Along Came Jordan (9 page)

****

Two days later, on Saturday, I woke up early and could hear the rain splatting the window outside. I rolled over and snuggled the covers up to my neck. No reason to get up. I reached over for my MP3 player and clicked on Razor Wilde. Rain or not, he'd put me in a good mood. I sighed, burrowed down, and dozed back off.

"Emili!" Mom shook me awake. "Get up. Sarah's gone."

I blinked and rubbed my eyes. "What do you mean 'gone'?"

"Her bed is empty. She's gone."

Cold fear clutched my heart. I threw the blankets off and jumped out of bed. "Did you try her cell?"

"No answer. Did she say anything to you?"

"No, nothing."

Dad rushed into my room. "Not in the garage or the backyard. Where'd she go?"

"Emili, think. You're the only one she's talking to," Mom said.

"She didn't say anything. Did you call Becky or Janae or Jara? She used to tell them everything at Bates."

"All of them. They haven't talked in weeks."

Dad grabbed Mom's arm. "I'll call the police."

Mom's eyes stretched wide.

The panic inside me squeezed tighter. "Remember, Mom, when Farah was missing? She turned up fine the same day."

"Sarah's in fifth grade, Emili. Fifth grade! She's still a baby."

I sucked in my breath. "We'll find her."

I pulled on my jeans and a sweatshirt and ran out to the entryway for my coat. Dad was already on the phone. "I have a photo…"

"I'm going out to look. I have my cell. Call me if you find her!" I charged out the door into the heavy rain. My hair was drenched in seconds. I swiped at my dripping face with the back of my hand, but it didn't help. I raced toward the park at the end of the next street. Sarah and I used to hide there in a hut on the monkey bars when we were younger. The perfect hiding spot. I increased my speed. The puddles splashed up my jeans, and the muddy water seeped through to my legs.

Please be there, Sarah.

The park loomed ahead, a gray blur in the rain. My breath came in choked pants, and my lungs constricted. I was not a runner and had little endurance. The park was limp and forlorn — nobody but me was stupid enough to be out in this downpour. At the entrance, I slid to a halt. The mud oozed into my shoes.

"Sarah!" I called. "Sarah!"

No answer. I shoved my bangs from my eyes and headed over to walk around each piece of equipment.

"Sarah!"

I grabbed the slippery rungs of the monkey bars and climbed to the plastic hut. She had to be inside. My head cleared the floor, and my spirits sank. All I saw was a soggy pile of wet candy wrappers in the corner.

I wilted against the ladder and let out my breath in a long, bottomless sigh. I'd counted on her being there. I blinked through the rain spilling over my face.
Mom and Dad must be going insane by now.
I picked my way back to the ground, my shoes slipping on each wet rung. Now what?

I stood under the hut and pulled out my phone to call Mom. She picked up before the first ring finished.

"Did you find her?" Her voice was rapid, breathless.

"No, sorry. Not at the park. I'll keep looking."

"Okay." She hung up.

I slumped against the post, and the rusty metal flakes scratched against my cheeks. She was a fifth grader — I should be able to figure out where she went. The icy wind gained intensity, and I pulled my dripping coat closer around my neck. I took a deep breath and stepped back out into the worst of it.

Then in a flash, I knew. I knew exactly where she was.

I ran again, circling back around the park and turning south. I flew down the street, and the rain pelted my face like darts. I was certain I was right. Nervous excitement surged through me. I dashed around a corner and arrived at Bates Elementary. I entered through the chain link fence toward the open playground.

A tiny figure sat in the mud against the trunk of a sprawling, leafless tree. I grabbed my phone and dialed Mom.

"She's here. At Bates."

I hung up, stuffed my phone into my wet pocket, and approached the tree. "Sarah?"

She looked up at me, her eyes huge. She was shaking and her teeth chattered.

"You okay?" I knelt beside her, my knees slipping in the muddy grass. I put my arm around her. "Ready to go home?"

She stared at me and said nothing. Then she nodded.

