Take On Me

by Stacy Claflin

  “The big question is if the father did this to his family. The girl was found beaten and bloody, with the blindfold glued to her. The mom is missing. The house was left without a trace of any struggle. Where is Brock Stevens?”

  Even though Ayla couldn’t remember her dad, the theory shook her to the core. Could he have been responsible for it? But why? And where was he? With her mom?

  The woman from the desk marched over and glared at the woman watching the news. “We don’t allow the news to play. It could be traumatizing to the children.”

  “Sorry. This is just so interesting. Did the dad do it?”

  “You can watch it after you leave.”

  The lady sighed deeply and turned off her screen, mumbling to herself.

  Ayla turned back to her book but couldn’t focus now. Both her parents were missing—just like she’d been—and the authorities thought they might still be in the woods.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Uncle Alex was on it, and he was a good police officer. He’d figure out what was going on, and then Ayla would get her memories back and everything could go back to the way it was before.

  Or could it?

  Would she ever remember anything from before the woods? And more importantly, would her parents return, safe and sound? If her dad was guilty, what would that mean? Would he go to jail forever?

  “I’m ready for you, Ayla. Where’s Zoey?”

  She spun around.

  Aunt Macy stood there in a nice dress, smiling at her.

  She swallowed. “She went to the bathroom. Said she’d join us in your office.”

  “Ayla?” asked the woman who’d been watching the news. She stared at Ayla, her eyes growing wide with recognition. Then she looked at her like she was some kind of freak.

  “You’re her!”

  Aunt Macy helped Ayla up and looked at the woman. “I’m not sure what you think you know, but you’re mistaken.”

  Before Ayla could figure out what just happened, Aunt Macy led her to her office.

  Threat

  “Are you okay?” Aunt Macy closed the door behind her.

  Ayla held the paperback close and nodded.

  “I’m upset about that. I don’t see how you can’t be. We should talk about it.” Macy panned the office with her palm. “Where do you want to sit?”

  There was a couch and several plush chairs. Ayla bit her lower lip and shrugged. Her heart was still pounding, but she was okay. She was away from that woman. Her aunt was nice and wanted to help.

  Aunt Macy pulled some hair behind her ear. “Some kids like to sit on the sofa, while others prefer their own chairs. I also have some bean bags I can bring out, and there are blankets and toys that help comfort some kids. I know you’re twelve and that might seem babyish, but you’d be surprised how many kids your age like stuffed animals—they would just never admit it to anyone outside this room.”

  Ayla took a deep breath and looked around again. She sat on the couch, still clinging to the novel. “Maybe a blanket?”

  “Sure thing.” Aunt Macy opened a cabinet and pulled out a teal blanket. “This is my favorite.”

  Ayla took it, pulled it up to her chin, and shivered. It smelled fresh, reminding her of something, but she had no idea what. An image appeared in her mind, but it was just out of reach. If it came a little closer, she could tell what the memory was.

  Knock, knock!

  Aunt Macy opened the door. “Hi, Zo. Come on in. There was a little incident in the waiting room, and we’re just about to discuss it.”

  Aunt Zoey’s face paled and she sat next to Ayla. “What happened?”

  “Someone recognized her.” Aunt Macy closed the door then sat across from them and looked at Ayla. “It’s something we need to prepare you for because she won’t be the only one. Your face has been all over the news. People have taken a real interest in this case.”

  Ayla frowned. “You mean, there’s going to be more like her?”

  “Unfortunately. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life in the house.”

  She tightened the blanket around herself. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  Aunt Zoey turned to her. “It isn’t very realistic, though. At some point, you’re going to have to go to school. Go other places.”

  Ayla closed her eyes. The last thing she wanted to think about was trying to go on with life as normal. Would they expect her to do that before her parents were found? What if they were never found? Then what?

  “Tell us what you’re thinking,” Aunt Macy said. “Even if it’s that you want to speak with me alone. What’s on your mind?”

  She forced herself to open her eyes. “It’s too much to think about. I don’t want to go to school or have to see people like that lady.”

  Aunt Macy nodded, her eyes full of concern. “I don’t blame you. I’d probably feel the same way. But the good news is, you don’t have to do any of that right now. The only thing you need to think about is talking about how you feel and what’s on your mind.”

  Did she dare say she was worried that her dad could be behind it? If she said it out loud, it would make the idea more real. If it stayed in her mind, it was nothing more than a thought.

  “How did you feel when the lady recognized you?” Aunt Macy asked.

  Ayla turned her attention back to her aunt. “Scared.”

  “Were you scared of her? Or something else?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s okay.” Silence rested between them. “Are you enjoying that book?”

  Ayla glanced down at the paperback sitting next to her. She’d forgotten about it. “Yeah.”

  “It’s nice to escape reality, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  Aunt Macy asked about the storyline, and Ayla relaxed. It was a lot easier to talk about a mermaid whose fate might be worse than her own.

