Searching For April

4. It Can't Be

Missing. Missing..... Missing? No.

"No!" I let out without meaning to. No one said anything. My dad stood up and put his arm round me.

"She's not missing! She can't be missing! I-I b-but she sent me a message, she said she was going home with Jade she must have slept over have you checked?"

"Eddie. Love. You know the police have done everything they can so far. I know it's very hard to take in and I know how upset you are but you must calm down a little. Would you like to go up to your room? Maybe if you have some space you can have a think of where April could have got to ok? The police will need to know everything that happened. Alright Ed?" I nodded and went upstairs without a word.

My breathing was rapid and heavy, tears no longer stayed within my eye lids, I wailed into my pillow drenching it in tears.

"It's all my fault! It's my - sniff sniff- own. Stupid. Fault!" Why hadn't I just stayed and waited for her? Why was I so impatient and selfish that I couldn't be bothered to wait? I lay on my bed, my face buried in the pillow, until I had no more tears left to shed. This is pointless... Pathetic I thought to myself. I need to be thinking. I should be thinking about everything, every second within those 2 hours. Not sobbing like a 3 year old. So I began to think. I jotted down every bit of information I could remember.

- phone only on 5% battery

- was in changing rooms when we left

- had to do something before going home

- decided to walk back with Jade

So I couldn't call or text her because her phone must have been dead, the last text I got from her was... Then it hit me.

I'm gone.

The man entering the female changing rooms...

I'm gone.

Gone.

...kidnapped.