Chapter 1: Going On As If She Never Was Here

Mom said it was easier on all of us if we pretended that Sydney hadn't existed. So within a week, every piece of evidence that I had a sister who was kidnapped at two vanished. Why was this? How could my mom and dad just pretend she didn't exist. Yes, it had been three years. Yes, there was a new little one in the house. But Sydney was two when she disappeared. She existed!

"Luke? Lu? Where are you?" I heard my younger sister Kyla call for me. I sat in my closet thinking. It was the only place I could actually get any thinking done. When Terry, Davey and Kenny got out of the nursery, bunk beds were bought and placed in my room since we had very little space as it is. So I got a top bunk. But I always had some little five year old boy climbing on my bunk to be nosy.

I am ten and opted to wait to start my journey. I wanted to be a police officer. So instead, dad gave me my own growlithe egg and I trained in the Dragon Lands Area of Baltivik. If you've never been to Baltivik, let me explain it to you. Baltivik has many regions. To the north, is the dragon lands. Here is where the Elite Team train and battle. To the south, is the gym lands and peninsula area. You can guess what that is. To the west stretching to the southern portion of the dragon lands are the Eeveek Plains. That is where the most eevee in the entire world are found in the wild. Other pokemon are found there too but it is mostly eevee. Then, in the sky, are the five sky ports. One is unaccessible due to a magical barrier surrounding it. The other four are sparcely populated with gyms on two of them.

"Luke! Momma wants you!" I started to hear Terry call. "She says it important!"

I grumbled but got up. If I waited too much longer she would start yelling and that wouldn't be good for me. "Coming." I said. I opened the closet door to see my mother, holding a fidgety one year old "Ummm hi mom."

"In the closet again." She sighed. "Why this time?"

"Five year olds." Was all I said.

"Lukas Kane, your brothers just want to play."

"But I don't want to."

She shot me a look, "Anyway, I need you to help me set up for Angel's party. Riley and Lisa are on their way but the boat is late. They are trying to get from Kanto. You know how impossible that is. So your father flew down there to get them."

Of course I would have to help. I always did. She handed me my one year old sister Angel. Angel had very little hair but what she did have was being held in two spots on opposite sides of her head by bows. Her hair was light brown, almost blonde. She had big blue eyes that she used to capture anyone under her cute charm. I was still not convinced she was either A) a magician or B) part pokemon. But mom refused to believe either theory. Angel went after my hair as I held her which caused me to pull her away from me. At this, Angel gave me a swelled up look and started to wail. I sighed and put her back on my hip and walked to the kitchen. Mom was setting up the decorations and a Happy Birthday banner. I placed my sister in her high chair and poured some cheerios on her tray. Then I grabbed the box of decorations and started to help my mother.

"Luke, I need you to go get the helium tank and get these balloons blown up." She said handing me a bag of balloons.

I had to go out to the stables for the helium tank. It was kept out there to keep the kids away from it. I pulled it out of the back of the stables. Shooting Star, our prize ponyta just eyed me as I dragged the tank out doors. "Don't look at me like that. I gotta air up balloons for Angel's party."

I started airing up the balloons. It wasn't a hard job, but it was boring. All of a sudden I heard a "Whatchoo doing?"

"Go away Kyla, I'm busy."

"But I'm boreeeeeed."

"Go find Jordan."

"She's taking a nap."

"Join her."

"But I don't wanna."

"Go find the boys."

"Why?"

"Because I am busy!"

"You're mean!" She stuck her tongue at me but I kept on attaching balloons to the helium tank. After they were finished I was placing them in a large tote. Kyla kept on trying to distract me.

"So why don't you love me?"

I looked at her with my glasses sliding down my nose, "Do you honestly believe that I don't love you?"

"No..."

"Then why did you say that?" I picked up the tote of balloons and started to take them inside. I sat them down in the kitchen. Mom was busy decorating cupcakes so I sat them down quietly and went back outside to drag the helium tank back to the stables. Kyla was sitting on the fence watching me. She had to be the most persistent of my younger siblings. She was always trying to annoy me in some way. "Why don't you go milk Millie?"

"Because I don't wanna."

"But we need milk and I am trying to help mom."

"Well I still don't wanna."

"Do it or I will tell dad. Thats your chore."

