Everything had happened so fast. It was supposed to be a normal day for eight-year-old Kitrin Jones. She knew her father was supposed to return from some archaeology dig and she had planned to meet him at the university. Now, however, her mother had informed her she was to spend the day at home. Typically, this was a sign that something bad had taken place - and she would treat it as such. To her credit, she had made an attempt to get some type of information from her mother, who only insisted on making her wait for an explanation. She went about her normal morning routine before deciding it would be appropriate to go sit in her father's study and finish up the homework she had left from the night before.
It took exactly three hours for her brother to show up, she would recognize his voice anywhere. There was some conversation - which the child simply dismissed as boring grown-up talk. It wasn't but a few minutes before the two entered the study and Kit set the book she was reading on her father's desk. If asked, she would say it was to correct a mistake her teacher had made in the worksheet.
"Kitrin..." Her mother spoke gently.
"Yeah, mommy?"
"We need to talk, just the three of us."
"About what?"
She could tell this wasn't something that would be easy to hear, just by the tone of her mother's voice. She couldn't help but be a bit scared though she assumed it would just be a lecture to do better in school, but then again, her brother wouldn't be there for such a thing.
"It's about your dad. He's missing."
"He'll come back some day though... Right...? He always does."
"I'm afraid it's been too long for that to be an option," Mutt took over.
Kit went silent, her eyes darting between the two as she tried her best to look for answers. There was no way... This was just some sort of cruel joke and their father was only running late and would be home in time for dinner. For a brief second, she looked as though she might cry, that sinking feeling almost too much for her to handle. She focused on her brother as he was moving towards her and she tried to seem brave.
"He wanted you to have this. Asked that I give it to you if something were to happen to you," he spoke softly, setting the familiar satchiel in her lap," He wanted you to keep it safe."
Kit nodded and opened the bag. Inside was her father's journal, some maps, and other things he would carry out in the field. She didn't understand why she was the one to have been given these things but it helped in some small way. It didn't help much and she was still trying to come off as brave, not wanting them to see her cry. She wanted her dad but it was obvious she couldn't say as much. She didn't want this to be true.
"He'll turn up, I'm sure. Just give it time, stay in school, be brave, and keep his things safe until he returns. He will return eventually," Mutt decided against pressuring her into believing what was obviously the truth.
"May I be excused?" The question came far too quietly.
"Yes. Your brother and I have some things to discuss," Marion spoke up.
Kitrin didn't hesitate to leave the room, running upstairs to her bedroom and locking the door behind her, clutching her father's satchiel. She admired him so much and now he was gone, at least it seemed he was gone. Even then she knew it was more likely that he was. They wouldn't have called off a search without probable reason to consider him gone. Would they? She sank down to the floor, the bag resting beside her, she finally allowed herself to fall apart - if only because she couldn't keep from it anymore. It felt like her world was crumbling around her and she couldn't stop it. Amidst all the chaos in her mind, she clung to one thing she considered to be true. She had to be brave for both herself and her father, then just maybe he would return.