Disclaimer: I don't own the OC!
The silence of the mist rolled throughout the secluded cove as waves gently lapped at the grains of sand. The moon has taken cover by hiding behind a cloud as if it wanted to disappear from the world. Trees combined with winding ivy stood out as monster from under the bed and avenging angels locked in battle. It was like a dream. Nothing was real, but everything was an essence of its self. It was like a nightmare.
Ryan Atwood stumbled out of the woods falling on his knees upon contact with sand. Even his soft whoosh was lost somewhere among the silent mists. Everything was disappearing in his life. He glanced around trying to spot the person he had been following for the past hour in a tangle of woven paths through the woods. It didn't help that he had forgotten a flashlight relying on the faint glow through the woods. Puzzled, he realized that nobody else was on the beach. Grimacing, he pushed himself up and took notice for the first time that he was covered in cuts and bruises from the sliding bark and whipping branches. He walked around in a complete circle around the little cove but couldn't find any indication that anybody else had been there. A glint caught his eye as he walked to the edge of the water. It was a necklace made of delicate silver. The charm hanging on the end was an imprint of a tiny foot. He felt like he should recognize the piece, but couldn't come up with the circumstances. Feeling the wind pick up, he took a deep breath and started walking back into the woods. Was I sleepwalking? Why here? Was there really a person and where was Marissa? He had heard sounds in the kitchen. Whose necklace was it? It looked like a baby's footprint. He felt his heart drop at the thought of his little daughter. For the first time in a long time, he realized that he was scared.
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Exhausted, Ryan stumbled up his steps waving at the two officers making rounds around his house. How did I get past them earlier? It wasn't all a dream. He wasn't at least surprise that the door open easily. It had been an extremely odd night. Sandy, Kristen, and Julie were still sprawled across the living room and eerily the house was much as he left it. Walking upstairs to his room, he hurried into his room hoping desperately that Marissa would be snuggled underneath the covers with Gemma. Opening his eyes, he scanned the still empty bed. Panicking, he walked into the bathroom but that too was empty and silent. Completely frantic and puzzled, he strode across the hallway and opened the door to Gemma's room. For a moment he paused as the essence of Gemma poured out of her room. He could still smell that silly spray Marissa and Summer had given Gemma to wear to school insisting that every girl needed to smell her best. At the same time, a faint smell of play dough and fumes of paint intermingled. Eyes adjusting, Ryan took in the fairy tale room with pink and white lace coupled with fairly lights hanging airily across the walls. His stare stopped on a tangle of golden brown hair spread across his little girl's pillow. Marissa slept hunched in a ball hugging Gemma's bear. He let out a sigh and crossed the room brushing her hair from her face. Leaning down, he kissed her gently on the forehead and took a seat on the rocking chair. Marissa's eyes snapped open from her haphazard sleep taking in Ryan's form across from her. She did not say anything and neither did he. It was silent. They sat there staring into each other's eyes as dawn broke. Neither said anything about what happened, what was to come, or about the bruises and cuts that both bore up and down their arms and cross their faces. It was silent.
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Officer Wylie frowned and ran a hand across his face. He was puzzled and lost. "Are you sure that this is the only video tape from the school?" He looked at his junior officer warily. "There is nothing on here that shows what happened to Gemma. We see the two masked individuals arrive in the preschool class and later leave. However, there is not any evidence that Gemma Atwood was taken by them."
"Sir, I don't know. This is all the school had."
Officer Wylie frowned again and spoke, "Unless this tape is somehow doctored, it appears that Gemma is not with them. However, that is impossible. We have witnesses saying that Gemma disappeared at the same time the two men left. There is no possible explanation about this."
"Sir, do we tell the parents?"
Taking a moment to think, Officer Wylie finally replied, "No, no let's keep this between us for now."
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Summer Cohen slammed the door shut angrily as Dylan hopped out of the car behind her. Grapping his hand tightly, she walked determinedly up to the Atwood's door glaring at the officer daring him to try to stop her.
