Shadow's Mark (Currently Being Edited)

Chapter 6: Bathroom Terrors

"Nat! Hon, hurry up. We're gonna be late!"

"I'm coming, mom!" I yelled back as I descended the stairs of our home.

By the time I reached the landing, my mom was already standing by the front door in her usual work look, a black pants suit and red high heel pumps, the powerful appearance of a female lawyer, as she so put it.

I quickly slipped my black leather jacket on and slid into my converse sneakers. Grabbing my backpack, I sauntered towards the front door when I stopped in front of the hall mirror.

Eek!

Since I was in such a rush, I had no time to groom my hair. The brown strands stood up this way and that, appearing as if I had been electrocuted. Mentally cursing myself, I used my fingers to rake the tangled locks then I fashioned my hair into a messy but cute bun, a trick some girl on YouTube taught me.

My mom grabbed her purse as I completed my bun and we both headed down the driveway towards our car. Inside, my dad was already dressed for work, sipping on his morning coffee and staring down at his cellphone. Probably reading the news online.

Not much use for printed newspapers nowadays.

"Listen to this," said my dad intriguingly, as he focused on his phone, "four hikers have been reported missing since Sunday, the day they were said to return. It says here after the families reported it, the sheriff sent a team to investigate. According to local authorities, they discovered their camp site, along with all their equipment, abandoned, the hikers nowhere to be found. An ongoing search is being conducted by the police and the families of the missing, along with some local volunteers."

My mom nodded her head. "I heard about that. Apparently, one of the hikers is Ben and Gale's son. We should give them a call and see how we can help."

Ben and Gale Whitley were friends of my parents since high school, and like my dad, were both psychologists. Their son, Chris, was a freshman at Shady Community College.

"How do they know they're missing for sure?" I asked. "Maybe they're still hiking or they probably just got drunk and forgot to tell their family where they are," I added, knowing how most students at Shady College were like. Wild and crazy.

"Because all their gear was left at their campsite," explained my dad. "Tents, sleeping bags, their packs, food. And not only that," my dad focused on the screen of his phone, "the sheriff said the whole campsite was a mess. Like everything was scattered across their camp, tents shredded, clothing strewn about."

"You think it could've been a bear?" I grimaced. If it was, no doubt those hikers were nothing more than torn limbs by now.

"Well if it was, animal control is on patrol for it. Meanwhile, searches are being conducted with precaution for the missing kids. Some have reason to believe they could still be alive."

"Well then, we should help with the search," I suggested. My parents were always into helping out with the community, something I had painfully grown accustomed to.

My dad agreed as he started the car and put it into drive as we headed to my school.

It took us less than five minutes to reach our destination. The car came to a stop in front of my school's steps as I grabbed my backpack.

"Honey," my mom stopped me before I hopped out, "I'm afraid Dr Fraier is out of town and will be for a while so he can't do a checkup on you."

"But we did tell him what happened to you the other night," added my dad. "He said just to make sure you have your inhaler available at all times, just in case."