Welcome! I'm glad you came. This story is going to have plenty of dark spots. IT will also have lots of love among friends and stuff that will make you want to melt a little. It might seem to bounce around some between present times and memories of the past. I've got faith that we can all stay on the same page, though. Enjoy.
"Do you mind if I stop at the pharmacy? My Grandma needs more ointment," Andre Harris asked Cat Valentine while he gave her a ride home from school one afternoon. Instead of a real answer, Cat giggled.
"If a pig has a rash, does he get oinkment?" she asked. "Once my brother brought home a pig," Cat shared. Andre glanced sideways at her, warily waiting for the typical absurd explanation that always follows when Cat relates one of her brothers exploits. The girl did not disappoint. "He hid it under the bathroom sink but then returned it to the farm when he couldn't teach it to drive a car like in the commercials." Andre huffed out a chuckle and shook his head as he pulled his prized black Camaro into the pharmacy parking lot.
"Do you want to come in with me?" he asked. Cat politely declined, opting to stay in the car and work on some homework she had for her costume design class. She had just begun to pull some neon paisley printed fabric from her backpack as Andre pushed the door shut and headed into the store. Not being able to find exactly what he was looking for, he stood in line to get counsel from the pharmacist. Almost 20 minutes later the boy slapped a small bag of Bibble on the counter along with his other selections. He figured the forbidden treat would sooth his little redheaded friend who was sure to be annoyed with the length of the unplanned stop.
Upon arriving at his car, Andre noticed a few things that, by themselves, might not catch his attention. No, he might have never spotted the swatch of sparkly ribbon trailing away from the curb stop, the purple hair barrette adorned with a smiling giraffe on the sidewalk near the corner of the building, or the red Converse sneaker that was laying on its side next to the dumpster that was barely visible just around the corner from the parking lot. He couldn't , however, miss the fact that the passenger side door of his sleek ride was standing wide open. He couldn't ignore the backpack wedged behind the front tire on the black asphalt; contents spilled out for all the world to see. And, as his heart and stomach lurched with realization, Andre Harris could not deny the panic he felt when he realized that Cat was gone. Gone against her will.
