Do you remember?

Chapter Six

Theo had left over an hour ago. It was around nine at night and my mother wasn't home. She usually calls if she is going to work late. It was already dark outside and I was scared. Normally Rowan would be by my side right now but I just can't see her this time. I hated to be home alone because I never had to before now. I always used to have my partner in crime right beside me. I believe she is still right here, I can feel it.

"Remember when you dyed your hair blue and we thought it was a good idea at the time. You were so humiliated to go to school that I gave myself a hair cut so you wouldn't be the only one with weird hair. We rocked those hair catastrophes until my hair grew back and you had enough money to dye your hair back to brown." I laughed, for real.

It was eerie knowing that there would be no response. Knowing that I wouldn't hear her laughing with me. I suddenly felt more alone then I did a moment before. Loneliness settling into my stomach like a rock weighing me down. My phone rang and for a second I thought it was Rowan. I shook the thought from my head.

"Hello..." I could barely say it before Theo cut me off.

"Who is this Nolan Sanford dude? Where did you hear the name?" there was a sense of urgency and fear in his voice.

"Tell me what you found first." I said, trying to sound calm.

"He is a registered sex offender. He raped Rowan for two years when she was five. He escaped from jail four years ago and he dropped off the grid. No one had heard of him for the past four years. It is almost like he doesn't exist."

"But he does..." I whispered, quiet enough so Theo couldn't hear me, "I got to go."

I hung up the phone while he was protesting, demanding answers from me. Rowan never told me about her uncle which made sense because she never told me she was raped either. You can't forgot something like that no matter how young you are. More questions rushed into my brain. I tried to make sense of the situation by saying to myself everything I knew.

"Rowan wrote me letter saying she had things she wanted to tell me. Possibly that she was raped. She then wrote her uncle and rapist name on the letter. Nolan is off the grid and could have possibly killed her."

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't realized that Theo was standing behind me. He was panting and had a layer of sweat covering his body. He lived two blocks away and I should expected that he would run over looking for answers. He must have ran over as fast as lightning because it had only been maybe a minute and half since I ended the phone call.

"Did you just hear me...?" I said worried.

He nodded his head breathing heavily, trying to regain his composure.

"We...need...to....talk...now" he said out of breath.