A collective sigh of relief swept through the group. Beauty felt a strange mix of embarrassment and awkwardness. She wanted to laugh but had to hold it in.
They had all been so caught up in the drama, so ready to offer help, only to find out it was just... a chicken?
"Oh, sorry," they all murmured in unison, their faces flushing with embarrassment.
Jessie was fighting every urge not to laugh at the poor lady. In fact, she had to avoid eye contact with Beauty, because that would definitely cause her laughter to explode.
"We'll help you find your baby, Mrs. Lola," Bruno said gently, reassuring her.
"Muchas gracias."
Beauty stared at Bruno as he consoled the elderly woman, hoping they could make eye contact, longing to be consoled by him too. But he was very serious about keeping his distance this time... forever.
Kathy wasn't happy with the idea of looking for a chicken. She had been glad to finish her shoots so they could leave this dreadful place, only to be asked to find a missing chicken.
"Come on... can't she get her people to do that work and leave us alone? Who keeps a chicken as a pet, anyway?" Kathy's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Probably some wild animal ate it for breakfast."
"That's a rude thing to say, Kathy," Bruno replied, "Mrs. Lola's been kind to us. Have some respect."
Kathy rolled her eyes but didn't say anything more, clearly unbothered by his words.
Ferdinand stepped in, trying to regain control of the situation and reclaim authority from Bruno.
"Alright, since the photoshoot is over, let's get started. We'll find your pet, Mrs. Lola," he said with authority, turning to the crew. "Everyone, divide into pairs. Roommates, you go together."
"So... how are we supposed to know which chicken it is? What if there are wild chickens around here?" Kathy spoke again.
"He's wearing a black bow tie. His name is Bobby... you can call him."
At this point, Jessie's mouth was full of compressed laughter.
What a nice name, Bobby.
"Now that she's answered your question, can you get your ass up and go look for it?" Ferdinand said to Kathy.
Kathy hissed and stood up.
The rest of the team scattered into the woods. Mrs. Cruz started making chicken sounds and calling "Bobby" in between.
Beauty didn't want to be paired with Bruno, not after the way he'd been acting. But there was no escaping it.
Bruno hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether to follow her, but then he did.
The silence between them felt suffocating. Beauty could feel the tension in the air, and her stomach twisted with frustration. They walked side by side through the woods, yet neither said a word to the other. The crunch of the leaves beneath their feet was the only sound between them.
They continued to walk further into the forest while calling Bobby.
Bruno was in front of her this time, completely acting like she was invisible. Beauty's nerves were on edge now. She wanted to say something to Bruno.
She looked up and opened her mouth, but at the same time, her foot snagged on something hidden beneath the leaves. She tried to catch herself, but her body lurched forward.
The sinking ground beneath her gave way, and before she could even think, she was falling.
"Help!"
The scream that escaped her was ragged and full of terror as she slid down into the sinking ground. She couldn't stop herself, couldn't grab hold of anything. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
Jessie heard that scream from a distance.
"Was that not Beauty's voice?" Jessie muttered to herself in panic.
"Beauty!" she called loudly.
As soon as Beauty lost her footing and slipped into the hole, Bruno's heart seized. Without a second thought, he launched himself after her, sprinting as fast as he could to the edge.
He froze for only a second as he reached the end. It led to a river, deep and flowing fast. His pulse spiked with dread.
"Help! Please, I can't swim... please..."
She cried.
Bruno spotted her struggling in the middle of the river, head barely above the surface as she coughed and gasped for breath. She was clearly a terrible swimmer, and he felt a surge of fear. If he couldn't get to her in time, she might not make it.
"Please, I don't want to die this way," she cried out, her voice filled with panic.
"Beauty! Hold on!" he shouted and started swimming.
Hearing him yell her name made Beauty break down crying.
Bruno was a strong swimmer-one of those skills he'd picked up for the sake of fitness but never really thought he'd use like this.
But thank God he had it now. She was fighting for her life in the middle of the river, and he was going to get her out, no matter what.
"Hold on! I'm coming for you!"