Footprints In The Sand

by Michelle Horst

  I clear my throat nervously. “Yeah, I know. We ride the same bus, and go to the same school,” I blurt out. “You live up the street from me.” My cheeks flush scarlet. I practically just told him that I’ve been stalking him. Can this night get any worse?

  “You’re joking?” He looks stunned by the news. He points over his shoulder in the direction of the RV park. “Can I walk you home?”

  My cheeks flush again, but this time it’s because Seth is actually talking to me. I drop my eyes from his and tuck my hands deep into my jeans’ pockets. “Won’t your friends miss you?” I ask as we start to walk.

  The shadows of the night swallow us and I become intensely aware of the boy next to me. I match my footsteps to his.

  “Nah, they won’t.” I hear him take a deep breath and my mind races for something to say. “Look,” he starts, sounding a bit unsure, “I’m sorry about the ball hitting you this afternoon,” he rubs a spot at the back of his neck, “that was my fault.” My eyes are jumping all over the place. I don’t know if I should look where I’m walking or stare at Seth. This is all so surreal! “And I’m sorry for Hayden being such an ass.”

  He brings his hand down and his elbow slams into my arm. “Shit! Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I say softly.

  He nudges me with his elbow, this time softer, and again I feel the tingles settle deep in me. This boy has me tied up in knots! “So your weapon of choice is books?” At first I don’t understand and shake my head. He points at his cheek. “Smacking Hayden,” he states.

  “Oh!” I smile. “Yeah, the book thing.” I nervously untie and tie my hair again, making sure it’s all smooth. Then tuck my hands in my back pockets and bounce a little as we walk. I’m so nervous! “I didn’t mean to hit him, it just happened.”

  “You don’t need to apologize. He needs to be clobbered every once in a while,” Seth laughs and I stare at him in wonder again. He’s laughing with me. The stunning smile on his face is for me. My heart melts at this thought.

  His eyes drop to my chest and I realize that by sticking my hands in my back pockets, it pulled my shoulders back and pushed my chest forward, showing off the little I have. I quickly yank my hands from my pockets and cross my arms over my chest. Embarrassment floods me again. This rollercoaster of emotions is making me dizzy.

  I look up at the twinkling stars and Seth must notice because he asks, “You like the stars?”

  I nod. “Yeah, they remind me of fireflies.”

  Seth stops walking and stares long at the night sky. “You’re right.” He looks at me a huge smile on his face. “I used to catch them as a kid, but I can’t remember when last I saw a firefly.”

  My heart fills with delight that Seth is here talking to me about fireflies of all things.

  When we get close to his RV, I start to slow. “Thanks for walking with me.” I say goodbye, sad that the walk went by so quickly.

  I turn to walk the last stretch, when his hand folds warm around mine. “Hey, I’m walking you home. There’s no way I’m letting you walk alone, Lacey.”

  I stand, struck in amazement. Seth Brody is holding my hand. My mouth drops open, “You know my name?”

  Seth tugs on my hand, pulling me in the direction of my house. “Yeah, I asked Autumn.” I’m highly aware of the fact that he’s not letting go of my hand. “I didn’t know Sophia is your mom.”

  “You know my mom?” Now I sound like an idiot.

  “She’s our usual waitress when we go to Ron’s.”

  We reach my RV and I stop. “This is me.”

  When Seth takes my hand in both of his, I start to bounce on my toes. This is a dream come true!

  “I’m just going to come right out and ask.” he stares at my fingers while his own fingers lace with mine. “You want to do something tomorrow … with me?”

  My eyes must be as huge as saucers. Seth Brody just asked me out! I nod, not trusting my own voice.

  A wide smile splits across his face. “Great! I’ll be here around ten?”

  I nod again, still tongue tied.

  He takes a step closer to me and my heart starts to beat wildly. I know it would be a dream come true if he kissed me, but isn’t it a bit soon? I don’t want to be that girl. I want to be the girl.

  He lifts his hand to my cheek and brushes a few strands of hair behind my ear. “Sleep tight,” he whispers and then he lets me go and walks away.

