MISSING

PART TEN

3.

'Give me your keys ...' Gavin tells Mike.

'You what?'

'Don't question it bro, just trust me ...'

Mike is perplexed. This is certainly not what he was expecting. He rolls up the driver's seat car window, gets out of his car then remotely locks and alarms the vehicle. He had already driven into the driveway to the house where his best friend lives, so there's no need to adjust a parking position. The school bus pulls up as he does this.

'C'mon ... we're getting on the bus ...' Gavin says.

'You what now?'

'Trust me brother, trust me ...'

'... If you think I am heading into school, you're crazier than I ever pegged you to be.'

'We're not going to school, not inside anyhow.'

Mike takes a second or two before following Gavin over towards the bus. He can't simply just change his mind and get back into his car as he has already handed his keys over to Mike. Gavin waits by the bus door for Mike to catch up with him.

'Gavin ... how odd?' speaks Joe, the school bus driver. '... I don't mean you are odd of course ...'

'Hey Joe ... what do ya know?' Gavin says sarcastically, knowing what he knows about Joe when, if all things are normal, he could not possibly know at all. '... and it's alright ... I know your not used to seeing me all too often and certainly not before my sister.'

Mike has caught up at this point and moves onto the bus before Gavin does. Mike moves towards the back of the bus. Seeing this, Gavin grabs Mike's shoulder. Mike turns.

'Not down there, man, ... in here.'

Gavin nods towards two empty seats next to one another and Mike moves in to take the window seat. Ashley is right behind them and right away she sees a problem. That older boy Jake, he is not sitting where he had been the first time this day played out and he is not asleep down the back either like he had been last time round. To add to the woes, there isn't anyone sitting in the back row at all.

Asley takes the seat behind her brother and quietly lets him in on her observations.

'Right,' says Mike overhearing this ... problem. 'You guys need to tell me what the hell is going on ...'

'Not so loud,' Gavin says. 'In time, bro ... for now just relax.'

'Should we let mum know?' Ashley asks her brother.

'Not yet ... just go along with this for now and see what happens.'

'She'll be ringing the police soon unless we tell her otherwise.'

'The police ...?'

Both Gavin and Ashley shush Mike and further reason to worry arises. Joe the bus driver is looking down the bus to see what the commotion is. Mum had seemed worried when Gavin had been talking with her, Gavin considers if that worry was less over a five day jump rather than a one or two day jump back and more a worry for something else. Can't dwell on that right now. Is there something else on her mind? The bus moves on and as it does, no one is taking up a position at the back, this really is going to mess things up.

'I better let mum know, otherwise police are going to show up for no good reason' Ashley says.

'Wait ...' says Mike. 'Tell me what's going on here ... something is obviously up. Tell me and maybe I can help ...'

Gavin and Ashley look at one another for a moment, the Ashley takes a notebook and pen out from her bag and writes down what is happening so no one can listen in on what she could possibly say. She keeps it short and to the point for time is against them. Odd how something they have an unknown control of, is working against them.