Noah had ridden around the city on his bike for at least two hours. He worked in ever increasing circles away from the school and the park, riding at a speed that allowed him to scan the streets, checking for signs of Alana and Snow. He could think of nothing else but finding them. He ignored the beeping horns of the cars as he threaded through the traffic. He thought of no other faces than theirs. His girls.
He scanned those that passed by, stopped at the ends of streets, one foot resting on the ground as he pulled off his helmet to get a better look at who was there. A few times he saw little girls, about the same age as Snow with blonde curls but each time his heart sank when he saw that it was not his little girl. There were a few women too that looked a little like Alana but none of them were actually her. He knew what Elias looked like although it was not so easy to search for his face in the crowd. The mere thought of that guy made Noah want to explode.
He revved his engine and set off again, even further out from the center now, heading towards the old part of the city. He ended up at the docks where a huge ship was coming in to port and there were people milling about, watching it. He scanned along but didn't see them. He rode onwards, winding through the narrow streets. It was emptier here, less people, more buildings.
He began to wonder if it were time for him to return to the school. To see what the police had uncovered, if anything. He had received a few calls from Inspector Taylor, claiming that they were 'doing all they could' and that he 'should return for further questioning.' He wasn't sure what 'doing all they could' meant but perhaps he ought to go back and get them to do a better job.
Just as he was planning his route to the school he caught sight of something completely out of place in this grey, stony environment. A flash of pink. He sucked in a deep breath and rode headlong towards it, skidding his bike to a halt in front of it. He leaned down towards it.
Snow's lunch box. It had to be. It was covered in dirty marks but was exactly the same shade of bright pink. His heart began to pound loudly in his chest. His hand gripped on to the handle of the lunch box so tightly the plastic almost broke. He spun his head around to find the opening to the building in front of him. He raced towards it and smashed the door open with his shoulder.
It flung open and he ran inside. It was some kind of old warehouse, disused, full of mould and broken glass. If he has brought my daughter here ... He treaded a quiet path through the building, listening for any sounds but it was mostly silent apart from his own movements. He headed through the corridors and up the stairs, into a large central space with ancient equipment lying around.
He saw the door of what looked like an office in the middle swung open so he crept along and went inside. What he found in there instantly gave him chills. There was food on a table in the middle, fresh food that must have recently been eaten. And drinks, knives, forks, plates ... Then on the wall close by there were photos ... Of Alana, of Snow. Panic shot through him as he saw them both smiling out at him. Photos he had once been a part of, but had been cut out of now.
'Where are they?' he said, scanning the room.
It looked as though they had left. He paced through the rest of the building anyway, searching for any sign of them but when he was sure they weren't there he headed back out the building and straight away called Inspector Taylor, telling her what he had seen, telling her to send men down now to have a look. The inspector urged him to return to the school, to not take matters into his own hands.
But Noah didn't listen. He made sure she had all the information she needed then he hung up. He jumped back onto the motorcycle and set off again, winding through the streets, searching, searching. As he rode back along towards the docks he saw a lone little figure, dressed in a puffy pink jacket. He almost burst with anticipation. He slowed down and rode up beside her. She looked at him with big frightened eyes. Snow. His Snow. He stopped and took off his helmet.
'Daddy!' she cried, tear stains on her cheeks.
Noah jumped off his bike and they ran towards each other. He scooped her up into his arms, holding her tighter to his chest.
'Snow,' he said. 'My darling Snow.'
He breathed in her sweet smell, letting the waves of relief wash over him.
'Mummy,' she said into his chest. 'We have to find Mummy.'
He grabbed both her arms and pulled her back so he could face her.
'We will, Snow,' he said. 'We are going to find Mummy right now.'
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ALANA'S MISTAKE ✔
Misterio / Suspenso| COMPLETED | Alana Templeton married young and and wonders if there might be more out there for her. When she meets the irresistible leader singer of a band, she makes a catastrophic mistake.
