Total Darkness

I want to go home

I wake to my dad knocking on my door and I stir groggily lifting my head from where it was resting on my arms. He opens the door slightly saying my name softly. " morning dad" I say my voice barely audible. " shut your alarm off kid, schools been canceled... they've found another body" my father says to me.

My heart finds it's way into my stomach and suddenly I'm wide awake. I sit up quickly and look at my dad my eyes wide. "Is it anyone we know?" I ask him. "Sarah Lennington is her name, she's 15 years old" he replies watching my face as he tells me.

She was 2 grades behind me in school I didn't know her well but Her brother was in my art class. "I shake my head sadly. " I don't understand why someone is doing this dad." I say with tears forming in my eyes as memories of Riley's body in the woods fill my head.

My dad makes his way over to my bed and sits down beside me pulling me close to him in a hug. I wrap my arms around him finding comfort in his warmth. " I know Addie I know, we are going to find him. I promise you we will.." my dads voice trails off filled with sorrow. I know he's feeling guilt about this, most of the police department has. Who ever was doing this knew how to cover their tracks and very well.

My dad shakes his head and I pull away from him and look to him. He runs his hand through his hair and manages a smile. "Want some good news?" He asks me. "Anything aside from this murderer talk sounds good to me dad" I say with the smallest smile I myself can manage.

"Your mother's flight will be landing in a few hours, she's coming home" my dad said and his smile widened as he did. I felt my smile grow as well, I hadn't seen her in months. She took a trip to Africa to help with the medical side of things. She always wanted to help people somehow and when she heard of the hospital she worked in sending people there to help with research studies and healing she jumped on board.

My dad and I knew we'd miss her but we knew how much it meant to her and that we'd be okay without her for a while. "Shes coming home early?!" I said my voice showing every sign of excitement possible. " she'll be here for a couple days and then she'll head back, but with everything going on she felt like you could use her company." My dad said with a smile.

Throughout everything going on I'd not even thought about trying to get ahold of my mom. But I realized in this moment how much I missed her and needed her here and my heart for the first time in a while felt almost full. But without Riley it never could be completely full.. I shook the thought of Riley out of my head and stood up from my bed to find an outfit and my dad and I talked about meaningless things until I went to go shower.

After my shower I pulled on my outfit and brushed my hair out and went downstairs. There was 2 hours before my moms plane landed and she had an hour long drive home from the airport, and sitting still waiting did not seem like an option to me. I texted Derick with my idea of the day.

A: wanna meet my mom? She's coming home today!!

D: depends is she gunna try and murder me?

A: my dads the one you should worry about there LOL

D: ok true.. but sure I'd love too.

A: okay 3 hours till she's here and I have something I wanna do if you want to help out??

D: what's that