The Vanished (A Prequel to The Forgotten)

A Storm

Angeline Huaji looked out her window and knew things weren't getting better anytime soon. The rain would continue falling, because when disaster strikes, it does not mean the sun is coming up. It means that you are in a storm. But Angeline was ready to survive the storm.

"Angie, baby?" called a voice.

"In here, Mom," Angeline replied, still staring out the window. The door to Angeline's room creaked open, and Mrs. Huaji's head poked in.

"Hey, hon," she said, forcing a grin. "You okay?"

"No," Angeline replied glumly. "And before you ask, no, there is nothing you can do to make it better." Mrs. Huaji sighed mentally, but kept up the mask of a smile as she sat on the edge of her daughter's bed.

"I may not have super powers, missy, but I think I can help." Angeline just stared into the rain.

"The bed's too empty," she said at last. "The treats on the counter don't get stolen fast enough, and there's not nearly enough arguing over who gets the good chair." Mrs. Huaji gently guided Angeline's head to her shoulder, where it rested, eyes still on the rain.

"Oh, baby, I miss her too." It hadn't been a week since Axle had left, and the emotional blow had shaken both Angeline and her mother badly. In a small house such as their own, the departure of Angeline's sister had made the place feel all the emptier. At first, both mother and daughter had hoped that Axle may cool off and return. But as the hours, and then days, rolled by, it was increasingly obvious that Axle wasn't going to return.

All because of a stupid toy, Angeline thought bitterly. She'd been shocked when she'd found Axle beginning to bury Louis the stuffed elephant. Louis was the one and only reminder that the girls had of their father, and they both treasured him. So there had been an emotional reaction when Axle tried to bury him. Her reasoning had involved "moving on" and "living with the living", but Angeline had angrily shut down any attempt to explain. She'd simply grabbed Louis and stalked back to the little house, fuming. Louis was particularly valuable to Angeline, due to her magical ability that allowed her to see ghosts and phantoms. She didn't see either often, but thought that maybe Louis could somehow help her father's ghost someday, even if he hadn't died in the house. Axle had then returned, too, and although Mrs. Huaji was suspicious of the tension between her daughters, she didn't ask questions. The whole thing seemed to have rolled over until, somehow or another, it was brought up in a conversation between the sisters. It had, unsurprisingly, led to another argument, and...

A tear slid down Angeline's face. She hadn't meant to grab the vase. She really hadn't.

But Axle didn't pause to ask about Angeline's intentions. She just ran. Angeline, despaired at what she'd done, had told her mother, and then the two waited for Axle to come home. They'd waited for an agonizing hour. And then another. And another. And another.

"I want her back, Mom," Angeline whimpered, more tears sliding down her cheeks. "I want her back so bad!"

"I know, baby," Mrs. Huaji said calming, fighting away tears of her own. "I do, too. But we'll be okay. I was downright petrified when your father died, and I was left with two crazy girls to look after." Mrs. Huaji ruffled Angeline's hair affectionately. "But I'd like to think that we did okay. So, if Axle doesn't come back, then we'll just... recover. Yes, that's the word. We'll recover, together." Angeline drew a shaky breath, her tears ending.

"I can do that," she said, breathing out deeply. Mrs. Huaji planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"I know you can, baby." The older female stood and left the room, and Angeline looked around the room, wondering what to do. She paused as her vision swept past the window.