The Day They Disappeared

Chapter 2

"I heard Will Connors killed him and those two girls last year."

"Yeah well I believe it. He is a little bit of an oddball don't ya think?"

"Totally."

I snuck glances at the two girls talking not-so-quietly a few lockers down from me. One of them kept staring at me without any shame. She was taller than the other girl by at least five inches and she was wearing an ugly blue and white blouse and pencil skirt combo. She had curly brown hair that stopped right above her shoulders and freckles were scattered across her nose and cheeks. The shorter girl, the one who wasn't staring at me shamelessly, was wearing a shapeless magenta dress and she had her long platinum blonde hair tied up into a ponytail on the top of her head.

I shut my locker as the bell rang and slowly shuffled past the two girls. The short blonde whispered as I made my way around her.

"Oh my! That's him. Will Connors, I mean."

I ignored their hushed chattering and continued my slow pace to the main entrance of the school. Part of me wanted to throw everything on the ground and just run the hell away. I pushed the thought aside though and pushed the heavy door open. It was only noon and I was supposed to be making my way to the overcrowded lunchroom to eat whatever cold vegetables and unidentifiable meat was being served today but just the thought of food made me sick and I didn't feel in the mood to hear anymore rumors about myself.

In less than a week I had managed to go from being the poor boy who's best friend got murdered to the vile creature that supposedly murdered his own best friend. I'm not even sure how the rumor started but once it left the mouth of one person the entire school latched onto it like the psychotic conspiracy theorists that they are. I didn't put it past them to actually believe the words they kept to hushed whispers in the hall. I mean these are the same people that swear upon their momma's names that the moon landing never happened. Which, for the record, it did.

I'm not even bothered by the fact that I'm the subject of yet another rumor. I'm bothered by the fact that these scummy, slimeball high-schoolers have the nerves to say that I killed Lucas. He was my best friend since I was 5 years old. He was the only person who didn't tease me about my rather small height or my crooked teeth. If I were to kill somebody, which I wouldn't, I'd kill the jerks who taunted me for years, not somebody who I trusted with my life. But that doesn't change the fact that I am, and always will be, the number one target for the miserable and lonely bastards of Pine Hollow. I think I could handle it if the hell I endured only occured during school hours in the school halls but sadly it doesn't stop there.

My home life wasn't a scene out of The Brady Bunch. My parents didn't love each other or anybody else, not even their children I'm sure. They're greedy and rude and only show emotion when it benefits them. My brother took after my dad and turned into a raging alcoholic at only 17. He's 22 now and has a kid with a girl named Nancy in Ohio. He visits every so often and being in his company is never something I look forward to. My 12-year- old sister Danielle is quite possibly the most cold hearted child you will ever come across. She's rude, greedy, loud, and chooses to push people down rather than talk things out. Some days I wish she would have been in the place of Amanda Steeley or Lacey Smith.

I immediately shook the thought from my mind. The things those two girls and Lucas endured must have been complete hell. The final moments of their lives they knew they were going to die and they couldn't do anything about it. They just had to suffer from blow after blow until they couldn't see anything past the thick blood in their eyes and then until they couldn't see anything at all. I wouldn't wish such horrible and painful deaths upon anybody, even my worst enemies.

As I continued my walk and my mind wandered aimlessly I could feel the weight of my books and backpack holding me down. I took a shortcut home and dropped my school books and bag on the porch. I didn't feel like going inside just yet. Nobody even knew I had left school. In all honesty I should have told somebody I was leaving, especially with all the chaos surrounding the town currently. Even though the thought crossed my mind to tell my mom I left school and needed to get some air I ultimately decided to say nothing. The teachers and students at school would just assume I left to be on my own or in the comfort of my family and my parents wouldn't even know I left because I planned on being home at the time I normally would come home.

I turned away from the front door of my worn-down house and padded down the porch steps lightly to avoid making any noises that would alert my mother to somebody being outside. I didn't really know where I wanted to go but I just started walking. Within a short amount of time I found myself standing in Pine Park by the same sandbox that Lucas' finger was supposedly discovered in. I crouched down and ran my fingers through the sand. I let it slip out of my fingers slowly as I stared at the massive pit of sand. I imagine a little blonde haired girl digging in the sand with her older brother as their mother sat on the park bench lighting up a cigarette while the father was working. I imagine the confused facial expression of the brother as his sister flings something from her shovel to her hair and the girl's crying as she feels something land amongst her tight blonde ringlets. I imagine the mother throwing down her cigarette to come investigate the situation and then the look of sheer terror when she sees what has caused her daughter to break down into tears.

I backed away from the sandbox and plopped down on the freshly cut grass, not caring if I got any stains on my light khaki shorts. I stared at the grass for a few quiet moments before looking up to see a small blonde girl sitting in the grass across the park. She was staring down at her hands in her lap and not paying attention just as I was doing a few seconds before. She lifted her head and looked directly at me. I could recognize her from miles away. She was Ali Maxwell; Lucas' older sister. She looked down at the ground once more before getting up slowly and walking in the direction of the town square. I got the immediate urge to walk after her and I'm not sure why. I hesitated before shooting up from the ground but instead of making my way towards Ali, my feet carried me in the direction of my home. The entire way home I wondered why I had the sudden urge to follow Ali Maxwell. Did I want to talk to her? No, I don't think so. I think maybe I just wanted to be near her. I just wanted to be near the closest thing I had to Lucas and that was her. I think I should have gone after her but maybe it wasn't the right time or maybe I was scared. I'm not really sure of the reason I didn't follow her but it doesn't matter now.

I sighed as I reached my front door I walked and made my way inside quietly. I was almost instantly welcomed by my sister throwing a tantrum because our mother told her she couldn't go to friend's house. I tried to sneak past the unfolding scene but I was brought down by the shoe of my 12 year old sister as it hit me right in the face. I fought the urge to throw it back at her as I made my way up the stairs to the comfort of my bedroom where I prayed somebody would come kidnap the little monster downstairs. Once again, I shook the cruel thought from my mind.

After a long while the screaming ceased as my mother finally gave in and let Danielle go to her friend's house. When I heard where she was going I immediately understood why my mother was reluctant to let her go. Danielle wanted to go hang out with Isabella Montgomery, a 14 year old colored girl who lived at the end of our block. My mother wasn't outwardly a racist woman but she did feel a bit uncomfortable with letting her children interact with people of color. She wasn't rude about it because she knew times were changing and she couldn't do anything about it.

"You best be home by 8:45 or you'll regret it young lady."

I could just picture the wide grin on my sister's face as she pranced out the door.

"8:45 Danielle Elizabeth or you're in trouble!"

"Alright mother." The front door slammed shut.