"Come on, honey," said her mom.
Macy looked at her parents and followed them to her dad's car. She felt a strange joy well up inside of her. Not only was the car familiar, but it was going to take her back home. She would be able to sleep in her own bed, wear her own clothes, and hopefully sleep a lot.
Her dad opened the back door for her. He smiled, but tears shone in his eyes. Macy wrapped him in a hug. "I'm so sorry for everything, Dad. I—"
"Shh. Just get in the car. We're glad to have you back. No more talk about the past. Not now." He kissed the top of her head.
"Okay." She climbed in and breathed deeply. It smelled just like home. She leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. As soon as she relaxed, she expected to hear Chester's voice. She sat up gasping.
"Are you okay?" her mom asked, turning around.
"Yeah. Sorry." It would it take a while to get used to being back at home.
"Do you need anything?" her dad asked. "Are you hungry? We can stop somewhere and get you any vegan meal you want. I saw sub shop by the freeway."
Macy shrugged. Her nerves had her stomach twisting in knots. "Maybe later. I kinda just want to get home. How's Alex?"
Her parents exchanged one of their looks.
"What?" Macy asked.
"You wouldn't believe how much he's missed you." Her dad started the car. "I've never seen a brother who loves his sister more."
Alyssa turned around again. "He was the one who figured out that you were gone that first morning. He hasn't stopped worrying about you since. None of us have."
"What about Zoey? Have you seen her?"
Her mom had a funny look on her face. "Yeah. She's been spending a lot of time with us. She and Alex have gotten close."
"Yeah, they've always been like siblings, too."
They didn't say anything, so Macy looked out the window. "Can I talk to him?" she asked.
"To Alex?" her mom asked.
"Yeah."
She handed Macy her phone.
Macy stared at it, nervous. Her throat closed up and new tears stung at her eyes. "I can't." She handed the phone back, sniffing. "I'd better wait until I see him. How long will that be?"
"It's a few hours."
Macy didn't want to wait that long, but she would rather give him a big hug before saying anything. "Okay. Mind if I sleep? I know you probably want to catch up, but I'm exhausted."
Her mom smiled at her. "If you need rest, baby, get some sleep. After everything you've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if you slept for days."
"Yeah, honey," her dad said. "Don't worry about anything other than taking care of yourself."
"Thanks." She grabbed a coat and turned it into a makeshift pillow. As she leaned against it, she smelled her dad's cologne. She took a deep breath and smiled. Everything was going to be okay. She would get back home and everything would go back to the way it had been. She drifted off to sleep thinking about everything in her house.
Her mom's voice woke her up. Macy sat up, groggy. "What?"
"We're getting close."
Macy stretched and looked out the window. She recognized everything. They were about five minutes from home.
"Alex and Zoey are thrilled to see you. They're over at Zoey's now, but I let them know we're almost home."
Macy couldn't find any words. They pulled into the neighborhood and before she knew it, they pulled into their driveway and then into the garage.
"We don't want the neighbors swarming you," her dad said. "Everyone has been looking for you." He pushed a button on the visor, closing the garage door.
"That was nice of them." Macy yawned and then got out of the car. She looked around the garage, never so happy to see it. Everything looked exactly as she remembered it. They went inside and Macy continued to take everything in. It was all comfortably familiar, yet felt new at the same time. The house had the same maple scent it always did. Her mom loved those air fresheners.
They made their way up the stairs and as she scanned the front room, she saw Alex standing in front of Zoey. Macy's feet took off from under her and she ran into Alex's arms, causing him to stumble. He wrapped his arms around her. He shook. Was he actually crying? Macy looked into his eyes, and sure enough, tears were spilling out.
"Look at you," Macy said, through her own tears. She backed up a little. "You've really gotten bigger. Look, you're taller than me now."
"You too. Well, taller than you were, I mean. And your hair. I like it." He threw his arms around her again.
