Missing

chapter one

I jolted up, dragging my bed sheets up with me, causing my pillow to fall on the floor. I gasped for air and ran a hand over my clammy face.

The week of the event always caused the worse dreams to happen.

I slowly turned my head to look at the clock that read 5:36am and sighed, standing up to go get water from the kitchen.

I don't typically have dreams about him anymore, the years of therapy helped to almost erase them completely. This week was always the hardest time of year though.

The week leading up to the 7th anniversary of him being taken and today was the day.

I gripped my cup harder, trying not to stress myself out. Trying to forget the nightmare that have haunted me for so many years.

No matter how many different therapists I saw, no matter how many people told me it wasn't my fault, I still couldn't say his name out loud.

I don't think I ever could.

I walked to my living room and grabbed the blanket that was laying on the couch, wrapping it around me and enjoying the warmth. I took my laptop off of the table and flipped it opened.

They would be starting the ceremony at 6. Every year the small town of Cedarliss would honor him by doing a memorial in front of the high school.

Flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, candles, and a lawn full of people would be sitting in front of the high school sign along with a single picture of him.

His sophomore year school picture.

His goofy smile shining bright and his young eyes full with so much hope. He never knew what was going to happen. No one could have guessed it would happen.

My eyes began to sting as I began watching last years memorial. His parents both stood together, hugging one another while his mother cried in his father's arms.

Even after so many years, the reality that they wouldn't see their son again still hurt them like it happened yesterday. He was still missing. Police looked everywhere, they even had the whole town out in the woods searching and calling his name but he was never found.

After 5 years, the police closed his case and deemed it as untouchable. There were no leads, no motives, nothing. Everything lead them to a dead end.

Everyone told me it wasn't my fault; that there wasn't anything I could have done to stop the man. Did that stop me from blaming myself?

Of course not.

I was 15 years old. I saw someone who I loved the most get stolen in front of my eyes. It could have been me. There are times I wish it would have been me.

The clock hit 6 and I quickly closed off of youtube and went to the website where the memorial was being streamed. Just like every year, the whole town gathered around the high school sign.

Everything was the same as last year including his mom crying. The camera panned over to the news woman who must have been covering the event.

"The small town of Cedarliss gathers for their 7th year memorial for missing child Harry Styles."

I winced as she said his name.

"15 year old Harry Styles was riding his bike one night with a friend when a man in a gray vehicle hit the boy with his car and proceeded to kidnap him."

"The search for Styles went on for years but there has been no traces or leads as to where he was taken or who he was taken by. Styles would have been 22 this year."