  “I like reading about people who are going through worse things than me,” Aunt Macy said. “It makes me feel like what I’m going through isn’t so bad. Like I can manage my problems if they can deal with theirs.”

  Ayla nodded. “I don’t know if I did that before, but that’s how it feels now.”

  “If it helps you, you can borrow the book. I’ll just have to fill out a form for you to check it out. Sound good?”

  “I’d like that. Thanks.” Ayla relaxed even more. This office really wasn’t bad—other than the waiting room with that destructive kid and her blocks and the lady watching the news. She realized that Aunt Macy was talking again.

  “One thing that helps me when I’m stressed out is closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. It sounds too simple, or at least it did to me at first, but it’s something I do even to this day. Sometimes I play soft music or other relaxing sounds. Would you like to try that?”

  “Okay.” What harm could it do? Aunt Macy had been through hard stuff too, so it was worth a try, even if it did sound a little hokey.

  “Do you want to listen to anything?”

  “What do you like best?” Ayla asked.

  “I like nature sounds, personally. Flowing streams or birds singing, most of the time. Other times, I prefer chimes or ringing bowls.”

  “Wringing bulls?” Ayla pictured someone trying to twist a big brown steer.

  Aunt Macy smiled. “Close your eyes and have a listen.”

  “Sure.” Ayla closed her eyes and waited to hear the sounds of a stressed-out bull, though she couldn’t picture that being very relaxing.

  Movement sounded as her aunt got up and moved some things around her desk, or at least that was what Ayla imagined. Then a pleasant ringing sounded. It sounded more like a bell than a wild animal being tortured at a rodeo.

  The ringing was spaced at the same intervals. With each one, Ayla found herself relaxing more until her head rested on the back of the couch. Her mind wandered, imagining large bells in a big open grassy field.

  She pictured herself wandering around the meadow, picking the occasional wild
flower then making a crown with them—stopping to tie the stems together each time a bell rang. Just after she put the completed masterpiece on her head, a shadow appeared in the path. The ringing sounded far away as the darkness grew larger.

  Ayla backed away, but it came closer and took on the shape of a person. A man, specifically.

  “Look at me,” came a deep voice. It sounded familiar and drew two polar opposite emotions. She felt comforted by the voice but at the same time, fear knotted in her chest. “Look at me.”

  She closed her eyes.

  Hands gripped her arms. Pinched, dug into her skin. “Look at me.”

  Ayla squeezed her eyelids shut, but the fingers tightened even more around her flesh. Finally, the pain grew too much. She looked at the man.

  They were no longer in the field. Instead, they were somewhere dim. She couldn’t hear the ringing bells. Then she recognized the bed. Not the one from the pictures. Somewhere else.

  Her pulse drummed in her ears. She struggled to hear what the man was saying. Couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

  He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

  She knew that face. Those eyes. The anger behind them.

  “I warned you!” His bushy eyebrows furrowed together.

  Ayla swallowed. “About what?”

  He slapped her. “You know.”

  She trembled. “I don’t.”

  “Don’t lie to me!”

  “I’m not.”

  He squeezed her face. “I told you I’d kill her if you didn’t do what I said.”

  “Who?” Everything was cold. She shivered.

  “You know!” He stared at her with an expression that made her think he’d kill her.

  “I don’t.” She shook all the more.

  “She’s going to die, and it’s all your fault!”

  Everything melted away in front of Ayla. She opened her eyes and found herself in Aunt Macy’s office. Both she and Aunt Zoey were wide-eyed.

  Ayla burst into tears. “He’s going to kill my mom because I ran away!”

  Missing

  Nick signed a form, then leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. It had been a busy morning, and for that he was grateful. It gave him a chance to get his mind off everything else. Parker had been so up and down all weekend, going from calling him Dad at the end of every sentence to snapping at him and telling him he couldn’t tell Parker what to do.

  And unfortunately, it was bound to get worse before it got better. After everything they’d already been through, Nick knew that all too well. And that reminded him to make an appointment with their family counselor. With any luck, he could fit them in given this was an emergency situation. No, it wasn’t like the kinds of emergencies Nick dealt with in his job, but it was one, nonetheless.

  He picked up his cell and was scrolling through his contact list when the phone rang. It was the middle school.

  Nick’s stomach dropped. What now? Was Parker back to getting into fistfights? Had he mouthed off to a teacher and gotten detention again?

  And he’d been doing so well.

  “Hello?” Nick answered.

  “Captain Fleshman?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is April from—”

  “What did Parker do?” No reason to beat around the bush.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you at work, Captain.”

  “Lay it on me. Like I let the principal know this morning, we’re dealing with a family issue, and I fully expected him to act out.”

  April cleared her throat. “No, he didn’t get in trouble.”

  Relief washed through Nick.

  “He didn’t show up to his last class, and we don’t know where he is.”

  “What?” Nick bolted upright. Parker had taken off again? “Don’t you guys have cameras? You have two police officers assigned to your school alone. How could this have happened?”