She squeezed him tight. "I've missed you so much, Alex."
"Me too. I never thought I'd see you again. I never gave up on you, but it was so long and everything. I can't believe you're actually here. Don't ever leave again, okay? You have to promise."
Macy smiled. "I'll do my best. I won't be sneaking out again, that's for sure."
"You'd better not. You'll have to deal with me if you do."
She gave him another squeeze. "I need to give Zoey a hug." Macy let go of Alex, almost needing to push him away because he wouldn't let go. She stared at Zoey before running into her arms. She looked different. More round in the face. Had she put on weight? Then she noticed her stomach. "Zoey! What happened? Well, I mean, I guess I know what happened. But, who…when…?"
Zoey smiled wide. "Shut up and give me a hug."
Macy gave her a soft hug, not wanting to injure her middle.
"Oh, come on. A real hug. You're not going to break me." Zoey squeezed Macy so tight she nearly choked.
"Why don't we give them some time?" her dad asked her mom.
Her mom nodded, taking his hand.
Macy's eyes popped wide. They were holding hands?
"We'll get some dinner ready," Macy's mom said, leaning against her dad.
"Sure." Macy shook her head. That would take some getting used to. Her parents had barely been able to be in the same room before she left.
The landline rang. Her dad sighed. "Looks like we're going to be fielding calls again."
Her mom's cell phone rang. "At least we have good news this time." They went upstairs.
Macy turned to Zoey. "You've got to tell me everything. Do you have a boyfriend?"
Zoey bit her lip and looked away. "Yeah, kinda."
"Kind of?" Macy asked.
"You might wanna sit," Zoey said.
"I've been sitting for the last three hours. I'd rather not. Can we go up to my room, and you can tell me on the way? I'm dying to see my stuff."
"You've got to tell us everything," Alex said. "I've had all these images running through my head. I want the truth—I need to get rid of the fake stuff. Dad said you were kidnapped, but that's all we know. What happened?"
Macy headed for the stairs. "I'll tell you everything in my room."
They followed her up to the bedroom. Macy threw herself on the bed and looked over at Ducky, who ran to the side of the cage and looked her way.
Zoey closed the door, but Alex opened it and went out.
"Where's he going?" Zoey asked.
"Does anything make sense that he does?" Macy asked, smiling. She sat up. "You have no idea how good it is to be back home."
"And you have no idea how great it is to have you back."
"Looks like you kept yourself occupied, though."
"Well, I was stressed about you being gone."
"You don't have to explain yourself. I hardly expected anyone to stop their life just because I wasn't there."
Zoey's eyes narrowed. "Well, that's what happened. Everyone was crushed. There were times I could barely breathe. You should've seen your parents and Alex. You wouldn't believe how upset Alex was. He's been in counseling for the longest time. He could barely function."
"Really?"
"Your brother loves you. Never doubt that, no matter how big of dork he's being."
Alex came in. "Who's a dork?"
"You," Zoey said.
"That figures." He handed Macy her diaries. "I was
looking for clues to find you. Hope you're not mad that I read them."
Macy shook her head. "How could I be? Though we might have to talk later about how you knew where they were."
Alex's cheeks turned red. "We don't have to."
"It's so good to be back." Macy leaned against her headboard. "I never thought I'd get back home." She looked at Zoey's stomach again. "Are you going to keep changing the subject or are you going to tell me who the guy is?"
"You're looking at him," Alex said.
Macy stared at her brother for a moment before the reality of what he said hit her. "You mean…?"
Alex nodded. His face was somewhat squished together, like he was nervous or something. "I guess we had a funny way of dealing with our grief."
"Sorry, Macy," Zoey said. She also looked worried. "I know he's your brother. I hope you're not mad. I never meant to drag him into this."
Alex shook his head. "You didn't drag me into anything. I—"
"So, are you two together-together or was it, like, a one-time thing?" Macy felt light-headed.
