“Bless her, I think she’s staying in character,” Karen said, wiping tears of joy from her eyes.
“She’s a good actress, I can tell,” Madison said. “Oh, is that Mr Barnes?” She pointed to a portly guy, jumping up and down and yelling words of encouragement to the kids.
“Yup. He’s married now, with two kids.”
“Wow. It’s so great to see all these familiar faces!” Madison said with a smile. “Have you heard from Sophia yet?”
“No, I was just thinking that she ought to be making her way over here by now. Let me call her.” Karen took her phone out and dialed her daughter’s number.
“Hmm, no signal. That always happens on parade days. I think the network gets overwhelmed by everyone gathering together.”
“Maybe she got jammed in by the crowds someplace and she’s watching from a bit further down?”
“Yeah, I expect so. I’ll just write her a message to call me as soon as she can.” Karen typed it out and put her phone back in her pocket. “Have you seen any cute guys yet?” she said, elbowing her sister.
Madison laughed.
“Trust you to be on the hunt right now!”
“Hey, the parade is prime scoping ground! It’s the one time you get to see everyone at once. The problem is that all the guys my age are now married.”
“And my age too, little sister,” Madison said. Karen had broken up with Abbey’s father before she was born, and since then, she’d been so busy raising the two girls that she’d had very little time to meet anyone. There had been a couple of fleeting relationships here and there, but she hadn’t found anyone to settle down with. This was something that frequently saddened Madison. Karen was so warm and funny; she deserved to find someone who’d appreciate her many good qualities. Madison had often wondered if her sister was wasting her life in Misty Hollow with such a small dating pool. But now she was in the same situation too.
“He’s pretty cute – over there in the red down coat.” Karen gave a snort of laughter.
“Been there, done that! We dated for like five minutes three years ago. He’s really uptight and anal. It used to freak him out that our house was always so untidy, so he had to go.” Madison gaped.
“But your house isn’t untidy?”
“Exactly. I like to think of it as cozy, and, to be fair, there were always a few toys on the floor. But to him, it was a pigsty. There you go, though. I’d rather be single than with a neat freak.”
“How about him – that tall, stocky guy, straight ahead, three rows back?”
“Ah, he’s married I think – uh, there’s his wife on his left hand side. But how about him – dark hair, on the front row, in a navy blue coat?” Madison craned her neck.
“I don’t see him.”
“Ok, I’ll point with my elbow.” Giggling, Madison tried to follow the direction of Karen’s elbow.
“Oh, I think I see him –” she started to say, but she never finished her sentence, as someone else had just caught her eye. Her heart thudded. It was him. And he looked even better than she remembered, his dark hair sexily tousled. She tugged Karen’s arm.
“Look, it’s the bear-shifter. Three rows back from him.”
“Yes, it is! And look who he’s with. I don’t think I’ve ever seen three such fine specimens together in my entire life!”
“His uncle and cousin, right?”
“Yup. And I think I prefer the cousin to him. There’s just something about the way his hair flops over one eye.”
“Noo. He can’t hold a candle to Brock.”
“Each to their own. The older guy is hot too. He’s like the ultimate silver fox. If I was twenty years older I’d be all over him!” Madison cackled with laughter, loving her sister’s comic uncouthness.
The three guys had been watching the parade, smiling and laughing as the kids went past. But, perhaps drawn by the intensity of the women’s attention, Brock suddenly turned his head and looked right at them. Madison watched as he broke into a grin and waved. She waved back, her heart pounding and adrenaline fizzing in her stomach. She felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car, hypnotized by the sight of him and unable to tear her eyes away.
The other guys also gave friendly waves.
“Look at you,” Karen said, looking at Madison sideways. “I think you lurrrve him! I think you want to be with him!”
“Stop it, Karen!” Madison hissed, but she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. She was maybe 50 feet away from him, but she felt like his hazel eyes were boring into hers and his smile was dazzling.
“You want that bear, just admit it!” Karen continued.
“I think I do,” Madison said, and as she spoke the words, she felt another jolt of excitement, running all the way through her body, from her brain to her clit. What would it be like to be kissed by him? To be held in those strong arms?
“I bet he’s a real good kisser,” Karen said, picking up on her thoughts.
“You’re talking about his friend, right?”
“Uh huh.” Karen was gazing at the other young guy, her mouth hanging open.
“You could be a little more subtle, sis.”
“Oops.” Karen shook herself. “I was getting a bit carried away. Those three are the first actually hot guys I’ve seen in a long, long time. I mean, the guys we’ve just been pointing out are kinda hot, but these are on a different level. Like you expect to see them on the cover of a muscle magazine or something.” Madison giggled.
“Do you think they’re buff?”
“Hell yeah. They lug Christmas trees around all day. Did you see how easily your guy carried that tree on his shoulder? And they’re bears, so they must spend a lot of time running around in the woods.”
“So crazy to think they turn into bears.”
“Isn’t it,” Karen said with a shiver.
“Does it happen suddenly, or is it a gradual process?”
“I think it’s fast. But do you remember that kid at high school – Benny Dawson – I was going to the bike sheds to smoke, and I saw him in there, trying to shift. It was weird – all claws and fur. I think it’s hard when it first starts to happen, but it gets smoother after that.”
