A Message in the Clouds

1) The Missing Girl

"Amber Francine Greene! Get down here now!" Amber's mother hollered from the bottom of the steps. Ignoring her for the second time, Amber looked over at her notes once again, and back at the television news program. She watched as Joan, the co- host of Good Morning America informed viewers about a brand new case.

Amber watched as Joan gave out the suspects before the program changed into a commercial about Hot Pockets. The television paused, let out a small beep, before returning to normal. Amber rolled her eyes, and let her chair spin her attention back to her desk. How could her older brother, Alexander be apart in this?

The Greene family was how freaking out about this. Everyone now thought the Greene family was now raising their kids wrong, and to raise them monstrous. "What the hell? Alexander was here the night it happened!" Amber reminded herself, fuming in anger.

Alexander had gone to bed, closed the door, and no one heard a word from him the rest of that night. Besides, Joan did say that Veronica, the missing female, had been gone by 11:30pm, right? By the next day, Alexander was gone. His bed was neat and tucked nicely. It seemed like he just left early.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Amber's mysterious brain. He snuck out of the house! No wonder he wasn't there at breakfast. Everything made sense now. He made his bed, snuck out of the house, and left without explanation.

"AMBER! GET DOWN HERE! RIGHT NOW!" A familiar voice screeched from the downstairs living room area. Amber rolled her eyes, before running down the stairs to greet her drunk mother. "What?" Amber asked, adding a major spice of attitude with it. "I called your name once, twice, and now three times!"

Amber could smell the smoke and beer from her mother's mouth. Ever since the incident with Alexander a couple of days ago, she's gone back to her old habits. Allison, Amber's mom, had gone insane from all the hate they had recently gotten. She had just started taking it out on Amber, only when her father was gone for work or to hang out with his friends.

Allison stepped closer to Amber, before tackling her own daughter to the ground. Allison swung a punch, and Amber gladly dodged it. What was wrong with this woman? Amber thought before getting out of her mother's tight grip. She ran past the old, green, lamp, past the brown fuzzy couch, and opened the front door and slammed it behind her.

The smell of evening sun travel into her nose, and out her mouth. That feeling was better than being coped up in her mother's dangerous arms. A cold shudder went down her spine as she jumped onto her red bike with a little white basket in front.

Racing down the streets, she ignored the rude calls that gained behind her. It had only been a few days, and Veronica's loved ones still were starting to give Amber death threats. The only people Amber had by her side were her two friends, her brother and sisters, and her dad. She didn't understand how people could do this whole thing alone without breaking down or giving up on life.

The summer wind blew back in her face as she raced down the street, passing many houses. Amber's actions moved along with her bike as she turned a quick right, then straight towards her best friend's house. Amber found herself on the McGuire's driveway, and popped her bike's silver kickstand, before walking up to the red front door. Fake flowers hung by the doorknob, not to mention there was a huge sticker with a blue jay upon it. Amber smiled, after eleven years, they still kept that on their door.

Amber's crumbled fist reached onto the front door, and the reaction was a loud popping sound. She knocked twice, paused, and then knocked twice more. Hollers could be heard from the inside of the house, pounding, and thumping down the stairs ended with a big wiggle onto the doorknob, tracking a messy looking Alex. He actually looked quite shocked to see Amber at his doorstep.

He was shirtless.

"Amber, what are you doing here? It's Sunday, if you didn't know, and plus, some people want to take some naps on Sundays like this." Alex complained as he leaned on the doorframe of the house. Amber raised her right eyebrow, and cross her arms sassily at him. "Says the boy who easily forgets that I have a picture of him in pigtails, a pink wedding dress, and a heart shaped necklace in my drawer." Amber smirked.

The blush on Alex's cheeks was brighter than Hello Kitty's pink bow. "No, that's never going to be shared around the school, right?" He questioned, stretching out the right too far than necessary. Amber rolled her eyes for the ninth time that day, "Look, I was just going to ask if you would like to go get ice cream with me, but never mind." Amber turned on her heel, before walking over to her bike in victory.

"Oh, come on, Amber! You know what that does to me! Wait! Let me find a shirt!" Alex hollered behind her, worry and anxiousness too evident to even try to figure out. She heard rustling from behind her back, before seeing a no longer shirtless Alexander McGuire in front of her. Alex held onto a motorcycle with one hand, and the other hand on his hip.

"Look, honey, if you ain't gonna get on this damn bike, I'm gonna bite you in face and then find you to a pack of werewolves!" Alex sassed, ending with a zig zag figure snap. He puckered up his lips like the way he whistles, well, without the lipstick. "You're such a damn weirdo." Amber laughed before light pushing his shoulder and strapping the helmet onto her head.

Alex rolled his eyes playfully, before landing in front of Amber. His strapped on his helmet, and repeatedly rolling his hands forward harshly. The electric bike started to vibrate along with the fast road as the two are their way to Mikey's Frozen Treats. Amber had done this a million times with Alex, and yet she still wasn't used to it.
   
          Amber found herself walking into the frozen yogurt shop. She walked up to the bright pink countertop and sighed dramatically. Alex raised an eyebrow at her, before turning his attention to the woman in front.  Her long red hair circled around the front of her 'watermelons' and landed beneath her waist. She looked like she just came out of Victoria's Secret.

           "So, I'll have the triple banana sundae, and she will have," Alex looked at Amber with a slight interest, "the chocolate swirly sundae."  Slut looked at them with a raised eyebrow, as if they were the tacky ones. "Why do you need to order for her? Is she too baby to do it? To afraid to walk up here and talk?" 'Meghan' asked, rolling her eyes at Amber.  Amber's blood boiled with annoyance, but she was going to keep her cool, no matter what.

         "I'm not talking to because I don't want to waste my breath on someone who's boobs are too big for their body." Amber said calmly, drumming her nails on the countertop with annoyance. "So instead of annoying the shit out of me, you can go and give us our drinks. Or are your boobs gonna do that?"  Alex, and Meghan stood with complete and utter shock. Alex shifted uncomfortably, trying his best not to throw himself over the counter and laugh. Meghan sighed, before handing them their orders, and walked to the back.

           Alex roared with laughter as soon as Meghan was stuck in the back of the shop. "You're a badass!" He reclaimed, before giving her the hardest high five ever. His fingers accidentally lingered on her long nails. Amber and Alex stood in awkward silence, and letting their hands drop to their thighs.  But of course, Alex started laughing again.

             "You're a badass. I would kiss you right now if I was stuck in the friend zone." Alex admitted as the two took their seats, which got Amber blushing the rest of day. Amber smiled at him, before swallowing a giggle down her throat. The Friend Zone. Who said she put him in the friend zone?

          She wanted to get out of the friend zone.

Authors Note
    Hi! First chapter! What did you think? Pathetic? Stupid? I thought it was kinda bad to be honest. So let me know if you liked it or not.

Teaser: Amber gets closer and closer to getting the answer to the case, and maybe getting out of the friend zone?