Zoey grabbed Alex's hand. "We're together. We're in love."
"Oh." Macy never would have guessed they would have liked each other like that. She watched as they both looked back and forth between her and each other. It would take some getting used to, but it would probably be cool.
"Are you okay with us?" Zoey asked.
"As long as I'm not the third wheel, I guess so. It's going to take some getting used to, but I can't complain. Not after everything I've been through. I'm alive and home with you guys. I couldn't ask for anything more."
"Third wheel?" Alex asked. "Not a chance." He gave her a huge hug, nearly knocking her off the bed.
"Yeah, no way," Zoey added. "We're never letting you out of our sight, so you'd better get used to us being around."
"I can handle that." Macy smiled.
"Now we just need to find a guy for you," Zoey said.
"Don't look for a thirteen year old. I'm not—"
"Hey!" Zoey laughed. "Are you making fun of me?"
"Maybe."
"Where should we look, then?"
"Oh, I'm in no hurry to get a boyfriend."
Zoey's face got serious again. "Because of what you've been through?"
"There's that, but I kind of have one. I just have to find him."
"What? You mean Jared?"
"No. Jared was a lie." Macy's eyes got misty. "I met someone while I was away, but it…we got separated."
"What do you mean?" Zoey tilted her head. It was obvious that she knew there was more to the story.
"Can I tell you about Luke later? I need to get used to being back home first."
Zoey took one of Macy's hands. "Anything you need. Just tell us, and it's yours. Got it? We'll do anything for you. At least, I will."
"Me too," Alex said. He pushed Zoey aside and gave Macy another hug.
Macy's throat felt like it was going to close up. Tears of happiness threatened.
Not only was she home, she was the luckiest girl alive.
Frenzy
Alex watched as Macy walked to her window and looked outside. She turned to Alex. "Why are there so many vans outside?"
He took a deep breath, preparing himself to explain how the media had forced their way into their lives. He walked over and looked. "It the media circus."
The doorbell rang again, proving his point. It had been ringing for about a half an hour.
"What do you mean?" Macy looked out again. "But why are they here?"
"When you were first gone, they wouldn't leave us alone. There was always someone out there, ready to ask us questions if we went outside. For the longest time, a van was parked across the street just recording our house."
"Why?"
"You were the most exciting thing on the news for a long time. It drove Mom and Dad crazy. It was annoying, but I thought it was a little funny. I mean, we were like stars or something. Only it really sucked because you were missing."
"Well, at least Zoey went home before all of this. She never would have made it down to her house. When will they leave?"
"Hopefully soon. They did eventually leave us alone. I think it helped that Dad used his blog to post updates. People could get the answers they wanted without watching the news. Plus with all the click-throughs or whatever, he was able to stop working."
Macy leaned against the wall. "Things have really changed, haven't they?"
"Yeah, but everything will go back to normal."
"You think? You and Zo are going to have a baby. That feels weird to even say."
"When we were at the appointment, her parents were talking about raising her."
"Her? It's a girl?"
Alex's lips curled slightly and his heart rate picked up. "Yeah, we found out today. It's been a huge day. You came back and we found out the baby's a girl."
"So, now that Zoey's dad is here, her parents are getting back together?"
"Yep. It's weird. They haven't seen each other in fifteen years and now they want to be family. I think he feels guilty."
"Are Mom and Dad okay with them raising the baby?" asked Macy.
"Not that it's their decision, but they don't want to raise a baby, and they don't want me ruining my life to raise her either, so I'm sure they'll be happy. We can see her whenever we want. Zoey and me are together all the time anyway."
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. Are you guys still…? Ew."
Alex's face became warm. "It's not gross. It's—"
"I don't wanna hear about it. Sorry I asked. What did Mom and Dad say when they found out?"
"Do we have to talk about this?" Alex squirmed.
Macy smiled and poked him. "I thought guys liked to brag about doing it."
