Rosalee | ✔️

1 | Where's Rosalee?

"Rosalee, Sweetie? Will you go grab the cookies, they're just in the next aisle from us. I need to find some assistance to get that cake mix for Tanya's get well soon gathering. I can't reach it." Jenelle says to her little girl, looking down into her big green eyes, sparkling like emeralds just at the mere mention of cookies.

The small town of Golden Grove decided to come together and make different dishes to take to Tanya's house tomorrow afternoon to make the recovery from her back surgery more bearable. Tanya is like the town's icon. Everyone knows who she is and cares deeply for her because she treats everyone with such kindness, it makes all of the people in the town blanch over the gentleness she shows. What no one knows, however, is how important Tanya is to Jenelle and Rosalee. Tanya took Jenelle into her home when Jenelle's own mother kicked her out for being pregnant at 16. She is also Rosalee's grandmother, after all, even if Tanya doesn't know that.

"Okay, Mommy! I'll be right back!" Rosalee squeals, scurrying past Jenelle and making her way to the cookies.

Jenelle chuckles to herself as she, yet again, attempts to reach the cake mix on the top shelf. Jenelle wanted to make Tanya's favorite cake, chocolate, but she didn't anticipate the cake mix to be so out of reach. Looking around, Jenelle spots an older gentleman restocking one of the shelves. Walking up to him, she shoves her hands in her pockets and plasters a smile onto her face.

"Excuse me, Sir? Could you help me grab that cake mix off the top shelf?" Jenelle asks the man politely, pointing her finger in the direction of the cake mix.

"Sure thing, Hon." The man replies, giving a gentle smile in Jenelle's direction. Smiling back, Jenelle begins to lead him to the cake mix. As she's leading the man to the cake mix, Jenelle can't help but wonder what's taking Rosalee so long.

The man is able to grab the cake mix easily, which is no surprise seeing as he is around 5'10 and compared to Jenelle's 5'4, that's quite a difference.

The man gently hands over the cake mix to Jenelle, shooting another toothy smile in her direction.

"Here you go, Miss. Need anything else I can help you with?"

"No, that's all I needed. Thank you!" Jenelle exclaims, placing the cake mix in her shopping cart.

The man then turns and walks back to the shelf he was restocking while Jenelle suddenly gets an unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach. Looking around the aisle she is standing in, Jenelle sees the man who just helped her busy with restocking the shelves, she sees a couple arguing over what flavor chips they want to buy, and finally, the last thing Jenelle notices is what she doesn't see. Where's Rosalee?

Jenelle only sent Rosalee into the aisle right next to this one, so there is absolutely no reason she shouldn't be back yet.

Trying her best to regain her bearings, Jenelle completely abandons her shopping cart and sprints to the other aisle.

Then the one after that.

And the one next to that one.

Aisle after aisle, Jenelle searches for her baby girl, to no avail. Sweat dripping down the back of her neck and hands a shaking mess, Jenelle finally registers the situation she is in, one she thought would never happen. After this horrid revelation that Jenelle wishes was a nightmare, she begins running back to the original aisle where everything went down before it all went to Hell.

Abruptly coming to a stop, Jenelle frantically searches for the man who helped her only mere minutes before, when everything was fine and Jenelle wasn't worried about her little 10-year-old girl and all that could possibly happen to her if she isn't found as soon as possible.