ℙ𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝕀𝕟 𝔸 𝔽𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕕 𝕆𝕗 𝔻𝕒𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕖𝕤

Chapter One: The News

It was May and the sun was out on a glorious Monday, making the universally hated weekday seem more pleasant than normal. Adeline had just finished the sixth, and thankfully final class of the day. With her book bag slung over her slender shoulder, she headed out to the school parking lot. Kobuk School was a school with a student body of forty five to forty nine students ranging from preschool to high school.
The sound of a car door slamming shut seemed to awaken a few birds who were deep in slumber upon the rooftops of Kobuk School and the exhaust from the 1979 Ford F-150 which the sixteen year old drove climbed into the surprisingly warm Alaskan summer air. "Only a few more weeks until my summer break.. and than senior year." Adeline mumbled to herself, her voice lacking the enthusiasm she'd once had as a freshman as she looked forward to becoming an upper class man. Soon, after getting herself situated in her car she started the engine. It made a putting sound before starting up, allowing her to back out.
               It'd only been about five minutes of her driving home when she saw lots of police vehicles coming by along with Alaska State Troopers followed by civilians who had worried looks on their faces. She shrugged it off as a small problem with a town hall meeting and continued driving. She passed trees and a family of black bears hiding in the thick, blanketed forest on the sides of the narrow road which had a half-ass attempt at paving it with asphalt. The rest going more towards the "neighborhood" where she lived was dirt and gravel. Soon, Adeline pulled up to her home which was a cute mobile house with a septic tank around the back and an older Chevy Blazer sitting in the driveway.
             "Adeline? Come here please." Her mother called from the kitchen when Adeline opened the front door, a creak emitting from the old wood of the floor. There wasn't a usual happy, bright vibe dancing in her mother's voice like always so she had the right to be worried about whatever she was called for. "Yes, mama?" She replied, coming into the kitchen where her mother was making a dinner of meatloaf made from ground up moose meat and corn on the cob; the corn from their family garden. "Have you seen Benjamin lately? His mother stopped by and I said I'd ask." Her mother said, her hands ceasing the massage she was giving the meat in order to mix in the onions.
         Adeline was perplexed. 'Why would Mrs. Wilcox stop by? She knows I get out early..' she thought to herself as she set her bag on the counter by the sink. "No. Not at all. Why?" She asked, washing her hands so she could go and help her mother out with shucking the corn. "He didn't come home last night. He didn't show up at school?" There was a heavy tension in the air. "No." Adeline replied, stopping all movements. "Is he..?" She started but couldn't bear to say it. "We don't know, honey. We don't know." Her mother said and continued with the meat. Adeline felt tears forming at the corners of her brown eyes as a million thoughts raced through her head.