Where did they go?

Chapter 01

"April, hurry up! Jack is here!" My aunts raspy voice called up to me with a tinge of annoyance.

"Coming!" I called back, quickly tying my hair back and shoving my books into my bag. The stairs creeped with each step as I rushed down the old stairs of the house.

"Happy birthday!" My best friend and Aunt cheered the moment I rounded the corner into the kitchen. I came to a slow, walking towards them both with a smile on my face. Taking a deep breath I blew out the candle on the cupcake Aunt Lou made me every year, wishing for the same thing I always do.

"Alrighty then I have to get back to the bakery now, have a good day at school" the older woman stepped away from giving me a kiss on the head, leaving Jack and I alone in the kitchen.

"Ready to go birthday girl?" Jack asked with a cheeky smile on his face.

"One minute" I said, quickly picking up the newspaper, flipping through it searching for something special.

"Can't you do that later? I mean what are you even looking for?" He peaked over my shoulder to see what was so important it could make us late for school.

"Every year on my birthday there is a crossword with the words 'happy birthday darling'" I explain simply, still searching the papers for the daily crossword.

"That's probably just a coincidence" Jack claimed. I folded the paper, stuffing it in my bag while rolling my eyes at him. The pair of us walked on the same path as every other day to get to school, through the forest.

The teacher was speaking at the front of the room, but I wasn't focusing on their words. Instead I was focused on the crossword puzzle of the day, trying to solve the message once again.

"Ah ha" I smiled proudly, silently sliding the paper over towards Jack who was taking notes beside me.

"Okay, okay, so it says 'happy birthday darling' that could be a message for the crossword makers kid. You have no proof it is for you. Besides who would go through all that trouble to write a message to you when they can just tell you?" He whispered back, trying not to get caught talking.

With a deep sigh of thought I reached up to hold the necklace Aunt Lou had given me the night I was left with her.

I don't remember that night very much. But I do remember there was a huge thunder storm, my mother was crying and I didn't know where my older brother Jason was. My sweet mother carried me to Aunt Lou's house and left me there, all alone. My Aunt always told me that my mother had been killed that night, but I have other theory's on that mystery, not that I'd ever tell Aunt Lou.

The moment the bell rang for us to leave I had swung my bag over my shoulder and made a beeline out of the door. "Wait up!" Jack called after me as he ran to catch up.

The pair of us ran back to my house, through the bakery and upstairs to my room where I pulled a small chest from the bottom of my closet. The chest opened to reveal a pile of newspapers with the crosswords done from my past birthdays.

"Your crazy April it's just a crossword puzzle." Jack tells me, breathing heavily to catch his breath, hands set on his knees. I dumped out the pile of papers and spread them out to see each individual crossword puzzle.

"I am not crazy I'm observant. Who else could these be for I'm the only girl in town who has a birthday today and nobody knows who writes the cross words. It's not a coincidence that every year on my birthday there is a message saying 'happy birthday darling'." I pause, looking out of my window towards the flower grand I planted as a little girl. "My mother used to call me darling" I said quietly.

"April do you really think she's still out there after all these years? You were there at her funeral, you were there when she left you. Why won't you let this go? It's been eight years!" Jack yelled with frustration that I wouldn't accept her death. I stare at him in shock, blank expression on my face. Did he really think this was crazy? I left my room without saying anything, slowly wandering towards the garden that brought me peace during times like these.

"April, Jack told me everything." Aunt Lou started as she stood behind me.

Of course he told her. The one person I trusted with this idea and he tells the one person who I don't trust.

"I know it's hard to accept but your mother is gone, she abandoned you. Please don't look into this anymore I can't watch you get hurt." She told me simply, tiredness in her voice as though she was exhausted from a long night awake. The woman gave a nod to herself, telling herself that was enough of a conversation before she went back to working in the bakery.

I harshly ripped off the necklace she had given me, pulling it away from my body and throwing it at Jack who was now slowly and carefully approaching his broken friend. I gasped for air, becoming suddenly dizzy and light headed when everything went dark. Thunder rumbled as flashes of light shit through my mind. People cried out for help desperately, screaming about a witch. 'Stop the witch! Stop the witch!'. I curled back at the sight of a young man, a few years older than me. He hung from the wall, arms and legs shackled before looking up past his shaggy brown hair, looking at me with tired, weak eyes.

Then I saw her. I saw my mother with tears rushing down her face, the same expression as the last time I saw her on that dark stormy night. "Mommy don't leave me" I heard a young girl cry weakly.

"I'm so sorry my darling. I'll be back one day." My mother said, brushing back a stray hair from her daughters face before leaving in a rush and never turning back.

I fell back into Jacks arms, him holding me close to him in fear for what had happened. Reaching up the necklace was back around my neck again. I looked at Jack, tears running from my bright eyes.

"She's still out there. They both are." I stated with a soft smile at the thought of seeing my family again. Jack tilted his head slightly, confused for what was happening and scared for what I was getting myself into.

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Question of the day: why do you think she only saw those things when her necklace was off?

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and continue reading this book. I'm having lots of fun putting together the mystery and I hope you enjoy it just as much as you follow the characters to solve it.

Go check out my other story's Diana the lost hero and the hero and the agent!