The Night They Went Missing

Atatiana

My whole body was in shock. Before me, the TV was turned on, volume high and me being glued to every word that was said. I had gotten up earlier than I would as my phone was constantly popping up with new notifications about Tanisha Clive being dead.

It couldn't be real. Surely not. Once I saw the notification, I ran all the way downstairs with my dressing gown draped around my body. So far, the news reporter on the TV had said no information about Tanisha.

She couldn't be dead. She was one of the kindest and most unproblematic people I had ever met, and she had raised a good son too. It's a shame he didn't get to grow up into the stunning man he would have become.

At the moment, the news show had come to a break, but was about to come back on. The warm steam from my cup of tea steamed up my glasses. I didn't usually wear glasses, but sometimes for watching TV or reading when it was late or early, and my eyes hadn't adjusted to the world yet, I would wear my glasses to help.

The news titles ran across the screen and a lady with sparkling gold hair that looked like sand appeared on the screen.

"Good morning," she said, hitting her papers against the table and looking back at the camera, "Yesterday evening, a dead body that has now been identified as Tanisha Clive was found in Sherwood Forest. So far, Sherwood Forest remains closed."

I wouldn't be surprised if people were able to get past and into the forest. The curious souls of humanity would find a way to creep in and try to catch a glimpse of what happened. On the screen, a picture of Tanisha appeared in the left-hand screen. Her beautiful smile was larger than ever for the whole world to see.

In a way, we both looked similar, but clearly we were both different. One of us, was still alive.

"Further information suggests that this was no accident. Some police officers that were there at the scene told news reporters that Tanisha Clive died by no accident and in fact, this was officially classed as a murder case. Any more information on this will be told later on. We wish her family our condolences here at BBC news."

The camera turned to face a new man who was now showing us viewers what the weather for today would be like. But I didn't care. My body was once again in shock. This couldn't be real. I wanted someone to say this was an prank and that Tanisha was still alive. But I knew that wouldn't happen. This was very much real.

Even though I didn't know her well, from the brief conversations we had when she was picking Elijah up from the nursery, she was a good person. Her laugh would make any room full of joy and now, that would be a laugh, none of us heard ever again.

The clock struck 07:00am and Holly - who was snoozing away next to me - pricked her head up and made a small grunt. I knew there was no point getting ready yet, but I couldn't keep still. My hands, that were shaking furiously, moved around the sofa.

After getting dressed, my skin seemed pale from the horror of the news. My chapped mouth gave a large yawn as my hands moved around my face and into my hair. Pacing up and down the rooms of my house, Holly followed after, mimicking my every move. As much as I wished I could go back to sleep, I wouldn't be able to keep still. I had to move.

The lead clipped gently around Holly's collar, and we headed out for our walk. The cold breeze brushed against my face as we walked through the large field. The sky was still dark but had slight hints of orange and red. I would imagine most people still in bed or only just waking up. Or most people would be sat in their homes, glued to the TV after the shocking news that was just shared.

After the body was found, there were rumours that it was Tanisha, but not in a million did I think they would be true. The world seemed silent and still, almost as if the world was recovering from the news itself.