The Vanishing of Brandyn Taylor

What now?

I stood in the snow, getting colder and colder, trying to think what to do now. I'd come this far, just turning around and going back home seemed like a waste of the effort it'd taken to get here. Even though my thighs were aching from walking through all the deep snow, I didn't want to give up yet.
I grabbed the baguette Phil had given me, from out of my bag, and stood there eating it, whilst I tried to think of what to do next. I knew of a couple of the bars he sometimes went to, and the snooker club he used, but they were all back in the centre of town. The library was too. I couldn't think of anywhere else he may have gone. Then I thought of the school, it was only about fifteen minutes walk away, even in this weather. He could have gone there even though it was closed to the pupils, so it seemed like as good an idea as any. I'd just about finished my baguette and cake slices when I made it to the front gates. Just as I had hoped, the gates weren't locked and some of the lights were on inside the school. Someone was inside at least. I made my way to the doors that were marked 'reception' and pressed the buzzer, waiting for someone to answer it. The door made a clicking sound, and I pulled it open, walked inside, and went up to the glass hatch doors that the receptionists sat behind.

"Hi, can I help?" A middle aged man asked me.

"Hi, I was just wondering if Brandyn Taylor was here at all?"

"Are you a relation?" He asked me.

"No I'm his friend, he's been missing for a few days and I'm trying to find him."

"I'm sorry but if you're not a relative I can't give out details of any of our pupils."

"Oh he's not a pupil, he's a teacher."

"At this school?" He sounded confused.

"Yeah, at this one. He teaches physics."

"Our physics teachers are Mr. Bryant and Miss, Mkcenna."

"He definitely teaches physics."

"Well I'm sure we don't have any more physics teachers, but if you'd like to wait a few minutes I'll check that out for you." He offered.

"Thanks."

I went and sat on one of the armchairs by a bookcase full of leaflets about the school, and its extra curricular activities, and waited. The receptionist mustn't know all the teachers names, or maybe he was just filling in for other staff who were snowed in at home. He returned less than five minutes later.

"I'm sorry, but we definitely don't have any other physics teachers here. In fact we don't have a Mr. Taylor working here at all."

"Oh, are you sure? He definitely worked here, I'm sure he did. He told me the name of the school when he got the job six years ago." I was confused how the receptionist could say Brandyn didn't work here.

"Yes I'm certain, I checked our records on the computer. I can't say if he was a past teacher but he doesn't teach here now."

"Mmm, ok, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

I went to walk away but then thought of something else, so I turned back to face the receptionist again.

"Are there any other schools round here with a similar name or anything?" I asked him.

"There's St Marks, not very close to St Martins I know, but that's all I can think of."

"What about other senior schools close by?"

"There's three within a five mile radius of us; High cross, Bedford lane and Silver end."

"Right, thanks for your help."

"I hope you find your friend."

I thanked the receptionist once more and went back outside, into the cold yet again. This was rather alarming me now, what with the boys neighbour not seeing him, and now school saying he didn't work there anymore. He wouldn't have just moved away without telling me. I wondered if there was a reason he had been to eager for us to meet up again. Perhaps he really was moving and that's when he planned to tell me. But it still didn't make any sense to me.