Chapter Three- Not the Same

(Nick's POV)

I tripped on my own feet running while following Kevin towards the house.
"Mom! Dad!" I screamed. They both rushed to the back porch.

"Baby, what's the matter?" she pulled me in her arms. Dad tried to calm Kevin once he started hyperventilating. Tears streamed down Kevin's cheeks, as well as my own.

"Joe," Kevin said in between gasps of air. Our dad scanned through the trees that made the woods waiting for Joe and Katie to pop out.

"Where's Joseph?" My dad asked with worry in his voice.

"A man took them. They're gone, Dad, they're gone!" I raised my voice knowing I might never see my brother again. I needed my thirteen year old big brother. I'm only ten! I need someone to teach me, someone to look up to. Kevin's older than Joe by two years, and I look up to him as well; but I need my brother back though—I just do. I love him.

I could tell my mom was on the verge of breaking down by the look on her face and in her eyes.

"Call the police now, Kevin, while I go in there to find anything," He dad said firmly as he stood up rushing towards the trees that led to the mystery. Kevin ran into the house to call 911. My mom then broke into tears.

"It's ok, Mamma. We'll find them," I reassured her. We both held each other in our arms on the steps of our back porch. Minutes went by before we met my dad in the woods with the police. Neighbors flooded the streets and around our house to figure out what had happened. Katie's parents arrived as soon as we noticed them what was going on.

"What if we never find him?" I asked Kevin out of nowhere. He knelt down in front of me so we were face-to-face. He took my shoulders in his hands and squeezed them.

"We will," He seemed so certain this was not the last time we were going to see Joe. I nodded looking down in understandment.

We were then standing where it all happened. Kevin and I told our story to two police officers while more searched through the rubbish. I constantly watched one who placed his hand in piles of leaves. I was surprised when I saw Joe's cell phone come up through the leaves in his hand.

"That's Joe's phone! That's his phone!" I exclaimed.

"'911' is dialed on here," she said aloud as Kevin looked over her shoulder to glance at the phone. "He never called it though," she finished. I sighed and shuffled out of the woods and into the house. It seemed so quiet from inside, and so loud and extreme outside. I walked through my bedroom door and threw myself on the bed. I lay on my back looking up at the patterns and pictures of the ceiling wall. I rolled over on my stomach and grabbed our family picture from the side table into my hands. I touched the glass covering the picture and broke down right then and there. I closed my eyes and began to settle down. I instantly brought myself together and sat up once I heard a knock on the door.

"Nick? You ok, dude?" Kevin asked as he came over to me and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Not at all," I replied shaking my head.

"Joe's strong, you know that," he told me.

"But Kevin—"I whimpered but Kevin interrupted me.

"No," he said firmly. I sighed and laid my head back on the pillow holding the picture close to my chest.

"He's not dead, right?" I asked gripping the picture close to me. He didn't answer me. I looked back up at him seeing he was gazing back at me.

"Right?" I repeated with more worry in my voice. He bit his bottom lip and stood up. I sat up, still with my eyes on him.

"Where are you going?" I asked him. He froze and just stood there by the door. "Kevin, please, you're scaring me," I said while placing the picture on the quilt of the bed securely and swinging my legs around to the side of the bed to stand up. He rushed up to me and embraced me tightly.

"It's ok, buddy. It's all going to be ok," Kevin told me before tears flooded his eyes. I have never seen Kevin cry before like this. That is when I knew everything was definitely not okay.