  I’m way too excited to sleep now! My mind is all over the place, trying to cherish every memory about tonight. I turn around and watch Seth walk back to their lot.

  Only when he goes inside do I let out the whoosh of air I’ve been holding in. I turn in a circle and then jump up and down.

  I can’t believe that just happened! I go to open the door of our RV when I realize I forgot my bag at the diner. My keys, phone, everything is in there. With a huge smile I jog back to the diner.

  I’ve never been so happy before. My whole body is flooded with giddiness.

  When I reach the diner, I catch sight of someone crossing the street from the beach. When I see who it is, I smile.

  “Lacey! What are you doing out this late?” He looks surprised to see me.

  “I work at the diner now. I forgot my bag,” I explain.

  He looks over his shoulder towards the beach, then back to me. “While you’re here,” he points behind him, “can I show you something real quick? It’s something I’ve been working on.”

  I’m actually in a hurry to get home, but this is one person I want to impress, so I follow him. “What is it?” I ask. The sand crunches beneath my shoes and when he doesn’t answer I look up.

  He moves quickly, and I hardly have time to let out a startled scream. His hand slams hard over my mouth and a sweet and sickly smell fills my lungs.

  ~*~

  Chapter Six

  Seth~

  I can’t believe how the night turned out. I’ve been laying in the dark, playing every second over in my mind. I’m going to kick Hayden’s ass for scaring her the way he did. The little shriek she let out before I caught her, gave me chills. The thought of someone hurting her, enrages me.

  She was so petite and warm in my arms, every male instinct I have kicked in to protect her.

  I can’t believe we’re in the same school and I never saw her! I try to think if I know her last name, but come up empty handed. I’ll ask her tomorrow.

  I wanted to kiss her so badly tonight, but held myself back. I don’t want to scare her away. She’s not like the other girls. Before Mom left, she use to say that I’ll know when the right girl comes along. Now I know what she meant.

  I fall asleep, my last thoughts of Lacey.

  I wake up way earlier than normal. I’m too excited about spending the day with Lacey to snooze. I rush through my routine and grab some coffee. I wonder if Lacey will mind if I’m an hour early. I contemplate this over a cup of coffee and when I’m finished with it, I decide to take a chance.

  As I walk to Lacey’s I realize that I’ve walked past their RV many times. How did I not see her?

  I knock on the door and my stomach twists with nerves. The door swings open and one look at Sophia’s ruffled appearance tells me something is wrong. It looks like she hasn’t slept. Her eyes dart over my shoulder and then they dim. “I thought you were Lacey.” She sounds tired.

  “Oh,” pops out of my mouth. I’m not sure what to do now.

  A man appears behind Sophia. He must be Lacey’s dad. “Any news?” he asks Sophia.

  She shakes her head, and then looks at me all hopeful. “You haven’t seen Lacey?”

  I frown, not sure what they mean. “I walked her home last night … after her shift.”

  “You saw her last night?” Lacey’s dad asks with a gruff voice. He gently nudges Sophia aside and comes to stand in front of me. “Tell me what happened!”

  I take a step back, totally confused by his reaction. “Her shift ended. I walked her home. We made plans to spend today together,” I r
ush through the evening, “then I went home.”

  A tear rolls down Sophia’s cheek. “We need to go to the police, Nate. She could be hurt somewhere!”

  Icy shivers run down my spine. “What’s going on? Where’s Lacey?” I ask, fear building inside me as a thousand thoughts start to churn in my mind.

  “She never came home. Her bag was still at the diner,” Sophia says on a sob. “She never came home!”

  I start to shake my head. “But I walked her home. I left her right here,” I mumble more for myself.

  “She must’ve gone back for her bag,” Nate says.

  The only thing I can think of then is that Hayden got a hold of her! If he hurts one hair on her head, I’ll kill him.

  ~*~

  Chapter Seven

  Lacey~

  I come to and the first thing any of my senses can focus on is a dripping noise. I fight to get my eyes open, they feel so heavy. It’s dark, very dark. I bring my hand to my face but I can’t see my fingers. My heart starts to beat heavily as panic floods my body with shiver after shiver. I’m cold and scared.

