Hey guys, bonus chapter time and just a quick note to answer some of the most asked questions.
Was Christian kidnapped? - Yes and no.
Did Elena have anything to do with his disappearance? - You get an idea next chapter...
Is Christian still held hostage? - No.
How does Taylor come into this? - You'll find out next chapter...
How often will I update? Twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays for now.
How much time has passed since he went missing? - Six years. When he went missing Christian was seventeen and Ana was fifteen, now Ana is twenty-one.
Is Christian in witness protection? - No.
Are there people Ana knows who know what happened that night? - Yes, there is one person who knows it all...
And finally, one guest asked why I keep writing new stories when my others aren't finished... - Umm... not sure you've noticed, but all of my other stories are complete, so this is the only ongoing story I have right now...
Now, on with the story, enjoy!
Chapter 1 - Back where it started
"When have you last seen them?" My best friend and roommate Siobhan asks as we pull up in front of Grey Constructions, which is the company Elliot has started last year after he graduated from college. Elliot always had a love for building things and a great eye for details, so it doesn't surprise me that he has become an architect. Of course, with all the money his parents have, it was also clear, that he wouldn't work under someone, but become his own boss.
"When I was sixteen. He couldn't deal with his brother's disappearance, so he acted as though everything was fine. I think he blames himself, he is the oldest of the three even if it is just by four months. Come on, let's go before I lose the courage to go in there." I say but Siobhan stops me.
"Ana wait. Look, before we start to stir up the past, I need to ask you one thing. Do you think that it is possible your friend just ran away, that he just left and doesn't want to be found?" Siobhan asks and I look at her for a moment.
"No, if he left by his own choice then something terrible must have happened. Christian he… when he loved someone he would go above and beyond himself not to hurt them or make them worry. If he ran away… he wouldn't have done that if it wasn't the only choice he had left."
"Okay, then let's do this."
We both get out of the car and walk towards the small office building that is Grey Constructions. Inside we walk up to the front desk where a blonde woman in her late forties is sitting.
"Welcome to Grey Constructions, how may I help you?"
"Hi, my name is Ana Steele, I'm an old friend of Elliot, is it possible to see him?"
"Please wait a moment." She says and makes a call.
"One moment." She tells us when she's finished the call.
"Ana?" I spin around and there he is, Elliot Grey, a head full of blonde curls, big blue eyes and that one in a million smile.
"Hey, El." I say with a smile and he hurries over to me and lifts me off my feet as he hugs me.
"Look at you all grown up, are you here to visit your parents?" He asks and I decide to go with the truth.
"Partially, yes, but the main reason is that I need to find out what has happened to Christian." And with that happy Elliot is gone and he glares at me.
"My brother is dead, can't you let him rest in peace?"
"If he is dead then where is his body? What happened to him? I've tried to move on Elliot, for six years I have tried to put the past behind me, but I can't. I need to find out what happened… I can't visit his grave knowing that it is empty. He deserves more than that, he deserves that people know what really happened and not just think of him as the boy who went camping with his siblings and friends and disappeared. Don't you want to know what happened to him?" I ask desperate to get his attention.
"My brother is dead, Ana. Do you understand, he is gone and he will never come back! That is what happened because otherwise, he would have found a way to let us know where he is. It's been six years, Ana… please don't stir this up again. It has been hard enough on my family. My Dad can barely talk about Christian and my mom breaks down every time she visits his grave. Mia… you just have to say his name and she is a crying mess… just leave it be." Elliot says.
"Fine, then tell me what you were fighting about on the day he disappeared. You two weren't talking which never happened before. What was that about?" I ask and this time I take a step back because the look on his face is murderous.
"Are you trying to say that I harmed my own brother?"
"No! But I'm trying to figure out what happened, you two never fought, so I'm just wondering why you weren't talking." I try to placate him.
"Fine you want to know, he first asked me and then Mia if our mother ever did something to make us uncomfortable. Of course, she didn't, but she was against him getting a freaking sports car, so he was trying to bad mouth her and I wasn't having it. Do you want to know what the last thing was I ever said to my brother? I said if he would ever dare to make shit like that up again, he would no longer be my brother. I didn't even mean it, I was just pissed and now I never get to tell him… if that is all you came here for you can leave now."
