Hello. I'm sorry I haven't been updating. I've been suffering from a major writer's block. And… I haven't finished another story but I have started two and a bunch of oneshots haha. So. I guess the simplest way is to just list them right here and you can check on here.

-What I did for hate- the dumping ground- Two chapters done.
-I'll tell you I'm fine (but I'm actually not)- Alexa and Katie (Two chapters down, one left to write)

And here are the oneshots.

-Real family isn't always by blood- No good Nick
-Reunited- Lord of the flies
-Happy birthday to you- once upon a time and a birthday gift for Ally R. Swan.
-Different birthdays- 13 reasons why and a birthday gift for Dark Heart 945.
-Drowning with love- Glee and written in memory of Naya Rivera.
-A new type of music- if only.
-Nobody said it was easy (take me back to the start)- everything everything
-If only I could find the answer- Cobra Kai

"Phew" Those are all. If you want something more to read except for this chapter then I hope something you like in this list.

"Ran away?"

I questioned those two words as if I didn't even know what they meant.

George only nodded slightly and then went back through the hallway, where Peityn had come out of her room even though she should have gone to bed.

"David's ran away. Where is he?"

"That's what we don't know." George answered her. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Was it because of me?"

"It might have been partly because of what you said to him…" George started talking to her, none of us mentioned what had been said earlier and how terrible it had actually been.

I wasn't so sure what I was hoping to find but I went towards the office. And on my way down the stairs I heard the phone calling. I hurried to it and picked it up, realizing what I had to say.

"Elm Tree House this is Emma."

I would never get used to being a staff here, still I knew the way I had to answer.

"Hey. It's Charlie… Charlotte Andersmith. We met earlier today."

"Oh yeah, we did… What's on your mind?"

"I hope I'm not calling you to late. I could call tomorrow if so."

"No. It's fine. We were talking after you'd gone yesterday. We told David what you were here for. And we wondered too how you must be feeling now so… would you like to share some of your thoughts with us?"

"Yeah… You see. I was thinking about David when I left. He seemed really angry and everything and then I thought about all of you. And all the kids being… left. And I just thought about it. Just one little kid like David… I just couldn't let him go. And I thought that if he was… mine. Then I would have to be there when he's angry… I would have to show him it's okay to be angry and sad and afraid and I can't just leave him."

I would have liked to smile, to just know that this might turn out to be David's happily ever after.

But I couldn't- I just couldn't.

"And I'd like to meet him again. And if it works out, maybe foster him if it works out."

I could feel tears had been rising in my eyes, they probably should have been happy tears. Knowing how David felt about living in care and knowing he might have found his happy ever after. But right now I couldn't help my stomach from hurting- what would happen if David stayed lost?

One of those kids that stayed gone…

I tried to shake the thought off. Of course we'd find David soon…

But the thought kept coming, and all headlines and pictures of children…

I tried to think of something else. It wasn't so easy, one after one the children were woken up if they were asleep, and they all gathered in the living room while I and George went to the kitchen to talk to the police.

"One of our kids here love photographing. I'm certain she has some photo of David too…" George said. "Emma, can you go get her?"

He didn't have to tell me who he meant. There was only one kid at Elm Tree House right now who was obsessed with photographing.

"Marley?" I found her in the living room with the others. "The police are here, and for searching we need a photo of David. Do you have one?"

"I have photos of everyone here… But I only have it on my camera so maybe we could plug it into the computer and print a few copies."

Luce and one of the policemen came with Marley to the office to print it. And when they came back in their hands were a photo of David. It must have been shot at his birthday because he held some wrapped gifts in his hands…

"He looks so happy."

I couldn't help but think about cases like with Madeleine McCann, Engla Höglund and Morgan Nick…

I had to shake the thoughts off. David couldn't have gone far. We'd found him before the morning came.

The thoughts of what could happen wouldn't leave me alone all night no matter how hard I tried to hope that the police would be on the porch with David any second and he'd be safe and sound.

Mike returned, and even though no one spoke about it reminded us all about how Wheezy had suffered so long without anyone being able to notice and do something about it.

Some kids went to bed, some fell asleep in the living room. The minutes dragged by very slowly but there wasn't as much as a peep from outside.

Luce sat in the office, a bunch of paperwork was lying next to the keyboard but he was leaned back, awake in the late (or early) night but staring right in front of him as if he didn't see or hear anything around him.

I saw Mike riffling through binders with kids he had had here earlier, and he and George spoke about what David and Charlotte could be if he'd return.

And I…

Well I didn't know what to do.

Sometimes I'd sit down in the couch in the hallway, sometimes in the kitchen, sometimes in the living room….

The rest of the time I was just wandering around the house not able to keep still.

"Anything?" Luce asked when I came into the office for the billionth time. "I thought I heard someone at the door."

"It was just Ashton going off to bed… I guess nothing new."

I sighed and slumped down in the sofa in the hallway where Peityn had fallen asleep since long and put my arm around her. Peityn moved and put her head in my lap but she didn't wake up…

I still couldn't just help but headlines with David's face on them. Just like so many other people had before him. Yet no one ever thought it would be something that happened to you.

I still would have thought I was too nervous and scared to fall asleep. But I must have anyway, because suddenly I jumped awake as someone knocked on the door.

Random fact

Madeleine McCann (most of you have probably heard about her), Engla Höglund and Morgan Nick are all little girls that have gone missing. Madeleine and Morgan have never been found despite all the years and works that have been made. Engla was found murdered.

I hope everyone's okay with putting their names like that. If anyone finds it dishonoring, I could just make something up.

This is a very short chapter that took me weeks to finish.