In Between // OBX (K.C)

77

Back in the Outer Banks, worry was taking over the island, it had been almost three days since the six kids had gone missing. But even longer since any of the parents or unofficial guardians had heard from their kin.

Early afternoon of that last day Freddie and Jessie felt like something was off, Brenna had promised keep them updated and she had been, but then the communication just stopped, something deep down felt wrong. So they decided to go walk over to the Carrera's and see if they knew anything.

Freddie knocked on the bright white door, which took a few minutes to be opened.

"Hi," Mrs. Carrera smiled when she opened the door.

"Hey, have you seen or heard from Brenna at all? She's not answering us and hasn't been home in days," Jessie asked.

"Uhm, no," she sighed.

"Is Kiara home?" Freddie asked.

"She hasn't been home in a week," she started to worry, she knew she had kicked her out but something felt weird, plus that was still her daughter no matter how mad she made her.

"Should we go to the cops?" Jessie asked looking between his husband and neighbor.

"Has anyone seen their other friends?" Mrs. Carrera asked.

"We were gonna go see Heyward after this," Freddie informed her.

"I'll come with," Mrs. Carrera turned to grab her purse and they drove over to the Heyward's shop, right up the street from their own restaurants.

They had the same conversation with the Hayward's who had also not heard from their son in days, the same gut twisting worried feeling taking over their bodies as the five worried parents went to the Sheriff's office.

The next day Jessie and Freddie helped the Carrera's put up posters of the kids around town. Each couple promising to be there for each other, they were neighbors after all.

Freddie silently cried himself to sleep worried about his niece, the last piece he had of his sister now gone. Sometimes he'd go into her room and sit on the edge of her bed and take in the essence of what was once her, there was a pile of clothes still on the floor in front of her closet, her bed still un-made. He'd wonder what would of happened if he had been less harsh on her or if they just had never moved her out to the island at all.

Jessie tried to comfort his husband but he was just as sad. Brenna had been like his own daughter. He found himself staring at the photos that lined their main hallway, rem-mincing. Brenna as a baby in a little pink tutu, a tiny toddler Brenna and her mom on a baby blue bike, a laugh on the tiny brunettes face. A pre-teen braces wearing Brenna in an orange dress standing between Jessie and Freddie at their wedding. All of them made him cry thinking of the things she'd probably never get to do now and the moments with her he took for granted.

A press conference was held in efforts to get the mainland involved, Sheriff Shoupe speaking at the podium.

"The missing teens were last seen on the night of September 27th on the road leading out to the point, no foul play is expected at this time. We've set up a hotline, if you have any information leading to their whereabouts, please give us a call"

Despite the trouble those kids caused him, Shoupe was worried about them, deep down he knew they were all good kids and he was determined to bring them home.

Topper went looking for Sarah and Rafe when he didn't see her around school or him around the country club. He even went to try and find Brenna, hoping she'd know where the Camerons were, but he was met with nothing, just an empty mansion.

Mr. Heyward sat in Pope's room praying for him to come back, hoping his phone would ring and his son would answer, he even found himself hoping JJ would appear on the check out counter of the shop eating something he knew the boy wouldn't pay for.

Freddie and Jessie went to work at the shop day after day, waiting and hoping for their niece to rush in through the smoothie shop door, tying her hair up for her shift which she was probably late for. They even hoped they she her passing by on the street with her five friends just to know she was okay, they'd give anything to just know she was okay.

Mrs. Carrera beat herself up for kicking Kiara out, her husband trying to comfort her and tell her it wasn't her fault, he tired to say it was going to happen at some point due to who she hung out but that didn't make her feel better, it made her feel worse.  

The small island was taken over with distress, six of their own missing, everyone knew the faces stapled to every inch of the island in efforts to find them.

John B Routlegde.

Sarah Cameron.

JJ Maybank.

Kiara Carrera.

Pope Heyward.

Brenna Carlson.

It was like they had fallen off the face of the earth, here one day, causing chaos on the island, the next day no where to be seen.

Parents waited by the phone, pushed through their work days with fake smiles listening to people whisper about their kids. The cops worked day and night searching for clues, searching for those six teens.