Waiting To Fall

Chapter 1

A/N: Contains mentions of suicide and drug addictions and the like. Avoid if it triggers you.

"Thank you, so so much," Mrs Hemsley thanked her for the thousandth time.

"It's no problem, ma'am, happy to help. Please don't get your hopes up though, I really can't guarantee results.. I will try my best."

"Thank God for sweet souls like you. God knows the police won't do anything."

Mrs Hemsley walked her out and handed her an envelope. Emptying the contents, she pocketed the picture of Mrs Hemsley's son and returned her the thick wad of cash. It wasn't the first time someone's offered her money but it doesn't get any easier rejecting it with each time.

"Amber, dear, please. It's the least I can do," her frail hands press the money into Amber's. Amber sighs and tries to give it back but when Mrs Hemsley's eyes start watering, she immediately takes it. After another round of thanks, Amber walks down the path and heads home. She separates the thick stack into four and gives them to the homeless on the streets. Pulling her coat tighter around herself, damn it's cold, she hurries into her apartment lobby and takes the lift up.

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Amber stands in front of the mirror, huffing when her fringe falls out of her ponytail again. For her name- Amber Rose- she is pretty pale. Fair skin and platinum hair. She bets her parents had expected a baby child with amber blonde hair and rosy cheeks. She shakes her head, shaking the sadness away. She doesn't need thoughts of her parents clouding her brain this early in the morning.

It was 6 in the morning on a Saturday. Most people her age would still be in bed. She's not most people. She was already at her computer typing out the information she gathered from yesterday. She took out the picture from her jeans pocket and stared at it a bit more. He had tan skin with a gorgeous set of hazel brown eyes and matching hair. He was the kind of guy girls her age would be fawning all over. How did he go missing? Kidnapping? Overdose? Suicidal jump into a river? She's dealt with cases like these before.

She scanned it and started running the picture through her many programs, hoping that one of the security cameras all over the country would catch his face somewhere. Letting it run, she made her way to the kitchen. She starts making a cup of tea and looks through her phone. Hm, 4 messages and 2 missed calls. That's a lot considering I hardly get any.

Stace: U still going shopping later after work? Need new dress my old ones r too last season

A fond smile took over her face as she replied yes to Stacey. Stacey and Emily, friends from work, were the only few people she could have a decent conversation with. She was lucky she found them, lucky they sticked with her. She didn't deserve them, but she's still thankful. Then she looked through the other messages.

015-24993-1: hey need to talk.

015-24993-1: amber right? it's urgent. text me back ya

015-24993-1: shit amber r u there????

2 missed calls
015-24993-1 3.58am
015-24993-1 4.02am

What the heck?

A beep sounded and she rushes over to her computer, momentarily forgetting the weird messages and missed calls.

There's a match alright. She clicked the notification bubble and enlarged the footage from yesterday. She watches as the cute guy gets off a taxi, looks around nervously and then hurries inside Billure Books, an antique bookstore. She waits. And waits. Hits x2 on the speed of the footage. x3 still nothing. Night approaches. The skies lighten. The time on the footage shows 6.32am with today's date, and goes back to playing at normal time, a live screening.

What is happening? Who goes in a bookstore and never comes back out?

What. The. Heck.

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"Good morning, welcome to Fluff Bakery! What would you like to have?" Stacey's voice chimed loud and cheerful at the scrawny teens at the counter.

"A little bit of sweet a lot of sexy and a whole lot of dangerous, baby," a bunch of snickers accompanying the guy up front.

"Sweetheart, she's lesbian and she's hardly interested in your offer," Amber voiced out from behind the glass cases displaying their cupcakes. Amber and Stacey exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. After lewd comments thrown at Stacey, the group left the store.

"Honestly, Stace, I don't know how many more of those people I can endure. If I hear one more pickup line or unnecessary comment, I might just punch the guy."

"Watch out Am, another guy's coming in," Stacey pauses and then, "Good morning! Welcome to Fluff Bakery, what would you like to have?"

"Salted caramel cupcake and a cup of Earl's, babe," Stacey thought he was safe.

"Excellent choice, they're delicious. That'll be $8.45."

Then he winked and smirked at her. "You look pretty tasty yourself"

...

"LET ME GO STACE I WILL FUCKING MURDER THE ENTIRE MALE POPULATION," Stacey had to literally hold Amber back from bashing him with the tray or the piping bag she was holding, "ALL YOU MEN LOOK AT US LIKE WE'RE FOOD. DAMN IT WE SELL NICE LOVELY FOOD RIGHT HERE WHY ARE YOU- AAH STACE LET ME- JUST ONE PUNCH JUS- OKAY A SMALL KICK GR- I JUST WANT TO POKE HIS EYES OUT CAN YOU,"

The guy stared at banshee-Amber with wide horrified eyes, threw a ten dollar bill on the counter and ran like a thousand wild dogs were after him. While Amber was still going on about her many ways to inflict pain, Stacey and Emily were laughing so hard they started crying. Emily came out from the kitchen and patted Amber's back, still laughing.

Amber calmed down after a while and all three started laughing again, giving each other fond amused looks. At 5pm, they closed up and headed to Brigg's Mall, snagging a few clothes on sale then going to Emily's. On the drive there, her phone started buzzing non stop in her pocket.

051-24993-1 calling...