My mom sat in the parlor and cried. I thought by now she would be out of tears. Her face had been soaked for three straight days. The police still had no leads as to where to look for her. I was the only one who knew where she had gone that night. She told me she would be back no later than ten. I sat up until one o’clock waiting for her. When she was still not back I dozed off hoping my dreams would be better than this nightmare. The next morning I awoke to police in my house searching my room for evidence. My mother told me she just didn’t want to wake me. She thought I had looked to peaceful to make me be another to worry about her.




I was worried the most. I hadn’t spoken since she had disappeared. Not a single syllable. Even when the police questioned me, my throat closed and nothing came out. My mom had too much on her mind to notice I had become mute.




My mother had blamed herself for her disappearance. My mother had grounded her for staying out to late with him, and having to many drinks and coming home wasted. She had revolted when my mother had refused her to see him.

I knew she had snuck out that night to be with him. I just couldn’t say it out loud. My head was screaming “TELL THEM! YOU KNOW SHE WAS WITH HIM!” I just could not bring myself to say it. He was older. That worried me but I never said anything to her about it. Now I wish I would have.

The doorbell rang and pulled me from the flashback of that night. My mother wiped her tears and answered it. It was the police again. They sat my mother down and told her they had found and arrested him. He had admitted to being with her that night. But when asked where she was, he was quiet with a spark of guilt in his eyes.

I couldn’t hear anymore. I grabbed my coat and ran outside. It was cool. The sky was gray just like it had been seen the day she went missing. I walked to the creek. This was our favorite place to come. The trees covered our secrets and the water glistened in the sun. I hadn’t brought myself to come since that day. But something about this day, a distant memory or just the peacefulness of it, drew me to it.

There, under the tree where we had carved ‘Best friends forever’, she sat. She was bruised from head to toe and there was so much blood it made me cringe. I ran to her. Her heart was beating slow, but there was still a chance. I had not brought my phone. I had been hoping for some peace and quiet. I searched her for hers, being careful not to hurt her anymore. There it was in her left back pocket as it was always. I opened it the screen filled with a picture of him putting his arms around her. I cringed again, even more this time. I sat down next to her.

I made sure to push each button carefully but as fast as possible, “You have reached the emergency hotline, what is your emergency?” My throat closed up like it had done so many times before. I did not want to admit I had let this happen to her, “I’m pin-pointing your location. Can you make any noise?”

Tears filled my eyes. I took a deep breath, “Yes,”

“What is the emergency?” She asked again.

“I have found a missing girl. She is badly hurt,” Tears rolled down my cheeks like rain pours from the sky.

“I’m sending help. Do you know this girl?”

This time I for sure thought I was not going to be able to say anything. I felt a hand close around mine. Hers, “She’s my sister,”