The First Night

"Jeremy!" Anna faintly heard a female voice call Mr. Redding's name, but none of them could lift their heads to see who it was.

A friendly face popped up suddenly, startling them. It was Miss Delia, Violet and Anna's fifth-grade teacher. Anna smiled thinking about how much Violet loved school and shined like a star in music just like Jeremy. She was so much like her dad that it made people turn their heads. They shared jet black hair, electric green eyes, and a kind demeanor that felt nearly tangible. Complete with her mother's dazzling smile and soft facial features, Violet was a perfect mixture of Jeremy and Maxine. It often made Anna jealous because unfortunately she only resembled her cold and cruel mother.

"Miss Delia. I'm so happy to see you here. Thank you for coming." Jeremy looked like he was trying to smile, but his face was hard as a rock. Anna couldn't hold back her smile though. Even in a moment like this it was difficult for her to not smile at Miss Delia. Everyone adored her, especially the kids who were lucky enough to have her as a teacher. She was a petite woman with an angelic face that radiated positivity. Her blue eyes were the color of the ocean, and she always had her deep-brown curly hair pinned back with a playful, white daisy clip.

"I'm so sorry Jeremy. Please, if there's anything I can do for you . . . " she began.

"Miss Delia, I appreciate it. You have always been so good to us. Violet loves . . . loved . . ."

Jeremy's face fell as he appeared to be holding back tears yet again.

"If you want, I can sit with you. I'm a great listener. Least I can do, really." He nodded, and she sat on the bench, now facing Anna and her father. She leaned in towards Jeremy with a light smile and whispered, "I will say though, I think we're at a point where you can just call me Delia."

He looked up at her as she smirked, and he smiled for the first time in hours. "Delia it is."

Anna turned her head toward the commotion outside as nearly everyone from Monroe County, and several members of the other surrounding townships, began to make their way through the streets. The search party split into groups, some taking the parks, some taking the forest surrounding the town, some taking the neighborhoods. Anna and Jeremy sat anxiously at the police station with Delia. He was on strict instructions to keep his phone out and ready at all times, in case Violet turned up at the station or one of the parties found her. Anna had a hard time controlling her yawning as several hours went by, but still no Violet. The sky had turned pitch black, and not even the flashlights were able to see through the darkness. The search parties returned to the station, taking down land marker tents and gathering up the scattered maps. Anna watched the crowd's boots, covered in mud, walk home, knowing Jeremy would be without his daughter for a full night. She watched him try his best to smile at the returning officers as they looked at his gaunt face with wide, apologetic eyes. Some were unconvincingly offering words of encouragement and promises that tomorrow would be a new day, a new chance to find her.

Anna listened as Sheriff Howard sat with Jeremy and Delia explaining that hope was not lost. Jeremy seemed to appreciate his efforts, but he stood before the sheriff finished.

"Thank you for everything you've done." Jeremy, once again, gave a weak smile. "I'll be back here as soon as the sun comes up."

Anna watched Sheriff Howard look at him apologetically and sigh, "I'll be here waiting, Mr. Redding."

Anna sat in the backseat of her mother's police car and stared forward watching Delia's car ahead. She offered to drive Jeremy home and he accepted graciously, but as they pulled up to the house, he slowly opened the car door, walked to the red front door, put his key in the lock, and didn't look back.

Anna followed her mother and father through their front door, but couldn't find a way to relax. She went to her room as her mother ordered, but only tossed and turned until she couldn't handle her racing thoughts and heavy breathing any longer. Anna tiptoed through the house towards the front door hoping to run into her dad. Luckily, her mother had fallen asleep and it was only him sitting in the dark of the living room. Anna quietly approached him and touched his shoulder. "Dad?"

He calmly turned his head towards Anna and smiled, but she could see tears in his eyes.

"What's up, rockstar?"

The pain in his eyes made Anna feel like she got punched in the stomach. Through her unsteady breathing she managed to speak, "Can I go over to check on Jeremy?"

She was waiting for him to tell her that she couldn't go, but instead he let out a sigh that sounded more like a whimper. "Go ahead, kiddo."

Anna stared at her dad for a moment before she threw her arms around him and took off through the front door.

Anna gently tapped the Redding's front door and moments later heard a loud shuffling get closer. The door swung open to reveal Jeremy breathing hard and out of breath.

He gasped, "My God, Anna! Do you know how late it is? You scared me half to death! I thought you were . . ."

Anna stared at him, surprised by his raised voice.

"I'm sorry. I . . . I just . . ."

"It's okay, Anna. Do your parents know you're here?"

She sighed and said, "My dad does."

They stared awkwardly at each other for a moment, Jeremy looking confused about what she was doing on his front porch.