The procession was coming to an end, and the final kids trotted along, dressed as Disney characters, with two tambourine players bringing up the back. Everyone clapped and cheered again, and people stepped out from the sides of the road and began to gather in the middle. Karen looked at her phone.
“Still nothing from Sophia, and there’s still no signal.” She called anyway, but it didn’t connect. “Should we be worried?” Madison said.
“In most towns, yes, but in Misty Hollow, no. No kid has ever gone missing here. She’ll be somewhere in the parade, hanging with her BFFs.”
“Okay, good. Shall we go wander in the throng?”
“You’re hoping to bump into those bears, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” Madison replied with a smirk.
As they stepped into the road, some of Karen’s friends joined them, and they were soon caught up in a lively conversation.
While they were speaking, a small arm wrapped itself around Madison’s waist and she looked down to see Abbey, still dressed in only her ghost costume.
“Hey, sweetheart! You were amazing!” she said, grabbing Abbey’s coat from Karen at the same time and wrapping it around Abbey’s small frame.
“I was?” Abbey demanded, her cheeks rosy with exertion and excitement. “Some people didn’t get what I was.”
“I guess it’s because it’s an old story. But, trust me, you looked very, very cool.”
“Hey, honey,” Karen said, giving her a hug. “You looked so good out there. I was so proud of my baby!”
“Thanks, mom,” Abbey said, with a trace of pre-teen self-consciousness.
“You haven’t seen your sister, have you?”
“Nope,” Abbey said, and Madison saw a ghost of an emotion pass across her young features, too fast for her to identify
it.
“I guess she’s further down the road.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Abbey shrugged.
“Let me get you a hot drink, honey.” Karen disappeared, returning minutes later with a cup of tea and pretzels for each of them. “There you go. Let me know if you feel cold. I don’t want you catching a chill right before Christmas.”
“Yes, mom” Abbey rolled her eyes, and started eating her pretzel with enthusiasm.
“What shall we do this evening?” Madison said.
“I’ve got a wild boar casserole in the slow cooker right now, so I was thinking we could have a nice, relaxed dinner together.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Madison said. “You only make the best wild boar casserole in the entire world!”
“I’m not sure there are that many contenders, but thanks anyway. So, I’ll happily stay here another half an hour or so, but I’d like to catch up with Sophia sooner rather than later.”
“She hasn’t messaged you?”
“Nope. There’s one bar of signal though.” Karen called Sophia’s number again. “Damn, it won’t stay connected – the signal’s still weak.”
Abbey tugged on Madison’s coat.
“Hey, there are the guys from the Christmas tree store,” she exclaimed. By following the movement of Abbey’s eyes, Madison could tell that they were right behind her. She took a deep breath, counted to ten, and, with her heart hammering in her chest, she turned around.
Brock was less than ten feet away from her. And he looked so handsome that she could hardly breathe. He smiled as their eyes met, in a warm, friendly grin. Is he excited to see me? she wondered for a millisecond, before dismissing the thought.
“Hello again,” he said, walking over to her and extending his hand. She was wearing gloves, but still, the physical contact shot a bolt of electricity through her body as her hand was enveloped in his large, firm grip.
“Hey,” she said brightly.
“How’s the tree doing?”
“Oh, great. It looks incredible in my living room.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Once I sell the trees, I never get to see the finished product.”
“You should come take a look at it –” she broke off, her cheeks warming.
“That would be real nice,” he said with a dazzling smile, but instead of replying to him, Madison stared at him dumbstruck. Oh my God, what did I just say? He’s going to think I just gave him the cheesiest line ever!
“Madison, I still can’t get ahold of Sophia,” Karen interrupted.
“Is the signal back?” Madison said, a little shakily.
“It’s still at one bar, but the call won’t connect. I’m surprised that she hasn’t come to join us by now.”
“Abbey, you didn’t see her anywhere while you were in the parade, did you?” Madison asked her niece.
“No,” she said, but there was something in her expression.
“What is it, Abbey?”
“Nothing.”
“Abbey, do you know where she is?” The little girl shook her head, lips pressed tightly together. Karen squeezed her small hand.
“Come on, honey. You’re not in trouble, but you’ve got that look on your face that means you’re hiding something. Did Sophia tell you something and make you promise not to tell us?” Abbey nodded.
“Well, that probably means that it’s something we need to know, especially as it’s started to snow again –” Everyone looked up as snowflakes began to fall from the sky, slowly, lazily at first, but in less than a minute, they’d already gathered pace. “And the forecast is for heavy snow later this evening.”
“It’s important to keep secrets, but sometimes it’s more important to be safe,” Madison added. Abbie’s lips formed a tight O.
“Sometimes Sophia hangs out with Marina and two boys,” she said at last.
“And? Where do they go?”
“I’ve seen them heading out of town, on the mountain track before.”
“And she told you she was going today?”
“No. When I saw her going before, I asked her about it, and she made me promise not to tell you.” The sisters stared at each other.
“Sophia’s been keeping things from me? I can’t believe it. My own daughter!”
