Trapped (Jariana)

(8)

Frankie

"Going out again?" Mom asks.

"Yeah. It's been another week and I haven't found anything else but that earring. I'm gonna find something today."

"Frankie, we all know Ariana's been gone for 3 weeks. Stop reminding me, please." She says.

"Yeah, okay." I nod and leave the house, closing the door behind me.

In the woods, I'm nearing a small stream. It's nothing special from afar, but when I get closer, I see something below the water. Definitely not an object. It looks like footprints. Huge footprints. They obviously belong to a man, or a woman wearing mens shoes.

Unfortunately, there's nothing else. I look until it starts to get dark, then I go home. I look everywhere around the river for the next few days, but find nothing else.

As I walk back home, I understand why being a detective is so stressful. At first, you think you're doing good, but then, it gets harder and harder. And I don't even have to deal with notifying families and time limits.

I walk in the front door, which is open, and find my mom in the kitchen on the phone.

"Edward, your daughter is missing, and you wanna focus on stuff from the past that I didn't even do. I can't deal with you." She hangs up and drops her phone on the couch, signing.

"I can't deal with him, Frankie." She offers up an explanation before disappearing upstairs.

I hear her crying as I sit on the couch and take out my phone. I haven't touched it since I left.

I have a missed call from an unknown number, as well as a text from that same number.

I open the text first. As soon as I read it, I know exactly who it is.

Alexa.

Alexa was Ariana's best friend in Florida, since she was 5. And they still are, but they don't talk as much since we moved.

A: Please tell me they found her. They have to find her. I can't lose my best friend in the whole world to some idiot.

Me: Alexa, we're trying our best down here. I promise, if we find her, you'll be the first to know.

A: I better be. You know she's my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her. Probably kill myself.

Me: You and me both, sister.

A: I gotta go to class. I'm trusting you, Frankie.

Me: I got you, Lexi. Don't worry.

I put my phone down. Now that that's taken care of, I can go back to doing nothing. I should probably get dinner, since it's almost 7 pm. I'm definitely not cooking, and I know my mom isn't.

I order Chinese food, and wait for it to arrive. When it does, I pay the man and close the door. I leave my mom alone, because she'll come out when she's ready, but I finish my food as quick as possible before retiring to my room for the night. I sigh as I sit on my bed.

Another day of failure.