Love, Lucy

Kevin had arrived home to his cozy garage apartment, only to find it empty. Lucy wasn't at the kitchen table, as she usually was, studying. It looked as if she had been there. Her books, papers, and such, were strewn the length of the wooden table.

Funny, he thought, Lucy didn't say that she wouldn't be home.

Kevin inspected the apartment with a quick sweep of his eyes. Nothing seemed to be out of place, except Lucy. He was about to shrug it off and head into the house, when a brown, unmarked box, resting on the bed, caught his eye.

He reached to open it when a white piece of paper next to the box distracted him. It was a note. A note that Lucy had left for him. Her familiar, curvy script, usually neat, looked rushed, as if she wasn't given a lot of time.

It read:

Dearest Kevin.

I've gone off with Tom for the time being. Something has come up, I can't tell you what. I should be back in a few hours.

Love,
Lucy

Tom. Of course. Tom Hunter could not, under any circumstances, be trusted. His personality was just too shifty. Kevin had seen guys like Tom. All criminals of all varieties.

Kevin threw down the note, leaving the box untouched, and left the apartment at a angry, brisk pace.

The air in the rusty Oldsmobile was stale and stuffy. All the windows were rolled up. When she had asked it roll them down, she had learned to just keep her mouth shut.

Tom had yelled at her and told her, "Mind your own business, blondie."

There was something about his voice, all demonic. Toneless. Villainous. There was something that just made her feel...oh, what was the word. Uncomfortable? Tom had seemed like a completely different person when they had started out. And now, here was this rude, inconsiderate, man. A man with the personality that she did not respect or want to be around.

They had passed Glenoak's city limits hours ago. She couldn't remember where the last rest stop or gas station was. Surely, they were miles and miles behind.

Lucy gazed out of the window and saw nothing but a flat, desert-like, terrain. There were no trees, no buildings, no people. The dirt just ran on and on, never ending. The sun was setting in the far distance. It barely just peeked over the horizon.

Turning away from the window, Lucy glanced over at Tom. He was leaning over the black steering wheel, concentrating on the bumpy road.

Even his face looks different, Lucy thought.

The tiny, red, speedometer on the dashboard shook unsteadily between sixty and seventy.

A shiver snaked down Lucy's spine, making the hair on her neck stand on end.

She wanted to ask where they were headed, but knew better. Instead, she swallowed, forcing the lump the had formed in her throat down.

Lucy wrapped her arms around herself, the tips of her acrylic fingernails digging into her upper arms, leaving shallow crescent moons.

Annie scrubbed the grout vigorously with an old, green toothbrush. The cleaner had needed a little help, and she was glad to give it some. After all, she had some steam to blow off. Also, her daughter was still missing. This thought brought tears to her eyes and she scrubbed harder than ever before.

"Annie."

She vaguely heard her name being called. She was too deep into her thoughts to listen to anything going on outside of her own mind.

"Annie!" Eric called her again, setting a hand down on her shoulder.

Annie jumped, sending the toothbrush flying. She turned and glared at her husband, who got the message.

"Sorry, hun. I just wanted to tell you that I think that section is finished."

She glanced pathetically at the grout that she had worked so hard at, that it was actually beginning to disintegrate. Wiping her hands on a near-by kitchen towel, Annie turned to Eric.

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't be so...distant."

Eric looked sympathetic, even though Ruthie was his daughter also.

There were no more words that seemed to fit into this very emotional moment. Annie and Eric were together in missing their daughter, as was the rest of the family.

All the other children had wanted to come home, but they weren't allowed to. Simon, Matt, and Sarah were told to stay in school, and Mary was told to stay at home with her son and husband. Although they had all objected, they all obeyed in the end because their parents had assured them that everything was going to be okay. Kevin would find Ruthie and she would be fine.

Eric and Annie, both, wondered if their children had believed them, since they often didn't believe themselves.