Rising Storm

Vanished

Skye stared out the window, his eyes locked on the trees of the forest beyond. It had been over six long and agonizing months since Stormi had been taken. He spent every waking hour he possibly could searching for her. Every long and dreadful minute that slowly drifted by took more and more of his mentality, and every day chipped away at his sanity little by little. Of course he blamed himself. He was her caretaker after all. But he was only 26, and he had no knowledge on how to care for a teenage girl. Stormi was moody and obsessive and, all in all, a pain to care for. She was always running off to do something, despite any effort Skye made to stop her. He had become overprotective of her, especially since she was the only thing that he had left after their dad passed.

Fear consumed his life, slowly consuming the hope that he thrived on and the belief that his baby sister would be coming home alive. Even though Stormi was always a pain in the neck, he still loved her dearly, and would do anything in his power to keep her safe. But he had failed that mission. He watched a stranger run away with her as she screamed for him, cried for him, begged for him to save her. He helplessly flailed after the man to catch her, but couldn't. He had failed her, and more importantly, he had failed the promise he had made to his father.

As he sat motionless on the couch, he replayed the scene of that night. A tall man throwing her over his shoulder while she screamed and cried, running into the trees until he could no longer hear her voice. Each time he replayed it, he took in more and more detail, trying hard to figure out something to give away where Stormi could be. Every time he zoomed in to the man's face, the more familiar it was. The more the man seemed to resemble their father. Now, the resemblance wasn't strong. There were clear differences, such as the skinny weight, but the face strongly looked like their dad.

Skye shuttered, blocking the thought out of his head. As his mind raced, he closed his burning eyes with a sigh. Sleep was slim to none anymore. On the rare occasion he could fall asleep, he was taunted by the nightmares of that night, and his fears of what could have become of his dear little sister.

Once the sun rose over the horizon, Skye headed outside with the keys to his truck. He climbed inside and started the engine before starting on his way. He turned up the radio, playing all of his sister's favorite songs, despite his dislike of them. Once she was gone, he grew to respect her likes more. As the heavy guitars played and the drums clashed on some random rock song, he zoned into the road. As he passed by the trees of the forest, he watched intently for any sign of his sister.

The thirty minute drive flew by, and eventually, he pulled up to the gates. He rolled his window down, the guard asking for his information before allowing him inside. He parked and went inside the gloomy building. Waiting in a room at a table for a while, he watched his surroundings nervously. Two guards came in, a woman in orange in between them. Shackles bound her hands and ankles as she walked. Her pale and pretty face lit up when she saw Skye.

"Skye Ryan! I can't believe its you!" She shouted happily. The guards backed away, keeping their eyes on the pair.

"Hi Ma," Skye said quietly, looking at her with his bloodshot eyes.

Luna gently grabbed his face, examining it. "What is wrong with you? You look horrible!" She said worriedly.

Skye shook his head, not saying a word. His mother looked nothing like himself, but she resembled Stormi. She had the same face structure as his sister, and the same small nose. Though, she had jet black hair and dark green eyes rather than blonde and sea-foam.

Luna sighed. "Skye... I know you're mad at me. I know you hate me. Even though I wasn't always there to be a good mother, I still know when something is wrong with one of my babies."

Skye was silent for a long while. Eventually, he looked up to her. "Stormi... She's missing..." He said quietly.

What little blush the woman had flushed into sickly pale. "You're joking..." She whimpered.

Skye shook his head. "It was storming out... And she went to see grandma Ellie and was walking home and I saw him take her_"

Luna cut him off by grabbing his shoulders and shaking him a little bit. "Skye Ryan Liquoure, calm down!" She shouted.

Skye nodded his head, choking his tears back.

"Now, slow down and tell me what happened to my daughter."

Skye began to explain the whole story to his mom. "I'm sorry I came so late, mom... I was just_ I spent all of my time looking for her and we've found nothing."

Luna nodded, her eyes watering. "Oh Skye..." She whispered before pulling her boy into a tight hug. He was double her size in height and weight. Skye was a big man.

They stayed in the hug for a long time. The two sat in silence after that until the guards came to take Luna back. She stood. "Listen to me, Skye. Do not lose your hope. The moment your hope is gone is the moment she dies. Believe in her. Don't give up on her."

Skye nodded his head, standing up. "I love you, Ma..." He said quietly.

The guards began to take her away. "I love you too, Son..."

The moment Luna was behind the safety of the door, Skye heard her walls fall as she burst into tears. He cringed in emotional pain before heading for the exit. He had let her down. Her and his father.

On the ride home, Skye drove slower than usual. The ride drug on forever, but it allowed him to clear his groggy head. When he finally arrived home, he walked to Stormi's room. Laying on her bed was her stuffed rabbit she had had since she was a baby. His name was Rodger. Skye picked up Rodger and hugged him close, breaking down. Soon, Rodger's dirty yellow fur was wet with Skye's tears.