(7)-Candace.

Clare listened to the radio news station as she drove through Mount Prospect Heights, Illinois. It was more news reguarding the disappearances and how many people believed it to be an alien-related event. A mass abduction, so to speak. Some even spoke about the vanishings being a sign of Planet-X Nibiru's return to Earth, and that it's inhabitents-the Annunaki-were the culprits behind the disappearances and that they had taken all of the missing people back to their planet.

Clare hoped for the sake of Tommy and all the other children under 13 that the Annunaki were friendly and not brutal savages. All kinds of questions raced through her head. Why did aliens come here to Earth? Why did they take all the children under teenhood, as well as many of the teenagers and adults? Why did they take some of the dead? Would they come back for more people? Would she be one of them? She hoped not.

She hoped for Earth's sake that the aliens were gone for good. Her biggest fear was that the aliens weren't done with Earth, and that they were simply taking a break to re-charge their ships and would later come back for the rest of humanity.

Would that really be such a bad thing though? Sure, she may be captured and probably held captive by the aliens, but at least she would be with Irene, Raymie, Jackie and Grady...and Tommy.

Clare then changed the station.

"This just in. The mayor of Chicago has just been pronounced dead, following a gun shot wound by a crazed gunman. The other night after the disappearances, one of the citizens took a gun from a security guard and opened fire on both the mayor and the police commissioner as they concluded their emergancy meeting concerning the other night's disappearance phenomenon. The commissioner is expected to make a full recovery and is scheduled to be released from the hospital soon. Unfortunately, however, our beloved mayor of Chicago of seven years wasn't so fortunate. Ironically, in early reports, the mayor had stated he feared that his life may be in danger because he had been missing three to five security guards due to the other night's incredible phenomenon. The mayor and commissioner had just finished a meeting with assistant pastor Bruce Barns of the New Hope Village church. The police commissioner and his wife had been distraught over their missing 8-year old son, and pastor Barns shared with them that his wife and children were also listed among the missing. The national security adviser has issued a state of emergancy and also ordered that a memorial service be held in honor of the mayor. But we must ask this question: Who's in charge of the city of Chicago?" Said a male voice on the radio.

Clare turned the station back to the one that believed aliens were behind the disappearances. She was shocked to have heard everything that Bruce had gone through due to the vanishings. First his wife and kids disappeared...then he witnessed the fatal shooting of the mayor of Chicago, as well as the attempted fatal shooting of the police commissioner. And she tore his head off about his take on what happened. Clare felt horrible for the way she had left things with Bruce. She had no right to chew him out over his belief of what caused the disappearances. He was just trying to make sense of what had happened. As she was trying to do. As everyone was trying to do.

She knew what she had to do. She had to make peace with him. And she would. Right after she payed a visit to the middle school Tommy went to and spoke with his counselor.

Clare then saw someone run out in front of her car and she slammed her foot on the breaks and her vehicle screeched forward and the person turned to face the vehicle, revealing themselves to be a woman, and Clare's car stopped a foot away from the boy.

The woman had shoulder-length brown-reddish hair and blue eyes.

Clare and the woman stared at each other wide-eyed with shock.

Clare then rolled down her window and stuck her head out. "Hey, ma'am...i don't know you, but...could you use a ride?!"

"Uh, actually, yes. Thank you." Said the woman before getting inside the car in the front passenger seat and closing the door.

Clare resumed driving.

"People are scarce lately. I'm just trying to be nice. Where are you headed?" Clare said.

"My house. It's in a suburban neighborhood three blocks from here. Oh! I'm Candace, by the way." Said the woman known as Candace.

"Clare Dunning. You don't live in the surburban neighborhood of Mount Prospect, do you?" Clare asked.

"Around the corner. You know it?" Candace said.

"Yes, i do, i live there too." Clare answered before she turned her car around and headed back to the suburban neighborhood of Mount Prospect.

"My boss-an airplane pilot-he and his wife and new-born daughter live there. Alice, Bill and Carly Cook?" Said Candace, tears filling her eyes.

"Yeah, i know them very well. They live on my street. What about them?" Said Clare.

"Well, my best friend, Hannah, was spending the night with Alice the night of the disappearances...and Alice's new-born daughter, Carly, was among those who vanished. It's just Alice and Bill now." Said Candace cryingly as the tears ran down her face, followed by her wiping them away.

"Oh...wow...this is unbelievable." Said Clare. Not really, as all children under teenhood were missing. This Bill and Alice Cook's daughter was only an infant. It maked sense she would be gone.

Tears filled Candace's blue eyes. "Uh, just to apologize ahead of time if i start crying...i...This is just terrible what's happened."

"Have you lost anyone?" Clare asked.

"No. " Candace answered. "How 'bout you?"

"I lost four of my friends in the vanishings. Two of them were women and the other two were a 10-year old boy and a 12-year old boy. I just got back from Los Angeles." Said Clare.

"Well...good luck." Said Candace.

"Listen, you want me to wait for you when you get there in case you need a ride somewhere?" Clare asked.

"Uh, no. Thanks anyway. I'll be waiting up for my friend, Hannah. I'm gonna call my friend, Hannah and ask her to meet me over at the Cook residence to check on Bill and Alice. Where are you headed?" Said Candace.

"I'm on my way to the middle school of Lincoln High to see a school psychologist about the 10-year old friend of mine who vanished. She had a sesson with him two years ago about his home-life and nightmares he was having. I think it's all somehow connected to the disappearances." Said Clare.

"I heard Lincoln High's a morgue now." Said Candace.

"Since when?" Clare asked.

"They announced it on the radio last night. The whole school is full of bodies of those who died in the aftermath of the disappearances, and the bodies just keep comin' in. Apparently all of the regular morgues in Chicago are full." Candace explained.

"Oh, my." Said Clare. "Well, here's the suberban neighborhood of Mount Prospect." She said before bringing her car to a stop.

"Thanks. Can i offer you anything?" Said Candace.

"No. I'm just glad to be able to help someone, you know?" Said Clare.

"Thanks. It's kind of tough right now. You could pray for me though, if you think of it. I don't know if...I don't think i can do this." Said Candace cryingly.

"I guess i'm not much for praying." Said Clare.

"Don't worry...you will be." Said Candace. She opened the door and got out of the car, closed the door, and ran off through the suburban neighborhood, heading for her home.

Clare then noticed a piece of folded up paper in the front passenger seat, and she picked it up. She unfolded the papeer and looked at it and saw writing on it that read "Heaven's ."
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