly likely. And why were they deflecting his attempts to explain himself? Laurits got an ominous feeling; as if the rest of the family knew something that he didn't. Most likely just that Sylver was the type to run off and come back hours later, but there was something else. There had been something sinister in the air, he knew this. The way they all had changed from actual fear of something horrible, to simply. Complacent. Especially André. Mere moments ago, he had sat before Laurits, clutching Sylver's shirt and looking deeply worried and scared. But now? Now he was as relaxed as ever. And had he actually tried to tell Laurits anything? He didn't remember any such thing. Maybe he had jumped to a conclusion and hadn't heard André? Maybe he was just oddly paranoid tonight? But why would he be that? Perhaps because of so many strangers, his job making him be alert at gatherings like this. Or perhaps he wore his nerves on the outside because it was so long since he had seen the Kannenborg family?

Question after question and just as many answers floated inside Laurits' head as he walked back to the dining hall. As he entered, the guests' attention was drawn to him. As if running automatically, he announced,

"My apologies for having scared you all. It was a simple misunderstanding by me. The Kannenborg family has assured me, that what I believed to have been a Scene was nothing of the sort. Therefore, you are also not required to stay; the local OS will not be informed."

As he said that, something clicked. 'The local OS would not be informed'. This would benefit anyone trying to hide other misdeeds. But the family itself were the ones to instigate the blow-off of the OS.

Laurits sighed, exhausted. His mind had already been kicked into work-mode, so it was hard to stop it again. One thing couldn't leave him. Or rather, it was something he wouldn't leave himself. He needed to see the not-scene again; the clearing in the thickets where they found Sylver's shirt. He was sure it would give him some sort of clue of what to do.