The Lost and Found

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE: Finn Parker

The silver moon stared right back as I rested on my window sill, clutching my stuffed dog, Dippy close to my chest. I woke up from a terrible nightmare. My dream consisted of horrifying dinosaurs with no heads chasing me, for Dippy's precious button eye. It was really disturbing.

Every time this happens, I always waited for my Dad by this area, watching silently from my window that provided me a good view of the road in front of us. I always believed he'd come back, burst into my room with his arms wide open, telling me it's alright, it's not real, and that Dippy's eye is safe with him.

I cried and cried, it took my hours to stop. But he never showed signs of annoyance, or that he minded, he just sat there, gently cradling me to sleep.

It was bad. Tears were falling down my cheeks like a storm, and most of the time it'd come to the point where I couldn't breathe. And my Dad would always run down, with me, choking dramatically in his arms, as he frantically searched for a bottle of water to regain my breath back. And it did. But then, I'd cry again, have mucus all over my Dad's hair and shirt and he'd just laugh about and assure me again that it's alright.

"It's alright, princess. You and Dippy's eye is safe with me. I'm the king, remember?" He'd say as he looked right down into my eyes. Six-year-old me nodded dully and just rested back onto his shoulders, softly sniffing and crying until I got loud again.

Then, he'd sing me a special song and do this little dance he had choreographed. It always got me to laugh like crazy as he pranced in my room, at two thirty an just to cheer me up. I also remember that he'd tell me to wear my Spiderman suit while go get his camera.

A few minutes later, he's back and I was in my costume, with the mask on and the web shooters and everything. My Mom disapproved of whatever this was because it keeps me up late but she went along with it anyway. Because she knew it makes me and my Dad happy. So we did it.

My Dad would order me to do crazy poses as he went crazy with his photographing skills and captured photos with the moon and stars. One time, he made up this 'web' thing and tied it up to the roof to make it look like I was swinging down like Spiderman. He got his harness that he used to on hiking and mountain climbing and stuff and attached the rope and sent me to the roof. Yeah, we were actually up the roof, in the middle of the night, me disguised as a Marvel superhero and him with a DSLR in his hand.

He took shots of me every night this happens and then we'd sneak out brownies to the roof and eat them while he talked about his job as a police officer with pride. I was so proud of my Dad. He was really dedicated to his job. He loved it. He loved his job and us, his family. He was passionate of putting his life on the line, ready to do whatever to save people and eliminate the bad ones. He saved lives everyday and didn't give a crap about what it costs. My Dad is the real Spiderman, not me. My Dad is... My Dad is my hero. I look up to him. He's my inspiration. My hero. My everything.

His job as a cop was a part of him. It was what he was born to do. Save lives, do good deeds, make the world a better place and all that. My Dad was always determined to make this good for people. His goal has always been wanting to make this a better and safe place. He wanted to inspire others. And he did. That was his job.

But I never thought that he'd let it bring him away...

"I want to be like you one day, Daddy." I remember saying as I stuffed a fudge brownie into my mouth. Crumbs popped out of my mouth and either fell onto my Dad's lap or straight to his face.

He'd smile at me then wipe his cheek slowly. "Oh princess, you would be a much better cop than me, I can see it." My Dad would look at me with so much respect and honor. Though I was too innocent and young to realize it.

"I know." I replied arrogantly. "I'll be the best cop. And we'll be partners. We'll stop the villains together!"

He saluted. "Yes, we will!"

And we just laid there, under the stars, with brownies half-hanging off our mouths, just laughing about random things.

Then it would come to the point where my Mom would scream at us to come down and go to bed. My Dad is sure disciplined by his work but he also can be stubborn. It took my Mom at least seven times to have us back down.

My Dad had always tucked me into my soccer-printed blanket and made sure my first ever skateboard was beside me safely. Dippy was tucked in too, he always did it that way.

"Goodnight, princess. Sleep tight, don't let the headless dinosaurs bite." He'd smirk as he was half out of my room.

"Daaaaddd..." I'd whine.

My Dad would roll his eyes and rephrase it. "Fine then. Goodnight, princess. Sleep tight, Dad we'll always be here to fight."

"Always be here..."

"Dad will always be here..."

If bawling my eyes out was under the label 'BAD', there was worse:

I believed him.