BETHANY

3

"Beth? Is that you?"

The girl- woman- was staring at Beth with wide eyes. Matching eyes. Matching green eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, a long cut clearly seen down the length of her face. Her feet were bare, her clothes rags. "Beth?" Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Who are you?"

Beth asked weakly and Chloe let out a sob, dropping the clothes she held. She ran the short distance between them and pulled her little sister into a hug. "I'm your sister. I'm Chloe, you're Beth. You're alive. You're alive." She repeated over and over again. The two sisters just stood in the hallway and held onto each other for the first time in over ten years.

In The David House

Sixteen year old Terrin David reached out absently for the morning newspaper as he spooned cereal into his mouth. The headline blared out at him and he dropped his spoon in shock.

Repeating History: Chloe Wilson Missing! Three dead!

Two days ago twenty-one year old Chloe Anne Wilson was reported missing along with friend, twenty year old Annabelle Sharp and her sisters fourteen year old Taylor Sharp and sixteen year old Rosabelle Sharp. The older girls had taken Taylor and Rosabelle for a night out. They were scheduled to be home by nine o'clock. None of them were home by the time. When it reached ten o'clock, their families became worried and filed a report with the police department. Yesterday the bodies of Annabelle, Taylor and Rosabelle were found. All three had been strangled and suffocated. Chloe was nowhere to be found.

Ten years ago, Bethany Wilson was kidnapped and never found. Now Chloe has been taken as well. Is this just a coincidence or something far more sinister?

In The Local Park

Terrin walked down the path next to Will in silence. "Chloe's missing." Will suddenly broke the silence. Neither of them spoke for a while and Terrin knew he was thinking about Beth.

"I know." He finally said. Again, they fell into silence. As they walked Terrin noticed that the leaves on the trees were turning brown, some falling and drifting to the ground, in the crisp, autumn wind. The sun was out, but it wasn't hot, just warm. All of a sudden Will came to a stop, causing Terrin to turn around and look at him. He was shocked to see tears in his eyes.

"Why?" Terrin didn't answer. "Why does it always happen to our family?! First Beth now Chloe! What have we done to deserve this? Why can't we, for once, get some peace? Why is that people always feel the need to take the ones we love away from us? Why can't they just let us be?" The David boy didn't speak, but wrapped his arms round Will as he dissolved into sobs.

In An Unknown Location

Chloe lay on the bed, stroking Beth's hair out of her face. It had been so long since she'd seen her sister, since she'd last held her. "I can't stay long." Chloe whispered in the still room. Beth nodded sadly, her eyes shining with tears that wouldn't fall. "Beth," she began then stopped. What could she say? "I missed you." She finally spoke.

Beth nodded again. "Yeah. I missed you too." They stood up and stared at each other. Chloe had grown a lot. Her hair had gone from being dark brown to a colour that was closer to Demerara sugar. Her eyes were large and an emerald green. Beth, too, had grown. Her thick, black hair fell past her waist, framing her face and emerald green eyes. "Go. Go on Chloe. I love you." Chloe smiled.

"I love you too."

And then she was gone, like smoke in the wind.