Stolen

Prologue

Connor sat tapping his foot impatiently, nervously clicking his pen over and over again.
Jay, who was sitting adjacent to him, glanced over, giving him the are-you-fucking-serious look. Connor sighed in frustration and slumped back into his chair.

"Mr. Rose, you haven't even touched your paper, you do realize this is a test," Mrs. Peters says looking down at him, while leaning against her desk.

"Yes ma'am," he says in defeat.

Jay gives him another look, like Connor had just grown three other heads. He didn't even feel like explaining to him. He was too tired.

Tired of it all.

Every day. Every single fucking day, each minute, each second of the day he was slowly being driven insane.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell and rip his hair out, to tear his skin and muscle right from the bone. Yet he sat in the classroom, another faceless person in the crowd. Another insignificant being that no one knows.

Well fuck it all.

He was startled as his phone started ringing from his pocket. Without any hesitation he drew it out of his pocket.

Mrs. Nickel.

He sprang up from his seat so fast, he scared a couple of students nearby, but he didn't even notice or care.

"Mrs. Peters, please, I have to take this call. Please it's important," Connor says coming up to her and showing her the caller ID.

Her face softens and her usual stern demeanor melts away and she excuses him from class.

Connor closed the door behind him standing in the empty hall, his hands trembling.

"H-hello...?" He says, failing to keep the crack out of his voice.

"Connor, sweetheart is that you?" The soft voice of Mrs. Nickel reaches his ears.

"Yes ma'am," he says, afraid to say anymore.

"Listen honey, on the case we just made some breaking news, like a huge break. We haven't investigated the house but I owe it to you to tell you what's happening. So, we think we have made final progress but, I called you immediately so further search has not begun yet but it will start soon. Be safe, okay honey?" Mrs. Nickel says, surprisingly no hint of break in her voice.

"Yes ma'am, thank you so much," he says, almost a whisper.

He carefully hangs up and glances back at the classroom. Mrs. Peters watching the students as they scramble to recollect what they have learned. As they pretend to be someone else, to be the perfect smart student or the badass student.

To fit in.

Without a second glance back, he walks straight out of the school and walks to his car. He calls Mrs. Nickel once more to ask for her location but right after, not even giving her a chance for questions, he hangs up.

He drives through the streets at a deadly speed and by some miracle he doesn't get pulled over along the way.

It takes almost two hours to reach his destination and the place is colored with police tape and cars.

He parked his car, unable to feel anything. He wasn't crying, he couldn't cry, he couldn't even move himself. It was almost like something was controlling him, moving him forward on his own.

To his downfall.

He passed the cars, he ducked under the tape and entered the house.

Not single person payed  attention to him.

Was it because they hadn't noticed him? Was it because he looked like a zombie, they were too afraid to touch or go near him? He wasn't sure.

Yet he entered.

Mrs. Nickel was no where in sight.

But somehow he knew where to go.

Maybe it was because of all the voices clustered in that area.

Maybe because it was the blinding yellow police tape, swathing the area.

Or maybe it was because he just knew, maybe someone was leading him on their own.

One way or another, he was pulled to a door.

He opened it...somehow.

To be met with a lot of police and they're stupid tape.

The room seemed to be a small-ish living room/bedroom type.

Still no one payed any attention to him.

He pushed passed the cluster of people.

Somehow he did it.