Solitary [NaNoWriMo July 2014] [unedited]

4: Copper and Steel

     It was early morning, and it had been exacly one day since they had found the girl, and now they had lost her.

     Roy was lying on top of his bedsheets, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. He tried to think of something, anything but the girl, but his mind kept floating back to the one question he had. Where was she?

     The door creaked open, and in entered his mother, a frail lady in her mid forties. She hadn't had any time that morning to prepare herself, so she wore her loosely hanging nightgown, with curlers in her hair and partial bags underneath her eyes. She had walked in with a tray containing eggs and toast, and a tall glass of milk -- Roy's favourite.

      "Dear, they're going to find her. I promise." She sat down on the edge of his bed, giving his foot a nudge with her elbow. He sat up and she handed him the tray.

     "They're looking?" Roy had had his doubts, and at first he had honestly believed that nobody would be looking for her.

     That night after the commotion had stopped, everyone had gone back to their seats, and it was only then that the mayor had noticed Copper has gone. At first he was mad, believing that she had some scheme of hers she was going to unravel on the town, and Singer, being the douche he is, decided to spark half the town into an anger talking about how she had caused the storm and that she was bringing evil to the town.

     It was decided that everyone would go home and the whole ordeal would be sorted out in the morning.

     "I suppose so. They shouldn't want the guilt on their hands if... if something bad happens to that young girl." His mother choked up, and he knew why. Copper was nearly a spitting image of his sister, Lana, and even thinking about what happened to her made him shiver.

     "I want to help," Roy burst out. He didn't want to sit back and wait for them to find her when he could be out helping -- maybe he ould be the one that found her.

     "I don't think that's such a good idea, Roy. After last night the Ichar have been active more than usual, and I certainly don't want anything bad to happen to you." His mother got up and started picking the clothes off his floor, folding them and placing them on top of his dresser. "Did you hear the news? Imogen's boy got mauled early this morning while he was on a newspaper run, an he wasn't anywhere near the forest. And poor Michael. Poor, poor Michael..." A few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she held in her sobs for the sake of her son. She turned to him again, shaking her head. "I don't want you out there, it's too dangerous."

     "What if I didn't go alone?" Roy asked. He was determined to help find the girl, he couldn't just leave her fate in the hands of some miserbale policemen who didn't care for her at all.

     His mother looked at him, a small glint of disappointment in her eyes. "Roy..."

     "I could get Mr Tendor, and Georgie! I could get a whole search party and I'll never leave someons side, there'll always be someone threr. Just, please, mum, I have to help." He was sitting up in his bed, now, wringin his hands, sweating a little in anticipation. His mother thought about it a while before nodding.

     "You can go, but you are to never leave Mr Tendors side, you hear me? I don't want anything bad happening to you... I can't lose you as well." She sat down next to him, pulling him into a strong, motherly embrace. He could feel her sobs ricocheting through his body, and would have cried with her too, but he had to be strong.

     "I promise, I'll be safe." He kissed her forehead, and she looked up, tears splattered over her cheeks. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his red, woollen jumper. He got up, and so did she.