  “Hello,” I croak. I clear my throat and when no one answers, I try a little louder. “Hello!” I move slowly so I don’t slam into something. It smells damp and dusty. My voice echoes but it gives nothing away of where I am.

  How did I get here? I try to stand up but bump into something hard. I reach out to feel what it is. A piece of metal? My fingers keep searching and all I feel is one bar next to the other. It’s all around me! Am I stuck in some sort of cage? The thought sends a sharp stab of panic through my chest. “Is anybody there?” I scream as loud as I can. Panic makes my throat tighten and I start to cry.

  “I’m here,” A soft voice comes to me out of the dark.

  “Where? Who are you? Why am I here?” I get to my hands and knees. “Where am I?” I scream and then the sobs come hard and fast.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know how long I’ve been here,” the voice comes again. Her news makes me feel faint with a new wave of fear rippling through me.

  “Who are you?” I ask. I need as much information as I can get.

  “Willow,” she whispers.

  I know that name. It’s splashed all over the papers along with the other missing girls.

  “Willow? Like the Willow who has been missing?” I have to make sure, but I pray she tells me differently.

  “Yes. He keeps us locked up. I don’t know where he took Ember. Before me there was Dawn. I think he takes a different girl every week.” As she says this I remember what happened. I went back to the diner to get my bag, but then Mr. Brody came. He wanted to show me something. I can’t remember what.

  “Mr. Brody took you?” I ask with a quivering voice. I can’t believe Seth’s dad is the one who’s been taking the girls! A wave of shock hits me hard, as my mind wars between acceptance and disbelief.

  “You can’t call him that,” she says, “It will only make him angry. When he comes you have to call him Hunter.”

  My eyes widen and I take a sharp breath. “But … why?” He is Mr. Brody. He’s Seth’s dad.

  “That’s what he wants. We don’t ask questions. I think he lets us go after a week. I’m sure if you just do what he wants everything will be okay.” She doesn’t sound so sure of herself. I can hear the underlying fear in her voice. I hear a soft sniffle and knowing that she’s been here a while makes me start to cry, too.

  The sound of a lock clicking open makes me jump. A heavy door falls open to the side and the sharp light of day blinds me.

  Willow whispers, “Just keep quiet and do as he says.”

  I blink a few times and see Mr. Brody climb down the stairs. He closes the door behind him, shutting out the light. It’s dark for a few seconds before a dim light flashes over the space and then I see it - cages, a total of five cages on a flat slab of concrete! There is an empty cage between me and Willow. She looks dirty and scared. The brown steaks running down her face is the only sign that she’s crying. Her dark hair hangs in matted strands around her face.

  Mr. Brody shines the flashlight in my eyes. I cover my face with an arm to block out the sudden sharp light.

  “You’re awake. Good,” he says happily, and then I hear him move in my direction.

  I quickly scamper to the back of my cage, which isn’t far considering there’s not much space. He keeps flashing the light in my face. “Why?” I cry out in desperation. “Why are you doing this?” Tears and sobs choke me and I whisper dismayingly, “I want to … go … home!”

  ~*~

  Chapter Eight

  Seth~

  It feels like my heart stopped and shriveled up into a ball of nothingness. I can’t believe Lacey is gone! I won’t believe it. There’s a reasonable explanation for all of this. Maybe I came on too strong and scared her away? Maybe she’ll come back any second, laughing at all of us for worrying over nothing.

  No matter how many thoughts rush through my mind, there’s always the thought that she’s been taken, just like all those other girls.

  I should have made sure she went inside! It’s my fault this happened to her. How can the universe be so cruel? She’s only seventeen! I only had her for a few minutes! I want more of her. I want to get to know everything about her.

  I slam my fist repeatedly into my pillow and then scream into it. She’s so young, so beautiful. It’s so unfair.

  Dad comes out of his room, frowning in my direction. “What’s wrong?”

