Yesterday - A Beatles Fanfic

Chapter The Fourth

As Devon entered the huge oak doors, he couldn't help walking a little faster. There was a nagging feeling in his gut. He needed to get to that classroom and see the guitar with his own eyes.

He had his key in his hand, but then saw the unlocked door. Frowning, he pushed the door open. The room looked untouched. But he searched the area around his desk. The instrument was nowhere to be seen. He was becoming frantic, and double checked all the studios as well as the storeroom.

Nothing.

He sat on one of the tables with his head in his hands. How could he have been stupid enough to leave it here with the door unlocked? He'd been at the school less than a week, and had already messed up. He stared vacantly out of the window, then blinked. It was wide open. The curtains were flapping in the breeze, and a few sheets of paper rustled on his desk. He walked over and examined a smudged handprint on the glass. There were also a couple of hairs caught in the window frame. Carefully pulling them out, he held them up to the light. They were light brown in colour, and not too long, but definitely girl's hair.

Devon exited the room, wringing his hands anxiously. Coffee. He needed coffee. He made his way to the staffroom where he would be sure to get his morning fix of caffeine. A few other teachers were standing in a group, in what seemed to be a rather tense conversation.

"Mornin' all." Devon acknowledged them as he scooped a teaspoon of instant coffee into a mug. They looked at him with a mixture of grim and nervous expressions. "Everything alright?" He asked.

One woman whose name escaped him replied. "There is a missing student, Mr Bailey."

A man who Devon remembered to be called Maxwell added, "Jessie Baxter left her dorm last night, and hasn't been seen since. Her roommates say she got into a debate with one of 'em, and then just walked right out the door. We looked for her, but she appears to have left the school grounds."

Devon's brow furrowed. He suddenly had a very good idea whose hair that was.

* * *

No one noticed the child lying in the park. No one, except for one young man. He was out for a walk, not going anywhere in particular, and not for a particular reason. Just a walk. He was walking through the park, rubbing his hands together to bring a little warmth back into them, when he noticed a small figure on the ground under a tree.

Curious, he moved closer. It was a child. Damp clothes that didn't quite look like anything he'd ever seen covered the small pale figure, and blonde-brown hair covered their face. The child's bare feet and hands were almost blue with cold, with muddy legs tucked up close.

Concerned, and not quite sure what to do, he knelt down next to the sleeping figure. He brushed the hair back to reveal a small round face with soft features. Pale lips were pressed together in a thin line. "Hey kid." He gently shook the child's shoulder. "Erm, lad?" He guessed the child was a boy, even with the hair that came just above their shoulders. No female on the planet would wear a shirt and shorts! Would they? Still, the child didn't stirr. "Y'alright, boy?" He tried again. The only movement from the small figure was the steady rise and fall of their chest.

The man was growing worried now. He felt responsible for this unconscious child in the park. He needed to do something. He could call an ambulance, but the thought of that poor kid waking up all alone in some white room with bleeping monitors made him shudder. He had spent a lot of his time like that in his childhood, and wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Besides, the nearest public phone was a considerable distance away, and anyone could stumble across the small, vulnerable figure.

Chewing his lip nervously, he slipped his coat off and wrapped it around the cold figure. Shivering slightly as his arms were exposed to the chilly morning air. It didn't take long for a little colour to return to the child's face, much to the man's relief. "Ye'll be alright, kid. One of the lads'll know what t' do..." He murmured as he scooped the small child up. For the first time, he noticed an old guitar on the ground, not far from where the child had been laying. He picked it up as well, tucking it under one arm as he cradled the unconscious child. "This must be yours, huh? We'll bring it along as well." He said, more to himself if anything.