Fairy Magic: The Forest Wars of the Fairy Princess and the Goblin Witch

Chapter 6

After hours of searching the neighborhood and calling friends, Dad contacted the police. The sheriff came over. They even brought dogs. After hours of searching, no one found any trace of her sister. Later, the police asked Ali all kinds of questions. When was the last time she saw Gabby? How long had she been missing? What was she wearing? Was there any reason Gabby would run away?

Ali's shirt stuck to her armpits.

She tugged at it, as she recalled her last conversation with Gabby.

Did Gabby run away because of what I said?

After the Sheriff left, Ali sat on the porch swing, petting Theo.

Across the street, she could see a boy approach on a bike. His curly brown hair wisped like a mop flapping in the wind. She smirked.

Ben.

Looks like the faker's feeling better.

He laid his bicycle on the ground and rushed toward her. "Dude. I saw cop cars at your house. Everything okay?"

"Gabby's gone."

Her voice cracked.

Somehow saying it out loud made it feel more real. A new wave of guilt crashed over Ali.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Great. Now Ben's gonna see me cry. She hated it when people saw her cry. Especially people she knew. Especially Ben.

Ali faced the other direction.

"Gone?"

Ben must not have noticed my voice crack.

Ali nodded.

"She disappeared sometime last night."

Ben furrowed his eyebrows. "Disappeared?"

They both stood in silence.

Ugh. This is uncomfortable. He doesn't get it.

She faced her friend.

"Ben, she's missing."

His eyes went wide. "Wait. She's like, gone?

Ali stared at the ground and nodded. "I think she ran away," her lip quivered, "because I yelled at her."

"No way, dude." Ben placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's probably just lost somewhere."

Ali shrugged, not sure if she agreed.

"We should go look for her," Ben said. "Maybe she's just lost."

Ali peered through the porch window. Dad had the phone in one hand, and his head in the other.

"Dad wouldn't want me to."

"You're dad won't know. He's got a million other things to deal with right now."

Ali sighed.

"The policemen already looked."

Ben frowned. "They don't know this area like us. They don't know your sister like you do. Not even your dad does."

Ali chewed at her cheek.

"Where would we go?"

"Where did you see her last?"

She replayed the events of last night through her mind. How she tried to trick Gabby into playing without her. Then arguing with Dad. Ali's cheeks got hot. She could feel tears welling in her eyes again. She try to keep her emotions at bay.

Ali nodded toward the backyard.

Ben remounted his bike, "If your sister is out there alone, she's probably scared." He grinned. "We could save her. Just like real superheroes."

A smile tugged at Ali's cheek.

He was right.

If Gabby was out there alone, every moment counted.

Ali wiped her eyes.

"Okay, I'm in."

"If we're going into the woods, we'll need flashlights."

Ali nodded. "My dad has a few in the basement."

"Let's get going."