"Well, would you like to come in?" He stuttered, "I'm just about to go to sleep—"

"Sure." Anna shrugged her shoulders and breezed past him into their living room.

Jeremy shut the door and slowly turned around as Anna made herself comfortable on his beige couch. She was dangling her legs trying to remain neutral, but really she wanted to break down and scream.

Jeremy stepped towards her with a gentle, but curious face.

"Anna, what are you doing here? I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you don't usually come hopping in here this late at night. Especially since Violet isn't h—"

He stopped himself, unable to say the words out loud.

Anna looked at him, as she choked back her tears.

"I . . . I just thought that maybe since Violet isn't here right now, I could stay here with you."

Jeremy replied, "You want to stay here?"

"Yes, you're sad. I don't want you to be sad. Maybe I could sleep on the couch or something."

"I don't know," Jeremy interrupted. "Are you sure your parents know you're here?"

"Yes, Sir!" Anna raised her voice. "I'm sorry, but I just want to be here, okay? I love Violet, I love you, I need to help somehow please—"

Jeremy interjected quickly, "Of course! Of course you can stay here."

Anna let out a huge sigh and shut her eyes."Thank you, Mr. R."

Jeremy turned around and walked down the hall as Anna looked around the familiar living room. All she could see was an empty house. Empty, quiet, desolate, and filled with agony. The living room looked dusted over, like an old house with no one in it. Cobwebs that weren't really there stared back at Anna in her mind as she visualized life without Violet. Her eyes were drawn to Violet's new pink tennis shoes that her dad bought her just last week.

She'd said, "Oh Daddy, they're perfect! Just perfect!" And as always, her eyes had lit up the room. Every single day, she somehow made Anna's world a more wonderful place. Violet was the type of friend that everyone wanted because deep inside her heart was golden. She smiled at the thought, but just as quickly his face dropped. No one had said it once during the entire day, but Violet had been abducted. They didn't know if she was dead or alive, but she knew everyone was trying so damn hard to believe she would come home. Anna couldn't imagine how Jeremy felt. His eleven-year-old child was in some disgusting, treacherous person's custody for the night, someone who had zero problem with ruining a child's life, zero problem with destroying her world and everyone around her. What was to stop this monster from doing the worst?

Anna tried to shake the gruesome thoughts out of her head, but suddenly realized just how many pictures of Violet were up throughout the house. Each photo felt like a knife to her heart. Anna remembered Jeremy telling them about his favorite one. The photo had been taken by Anna's father, Johnny, at the community pool, celebrating Violet's eighth birthday. She'd requested an ice cream cake with at least one picture of a puppy on it, so of course that's exactly what she'd gotten. In the old photo, Violet's mom Maxine wore a black one-piece bathing suit with her floral, thin cardigan and was holding Violet straight up in the air, smiling. Violet, in her pink ballerina bathing suit complete with a tutu and soaked hair, stared at her mother.

Her arms were wide open, eyes full of love and adoration.

Jeremy always happily said that day was one of the best he'd ever had in his life. It was the last birthday of Violet's that Maxine would ever see. None of them knew she was already sick, already dying at a rapid pace. It only took months to lose her.

Anna's mind was distracted once again. The wind was blowing hard that night and the tree branches from the birch tree Violet loved to climb scratched against the window.

Usually, the rattle from the tree was a noise that brought her solace as they fell asleep during sleepovers, but tonight it made her cringe. Every noise made Anna cringe and she could tell it made Jeremy do the same. Anna couldn't stop herself from grinding her teeth every time the window creaked, the AC turned on, the wind howled. Everything made her want to cry. Thankfully, Jeremy had apparently sensed her unrest as soon as she walked through the door and brought her Violet's favorite blanket, her stuffed kitty, and her pillow. Normally she would expect Violet's favorite stuffed bumblebee, but he said he couldn't find it. That bumblebee never left Violet's grasp, so he promised Anna that when he did find it, it was going to her.

She grabbed the stuffed kitty and looked at it for about ten seconds before looking at Jeremy with tears in her eyes. She began quietly crying and reluctantly said, "Is Violet going to come home?" She sniffled, looking at him with scared and innocent eyes. He sucked in a breath, and looked like he forgot how to breathe. Anna watched him blink fresh tears away as he bent down and said confidently, "Of course, Anna. We are going to bring our girl home."

She smiled warily for a brief moment before turning over toward the back of the couch. She began to doze off into the night and heard Jeremy's bedroom door shut, but Anna knew they would not be able to sleep.

Anna muttered to herself with a burning wound forming on her heart, "Please come home, Vi . . . I need you . . ."