INTRODUCTION
"Missing" the word bounced around inside his head. His feet pounded the ground, for once not tripping over anything. Through the door, up the stairs his feet took him. He burst into room 101.
"Where's Zoey?" Lola and Nicole turned from where they had been weeping over a photograph. He only heard the first word of what they said.
"Missing"
"No… No… She's still here, I saw her yesterday." He raced out of the room leaving the girls in peace.
He flopped down in the girls lounge and turned on the TV to distract himself.
"Breaking News, Plane crash in New York State, All the passengers are accounted for except one, Zoey Brooks is now Missing Presumed dead. If she is still alive she is the only survivor…." He quickly switched channels. Unable to bear it anymore he wept quietly until late into the night.
Dana arrived on a plane from France the next day. Logan, Lola, Nicole, and Michael went to meet her at the airport. He watched on TV and cried as rescue team after rescue team returned empty handed.
"Is Chase okay?" asked Dana. They all just shook their heads. Even Logan looked sad. The drive to PCA was a silent one. Nicole had cried herself dry at last. Lola was cheerful but everyone knew she was just acting to try and help others cope.
He was thin and drained when he finally emerged from his room. His hair was disheveled and dirty. His eyes had a far off look in them and he wouldn't smile. But he stood upright though his incredibly thin frame shook from exhaustion. He held his head high and his walk had purpose to it. He sat down at the breakfast table for the first time in three days. After downing a full meal he stood shakily.
"I am leaving tomorrow." His voice was calm and steady. "I will find her myself. I won't force you to join me but I would appreciate your support." The silence at the table was deafening. Then Nicole rose.
"Zoey is my best friend." She was joined by Michael and Lola. Logan and Dana looked at each other. Then Logan smirked.
"I'll go if Dana does."
"Of course I'll go. Zoey's my friend too!"
She was dehydrated, lost, and tired. A jagged cut bit harshly into her side. A ripped piece of cloth hung from her graphic Tee. She tripped over a hidden log and crashed headlong into a bush. She struggled to her feet leaving the blood soaked fabric attached to a twig.