"Come on." I got up and pulled her to her feet. I wiggled out of my soppy coat and wrapped it around her. The frozen wind cut through my sweatshirt, and I shivered hard.

"Let's go home," I said, gritting my teeth against the cold. Sarah huddled into me, and we started across the field. We hadn't gotten far when Mom and Dad drove up and screeched to a stop on the blacktop outside the fence.

Mom bolted from the car and ran to meet us. "Sarah!" she cried.

Sarah grabbed onto me like she'd never let go. Mom peeled her away and hugged her fiercely. "We were worried sick! What were you thinking?" She leaned back and looked into Sarah's face.

Sarah blinked, the rain bunching up her lashes.

Mom ran her hand through Sarah's wet, tangled hair. She crushed her in another hug. "Doesn't matter now. Come on. Let's go home."

Dad joined us. "Sarah." He reached out to squeeze her arm. He looked at me, and I saw pure relief in his eyes. "Thank you, Emili. Oh, you're drenched. Let's hurry. I called the police, and they know we found her."

We stumbled our way to the car. The heat was blasting inside, but I couldn't stop trembling. I felt cold fingers climbing up my spine, making me shake harder. Mom crawled into the back seat between Sarah and me. Dad shifted into gear and drove us home.

None of us said a word, but I could hear every breath that fogged up the windows.

****

Mom drained the entire hot water tank running Sarah's bath. She fussed around her, finally agreeing to let her rest on my bed after she was out of the tub and wrapped into warm pajamas. I took a shower in cool-ish water. It would've been better not to take one at all. When I got out, I found Sarah in my bed, curled into a lump like an abandoned puppy.

Mom was by my desk, watching Sarah with a tired expression. At first, I thought she might be asleep with her eyes open. But when she saw me come in, she jerked slightly, nodded at me, and left.

I went right to Sarah, lay on the bed, and snuggled against her, pulling my comforter over both of us.

"You okay?" I asked, my nose inches away from her face.

"I shouldn't have left." Her voice was muffled as she talked through her fists.

"We were scared, Sarah. Why'd you go?"

"It'd be better."

"What? You mean without you?" I pulled her hands from her face and held them against my chest.

She nodded, her lashes drooping so her eyes became narrow slits.

"You're wrong, Sarah. Didn't you see how we all wanted you back?"

She closed her eyes, and I kept holding her hands. A few minutes later, we heard Mom and Dad's bedroom door slam shut.

Sarah's eyes popped open. She squirmed to get up and pulled her hands free from mine. "I want to listen."

I nodded. "Okay, but keep quiet."

We crept down the hallway and sat outside the door like we had hundreds of times. It didn't take long.

"Could it get worse?" Mom asked, her voice already shrill.

"I don't see how," was Dad's response.

"I knew it was bad, but, running away? And then sitting like a fool in a puddle of mud with rain pouring down like a flippin' waterfall? Has she lost her mind?"

"Nancy, you're not being fair. She's hurting."

"Aren't we all?" Mom's voice lowered, became calmer. "I know she's hurting. I've tried talking to her. I've tried till I'm blue in the face. She won't talk to me, won't say a blasted word. How can I help her if she won't speak?"

Silence.

Then, "She needs counseling." It was Dad.

"And how are we supposed to pay for it?" Back to shrill.

"Maybe they have counseling at her school."

"Oh, fine. She's trying to make friends, and now she'll be pegged as the crazy girl who needs counseling."

"How ridiculous. What's the matter with you? Where's your mother's heart? You've changed."

"Haven't we all?" Mom's voice was ice.

"Yes, but you… I don't know. What's going on? Something's changed."

"I'm trying to keep this family together. I'm carrying
everything
, David. Do you hear me? Everything!"

Loud footsteps pounded close to the door. Sarah and I jumped up and raced back to my bedroom. I closed the door behind us. We stood, panting, staring at each other. Sarah's eyes filled with tears.

"I'll talk," she said and put her fist to her mouth.

"It might help." I reached out my arms to her, and she hurtled into me, almost knocking me over. I held her for what seemed like forever.