Sarah (h.s)

Chapter One

Dancing under candy coloured lights. Her ash coloured hair altered its shades as the lights hit her. It made her glow. Sarah. The ground underneath their bare feet shook with the bass of the live music. The Rogue Traders. Dressed in stripy tights and fairy wings, Sarah raised her arms into the air to feel the melody move through her veins.

Niall, beside her, handed over the flask they had been sipping all night. Her head tips and she felt the burn run down her already raw throat from the singing. The music festival they were drinking through was 30km out from town. Their town, a somewhat paper town, was filled with blandness and stereotypical jobbed individuals with no substance. That's why Sarah dragged Niall to the music festival. To feel something, and they were feeling it. They were also stumbling through it.

Niall's hold on her waist was loose, just enough to feel each other's presence in the crowd of hundreds. It was busy. The loudness of the festival was enough to drown Sarah's 17-year-old mind of its demons. Her parents were bland, just like the rest of her town, however there was a lot of pressure on her to do well. There were many people who care for her. She was known to be one of the kindest people in her community; sweet and ever caring for those around her, there was just times that the pressure of being the town's favourite girl became too much. Along with the ever-going pressure of her brother trying to keep her head on straight, considering it like to turn and usually float away.

The music became even louder, and the two, in their childlike drunken state, separated slightly, getting lost in the crowd of people who were much more interesting than those back home. It was dark, and things were better in the dark. The only things lighting the open park were the strobe lights from the stage and the carnival rides behind them. Even though they weren't beside each other, they both knew they weren't far. They were where they belong.

Niall was in agreement of how bad life was back in that shitty town where nothing ever happens. An ever-ending era of nothingness. It seemed like something might almost always happen. But it never does. It's simply stories. Niall had known Sarah for a few years. They went to their nothing-ever-happens high school together. Found they're passions for anything more than what they had, and stuck together.

The dirt was being kicked to the air as the hundreds of feet on top of it jumped to the beat. Sweat, dirt, neon lights, 11pm, a suddenly off feeling. Niall knew something was wrong. He looked back into the crowd. Eyes scanning the people who were different to the ones back in town. Sarah was gone. Niall knew she couldn't have gone too far. Sarah could never get too lost in a crowd; she brought the crowd with her. He decided to leave the bouncing crowd, look for her on higher ground. There was no sign of her in the movement. He looked elsewhere. Everywhere. Anywhere he could set his eyes on to see her ash brown hair. He searched all the stages. Nothing.

He went to the St John's stand. The man said: you just missed her. Stay. Maybe she'll come back again. Feeling relieved of the man's word, Niall started to relax. He sat by the stand and waited. And waited. The anxiety weighted in his stomach, along with the alcohol. He took another swig from the flask. 11:34pm. Niall somewhat missed Sarah already. Not even sure what was going on, he already felt the thrill of her presence gone. She had probably just gone on another adventure. She was the adventurous one. Never wanting to be locked away. She was always creeping closer to the sun, the cliff she explores becoming more dangerous everyday. But Niall knew she wouldn't fall. She would fly. Sarah would always fly.

11:59pm. She would be making her wish right now, if she were here, if she were anywhere. Sarah's been doing it since she was a little girl. A wish on the verge of a new day. A wish to have something new in it. Something exciting. A wish to make sure the next day was better than the last.

Music still booming, but to Niall, causing a headache now rather than an escapade. Niall couldn't bare the weight in his stomach anymore. Sarah was gone. Sarah was gone. He dialled his phone and brought to his ear, knowing the disaster that was about to unfold.

"Hello Sir, Yes, it's Niall. Look, I really don't know what to say. I don't know what happened. I really don't." Niall slurred slightly into the speaker.

"What's the matter, kid?" The almost absent sounding voice of Sarah's Father came through the phone.

"Sarah." Niall managed.

"What about Sarah?" The voice still inattentive.

"She's gone. Sarah's gone." Niall forced out. The other end remained silent.

"Where are you?" The scratchy voice became immediate.

"Livid Festival." The call ended. Sweat ran down Niall's forehead. Sarah was gone. His hands started to shake. Sarah was gone. He thought about all of the other times she had gone missing. She usually turned up 20 minutes later, absolutely fine, rambling about something wonderful that she found or did. There was never a scratch on her. Always beautiful.

"Alright I'll check the carnival rides, you do a sweep of the stages again." Sarah's father stood above him and intervened Niall's thoughts, which made him jump to his feet and begin the task that was assigned to him. He was slow on his feet. He knew he should stop drinking.

The two circled the park over and over. Looking in every ride, stage, game, area. The search was relentless. Hour after hour of looking for her hazel eyes, nothing. The alcohol had washed away and the soberness made the situation hit Niall like a truck. He felt like his chest was collapsing from being punched so hard. 4:30am. His whole body was on fire. Burning up completely. That's what he would rather do at this moment. Die. Sarah was gone. His body shook from the darkness of the night and the shrill of the wind. The festival had come to an end a little while ago; the crowd had dispersed. It was silent expect for the chattering of Niall's teeth, his stare at the dry ground. Another sound was heard. Footsteps. Niall's vision darted straight toward it thinking it was who he could only dream it could be. She would come back, sit next to him, and say: What are you crying for? I'm right here. I went on the greatest adventure. But he was left empty when it was simply her father who had his phone against his ear.

"Police? I need to report a missing person."

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Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have a lovely and safe holiday x

~ Littlethingss11