Chapter 3: Missing
It started like any other day; Miriam was still asleep behind the couch. Big Bob was getting ready to sit down and watch his favorite show when the phone rang. Sighing in annoyance, he shouted to his still-unconscious wife. "Oh, for the love of- GET THE PHONE, MIRIAM! I'M TRYING TO WATCH THE WHEEL!" With a jolt, she jumps and groggily walks over to the phone. "Hello?" She said in her usual slurred tone. "Hello, , this is principal wartz. I was just calling to let you know that Helga hadn't shown up to school for a couple of days now, and I was wondering why nobody has called to excuse her absence." She thought for a moment. "Mom, I'm not feeling too good, so I'm going to stay home!" She remembered her daughter screaming to her. "Oh, OH! That's right, she's sick, so she said she would stay home for the day." It was silent for a moment, but then the principal spoke, "Perfect, thank you, ." Then the phone clicked, indicating the call was over. She was about to go upstairs to check on her daughter, but then her husband screeched for her to get her a TV dinner.
7:30 pm
Miriam and Bob were at the table that was filled with food and, of course, a big bowl of stuffing. Bob was starting to feel anxious, like something wasn't right. "Hey, uhh..Miriam, where's the girl? She should be down here eating." Miriam grabbed her smoothie and started towards the dining table. "Oh, well, she's not feeling well, so I made her some soup. It's on the counter there. Could you make sure she eats it while I'm gone?" He gave her a quizzical look "and WHERE are you off to?" She casually spoke to him with a smile, "Oh, just out B, I'll be back soon!" Before he could protest, she was already out the door. He stood in shock for a minute, then went to bring Helga the soup. "Hey Helga, your mom made you some soup!" No answer. "Hey, you hear me?" Again, no answer. He was starting to feel uneasy, and suddenly, the house was getting cold. "Helga?" He was right outside her door waiting for an answer, and when none came, he started pounding on the door. "HEY LITTLE LADY, OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW YOU HEAR!" Growing impatient, he burst the door open, and his heart dropped. He looked around the empty room, the closet, the bathroom, even his and Olga's room, and she was nowhere to be found. He darted down the stairs to the phone, calling her best friend, hoping she'd snuck out. Calming himself down and thinking she just snuck off, he heard the other line pick up. "Hello, Hayerdahl residence, this is Pheobe speaking." he heard the small voice say in a quiet yet somber. "Hello, uhh, Penelope?" He said, unsure and somewhat nervous. "H-Hello," she sounded scared and nervous, but Bob didn't notice. "Hey, is Helga there with you?" He was hoping she'd say yes, but he was met with silence. Then she spoke up, "No, I haven't seen or heard anything from her since Tuesday morning." Two days ago! Panic had set in, but he couldn't let it be heard; he had to keep his composure. "O-Ok Thanks I…I'll try and find her." The big man hung up and grabbed his coat. He walked around to the usual places that kids would be, but each time, he was met with disappointment. Worry was setting in as the sun was slowly setting. "Where the blazes could she be?" he wondered as he came up to the Sunset Arms boarding house. He thought for a moment if he should go up and ask. I mean, he knows he isn't the greatest person in the world, but he's desperate! He begrudgingly walked up the stoop and knocked on the door. " Hello, who is it?" an elderly man opened the front door. "Oh, well, if it isn't Big Bob. What are you doing here at this hour? He gave the brunette man a quizzical look, only to be met with an out-of-character, down-in-the-dumps expression on the usually prideful man. "Heya, Phil. I, uh, ahem, was wondering if you've seen my girl around?" He looked up at the old man with a slither of hope that he might find his missing daughter. "You mean the little girl with the big bow and the one eyebrow?" he asked, knowing the answer to the question. "Yea, YEAH H-Have you seen her?" This was great; now he could follow her trail and take her home. "I saw her standing across the street over there crying her eyes out, and then she ran off that way." Bob stood in bewilderment and was now lost in thought. "She was crying?" he asked out loud unknowingly. "Yeah, she was bawling her eyes out over something. Then she put something in her bag and walked off." Bob nodded, then began to turn to go in the direction that Phil pointed him to. "Thanks, Phil, I owe you one!" he shouted as he began to run. Bob had returned home, out of breath and filled with hope that his daughter would be home. Flinging the door open, he ran up to Helga's room and burst through the door, only to find it was empty. He scanned the room, finding something that wasn't there when he last checked…a note.
Heyy guys! so sorry to anyone still reading on here for ignoring you guys. I switched over to AO3 since Fanfic is giving me a hard time. Hopefully, it clears up, but I'm most likely gonna be more active on AO3! Thanks for all your support guys!