“Hey, she’s 14. All kids are like that at that age,” Madison said.
“She told me it wasn’t a big deal, but you’d freak if you knew, so I shouldn’t tell you in case it made your blood pressure high.” Karen gasped.
“What? That naughty little minx!” she exclaimed.
“Full marks for cunning,” Madison said.
“What’s going on?” Brock cut in, his deep baritone startling everyone.
“My teenage daughter seems to have run off into the woods with two guys and another girl,” Karen said.
“Hey, hold on, we don’t know that’s what’s happened,” Madison said. Just then, a gust of wind hit them, and the snow began to fall at an oblique angle.
“I’m guessing you don’t have phone contact now, if your reception is anything like mine?” Brock said.
“No.” Karen looked at her phone yet again and tried to dial.
“What network are you all on?” Brock asked each of them. “Ok, let’s all try, one at a time.” Everyone had the same result – a fuzzy connection that couldn’t hold out long enough to connect the call.
Madison looked around. The heavier snowfall had encouraged people to disperse, and their group was now standing by themselves on the frozen road, beneath the orange streetlights.
“Let’s not start to panic, but we should try and find out exactly where she is right now,” Brock said. “How about we go and speak to everyone out here and see if anyone’s seen her. In the meantime, maybe one of you guys can go home and check whether she’s there, and we all meet back here in ten minutes?” Even in the dark, Madison could see Karen’s face paling.
“Hey, it’s ok,” she said, squeezing her arm. “It’s not a search party, we’re just making sure. She’s probably at a friend’s house or something.” She turned to Brock. “Thanks for your help. This sounds like a good plan.” He inclined his head.
“Do you have a photo?”
“Yes.” Madison scrolled through her camera roll and picked out a close-up of Sophia’s face. “She’s about 115 pounds and 5’3’’ tall.”
“We can share via Bluetooth, even if there’s no signal, right?”
“I think so.” She and Brock switched on their Bluetooth connection, and before long, the photo was shared onto Brock’s phone. His uncle and cousin gathered around and took a careful look at it.
“Ok, let’s go,” Grayson said, immediately heading off towards a park that eventually led to the mountains.
Everyone else spread out, walking in different directions.
“You stay with your mom, kiddo,” Madison said to Abbey. “I think she’d benefit from your laser eyesight.”
Madison spoke to a lot of people. Her lawyer’s experience helped a lot as she asked people very direct questions, trying to get them to remember, as efficiently as possible. But she heard the same thing over and over: almost everyone knew Sophia, but no-one had seen her that day.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was back, with no good news.
“There’s no sign of her at home,” Karen said, her eyes wide with worry. The snow was settling on people’s clothes and it had become noticeably colder.
“Abbey, did Sophia tell you anything about what she does when she goes up the mountain?” Madison said.
“She says she goes to the ravine,” Abbey replied.
“The ravine? Oh my God, that’s so dangerous!” Karen yelled.
“I don’t know if she goes there in winter though.” Karen was breathing hard, on the verge of hyperventilation. Brock laid a large, gentle hand on her shoulder.
“It’s ok. We’ll go and look for her,” he said.
“But –” Everyone looked around, all having the same thought. The snowstorm was mi
nutes away. Before long there would be a blizzard.
“It’s fine. We’ll be safe. We’re adapted to this weather.” He paused, as if figuring out how to phrase what he had to say. “You know about us, right?” he said at last, close to Madison’s ear, his breath warm in her hair. She nodded, grasping his meaning.
“I do.”
“It would help a lot if we had something that carries her scent,” his cousin Riley said.
“We can get you something from home. Is that ok?”
“Yes, let’s go together to save time.”
They all ran to Karen’s house. As Karen opened the front door, Madison desperately hoped that Sophia would be lying on the sofa, regarding them nonchalantly. But she wasn’t. There was only Elsbeth, sitting in an armchair.
“Has Sophia gone missing?” she demanded as they piled through the door.
“We can’t get ahold of her right now, but we’re sure she’s not far away,” Karen said in a strained voice.
“Oh god!” she said, trying to get up and then remembering that her leg was in plaster.
“It’s ok, mom. We’re going to find her, and we’ve got these three gentlemen here who’ve kindly agreed to help us,” Madison said, sitting down next to her and taking her hand as Karen ran upstairs.
Karen was back moments later with a nightshirt of Sophia’s.
“Will this do?” Madison said.
“Perfectly,” Brock said, taking it from her. Then he stepped close and lowered his voice. “Is there a garage here, or an outhouse? We could do with a little privacy to get prepared.”
“Sure, there’s a garage just through the kitchen. Abbey, I need you to stay right here with grandma and take care of her, okay? Can you please stay on the sofa and not go wandering off anywhere?”
“Yes, mom,” Abbey replied, her eyes wide, as she absorbed the fact of her sister’s disappearance.
“It’s this way,” Madison said, leading the three men out to the garage.
Just then, Karen’s phone rang. She snatched it up.
“Sophia? Where are you? Where exactly?” She dropped her arm and burst into tears.
“It was her. She says she’s on the mountain, but the call cut off again.” They all looked at their phones, but the signal had completely disappeared.
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