The Disappearing

by Jennifer Torres

  Once there, Tim was able to open a window in the back by the kitchen. They always left this window unlocked because both Rusty and Luke said the lock was too hard to turn. And anyway, Rusty had reasoned, ‘Why bother, who’s going to break in?’

  Tim motioned for them to follow him. They stumbled in the dark as they made their way to a large, cozy den just off the main dining room.

  He chose this room because it had no windows, so no one would see the small light that went on as he flicked a switch.

  They knew the house would be empty because Rusty was at Emily’s house right now, getting ready to have a meeting with the police. It would be hours before he returned.

  Everyone quickly found a seat.

  Tim and Max had to fill the girls in on their plan. It was too dangerous to talk about it over the phone or within earshot of their parents, which is exactly why they had insisted on meeting in person.

  Tim explained that the plan they had devised was based on something Max had learned when he was over at Emily’s house several days ago. He overheard the grumpy investigator tell Emily’s dad that the authorities were staking out a house, Mr. Kull’s house, the reclusive man who always yelled at kids when they tried to cut though his yard. The investigator had shared something else, too. They were waiting for him to return because Mr. Kull wasn’t there and no one could locate him.

  Except maybe for Max . . . Max knew something most people did not. Mr. Kull had done handyman work for Rusty. With such a vast piece of property, there was a lot of work to do, and Rusty didn’t have the time or the desire to do it.

  At this point, Max took over the story.

  He explained to the girls that more than a year ago, he and Luke had been climbing trees on Luke’s land. It used to be one of their favorite ways to spend a lazy afternoon. On this particular day, they had separated in order to find some new spots to climb.

  Max had wandered off deeper into the woods than he’d ever been before.

  That was when he came across Mr. Kull.

  He was out there, just past a thick band of trees that made him hardly visible, putting the finishing touches on a huge cabin. The construction materials covering the forest floor around him made it clear that this cabin was freshly constructed. And it looked to him like Mr. Kull had done an amazing job.

  “I remember thinking at the time, man, Luke is so lucky. Not only does he have the best house in town, and the best land, but now he has this awesome cabin, too.”

  Max admitted that he wanted to get a closer look. But because Mr. Kull had done his fair share of yelling in Max’s direction over the years, he was in no rush to be seen by him and forced into an awkward “Hello.” He made his way out of the woods and headed back to find Luke. It was a task that took more than hour, by which time Max had completely put the whole Mr. Kull scenario out of his mind and never mentioned it to Luke. He had actually forgotten about it—until now.

  “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” Tim began. “We’re going to find that cabin because I think that’s where they’ve got our friends.”

  Nina looked visibly shaken.

  “No, Tim, you can’t do that!” she practically yelled. “It’s way too dangerous. We have to tell our parents.”

  Her reaction took Tim by surprise. Nina was always the adventurous one—up for anything. She had more courage than anyone he ever knew. He’d never known her to be afraid of anything.

  Wait, was she shaking?

  “You’re right, it might be dangerous, that’s why you and Emily aren’t coming along,” he said looking directly into her eyes . . . her green eyes. “But Max and I are going out tonight to find this cabin and bring our friends home.”

  Chapter 11

  Cabin Fever

  Nina was in a panic.

  Tim and Max had just explained their plan to her, and even though she begged them not to go through with it, she could see they would not be deterred.

  After quickly escorting both girls back to the safety of their respective homes, the boys set off on their own, into the dark maze of woods on Luke’s property.

  Nina climbed up the trellis leading to her bedroom window and pulled herself inside.

  She had to tell someone . . . fast.

  •••••

  The section of property closest to the house was manicured to the hilt, dotted with flowers, gardens, a huge barbecue pit, and a pond filled with colorful fish. Paths led out to various other areas, including a sand volleyball court, and benches where one could sit and take in all the beauty of nature.

  But the path Tim and Max took was not well traveled. It led to the woods and some of the most enormous trees Tim had ever seen.

  “I can’t remember exactly where it is,” said Max. “I found it by accident last time.”

  So the two boys walked . . . and walked . . . and walked . . .

  And the woods became thicker, and darker, and wilder.

  Finally, Max stopped.

  “This looks like the area.”

  Tim had no idea how he could tell one area from the next out here, especially in the dark of night.

  “Take a good look around,” Max whispered. “It’s really hard to spot. It’s hidden by the trees.”

  Tim could barely see the ground beneath him. The darkness was overwhelming.

  He slowly turned in a circle and tried to make out the shapes around him.

  All of them were trees.

  There were huge, hovering, massive trees everywhere.

  Wait . . . what’s that?

  Tim squinted, thinking for some crazy reason this would help him see better in the dark.

  There . . . just up that hill, was it a . . . ?

  “Over there!” Max shouted, immediately realizing that shouting wasn’t a smart thing to do right now.

