Disclaimer: I do not own TSL.
Dark Angel
Chapter 2: Disappearance
"Wow, it's raining pretty hard outside." Zack said, looking out the window of their suite. Icy cold droplets splattered everywhere and turned the world into a glob of grey.
"Yeah, I wonder if Cody's okay," Carey said, setting down a plate of food in front of Zack, "He's going to miss dinner."
"Ha! We're having broccoli for dinner, no wonder he's not home yet." Zack laughed but it turned into a nervous chuckle as he saw his mother's expression. He then cleared his throat and reached for a glass of milk.
"I hope he's not in any kind of trouble." Carey said, eyes fixed on the door, hoping Cody would come barging in at any moment. "Where could he be?"
"You know what," Zack said, pushing his plate of food away, "I'll go look for him. You stay home in case he comes back."
Zack pulled on a raincoat, grabbed his skateboard, helmet, and flashlight and closed the door behind him.
"Be careful." Carey said to no one.
---
"Ooh, Zack! Any luck?" Carey asked as she rushed to her soaked-to-the-bone son.
"Unless it includes running over a weasel, then no." he replied, ripping off his helmet and tossing it onto his skateboard. "Man, it hasn't rained like that in at least the thirteen years that I've been here."
Carey offered him a fresh towel and plopped herself onto the couch in disappointment. She reached for the phone and began dialing while Zack walked into his room and plopped down on his bed, arms folded behind his head.
'I bet it's all a hoax.' He thought, 'Cody is scaring us so we might treat him better. Peh, yeah right. Like that's ever going to happen.'
He yawned and tried to make himself more comfortable in his sheets. Slowly, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
---
"Ugh." Zack winced as he was prodded awake. "Cody?"
"I wish." A familiar feminine voice said tiredly.
Zack slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them. Carey was kneeling beside his bed. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Zack looked over to Cody. No, Cody's bed. It was still like yesterday: made and ridiculously tidy. Zack felt his heart sink.
"He's not back isn't he." he said but already knew the answer.
---
"So he's gone what?" Tapeworm asked in surprise.
Zack and Tapeworm were on the boy's side of the bus while Max chose to sit in the girl's side. She hung her head down and said nothing.
"Okay, so you mean that Cody's gone missing." Tapeworm asked again.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Zack said for the umpteenth time.
The school bus pulled to a stop in front of the school and the three set foot on Revere Middle School's campus.
Zack breathed a sigh. "Let's get this over with." He muttered and entered the jam-packed hallway.
---
"Hey, mom, I'm home." He announced and set his backpack down.
He saw his mother talking on the phone so he slinked into his room. He pounced on his bed and buried his face in his pillow.
'Is this for real?' he wondered, 'Has Cody really gone missing?' He clenched his fists until his fingernails dug deep into his palms.
'Oh please, let him be safe.' He sat up and threw himself back against the mattress. He closed his eyes, "I can't believe it's true," he said aloud.
"Oh it's true all right." Carey said as she entered the room. "I've called the police, they said that they're going to do a search soon. As far as I know, no one's seen Cody for the last twenty hours." She sat down on Zack's bed and hugged him close.
Zack felt his eyes sting as he held back tears. Rubbing his eyes, he pushed his mother way and exited the room. He threw himself onto the couch and began to cry, crying until he started to feel drowsy and slowly allowed himself to be pulled away into sleep.
… yay… (falls asleep)
Trivia: In the episode, "Day Care," the blue monkey that the kids were throwing at Zack and Cody is the same one that's in That's So Raven episodes, "Five Finger Discount" and "Four's a Crowd."