Dylan felt his Mom grab him even tighter as they reached the door. She had been doing that a lot lately. Last night, she had insisted that he sleep with Dad and her in their nice big bed. He was confused and scare. Two scary men had come to his school and into his classroom. His best friend in the entire world, Gemma, was hiding from him. He didn't understand where she went. One minute they were playing at the water table and the next the two men had entered with guns pointing wildly around the room. Gemma had pushed the two of them to the ground instantly while crawling silently into the cubby room. Dylan had followed too scared to stay behind. For a second in all seemed like a game. Shouts and screams were heard as the two scrambled behind the coats.
"Gemma, what is going on?"
She grabbed his hand and whispered into his ear, "I don't know Dylan, but I'm scared."
"Me too."
The two sat huddled among the coats listening carefully. Suddenly footsteps were heard right outside the door. Dylan squeezed Gemma's hand tightly and whispered into her ear, "Let's pretend we are playing hiding go seek. Hide!" Dylan squeezed his eyes desperately trying to disappear like the heroes his Dad read to him about in comic books. Suddenly a shadow crossed his path, and he opened his eyes.
"Oh, Dylan! Come here honey."
Dylan looked up into the kind face of his teacher and turned to look at Gemma. Only she wasn't there. "Gemma," he called into the shadows and coats, "You can come out know." There was no sign of Gemma. And still today she was still hiding. He was starting to get really angry at her. Mommy was scared and Daddy was out all night looking. Uncle Ryan looked angry and Aunt Marissa kept staring at nothing. People kept saying she was taken by the bad men, and Dylan didn't understand. She was just hiding from him like she did when they played hiding go seek. Only this time she wasn't playing fair. She wasn't answering his calls. It was silent.
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Summer pulled Dylan through the crowd of officers and neighbors looking for her best friend. Kristen appeared out of no where and took Summer and Dylan into her arms.
"How are you doing sweetie? How about you my little man?"
Summer smiled sadly into her mother-in-law's face and whispered, "Where are Marissa and Ryan."
"Everybody is in the kitchen getting ready to leave on the search party. Come on."
Following Kristen into the kitchen, Summer took in the scene with wide eyes. A detail map was on the kitchen table, and Officer Wylie was talking in a low voice to two individuals at the other side. Marissa for a moment picked up her eyes from the map and met Summer's gaze straight on. Summer shrived noticing her friend's empty gaze and dark circles. Ryan sat next to her stoic as a stone. Summer noticed that though they were sitting next to each other, they were not touching.
"Hi Aunt Marissa, Uncle Ryan…" Dylan spoke hesitantly to the room.
Marissa's eyes slowly focused on the little miniature person in the room and felt her heart slam against her ribs. Dylan. He looked scared and frightened. Marissa felt her resolve crumble and the pain that she had been trying to avoid came pouring into her blood. A tear dripped down her face and she stared at Dylan. Thank goodness Dylan was okay. Seth and Summer had their little boy back that would play nice with other kids, drink milk, and could tie his shoe laces. Dylan was safe. Gemma's best friend in the whole wide world was safe. "Oh baby," she whispered and stood up quickly. Dylan looked at her strangely, but Marissa made no notice. She knelt down in front of him and took his face into her hands with tears streaming down her face. "Oh Dylan," she took one glance into his eyes and pulled him into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry Aunt Marissa," he whispered into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry…"
Marissa picked up her head and looked at puzzled, "Why are you sorry honey?"
"It is my entire fault that Gemma is gone." He looked sadly into his Aunt's blue eyes just like Gemma's.
"Dylan honey, what do you mean?" Questioned Summer sharply.
Dylan looked up at his Mom and back to his Aunt that was tightly grabbing his arm. He noticed that everything had gone silent in the once noisy kitchen and everybody was staring at him. He wished he could disappear. "I...I told her to hide. We were hiding in the closet and heard footsteps. We thought it was the bad men." He looked scared at his Mom and then back to his Aunt. "I told Gemma to hide like we were playing hiding go seek. It was not any bad men, but the teacher. I told Gemma to come out, but she didn't. She kept hiding and now she can't come out because I told her to hide!" This was all said in a passionate burst of energy and little fists squeezing at his side. "She is still hiding!"
to be continued! Thanks for the reviews!