  He was pointing at the exact spot Tim had been trying to focus on. It did look like there was something up there—something big.

  It was the cabin . . . and there was a light on inside.

  •••••

  Canary was watching, just as he had almost every night for days.

  He knew the family would be asleep any minute now. The lights had gone off, as they did each night at ten o’clock on the dot. No earlier and no later—right on schedule. He would give it an hour for everyone to be fast asleep, and then he’d go in the house and get Tim, right from his bed. He wouldn’t know what was happening until it was done.

  •••••

  Nina paced the length of her room. Her parents were in a closed-door meeting over at Emily’s house, and every attempt to reach them had failed. She must get through, even if it meant walking over there herself.

  •••••

  Tim and Max tried their best to walk silently, but with every step, twigs would snap and leaves crunched under their feet. Tim winced when he stepped right on a pine comb that seemed to explode with sound.

  They made their way through the thick wooded brush and up the hill leading to the cabin.

  As they got closer, they could see that the light inside was flickering—maybe it was a candle?

  Max reached the cabin first and waited for Tim to catch up. Once he did, they crouched down and quietly discussed their next move. They needed to get closer to see if anyone was inside. But nerves were getting the best of them right now.

  Tim stood up.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  The boys walked to the back of the cabin and up to a small window. Max peered inside.

  “I can’t see anything.”

  Tim motioned Max towards a larger window. They kneeled down and crawled under it, waiting just a moment for a burst of courage before they stood up to look in.

  Finally it came. They rose up together and looked inside.

  They could see the candle flickering on a table
just a few feet away. It illuminated a large room that was empty for the most part, except for what looked like a leather couch, a chair, and a large table with several chairs around it.

  There was no sign of anybody inside . . . yet.

  The boys moved farther down to another window and peered in—it was a kitchen. A few coffee cups littered the countertop, and a plate with the remnants of some meal lay in the sink. But there was no sign of any people.

  “Let’s see if one of these windows is open,” Tim whispered.

  Chapter 12

  Secret Revealed

  It’s weird, Canary thought as he silently lifted up the window to Tim’s bedroom and slipped stealthily inside. No one ever locks their windows in this town.

  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that Tim was gone. For the very first time, a stab of panic gripped him, but just for a moment.

  He was out the window and racing down the road toward Luke and Rusty’s property within seconds . . .

  •••••

  Tim could not believe they were actually inside the cabin. He and Max had tried every window and even the front door, but everything was locked. This was except for one unlatched window just off the kitchen that was just large enough for them both to climb through.

  There was just one large room downstairs with a bathroom and the kitchen off to the side. A small spiral staircase led upstairs to what appeared to be a loft.

  They moved closer to the table. Papers were scattered across it. Tim picked one up.

  It was a map of some sort, unlike any he’d ever seen before. He had no idea where any of the places on it were.

  He put it down and grabbed another paper. It was in some sort of code. He couldn’t make it out.

  He reached for another paper. It read:

  1. Eva

  2. Anthony

  3. Isabelle

  4. Luke

  It was a list and the last name on it was very familiar:

  5. Tim

  He looked at Max, who was already staring right back at him.

  “We found their hideout.”

  Realizing that his friends could be held somewhere in this cabin and acutely aware that the kidnapper could come back at any moment, Tim quickly ascended the steps two-at-a-time to the loft. It was empty except for a small nightstand with one drawer and a well-worn mattress on the ground.

  He eyed the nightstand as Max came up the steps.

  “You should have waited for me, bro,” he said in a winded voice. “I found some photos.”

  “Max, my name was on the list!” Tim cried out.

  “What list?”

  “It’s a list of all the kids who have disappeared and me.”

  Max dropped the pictures he was holding.

  “Could one of those detectives be staying here?”

  “Why would my name be on it?” Tim called out as he headed for the nightstand. He looked down at the tiny handle that opened the drawer and pulled. There were just two items inside.

  Tim pulled out the first. It was a small necklace.

  Best Friends Forever

  It was Isabelle’s.

  He peered into the drawer to see what the other item was. It was a woven bracelet—a perfect match to his.

  He turned back to Max.

  “Let’s see if there’s a basement.”

  •••••

  Once back on the property, and being an expert at tracking, it was easy for Canary to deduce that the two sets of footprints he had found led right to the cabin.

  He battled through the brush and branches, reaching the outside of the cabin within minutes where he nimbly climbed a very tall tree to get a better view inside. Canary could see the boys clearly now. They were running around inside the cabin. It was obvious they had seen something that had really scared them.

  They came right to me, Canary chuckled.

  This is going to be easier than I thought.

  •••••

  There was no basement. But there was a room they hadn’t noticed before. The door was closed. Max pushed it open slowly and they both walked inside.

  It was too dark to see a thing. Then a light went on. The man with yellow hair was waiting.