"Elliot…"
"No Ana, I don't want to hear it, just leave and don't you dare come near my family and stir this up again." He says and disappears into the direction he came from.
Siobhan takes my hand and leads me out of the building and into the car.
"Do you think this is why he ran?" She asks and I look at her confused.
"His mother, do you think she would … well, act inappropriately towards her children?"
"No! Oh my god, she is a saint, Siobhan. She loves her children, I mean if you google most amazing mother I'm sure her pictures show up first. She loves her children and Christian and she have always been especially close, she wouldn't do that." I reply without hesitation. I would rather believe that Elliot made this whole story up than to actually believe that Mrs. Grey would ever act inappropriately towards her children.
"Ok, then let's go back to your place and meet up with Nick and Lisa." She says and starts to drive, while I think about what Elliot said, but it just doesn't make sense. No, he would have told me. I mean, he shared everything with me and he would have told me if his mother would have done something like that to him. Maybe Elliot was lying.
At my house, we meet up with Nick and Lisa, who stayed behind to look into Christian's public record. I'm just glad my parents are out of town for the next eight weeks because otherwise, they would probably have me locked up in a padded cell for coming back to investigate Christian's disappearance with my friends.
"Did you find anything?" I ask when we enter the kitchen and find them at the kitchen table.
"Not much, Ana. He was adopted at the age of fifteen months, lived with the Greys went to school and disappeared." Nick says.
"Tell her!" Lisa demands and Nick sighs.
"Look, Ana. Something isn't right. Usually, his public record should give us more information… you told us his birth parents are dead, right?"
"Yes, they died in a car accident."
"That's not possible. It was a closed adoption, the file is sealed, but usually, a closed adoption means he was given up for adoption. Either his biological mother or father must have been alive to sign the adoption papers. If he was orphan with no living relatives like you told us, there would have been no reason to make it a closed adoption, because there wouldn't have been anyone who would be looking for him anyway. Was he ever interested in his biological parents?" Nick asks and I have to sit down.
"Yes, when he was about fifteen he wanted to know more about them, you know just to know where he came from. He was a bit worried to ask the Greys, so I went with him and his mother told us they died in a car accident, why would they lie?"
"Maybe they were afraid to lose him or his birth parents are not good people… look, Ana, those are all just speculations, what we need are facts. I called my Dad, if they are alive, he can get us their names. He promised to call me as soon as he knows something." Nick says and I nod.
His Dad is a famous lawyer, so I know if anyone can get access to Christian's adoption files without any troubles it's him. Still, I don't get why Christian's mom would lie to him.
"Ana, maybe you should visit his mom, that's the second time today it turned out something about her isn't right." Siobhan says and fills Nick and Lisa in on what Elliot has told us.
"She is right, Ana. You should talk to his mom. Do you want us to come with you?" Lisa asks, but I shake my head. I have known Mrs. Grey since I was ten years old, so I can just go over and pretend that I stopped by to say hi, but if I arrive there with my friends and start to ask questions, I know it's not getting me anywhere.
"No, I have to do this alone. I'll be back soon." I leave my parent's house walk down the driveway and just like over eleven years ago trip over my own feet and land with a thud on the sidewalk. For a moment I just sit there and the memories of how I met Christian flood my mind.
Eleven years ago - Flashback
"But I don't want to play outside, Mommy, I hate it here, there are no woods to go play and I haven't seen any other children. I want to go home!" I pout and my mother smiles at me.
"Ana darling, your Dad had this huge opportunity here and we know it's a lot of changes for you, but I promise you if you give it a try you will love it here. Just go play outside and I'm sure you will soon meet other children and make friends." My mom says, but I don't believe her.
I hate this house, I hate my new room and I want to go home and play with my friends. I don't want new friends!
