Landed Wings

chapter 19: GONE



OBSIDIAN

“I swear to you there was a note here.”

I’m more agitated now than I was before. I know I dropped the note on the floor. My hands are still sticky from pulling it out of the ice cream! I could show my hands to Ivory, but that’s not proof. There’s nothing there. I stop and breathe. I look around, calmly, because I don’t want Ivory to think I’m crazy. She probably already does, but I can’t stand not being believed. I scour the kitchen with my eyes, and there! I spot something white. I bend over, a smile already on my face, when I notice that I’ve picked up a mint wrapper. I feel panic trying to sink its slim claws in my throat, but I won’t let it out.

“Come on, Ivory, help me look.”

I’m striving for unruffled, but my voice sounds strained and hoarse.

“Obsidian. Stop. Are you absolutely sure there was a note in the ice cream?”

I can hear it - the disbelief in her voice. Panic finds a new

foothold.

“Yes, yes, I’m positive. I swear, I promise, there was a note. How could I imagine a note?”

“I didn’t say anything about you imagining it.”

“Look. All I know right now is that my sister is gone. All I know is that there was a note in my ice cream from her. And I know that it’s gone. I could probably search the whole house and not find it. I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t feel her Ivory. You don’t understand. You’re not a twin. If you were, you’d know that being a twin means you are always aware of each other, even if you don’t realize it. And right now, I can’t feel her. At all. I can’t feel her.”

Panic inches slowly closer to its intended destination. She is still looking at me skeptically, and I look down at my hands. Maybe the note got stuck there by the – that’s it!

“Ivory, look at my hands!”

She gives me an incredulous look and slowly looks down.

“They’re covered in chocolate, see?”

“Yeah…what does this have to do with anything?”

“Well, I didn’t put the lid back on the ice cream, because if I had, there would be chocolate residue all over it. So someone was in here! And they could have taken the note!”

“Ob…”

Ivory looks at me carefully.

“You realize it could have been your parents, right? Who closed the ice cream?”

“No, it couldn’t, they’re not here.”

She looks skeptical.

“I’m not crazy.”

“I never said you were.”

“So you’ll help me Ivory?”

“How can I help you? How can you help her? We don’t even know where to look.”

“Does it matter? We have to do something. Do you want to sit around and do nothing?”

“Well do you have a plan?”

“No, I…yes. Yes! Pepper came by and told me…”

Ivory frowns. She doesn’t like Pepper either.

“She told me that Ash had been kidnapped, and that I

needed to help her. She gave me a card to the VWP

organization.”

“What?! Ash has been kidnapped? By who? Why would she give you a VWP card? How did she get a contact from there? And why would she care that Ash is gone? She doesn’t even like Ash.”

“I know…”

I hesitate.

“Pepper said Ash has been kidnapped by that guy, Mocha. I don’t know whether to believe her or not, but it’s the only thing I’ve got right now. And I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you this, but did you know that Ash’s mom is the head of VWP? Maybe she can help me find Raven.”

“You think Raven’s disappearance has something to do with Ash’s kidnapping? The kidnapping that only Pepper knows about…wait, I’m sorry, I forgot, that Ash’s mom and Pepper know about. Because it makes all the sense in the world that a teenage SkyBound is having conversations with the head of the VWP. Ash’s mom is telling everyone that Ash just left home – why? I don’t know what’s going on and neither do you. You should find your parents and call Sky Patrol if you really thing something’s happened to Raven.”

“That doesn’t feel right, I think I should call Ash’s mom and see if Pepper’s telling me the truth. The VWP is way bigger than Sky Patrol and if anyone can help me find Raven, they can.”

“I don’t understand why you would believe anything Pepper told you.”

“Because she told me something that only Ash knew. Only Ash could have told her.”

“Ob…I know you want to play hero and jump at this, but think about it. Ash might not have told her.”

I don’t understand what she means.

“What do you mean?”

“There are other ways of getting information out of people…”

“Are you suggesting…? No, Ash’s mother wouldn’t do that.”

“I don’t trust Pepper and I don’t trust Ash’s mom.”

“What are you talking about? If you don’t think I should call Ash’s mom, then tell me what I’m supposed to do?”

“I told you what you should do, you just don’t want to listen. Call your parents and Sky Patrol.”

“I can’t call my parents.”

“Why not?”

“Because they abandoned us last year. We left home to go to school, kissed them goodbye – they told us they would see us later. When we got home, there was a note. The note said they couldn’t take care of us anymore and were leaving. They warned us not to tell anyone if we wanted to stay together. If Sky Social Services found out we were alone, they would take us away from each other. Raven and I have been taking care of each other ever since. That’s why I can’t call Sky Patrol.”

I can tell Ivory’s shocked, but we don’t have time for that right now.

“So, tell me how I’m going to get Raven, my twin, my sister, your friend back? Because if you don’t have any bright ideas, we’re wasting time. Obviously Rave didn’t leave on her own. She knows what we went through and she would never do that to me. Obviously she was taken. I don’t have time to waste. So if you don’t have a better idea, then I’m calling. Because if something happens to either of them, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”