Forsaken by Keary Taylor

to
you?” he asked very quietly.
    Amber didn’t say anything, just kept
her eyes on the floor.
    “ Tell me where to find him
and I’ll make sure he can never do that to anyone again,” I was
shocked at the venom that filled Rod’s voice, it was frightening in
the way he sounded perfectly calm at the same time. When I looked
over at him I saw the intensity his eyes were suddenly burning
with.
    Amber finally looked up at him, with
shock in her eyes. For a moment she almost looked fearful but after
a second it melted away into a smile. “Thanks, but I really doubt
he will find me here. He’s about 900 miles away right
now.”
    “ Well, if he shows up and
bothers you again, you call me and I will take care of him for
you,” he said, his tone serious but a smile starting to spread on
his face. I couldn’t help but smile too. So did Amber.
    “ Did you say you don’t
know where Alex is?” he said as he broke his stare at my baby
sister and looked over at me.
    “ No,” I said, that knot
forming in my stomach again. “The truck is here, the motorcycle is
here. His cell and wallet are still in his bedroom. I don’t know
where he would have gone. It’s like he just vanished.”
    As the last few words came out of my
mouth I felt my body go numb. Vanished. As if he suddenly wasn’t in
this world any more. As if he had suddenly been pulled back into
the world he was supposed to be a part of now.
    “ Well, he was supposed to
meet me at the basketball court over an hour ago and he never
showed. He didn’t answer his phone either so I decided to come
looking for him.” I barely heard the words Rod said. I was suddenly
trying very hard to keep from throwing up. “Are you okay, Jess?” I
heard Amber say. “You’re white as a ghost all the
sudden.”
    “ Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied
as I folded my arms across my midsection to try and hide the
trembling in my hands. “Just wondering where Alex could
be.”
    “ I wouldn’t worry too
much,” Rod said. “Alex likes to wander but he always comes home
eventually.”
    I nodded, barely hearing what he said.
I wished I could take that as the answer to Alex’s disappearance
but I had a feeling there was something much more terrifying and
sinister to this.
    The knot in my stomach never left the
rest of the night. Rod left after exchanging numbers with my
sister. Amber went to bed early, again sleeping in the master
bedroom. I sat on the leather couch the rest of the night, waiting
for Alex to walk back through the front doors yet dreading that he
wouldn’t. I fell asleep there on the couch and had nightmares the
entire night.
     
    X
     
    I felt numb the next morning when I
confirmed that Alex was still not home. I called Rod who said he
still hadn’t heard from Alex. I only got Emily’s voicemail
again.
    The temptation to call in sick to work
was strong. I really did feel sick but it was only from worry and
the terrifying familiar sensation of dread that filled me. I
sincerely hoped that work would distract me from my obsession.
Amber seemed grateful for the time by herself in the quiet when I
told her I had to go into work. Mondays were always slow in the
bookstore. I worked the morning shift and Austin came in at eleven
to help with the afternoon rush to the espresso and then take over
in the afternoon. Today was no different; there wasn’t a soul in
the building besides me.
    I ducked under the counter, grabbing
for my purse that was stashed underneath. I set it on the wooden
surface, digging through its contents for the book I had been
reading. Pulling it out, I noticed there were two envelopes tucked
inside. My brow furrowed, I pulled them out and set the book back
down.
    The envelopes were yellowed and aged
looking. I noticed that one of them was sealed with wax, some sort
of family crest pressed and then hardened into it. The writing on
it was elegant and perfectly printed in a way you just didn’t see
any more. Upon a closer look, my blood ran cold as I