"Ana, look your Dad has worked so hard all of his life to support us and now, he has the chance to make his dreams of having his own furniture line come true. We didn't move here to tear you apart from your friends or to be mean, we did it because if your Dad succeeds, we can offer you so much more, a good education, we can let you travel when you are older and you can go to any college you like. And in addition to all of that, your Dad can finally do what he really loves, which is building furniture. Can't you try for him?" She asks and I pout even more because she knows that I can't so no when it's for my Daddy.
"Fine, I go play outside, but if don't find any kids and never have friends again I will go home." I mutter and grab my jump rope before I head outside. I have just made it to the sidewalk when I trip over my own feet and land face first on the sidewalk.
"Hey, you okay?" I hear a boy say and try to push myself up, but I can't because not just my knees, but also my hands are bleeding and I start to cry.
"Here, let me help you. I'm Christian and you are?" He asks as he pulls me to my feet.
"Ana." I sniff.
"Okay Ana, I live just next door. Come, I help you clean the wounds and put some bandages on it, then we can play in the backyard. I have a treehouse… usually, it's boys only, but I can make an exception." He says.
"A real treehouse?"
"Uh-huh, come on, the faster we get your knees and hands treated the sooner you can see it." He says with a smile so I follow him into his house where he leads me into the kitchen and grabs a first aid kit...
End of Flashback
And from that day on we were inseparable, we would meet every day to play, talk and explore the neighborhood together. And this is why I have to find out what has happened to him. I need to because he has been my best friend and my life for so many years and I just owe it to him to find out the truth.
When I arrive at the Grey's home their housekeeper leads me into the family room and asks me to wait. I look around and find a coffee table that hasn't been there when I was here the last time. It is filled with framed pictures of Christian and a candle in front of them. As I look at the boy I have known I wonder what he would look like today as a man. I know he would be gorgeous and probably have girls follow him wherever he goes.
„Ana darling, is this really you?" I hear Mrs. Grey's voice and turn around. She hasn't changed a bit. She is still the same tall blonde beauty with a warm smile and I just don't want to believe that this woman would have acted inappropriately towards her own son. It's such a horrible thought, I just don't want to go there unless I have no more other options left to explore.
„It's good to see you again, Mrs. Grey."
„Well look at you, such a beautiful young woman. Are you here to visit your parents?" She asks and I frown, she must know that my parents are out of town.
„No, my parents are out of town for two months, I came home with some friends to show them where I grew up after we graduated college." I explain as we sit down.
„And do you have a special friend?" She asks smiling.
„No, I haven't really dated that much in college, I wanted to focus on my education."
„I'm sure especially your Dad will be happy to hear that, you know how men are when it comes to their daughter's always worrying that something might happen to them and boys are always on top of the list of things they don't want near their little girls." She says.
„Sounds a lot like my Dad... even though he never seemed to have an issue with Christian." I say to get us on this topic.
„Oh sweetheart, are you still insisting you really slept with my son, we both know it didn't happen." She sighs and I look at her.
„Why would you say that, it did happen, Mrs. Grey."
„If you say so, but I know my son better than that, anyway why did you stop by?"
„Just to say hi, it has been so many years." I say and she gets up and looks at me.
„You know, Ana. I'm very close to all of my children, did you really think that Elliot wouldn't call me?" She asks and I sigh.
„Don't you want to know what happened to Christian? Please Mrs. Grey, don't you understand that I can't just leave this be, Christian deserves so much better than that!" I exclaim and her gaze turns cold.
„My son is dead and it was hard enough for me to accept that, believe me, there is not a single person in this world who would wish for him to be alive and well more than I do. But he will never come back. I don't know what has happened to him that night, maybe I'll never find out, but I know that he is dead. So, please stop whatever you think you are doing here and let my son rest in peace!" She says in such a hostile voice that I feel myself getting defense.
„If he is dead, then why did no one find his body, not even a drop of his blood... nothing?! I'm so very sorry Mrs. Grey, but I can't let this go, not until I know what happened." I let her know and leave her house. This has gotten me nowhere, but I'm still hopeful that I will find answers to my questions. Now, however, there is also the nagging thought that Christian's mother might be the reason why he felt the need to run away...