  She took a deep breath. “We’ve gone over the security footage and can’t find anything. He must have slipped away from the cameras in between classes when the halls were crowded.”

  Nick swore. “Have the officers look over the footage. I’ll be over there with some of my people right away.”

  “They’ve already gone through it, Captain.”

  “Have them do it again!” Nick ended the call and called Parker. Then he texted him and after he got no response, he gathered his things before storming out of his office. “Emergency meeting in the main conference room now!”

  Everyone present looked up at him, then scrambled to the conference room.

  Alex came up to him. “Don’t tell me it’s about Parker.”

  “You know my family too well,” Nick grumbled.

  “What happened?”

  “He took off again.”

  “What?”

  They entered the conference room, then Nick explained everything he knew. “It’s no secret my family has unique dynamics. Things got trickier over the weekend, and Parker’s having a tough time of it.” Then he assigned everyone a task before grabbing Alex. “We’re going straight to the school.”

  “Yeah, of course.” Alex followed Nick to his Mustang. “I can’t believe he took off again.”

  “Tell me about it.” Nick started the car. “As if once wasn’t enough.”

  They discussed possible places Parker might’ve gone on the way. There were so many. The first thing Nick did when he got to the school office was have April call Parker’s girlfriend.

  Jasmine shuffled in, pale and looking down.

  “Do you know where he went this time?” Nick asked.

  She shook her head. “I wish I did. He didn’t tell me anything, I swear.”

  Nick paced. “Do you know where he might’ve gone?”

  Jasmine shook her head again. “I’d ask one of his friends. They’d know more than I would. We really haven’t known each other that long. I’m sorry.”

  “He didn’t say anything to you when he was at your house?”

  “No. He didn’t even tell me what’s going on. I don’t know why he’s so upset.”

  Nick arched a brow. “He didn’t tell you?”

  “He just said he was mad about something to do with his mom.” She shrugged. “That’s all I know. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Nick sent her back to class, then called for Parker’s other friends. None of them were much more help. One kid suggested a few places that Nick had already sent officers to look.

  Then he and Alex headed over to look at the security footage. The school officers pointed out what they’d found, which wasn’t much. Parker had gone to his morning classes, as expected, and didn’t have any altercations. He appeared to be heading to the cafeteria for lunch, but then he disappeared in the crowd and didn’t show up on any other cameras after that.

  Nick tugged on his hair. How could this be happening again?

  He pulled out his phone and called Parker again. Voicemail. Nick hung up, sure he’d say the wrong thing or his tone would come across as angry, and that would only push his son further away. He texted him.

  Nick: Where are you?

  Of course, no response.

  Alex started to say something, but Nick cut him off. “I need to make a call in my car. Search the premises, will you?”

  “Whatever you need me to do.” Alex spun around and spoke with the school officers.

  Nick pulled up his contact list and called the family therapist as soon as he sat in the driver’s seat. The receptionist told him the doctor was with another client, but that she could schedule an emergency meeting.

  “Can you just have him call me? I can’t find my son.”

  “I can have him call you after I set up an emergency meeting.” Her voice was entirely too perky. “If your son isn’t able to make it, the doctor can work with the rest of your family during this time.”

  Nick counted to ten silently before answering. Then he took a deep breath. “Okay. Do that.
You can have him tell me when to be there when he calls. I need to find Parker.”

  “Good luck, Captain.”

  He mumbled a thanks before ending the call and texting Parker again.

  Nick: We’re worried about you. Let me know if you’re okay.

  Parker: Im fine.

  Nick: Where are you?

  Parker: I need space.

  Nick: You can have it at home.

  Parker: No. Im happy here.

  Nick: Where?

  Parker: Im fine. Safe.

  Nick: The force is looking for you.

  Parker: Call em off. Wont find me.

  Nick: Not a chance.

  Parker: Im fine dad.

  Nick took a deep breath. At least he called him Dad again. That was something, but at this point, it was so minor.

  Nick: I’d rather know where you are.

  Parker: Later.

  Nick: You need to come back to school.

  Parker: Not important.

  Nick: It’s your future!

  Parker: Talk later.

  Nick: Where are you?

  Parker didn’t respond. Nick sent a few more texts, which were also ignored. He raked his fingers through his hair and took several deep breaths, not that it helped. More than anything, he needed to talk to the therapist. Hopefully, he would know what to do.

  In the meantime, Nick would amp up the search efforts. Nobody on the force would get any sleep until someone brought Parker to him.

  Search

  Alex turned the corner then returned to the school office. He was sure they’d searched every inch of the middle school. Wherever Parker was, he wasn’t on campus.

  He let the other officers know he was leaving, then headed to the parking lot. He found Nick on the phone, pacing next to his car and waving his hands around.

  Hopefully, he was speaking with Parker. Alex approached slowly, giving Nick the chance to see him if he wanted to wave him away. He didn’t, so Alex leaned against the hood of the car.