Chapter 3: In the Newspaper
Over the following weeks, Sharpay became a mere figment of her former self. With continuous leads coming in and none of them panning out, we all became zombies. Our focus was lost on thinking about Ryan and whether he was safe. Gabriella and Sharpay were inseparable. I became a permanent fixture in the Evans's estate, while they threw themselves into their work. After the third week, Sharpay and I stopped attending classes. Our teachers were sympathetic and emailed our assignments nightly. Our friends helped us with the assignments to ensure that we didn't fall behind. Gabriella would come over nightly and ask if there was any news and to help Sharpay. The school was on edge as news of Ryan's disappearance spread. It didn't help any that the kidnapping occurred just three blocks away and the culprit was still on the loose.
By the fourth week, I had become a nervous wreck. The comforting scent that permeated Ryan's bedding was beginning to fade. And in my dreams his face was becoming blurry and distorted. It was like I was losing him and there was no way I could stop it. I would wake up every morning screaming from the dark and twisted dreams invading my slumber. It became the norm that my pillow would be saturated with tears and my body would be shaken to the core.
It was the Friday of that fourth week that our tight knit group was twisted apart. At 7:00 pm, Sharpay received a call from the police. They had found a young boy roaming the streets. He had little memory of who he was and where he came from. But the police stated that he matched the description of Ryan and asked us to come down and take a look.
The trip was a hopeful one. We had begun to spring back to life hoping to find Ryan waiting for us. When we got there both Sharpay and I leapt from the vehicle anxious to see Ryan. The police officers lead us to an interrogation room where they began showing us pictures of the boy. It wasn't Ryan. Once again all hope was dashed and Sharpay and I were left to wonder if we would ever find him. The kind officer escorted us from the room and we caught a glimpse of the wounded boy. "Alright Ms. Evans, Mr. Bolton thank you for coming down."
"Evans….wait." The golden haired teenager called from across the lobby. His hands were clasped around a newspaper. "Are you his sister?"
"Ryan's... yeah. Do you know him?"
"Yeah, when I escaped he asked me to find you and someone named Troy. Is that you?" He shakily asked pointing at me. My throat was scratchy and all I managed to do was nod my head.
"Then this is for you." He said handing me the crossword section of the newspaper. "Everything you need is here. I have to go and try to give the cops directions to where they kept us. He told me all about you. I hope you get him back."
"Thanks." Sharpay said brighter than before and with an added bounce in her step.
I stared at the crossword puzzle and instantly saw that it was filled but not with the correct answers. Ryan wrote me a letter.
Troy I luv u so much. I miss u nd wish I was home. Tell Shar I luv her. They r testing us wit sum drugs. Not sure Y. I am so scared. Plz cum find me. I ned ur help. Luv Ry.
A single tear rolled down my eye knowing firstly that Ryan was alive and well. Secondly, knowing that the people who kidnapped him were injecting him with some weird liquid that could kill him. I sank into the wooden bench in the police station lobby. I hesitantly passed Sharpay the note knowing that it would put a damper on her spirits. We conversed meaninglessly about the message, for at least an hour. Our minds were pushing us to leave but our bodies defying the request. With the number of police staff walking around the station we heard the news over their walkie-talkies. They had found the house. They had used the information and figured out where they were being held…where my Ryan was being held. I don't know how they got there that fast and at this point I didn't care. I leapt from the seat grabbing the first officer I could get my hands on. I asked him what was going on but he just stared at me like I was some crazy, which at the moment was plausible. I strained my ears to hear the rest of what was coming in over the radio over the raucous breaking out in the police station. But then I heard it, shots were being fired. An officer was screaming that shots were being fired and that two boys had been injured. He was requesting emergency help. At that moment my heart stopped and so did all of the noise. I turned to see if Sharpay had heard and the look on her face told me she had.
I asked a nearby officer about what was happening. Making frequent mentions of Ryan and wondering about his safety. The police officer tried to ignore me but my persistence paid off. He eventually put in a call to officers at the scene. Troy gained enough information to calm his mind and his heart for a short while. He learned the shooting had stopped and that the perpetrators were in custody. Only three people had been shot and none of those injuries seemed life threatening.
I walked back to the bench and sat down besides Sharpay feeling relieved. "It's over. The shooting has stopped and they are sending everyone to the hospital…"
"But?" She yelled at me, startling me.
"Three of them got shot. But the officer said that none of the injuries are life-threatening." I said rushing the last part before she had a chance to blow up.
"Where are.."
"Palmdale General." The officer, the one I agitated, told us. Although Sharpay was a bit peeved at being interrupted she soon realized exactly what the officer had told us.
We ran to her pink Mustang convertible. Sharpay had the car turned ovr and the gas pedal slammed into the floor before I eve had a chance to buckle my seat belt. One of the cops followed us there, probably to keep us from getting into an accident and so that we don't get a ticket.
In a record seventeen minutes were had made it to the hospital and were impatiently standing at the nurses station. The harshly rude nurse showed us to the room holding Ryan. We were no longer nervous because she did tell us that he was one of the lucky ones. I nodded to Sharpay telling her to enter first, but she grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear. "He needs to feel safe and only you can do that." I walked into the hospital room, my breath hitching in my chest. Ryan was hidden by the thin white partition. But I could tell that something was odd. And I couldn't believe what I saw when I pulled the sheet back.
