Chasing a Broken Butterfly

Chapter 24: Watching the Butterfly

"Shit, Elle what happened?" I can hear the worry in Mikey's voice.

"Just go find Lacey and tell me she's okay!" I yell into the phone. Anxiety is overwhelming me as I start to panic. I can't lose Lacey. "I'm heading over to your place," I add before I hang up. I grab my grey hooded sweatshirt and pull it over my head as I reach for my car keys that are on my nightstand. I slip on boots before racing downstairs and out to the car.

The ride over to Mikey's house is a blur. The next thing I know I'm tumbling out of the car and running up to his front door. I try the knob but it's locked so I start pounding.

"Mikey!" I scream. I don't give a damn if I wake the neighbors.

Mikey pulls the door open wide and his face is white. That's all I need to know.

"Where is she, Mikey? Why didn't you make sure she was safe?" I'm punching his chest out of frustration. I don't realize I'm crying again until I feel the wetness on my cheeks.

"She needed to go pee, so I let her out about an hour ago. I got so distracted with how you were doing, I forgot to let her back in. I'm so sorry, Elle..." Mikey pulls me into a tight embrace. I feel him kiss the top of my head, but even that doesn't erase every horrible memory that has just been etched into my brain.

My mind is a whirlwind as I try to process everything. I wipe my tears away for the second time tonight and look up at Mikey.

"How can they do that?" Anger is replacing my feeling of hopelessness, and it feels good. "It's revolting that they think they can just break into my home and then take Lacey from me!" I I start pacing back and forth on his porch, "I don't even know what they're freaking talking about," I break into a sob again, "I didn't take what's theirs..." I'm a complete mess.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Mikey grabs my shoulders to stop me from pacing back and forth.

"The picture! Me and Lacey! It was ripped and...and there was a threat written on it," I sigh in exasperation as I throw my hands up in the air in defeat. I sit down on the front steps of his porch and rub my temples. I need to think straight. It said they'd take her. The note didn't say they'd harm her. Right? I don't know what I'd do if they harmed her. My throat feels tight and my eyes start to burn at the mere thought of a helpless Lacey being tortured.

'No, stop. Crying won't help anything.' I hate it when the voice in my head is right.

"Elle. What happened? What haven't you told me?" Mikey kneels down next to me. "Elle, tell me please. I need to know."

I turn towards him and take a deep breath, "I was in my room talking to you when I realized that the things on my dresser and my desk were all out of line. Turns out they were pointing to something; my journal. It was sitting on top of my desk. A journal that I never placed there, Mikey." I search his eyes to gage his reaction. "There was something sticking out of it, so I opened the journal and found a picture of me and Lacey when she was a puppy..." I lose my voice for a bit before I continue, "It was ripped in half...and on the back in ugly, red writing it said, 'take what's mine and I'll take what's yours'," I let out a shaky breath. I'm really trying not to cry again. I need to compose myself and think this through. I need Lacey back.

He's quiet for a moment before he says, "There must be a mistake. Someone is blaming you for something you didn't do." He stands up, goes back into the house, and comes back out with his keys in his hand.

"What are you doing?" I stand up and face him.

"We need to let whoever is threatening you know that you're not the one to blame. I don't know how we're going to do that, but I sure as hell am not going to let you alone at your place for the night," he mutters something else in foul language and for the moment I'm glad I can't pick it up. I follow him to his car and climb into the passenger seat. I can get my car tomorrow.