Kyla walked off pouting. She grabbed the bucket from the fencepost to go milk Millie, our Miltank. I watched our Tauros in the field for a second before spotting a familiar face in the field running around with them. My growlithe. I decided to let him play in there while I helped finish getting ready for the party. I went inside.

"Luke? Can you get the kids all outside except for Angel? Tell them to pick up the sticks out of the yard. And have the girls go after the pokemon eggs. I'm sure there are tons just lying around."

"'Kay!" I first went upstairs. My first stop was a petal pink door. I knocked before entering it. Jordan was sprawled out on her bed. I lightly tapped her arm. She didn't stir. So I started to tickle her.

"Stop it," She said in a drowsy state. I kept on. "Hehehehe, I said stop it!" She bolted awake. "Lu, stop!"

"Okay, your awake. Mom wants you to go gather pokemon eggs so nothing happens to them."

She grumbled but did it anyway. It was summer, so Jordan just put on her flip flops and went outside to gather the eggs. Now I had to find the three boys. That was a harder job. I went through the house, listening at the doors. Nothing. So I went to the attic. There, the boys were digging in one of the huge chests up there.

"What are you boys doing?" I said loudly.

Terry, Kenny and David looked up guiltily. They were in a chest marked 'Sydney.' "N-n-no-no-nothin-nothing." Terry stuttered.

"Why are you in Sydney's chest? That's none of your business."

"But who is she?" Kenny asked.

I looked at him shocked. But then I realized three years ago the three boys were just two, as was she. I pulled my backpack off my back. I never took it off. Inside I had my stuff for my Police Academy lectures, my pokeballs and a box. I picked up the box. "Come here boys." The three boys scampered over to the attic entrance where I was. I sat the box down. It was the size of a large dictionary. I opened it. The box held several pictures, newspaper clippings and a hairbow. I picked up a family picture. "This is us when you were two. See?" I showed them the picture. "And this," I said pointing to her, "Is Sydney. She was two also. She is your sister."

"My sister?" They said together, confused.

I sighed. "She was taken just weeks after this picture was taken. The police never found her. Mom and Dad packed up her stuff up here probably six months after she vanished. But come on guys. I will tell you more about her later. We better get outside before mom finds you up here." I walked over to the chest, put everything back in and closed the lid. I gently pushed the boys near the rope to get out of the attic. As we left the attic I said, "Not a word to anyone about Sydney, you hear? Now go outside while Mom finishes getting ready for Angel's party."

They ran out the door with their water guns, heading for the pond so they could spray Jordan and Kyla. As I started to follow them, I heard the phone ring. I yelled, "I'll get it!"

I ran to the phone and answered it, "Hullo, Kendrix residence."

"Where are your parents, little boy." A gruff voice on the other end said.

"Hold on, I'll get my mom." I said, ignoring the 'little boy' comment. "Telephone, mom!"

"Who is it?"

"I dunno, they asked for my parents."

Mom picked up the phone, "Hello? This is Cara. Who is this?" After a second, Mom's face went white. When I saw her reaction, I ran to pick up Angel. This expression I saw only after the police called and said that they were sorry but they had no evidence so Sydney's case would be put into cold cases until evidence popped up. When I got back, Mom was sitting on the floor crying.

"Momma?" I said carefully.

"Call your father. Its about Sydney. I can't do it Lu."

I carried Angel to her bed for now. Then I went to the kitchen and called Dad's cell.

"Hullo?"

"Dad, its me Luke."

"Hey kiddo, I see the house from here. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Hurry! Someone called about Sydney and Momma's really upset!"

"What?"

"That's all I know Dad."

"I'm landing now."

Sure enough, I looked out the kitchen window and there was Dad, Riley and Lisa. Dad ran to the kitchen where I sat with Momma. She hadn't said but one word: "Sydney."

"What is it dear?" Dad said rushing to her side.

"That was someone... the police... they found some of Sydney's clothes... the ones she was wearing that night and her blanket... all torn and bloody... dried... they wanted one of us to go down to the police station and give a sample so they could possibly match Sydney's... They are pretty sure that if it's her she might be... dead... but they don't know..."

In my head, it is spinning. Sydney's blanket is found after three years with her clothes? Something was fishy and I was going to find out just what it was.