  I shove back from the couch which also serves as my bed, and my heart rate keeps picking up. “Lacey.” Her name is a broken whisper on my lips. “I met her on the beach yesterday. We had a date today, but she’s gone. I walked her home, Dad! I made sure she was safely home before I left her. I don’t understand why she was taken. How can life be so unfair? I find her only to lose her? I can’t believe that!”

  Dad takes a seat next to me and lets out a heavy huff. “Sometimes these things happen and there is nothing we can do about it. I’m sorry, Son.”

  “Yeah,” I say, my chest aching. “I just want to be alone.” I leave the RV and head blindly in the direction of the beach. I don’t want to see anyone today. I just want to be alone. I haven’t felt like this since Mom left.

  ~*~

  Chapter Nine

  Lacey~

  My body aches from staying in the same cramped position for so long. I can only crouch, sit, get on all fours, or curl into a small bundle. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. It stays dark, unless Mr. Brody comes to bring us food and that’s only once a day. I wish I could stand up and stretch. I wish I was home!

  I’ve learned that Willow is from one town over. She’s a year younger than me. Her favorite color is purple. She likes any kind of pasta and pizza, and her cat’s name is Tiger.

  In the beginning I screamed and cried until my throat ached and my nose was blocked. Then I fell into a silent rage, until Willow started telling me about Tiger and that he has brown stripes.

  I almost told her about Seth, but stopped just in time. What’s the use of telling her about Seth? It’s his dad who kidnapped us! I should’ve known better! I wasted my time wanting a boy whose father kidnaps girls. Who knows what will happen to us? For all I know Seth knows that we’re here! He might be in on the whole thing. The thought stabs sharply at my heart.

  The sound of the lock clicking open yanks me from my miserable thoughts. I don’t understand why Mr. Brody is keeping us here. He opens the cage and hands me a packet. I know it contains a burger and coke. I’m so sick of it, but it is all there is, so I take it.

  “Why, Mr. Brody?” I try again. He ignores me every time I ask, but I won’t stop. I need to know what he’s planning to do with us. The need for information is overwhelming at times and sends me into a horrible panic attack.

  He crouches down and flashes the light over me. He stares at me for a long moment as if he’s looking for something. He chuckles. “You were a pretty thing but look at you now.” He flashes the light
to where Willow is and then back to me. “You’re not ready yet,” he flashes the light back to Willow, “but she is.”

  It’s then that I notice only one bag of food. He didn’t bring anything for Willow! I grab hold of the bars and pull my chest flush against it. “Where are you taking her? You can’t leave me here alone! Let me go with her!”

  He ignores me and walks over to Willow’s cage. He opens it, grabs hold of her foot and drags her out as if she weighs nothing. Is he letting her go? She’s so weak it’s easy for him to tie her hands and feet. When he gags her, I know – she’s not going home!

  “Let her go!” I scream. My heart races wildly in my chest and each thump hurts. It feels as if my ribs are closing in, threatening to crush the life right out of me. “Willow! He’s not going to let you go! Fight, Willow! Fight!” I yank at the bars and see her face crumble. She’s already given up. “No, Willow! Don’t give up. You have to fight. You have to fight.” I scream until my throat is raw but he picks her up, tosses her over his shoulder and leaves me in the dark.

  “You can’t do this to us! Let her go!” I keep screaming the words over and over. My throat is raw and I taste something metallic. My body aches, my head hurts and my heart won’t stop thumping hard in my chest. My throat closes up until I can’t suck in any air. My vision goes spotty, red spots against the blackness of my surroundings. Pins and needles spread through my body until all I feel is ice cold.

  ~*~

  Chapter Ten

  Seth~

  I follow every bit of news there is about the missing girls, hoping I’ll get some news about Lacey. They found a body in the woods, just behind the town. They said the body was mutilated badly and because of the rain we’ve been having for the last week it’s making the search for the other girls difficult. They haven’t released the girls name yet. I’m constantly filled with ice cold dread that it might be Lacey.

  I log onto Facebook and my page is flooded with messages.