  “Hello, boys.”

  •••••

  Nina ran as fast as she could, but it still seemed to take an eternity to reach Emily’s house. Once there, she burst in the front door. Inside, the room was full. Her parents, Emily’s parents, and several others were in the middle of a conversation. They all turned toward her in surprise.

  “It’s Tim and Max,” she cried. “They’re in danger!”

  •••••

  They were in a lot of trouble.

  The man with the yellow hair had injected something into their arms and Tim could feel himself getting dizzy. Now he was leading them back to the loft.

  “Please sit down,” as he motioned to the mattress.

  Too late, thought Tim.

  It was his last thought before he fell, unconscious, onto the mattress next to Max. Canary grabbed his phone and dialed the number.

  “We got him,” he told the person on the other end. “Got another one, too, they’re both ready for transport—immediately.”

  He kept one eye on the boys as he listened intently to the voice on the phone.

  “This was unavoidable,” he responded firmly. “Yes, I understand and I . . . wait, hold a moment.”

  Canary stood silent.

  He heard something outside.

  “Abort!” he yelled into the phone. “Abort!”

  Tim lifted his head. He was so groggy.

  Canary dropped the phone as he heard the front door kicked open and glass shattering in the back part of the cabin.

  Seeing the photos on the floor beneath him, he dropped to his knees and sifted through them haphazardly trying to find it . . . the one of the . . . where was it?

  Tim was sitting straight up now, staring at him. Canary crawled over to him, as feet pounded up the stairs toward him.

  “Tim!” he called out. “Look at this, please.”

  Tim looked groggily over at his friend Max who was still asleep, and then back at the man with the yellow hair.

  “Look . . . at what?” he said as he almost lost consciousness again. He was so dizzy.

  Canary handed him a photo and Tim tried to focus on it. It was a yellow house, the same yellow house from his dreams.

  “This is your house,” the man with yellow hair said. “This is your home . . . on Earth.”

  “I came here to rescue you . . . to take you home!”

  Suddenly, men with badges were everywhere. They had the stranger down on the ground and handcuffed. Then they dragged him to his feet and down the stairs.

  He was able to see that two of the men were running over to him just before he drifted back into darkness.

  •••••

  “Hey.”

  The soft, sweet voice called to him.

  “Tim, I’m here and you’re safe.”

  He opened his eyes slowly and with much effort. They felt heavy as lead.

  Nina was there with him.

  She was holding his hand, smiling.

  He was in a hospital bed, machines beeped around him. His parents were there, too.

  “We are so relieved,” his mom said taking his other hand.

  His dad nodded and winked.

  “You’re going to be just fine, son,” he said.

  “What about Max?” Tim managed to ask.

  “He’s doing very good,” his dad answered. “He’s already awake and walking around.”

  A man with a badge, approached the bed.

  “You’re a very lucky young man. We have the kidnapper in custody,” he said looking
intently at Tim. “But we didn’t find the other kids, only some of their belongings. Did you see the others?”

  “No,” Tim replied sadly.

  “Okay, we’re going to let you rest,” said the investigator as he turned to the door. “When you feel better, we’ll talk some more.”

  Then he was gone.

  His mother looked at him and then took his dad’s arm, leading him out the door as well.

  “Yes, I think rest is exactly what you need,” she said. “Get some sleep.”

  Only Nina stayed behind.

  “I had to tell them about your plan, Tim. I was so afraid for you.”

  Tim looked into her eyes.

  “I’m really glad you did,” he managed a small laugh.

  He was relieved that he and Max were alive and here, safe, with family and friends.

  But his heart ached for the others. There was no way he would ever give up trying to find the missing kids—his friends.

  Then he remembered. Something he had forgotten. Something the man with the yellow hair had said—the yellow house . . . his house?

  “Nina,” he whispered. “Where is Earth?”

  Read the Chapter 1 teaser from Book 2: The Return . . .

  Back to the Beginning

  It was a normal day.

  The sun was big and bright within a blue sky that was filled with puffy white clouds.

  Laughter filled the air as children amused themselves outside the small nursery school. A young girl giggled with delight as the ball she threw bopped a little boy right on his head. Another squealed with joy as his tiny plastic car sailed down a long toy ramp.

  As the young teacher kept careful watch over her students, she could see the playground alive with activity—every swing taken and a sandbox full of happy faces.

  Ms. Wolpert loved her job at the school. She had gotten it right out of college and considered herself blessed to have a career around children. She loved each and every one of them—and they loved her right back.

  “Here, Ms. Wolpert, I made this for you,” said a little girl with big eyes and blonde pigtails.

  The teacher took the work of art and carefully studied the picture of a tall woman with dark hair, long eyelashes, and red lips which she could see must be her. Holding her hand was a little girl with golden pigtails—and the word love written in big crayon letters above.