The Seven Keys

Chapter 2

     At six o'clock in the morning, Avery's father, Liam, woke that morning to the dreadful sound of his alarm clock. He reached over and slammed his hand on top to shut it off and begin his morning routine of getting ready for work. After kissing his wife, Jamie, who was still sound asleep, he ventured out of the bedroom and softly shut the door behind him. He noticed that Avery's door was slightly ajar, so he poked his head in to see if she had turned her lamp off. Her lamp was off, but his daughter was not asleep in her bed. There was a cold breeze and he looked to the open window. Weird, she's never out this late. He pulled out his cell phone and called her, but there was no answer. Liam knew that Avery liked to venture out in the middle of the night and sometimes she wouldn't come back until the middle of the next day, it was a Saturday after all. Without another thought, he strode over and shut the window.

     Carrying on about his morning routine, he left Jamie a note letting her know that Avery was still not home from her late-night adventure. Not giving it much more thought, he walked out the door and left. As he began his hour commute to work, he decided he could be a few minutes late and drove past all of the places he thought Avery might be. There was no sign of her. Again, he pulled out his phone and called Jamie. On the final ring, Jamie picked up wearily. Liam explained to her that Avery was not home and he couldn't find her anywhere in town.

     Jamie could hear the panic in her husband's voice and talked him down by telling him that she would let him know as soon as he heard anything from her. Although Avery generally kept to herself, it was possible that she had crashed a classmate's house for the night. Liam apologized for waking her so early in the morning, and they hung up.

It was now 9 o'clock on Sunday morning, and Avery was still not home. Jamie and Liam knew it was time to start calling everyone they could to see if they knew where their daughter was. After no luck from any of their friends or neighbors, it was time to call the police. Jamie walked over to pick up the landline while Liam sat at the kitchen table thinking of all the laughs they had shared and the countless family dinners they'd eaten together. Liam loved that Avery was adventurous and eager to see the world, but she was never gone for more than twenty-four hours at a time and she usually left a note or sent one of them a text message. He was terrified to think that his only daughter was missing.

     Jamie was doing her best to keep herself together, but she was beating herself up over the idea that something could have gone seriously wrong for Avery. She knew that her husband hadn't known their daughter very well. Avery was very reserved and didn't communicate her struggles with them, so maybe it was her fault that she was missing. I could have forced her to talk to me or let her know that this house was a safe place to talk in. What if she thought I wouldn't listen? What if she ran away? Jamie could feel her panic getting the best of her, but she knew she had to be strong for Avery and for Liam, so she dialed 911.

     Liam could hear Jamie talk to the officer on the phone, but he was unaware of what she was actually saying. He heard the receiver click and Jamie walked over and sat in the chair next to him. He looked up at her with tears forming in his eyes, riddled with fear and worry. Jamie put her hand over his and said, "The police are coming to ask us some questions about Avery. They will be here in fifteen to twenty minutes." He nodded and hoped that they would be able to get some answers soon.

Avery was in an unfamiliar place. She was weaving in and out of trees in a dense forest where the songs of animals rang out as if they didn't want her there. With no idea what direction she was headed, she kept moving. After what felt like hours, she came to a clearing in the forest. Up ahead, she could see a small cove tucked back in the corner. She checked the cove for animals and when she found none, she curled up and reached in her pocket to check her cellphone for the time, but it was empty. It must have fallen out while I was running, she realized, but she would worry about that after she had some rest.

     Falling asleep in an animal couldn't have been a more difficult task. She was exhausted, but she jumped at every rustle of leaves and the thoughts and questions that she had was her main focus. She didn't know what she was doing or where she was going. Scared, cold, and homesick, all she wanted to do was see her mother. Avery couldn't help but think of her parents, how worried they must be that she hasn't been home. She thought of the late dinner they would have had that night, telling jokes and laughing at the table. Thinking of the things she enjoyed the most brought her comfort, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

     Avery awoke with a start and saw that the skies were darkening. It was likely around six now, and she knew that she had to set back out on her journey. Walking through the forest, she realized that she no longer felt the cold, mysterious presence she had felt on her walk the other night. Taking in her surroundings once more, she felt like this was something she had dreamt of before. It was one of the worst nightmares she'd ever had, only this time it was worse because it was happening in real life. Avery couldn't help but wonder if this was something she would survive or not. Luckily, she had the coverage of the trees to aid in her protection instead of being out in the open with nowhere to hide.

     Being only fifteen, she knew that she was too young to die. If whatever messed up journey she was on would cost her life, she would know that she did the best she could. She kept thinking to herself that this would be much easier if she knew what she was supposed to be doing, but she was willing to figure it out. In some strange way, it felt almost like she was on some sort of quest, one that might make her feel like she had a place in the world. Maybe she would finally be able to find herself after feeling like she was lost for so many years.

Jamie was still as she sat at the table waiting for the police to arrive. She couldn't help but wonder if Avery had given any signs. Jamie would go to the ends of the earth for Avery and she wasn't about to give up on that now. After turning the house upside down looking for something she may have missed, she sat back down at the table with her husband. Liam noticed her struggling now to keep it together, and he leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. Taking her hand, he spoke soft words of encouragement, but she could still hear the panic in his voice that he was trying so well to cover. Liam was typically a very affectionate person, and he did his best to show it, but there was an intrusive thought in the back of his mind that thought that maybe there was something he had said or done that factored into Avery's disappearance.

     They were startled when there was a loud knock at the front door. Jamie stood up quickly and went to answer it, knowing that it was the police. She showed them into the dining room where Liam was still sitting and they all sat down. The police asked them both the questions they expected to be asked by the police for a missing person. What was Avery last wearing? Does she respond to anything other than Avery? Can you describe her appearance? They both felt like terrible parents not knowing what their child had left the house in. The town that they lived in was a friendly one and they never worried too much about Avery exploring on her own, until having to do this. Maybe it was their fault for being too trusting.

     The officers finished asking their questions and scribbling notes down on notepads. They stood up and as Jamie showed them out, they said they would be in contact at the forty-eight-hour mark if she hadn't shown up yet to let them know they would be sending out a search and rescue team. Jamie shut the door and turned to look at Liam. Their gazes locked and Liam started to sob. Jamie walked him to the couch and they sat down. She hugged him as he cried, trying to stay strong as she whispered in his ear that everything was going to be all right.