Finding Katherine

Chapter One

"911, what's your emergency?" a deep voice said into the phone.

"Our daughter is missing!" "Help, our daughter has been gone for half of the day!" Nicholas and Ella said in unison. "Sir, slow down. What's the emergency?" He asked again and Nicholas raised a hand up to silence his wife so that he can speak.

"Our daughter, Katherine, is missing," Nicholas said and released the breath he was holding.

"How long has she been missing?" The officer asked.

"It's been over ten hours," Ella said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't help you if it hasn't been over twenty four hours," he replied calmly. 

"What do you mean you can't help us, our daughter is missing for god's sake!" Ella snapped.

"Hey, calm down," Nicholas said in a calm tone while rubbing his wife's back. 

"It's okay, thanks for your help," Nicholas said and hung up.

"What are we going to do now? Sit here and do nothing while our daughter is missing?" Ella said while pacing back and forth.

"Honey, it'll be okay, we'll find her okay?" Nicholas said and went into the kitchen to grab a cup of water. After he came back, he handed the cup to his worried wife. 

"Maybe she's sleeping over at one of her friend's place?" Nicholas suggested and she shook her head.

"I already called Ethan and Mia, they haven't seen her since school and it's already the weekend," Ella cried and Nicholas rushed over to calm her down. 

"Don't worry, it's gonna be okay," he said in a soft tone.

"Where would she go?" she asked and he wiped away the tears staining her cheeks.

"I don't know, let's just wait until tomorrow," he said and watched as his wife's eyes widen.

"Are you seriously going to wait until tomorrow?" she gasped and looked at him with her mouth wide open.

"Yes, either way we can't do anything if it hasn't been over twenty four hours." he replied with a blank expression. "Maybe she snuck out to go to a party? She's staying over at someone's place? Or she's with her aunt or uncle? Let's just go and check each house in the neighborhood, after that we'll pass by each house that she may be at," he suggested.

"Wow, it's a brilliant idea!" Ella replied sarcastically.

"I'm serious! At least we won't spend those twelve hours doing nothing, we may find her Ella," he said, his eyes sparkling with hope that they might find their missing daughter.

"C'mon, let's go," he said while grabbing his keys off the counter. Nicholas and Ella drove through their entire neighborhood and the only answers they would receive were that they haven't seen her since thanksgiving or weeks ago. 

"This is stupid, we'll never find her," Ella said and rubbed her temples with shaky hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I just feel nauseous," she replied and closed her eyes. She kept breathing heavily and suddenly collapsed onto the leather seat of the car.

"Ella!" he yelled and the car came to a stop. Nicholas kept shaking Ella but there was no response. 

-

Ella opened her eyes and flinched. "Where am I?" she asked her husband.

"Hospital, you fainted," he replied and walked over to the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked and grabbed his wife's hands.