Chapter Two, guys! Remember to rate and review! :3

(C) Darren Shan. I don't own anybody but Mercy Darter, Harry and Kelly Darter and Bonnie Ford.

Chapter Two ; Missing

Hi. My name is Mercy Darter.

I always was an ordinary girl. I had an ordinary life. Ordinary friends, ordinary school. It was all ordinary. Up to the day of that awful disappearance. The disappearance that changed my life forever.

"Did we get any history homework?" I was walking home from school with my best friend, Bonnie Ford. The girl doesn't pay much attention in class, and she never notes down her homework.

"Yes, Bonnie." I sighed. "You really should pay more attention to Miss Sims, and then you would know, instead of having to ask me all the time!"

She glowered out from under her hoodie. I didn't have a clue why she was wearing it. It was almost Summer, and the warm air and bright sunlight lit up my days. But Bonnie always wore her hoodie – it was like a tradition.

It was Friday, which made me naturally happy, and Bonnie too. So we raced eachother home, cutting through the overgrown grass as quickly as we could. I grinned as I sped past my friend and stopped at the lamp post, which was our finishing point. Bonnie growled at me playfully when she caught up. I just stuck my tongue out at her, and we hugged and went our separate ways.

It was quiet when I got home. My mom and dad were at work, and my older sister Kelly was at her boyfriend's. My older brother, Harry, should be here though. He was two years older than me, and Kelly was five years older. I'm the youngest, at fourteen. Its hard sometimes, but hohum.

Mom and Dad don't care about me or Harry, and they hardly see Kelly. I think they used to. Back when we never caused any trouble – we were all very sweet and good as kids. But now, they're always out, never spending time with us and never caring where or how we spend our lives. The only ones that I really cared about in this life and that loved me back were Harry, Kelly and Bonnie.

I peeked into Harry's room and saw him sitting at his computer. "Yo," I said, poking his strawberry-blonde mess of hair.

"Howdy," he replied, swinging round on the rotating chair to face me. "Mom and Dad are out as usual tonight, and so's Kel, and i'm having Archie round, so do you want to call Bonnie and invite her over?"

I grinned big, and then I hugged my brother – a rare thing. "Thanks," I grinned and skipped out of the room to ring my friend up.

I dialled her number and counted the rings. And counted them. And counted them. She didn't pick up. That was strange – Bonnie never missed a phonecall, and especially not one from me. I rang her home phone next. Two rings and it was picked up. My heart jolted in relief until I recognized the voice on the other end to be Bonnie's mom.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mercy. Can I speak to Bonnie?"

I started to panic when the reply came. "She isn't home yet," the fear was clear in her mother's voice. "Are you home, Mercy? Did you walk home with her?"

"Yes, I did. I left her at the usual place." I paced my room anxiously.

After trying continuously to call my best friend on her mobile, I soon gave up and went to bed. I couldn't sleep that night. Bonnie was missing – she hadn't come home. She wasn't picking up her mobile. Fear crept through me like a snake slivering through grass, and soon I fell into a troubled sleep.

I woke up suddenly, and then remembered that Bonnie was missing. I made my way gloomily downstairs. It felt like a dark, heavy cloud was floating over my head... and it was promising thunder.

And that was the moment when Harry entered the kitchen looking forlorn. I'd never seen him so... distraught and helpless. "Harry?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

My brother didn't reply, he just switched on the TV without a word. The news was on... and that's when I saw the picture of Bonnie.

Please tell me what you think! Chapter 3 will contain a lil' bit of attempted suicide, so don't say I didn't warn you!

~Nightcirque.