Kidnapped

Chapter 4

By the time Elizabeth got to her last class of the day, her mood had brightened. Friday afternoons always felt full of promise, even if she had no special plans for the weekend.

As she finished her math assignment, Nancy slipped her a note.

Can you leave baby brother with your neighbor and go to the mall with Sarah and me after school? Mom's driving us. We're going to try on shoes and get free makeup samples.

Elizabeth sighed. She would love to go shopping with Nancy and her sister, but she wasn't supposed to ask Mrs. Watson, her neighbor, to watch Max unless it was an emergency. She wrote I have to stay with Max. Lucky me. Bring me some samples- my face needs all the help it can get. She passed the note back to Nancy.

Elizabeth often wished she had an older sister instead of a younger brother. Sarah helped Nancy with homework and hairstyles, taught her the latest dances, and let Nancy listen to her CDs. Best of all, Nancy never had to be in charge of anyone but herself.

Last year, in sixth grade, Elizabeth and Nancy often hung out together after school. They'd go to the library or talk with their friends for a little while before they walked home. Matt was in day care then, and Mom picked him up after work, so Elizabeth didn't have to worry about him.

This year, with Max in all-day kindergarten, Elizabeth had to hurry from the middle school to the adjoining elementary school as soon as the final bell rang. She rode the bus home with Max and took care of him until Mom arrived.

Elizabeth knew it was important to watch Max after school; she knew she saved Mom a lot of money each month. She also knew it was a pain.

Max always wanted to practice pitching a baseball, with Elizabeth as the catcher. If she didn't catch for him, Max threw a tennis ball against the garage door for hours at a time. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Each thwack left a faint, round green spot from the tennis ball's fuzz. The Sanders had the only house in town with a polka-dot garage door.

The final bell rang at two thirty-six. Elizabeth could never figure out why it wasn't two-thirty or two forty-five. An example of adults setting rules that don't make sense.

Elizabeth slipped her backpack on and hurried toward the school library. She had two books due and didn't want to owe a fine. After dropping the books off, she headed across the ball field toward Matt's school.

She arrived as the lines of students began boarding the yellow school buses. Her eyes darted from front to back of the second bus line, but she didn't see Max. She went to the bus door and called in to the driver, "Is Max already on the bus?"

"Haven't seen him," the driver replied.

Elizabeth frowned. Wouldn't you know it. The one day she didn't come straight to the bus, Max wasn't there. Maybe he had stayed after school to help Mrs. Julia.

She rushed to Room 27. Mrs. Julia was pinning new material on a bulletin board.

"Do you know where Max is?" Elizabeth asked. "He isn't in the bus line."

"He got a hall pass to go to the bathroom a few minutes before school got out. I let him leave because he said he couldn't wait and when he didn't come back to class, I assumed he went straight to the bus."

"He isn't there," Elizabeth said.

"I'll look in the boys' restroom," Mrs. Julia said. "Sometimes Max stands in front of the mirror pretending he's pitching a baseball, and he forgets the time."

Elizabeth nodded. Matt did that at home, too. It drove her nuts when she was waiting to use the bathroom herself.

Mrs. Julia cracked the restroom door and called, "Anybody in there?" When there was no answer, she went in. Seconds later she came out. "He isn't in there. Let's check the bus again."

This time Elizabeth boarded the bus, looking at all the passengers. Max wasn't there. As soon as she got off, the doors wheezed shut. The first bus in line pulled out of the school driveway; Elizabeth's bus followed.

"You check the playground," Mrs. Julia said. "I'm going to the office to alert Mr. Quincy."

Elizabeth nodded. She rushed to the playground and looked at the monkey bars, the ball field, and the basketball court. No Max.

She ran to the office where Mr. Quincy, the principal, was speaking over the public-address system, alerting all teachers that Max Sanders had not boarded his bus.

"If you see Max,: Mr Quincy said into the microphone, "bring him to the office immediately." He clicked off the mike and turned to Elizabeth. "Has he ever done this before?" he asked.

Elizabeth shook her head, no. "Once he was late because he goofed around with his friends, but Mom scolded him, and since then Max has always gone straight to the bus. He gets there before I do."

"Maybe he went home with a friend today, and your mother forgot to tell you."

"Mom would never forget," Bonnie said. "She always makes sure we know what we're supposed to do after school."

"Let's call her, to be sure," Mr. Quincy said. "Do you know her work number?"

Elizabeth gave it. Her insides felt hollow as she listened to Mr. Quincy ask for Mrs. Sanders. A few seconds later, he identified himself and said, "Max didn't get on the school bus today and we can't find him. Did he go home with a friend?"

He talked another minute or so. When he hung up, he said, "She's on her way. Max was supposed to go home as usual."

"I don't like this," Mrs. Julia said.

Apprehension crawled up Elizabeth's arms and across the back of her neck.

"Let's not panic yet." Mr. Quincy said. :I've had situations before where a youngster gets in trouble at school and doesn't want to go home, or they get invited to play at a friend's house and forget to call. Sometimes, especially with the kindergartners, they get on the wrong bus. Then they have to ride the whole route before they're brought back here. One student fell asleep on the bus and wasn't found until the driver had already parked in the bus barn."

Elizabeth could easily have disputed each of Mr. Quincy's theories. Max never got in trouble at school, and he wasn't allowed to go anywhere with a friend unless Mom had arranged it. Certainly he wouldn't have boarded the wrong bus; they had ridden bus number two all year. She didn't argue with the principal, though. It was Mr. Quincy's first year at this school, so he didn't know Elizabeth. She knew he was only trying to make everyone feel more optimistic.

While Elizabeth looked out the office window, hoping to see Max approach, Mr Quincy called each of the bus drivers.

Max was not on any of the buses.

The black fog of Elizabeth's old dream seemed to hover at the edge of the school yard.