Taken From Reality

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Lori’s POV

            It had been another two days and they still hadn’t found any strong leads. They questioned all renters around the area and checked to see if any houses had been bought recently but nothing suspicious came up. No single man, or no father and son. All families, all of no help. They checked the local schools to see of any new students fit the son’s description but again nothing. I was losing all hope; I was accepting the reality of what was most likely.

            Although my hope was down, I continued to have the search party go around, now by my own funding and continued to pass out fliers. I had questioned every person in my town, aside from the police to see if secretly they would tell me anything. Nothing was helpful in neither my town nor the other three I had been to, but I still had two left and something inside me told me that if I gave up now, I would greatly regret it.

            After hearing the heartbreaking news that they had still found nothing, I decided to go the store and pick up some of Anika’s favorite things. I spent almost one hundred dollars on all of her favorite foods, favorite body sprays, a copy of a cd of one of her favorite artist and some make-up. I smiled as I spent the money and I smiled as I placed the bags in my trunk, everything reminded me of her and brought back wonderful memories, and having those were a blessing because I felt like I would break at any moment. I vowed to myself, that if I were to ever find her, things would be different. Work wouldn’t come first, she would. We would open up to each other and we would be friends. That was my promise not only to me but to her as well.

            I was on my way home, but decided to take a detour into one of the towns I had not yet checked. I didn’t have any flyers on me unfortunately but I decided a quick canvas of the area wouldn’t hurt, and that I would just come back tomorrow with the flyers. I turned down every street and looked down every ally, I was losing faith but then finally I noticed something and ended up slamming on my breaks.