"Not me, and you're my sister. It's just weird, you know? What about that Luke guy? Did you guys…?"
Sadness covered her face, and he immediately regretted asking.
Macy shook her head. "No. He gave me a kiss, though." She explained about the community and their escape.
Alex's heart felt like it had been ripped out of his chest. He put his arm around her. "I'm sure they'll find him."
Macy turned to look Alex in the eyes. Tears fell from her eyes and she put her head on Alex's shoulders. "You think so?"
"Why not? He sounds strong and capable. Besides, I want to see the guy who won you over."
They stood there like that for a while. Time either stood still or rushed by; Alex couldn't tell. He was just glad to have Macy back.
The bedroom door opened and he turned to see his mom.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
Alex shrugged. "We were just talking. Did she tell you about Luke?"
"Oh, baby. Don't think about him." She came over and wrapped her arms around both of them. "Focus on being home. We want you to relax and unwind."
"I can't forget about everything, Mom."
"Honey, I'm not asking you to forget. Hey, do you want to see your picture on TV? You're all over the news."
"I am?"
Alex wasn't surprised, but that might the distraction his sister needed. "Yeah. You're practically a celeb. Come and see."
Macy shrugged. "Okay."
They went into the bonus room, where the news was already on. A picture of Macy from their dad's blog flashed on the screen. The word Found flashed underneath. Alex watched Macy. He couldn't tell what she was thinking.
When a dog food commercial came on, he asked, "What do you think of that?"
"It's weird to watch the news again."
"You haven't watched any TV?"
"Well, I saw some ancient reruns at the farmhouse, but that was months ago. It was before the community. I saw part of a movie yesterday at the mental hospital."
Farmhouse? Mental hospital? Alex shook his head. "You'll have to tell me about that later."
The doorbell rang.
"When will it stop?" Macy asked.
"Probably when Dad gets mad e
nough to scream at them," Alex said.
"Where is Dad?" Macy asked.
"Probably updating the blog. Once he gives everyone what they want, hopefully they'll leave us alone. That's worked before."
His mom shook her head. "I'm not so sure that'll work this time around. They're going to want to see Macy for themselves. Everyone is going to want to interview her. I suspect this could be worse than before."
Alex groaned. "They need to leave her alone! Don't they know she needs to relax and stuff? I'll go out there and—"
"Let Dad deal with them, Alex."
"Fine, but if they don't give her the space she needs, I can't guarantee anything." He scowled.
Macy's picture flashed on the screen. The newscaster spoke about where she had been found and then Chester's face appeared in the opposite corner of Macy's.
Alex noticed Macy tense up.
"Is that the guy?" Alex asked.
"That's Chester."
"Did he ever say why he took you?"
"Alex," his mom said in a warning tone, "she doesn't want to talk about it now."
"I don't mind, Mom." She told him about Heather and her mom.
"What a sick jerk," Alex said. "They'd better lock him away for a long time. If they ever let him out, I'll—"
"Alex, he has a lot of charges against him," his mom said. "I wouldn't worry about him getting out."
"He'd better not." Alex clenched his fists and stared at the picture of his sister's abductor. "He doesn't look like someone who would do all that. He's a nerd. Look at those glasses and that hair. He looks like someone who gets beat up, not someone who kidnapped someone and killed two people."
Macy sighed. "That's just it. He was picked on his whole life. I guess he just snapped. That's what it sounds like, anyway."
"Maybe there was a reason people bullied him. He doesn't deserve to live," Alex said.
"Honey—"
"No, Mom. It's the truth. He's a waste of space. I hope he gets a death sentence."
"We'll let the jury decide that."
"Whatever." Alex looked back and forth between the TV and his sister. Even though he'd been talking with her, it still didn't feel real yet. He kept waiting to wake up—in his bed, alone.
Macy caught him looking at her. She gave him a slight smile and took his hand. "I really missed you."
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