Where I was

Beginning the Search

                     Mitchell walked through the front door, expecting to smell the wonderful fragrance of his daughter's cooking. Immediately, he knew something was off. It was quiet. His daughter was never quiet. She was always singing and dancing, especially when she was cooking. This is so unlike her. A deep feeling of unease began to grow in his gut. Shaking it off, he called out Tiana's name, expecting an answer from somewhere in the house. Hearing no response, he began to get worried. Surely she was just hanging out with a friend, right? No reason to think otherwise. Even as he thought the words, the unease grew. After sending a few worried texts, with no answer, his searching became more frantic, as if he was trying to reassure himself that she was here, maybe just too busy in her own world to hear him. He called out once more, running up the stairs to her room, finding the door wide open. There was no evidence that she had stepped foot inside since this morning. Mitchell tried to ignore the warning bells going off in his head and walked outside, hoping for some clue to where his daughter was.  As he locked the door behind him he noticed a faint glimmer from by the doormat. He slowly bent down, knowing the item was going to change everything. Her mother's bracelet. Tiana hadn't taken it off since the day she got it. Something was seriously wrong. His brain flashed back to the stories of the girls who somehow went missing in this town. He had brushed it off at first, thinking of it as a story to keep kids inside and well behaved, but now he was second guessing everything.  He dialed his daughter's cellphone number, begging her to pick up, but knowing it would go to voicemail.

                       "What happened to my daughter.." The words were barely out of his mouth as he slumped against the wall, mentally chastising himself for letting her out of his sight. He knew that was stupid, but it was all his brain thought. Bracing himself, he stood and brushed the dirt off of his pants. He knew he had to go find her. Quickly starting the car, he made his way to the police station, rushing inside. He was crying as he asked for help finding his missing daughter.

                        "Sir, is there any possibility she ran away? It's not that uncommon for teens her age to do so. Did you have any problems, any fights recently? Any chance she could be abusing drugs?" The woman at the desk said, in a slightly apologetic voice, knowing she had to ask these questions.

                        "We weren't fighting, and no, she wouldn't be using drugs. That much I do know. She also wouldn't have run away. I have proof something happened to her."

                         "Oh, really? Mind if I see?" The woman's voice held interest as she peered over the desk to the bracelet he was clutching in his hand.

                        "This bracelet belonged to her mother before she died. She hasn't taken it off since. I found it outside by the doormat, and I know for certain she was wearing it when I dropped her off at school. The house had no signs of her being inside since that morning. Please. Just help me find my daughter. She's all I have left." 

                       The woman pointed to a set of chairs. "Please sit, I will have someone out with you in a few minutes."

                        About five minutes passed until he was called by a tall, muscular looking man. "My name is Bill. I heard you wanted to file a missing person's report?"

                        "Yes, my daughter, Tiana Waterman. She isn't answering her texts or calls, and she should have been home at least three hours before me. She walked home from Deer Valley High. "

                         "Sir, you're absolutely positive she did not run away, correct?" His voice wasn't unkind, but it was straight to the point. 

                          "I am. She wouldn't have left behind her mother's bracelet. She hasn't taken it off in years. Please. Just help me find her."

                           After giving a detailed description of his daughter, along with a recent photo, Bill accompanied him to the Waterman's house. He went over the area carefully, looking for anything he could think of that might possibly shine a light on this situation, whether it be the daughter having runaway or being kidnapped. He didn't notice anything off until he investigated the front porch again. Mitchell had mentioned that was where he found the bracelet, so Bill thought it worth looking at. His breath hitched slightly as his eyes caught a glint of silver from by the door-frame. Bending down, he picked up the object with gloved fingers. It was her key. 

                           "I believe we have a case here, sir. We're gonna find your daughter. I promise." Bill placed the key and the bracelet in evidence bags, and they made their way back to the station. Bill had Mitchell fill out a bit of paperwork, then released him to go home. "Try to get some sleep. You're going to need to be sharp and on your feet to find her. We will have a few detectives over in the morning to see if there is anything we missed." 

                          "Thank you. Thank you for taking me seriously and helping me find my daughter." Mitchell left the building, and sat in his car, collecting his thoughts. Right now, his daughter could be getting tortured and he would be powerless to help her. His fists clenched on the steering wheel. He couldn't afford to think like that. She's going to be okay. She has to be.  He started the car, and made his way home, trying to map out the area for himself. It will give him some basis of where to look for his daughter. Pulling into the driveway, he turned off the car and went inside the house, taking great care to lock the door. He hesitated for a second, knowing that if Tiana came back overnight, she wouldn't be able to get back in because her key was with the police. That thought in his head, he unlocked the door again. He'd risk his safety for his daughter's. Slowly making his way upstairs, he sat in bed and stared up at the ceiling, his worried thoughts slowly cursing him to an uneasy rest.

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Woo! I did it! Next chapter will be focusing on Charlie, or at least that will be the main focus. For some reason I found it easier to write around Mitchell than Tiana. Maybe the change of view was what I needed to write more. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!