The arena was alive in a way Reid had always loved. The sound of skates cutting into ice, the echo of the crowd, the constant buzz of excitement. All this made everything feel bigger, faster, more important. He stood just inside the entrance, taking it all in for a second before turning to Ethan.

“Stay close, okay?” Reid said, half-smiling.

Ethan laughed. “Relax, I’m not a little kid. I’m right here.”

Reid nodded, but before he could say anything else, the crowd surged forward. People pushed past them, loud and impatient, trying to get to their seats before the game started. Reid stumbled slightly, then quickly turned back.

Ethan was gone.

At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Ethan wandered off all the time. Reid figured he’d show up in a minute with snacks or some random comment about the teams.

Still, he looked around.

“Ethan?” he called, scanning the sea of jerseys and faces.

No answer.

Reid moved through the crowd, checking the nearby sections, then the concession stands. He walked faster, his eyes darting everywhere.

“Ethan!” he called again, louder this time.

Nothing.

A strange feeling started to settle in his chest. This wasn’t like Ethan. He would’ve answered by now. He would’ve found Reid.

Minutes passed, but it felt like much longer. Reid checked the washrooms, the hallways, even stepped outside the arena doors. The cold air hit him, but it didn’t help clear his head.

Something was wrong.

His hands felt shaky as he went to security. Explaining it out loud made it feel more real. Soon, more people were involved. Questions were asked. The police were called.

The game went on, but Reid didn’t hear any of it anymore.

Hours later, he sat in a quiet room, staring at the floor while an officer spoke. 

Ethan had been found. And he wasn’t coming back.

Reid didn’t react at first. It was like his mind refused to accept it. Ethan? No. That didn’t make sense. Ethan was always talking, always laughing, always there. The silence felt unbearable.

Then it hit him. The grief. The anger. The confusion. It all crashed down at once, and Reid felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

But underneath it all, something else started to grow. He needed to know what happened.

Over the next few days, Reid couldn’t sit still. He replayed everything in his mind: the crowd, the entrance, the people around them. One memory kept coming back: a group of players from the opposing team were arguing aggressively. 

It wasn’t much, but it was something.