of normalcy.
At her desk, she shuffled papers aimlessly. No one had stopped her in the hall or seemed to think anything was out of the ordinary. Perhaps no one knew that the missing boy had been in her care right before he disappeared. Maybe she could still get out of this without going to jail.
Children started filing in. She watched them, tapped her fingers absently on the desk. Everything was okay. No reason for her heart to be beating so fast. Her wandering hands sent a container of pencils spilling across her desk and she jumped. Quickly she righted it, taking a deep breath.
` Then, she saw something that made her skin run with goosebumps. Her mind worked furiously, trying to unsee it. But no matter what she tried, he was still there.
Rose and Billy walked into the classroom together. It was just like any other day. The only difference was that for some reason, Rose's normally buoyant attitude was replaced with a somber frown, her gaze fixed on Billy's face.
"Billy!" Mary shouted involuntarily. The boy turned and looked at her, eyes wide. He quickly hid his reaction, forcing his face into a bored expression. The other children stopped their chattering and looked up, eager to see what the troublemaker had done this time.
"Ah." Trying to quickly correct for her outburst, she improvised, "We had a good time on Saturday, huh?" She ended lamely.
"Sure." He said, deadpan, then turned and walked over to his seat.
Keep it together, she admonished herself. This was good. No one was going to come and arrest her over a boy that wasn't missing.
A nagging voice in the back of her head wouldn't let it go. It wasn't just Billy, Alex was gone too. She had seen it. Hadn't she?
The thought that she was going crazy had been running through her mind since that day. People suffering from schizophrenia saw hallucinations. Trauma could sometimes push people over the edge into insanity. She'd lost her boyfriend, she'd been emotionally unstable. It was just one small step from emotionally unstable to full blown nutjob.
No, she told herself. She wasn't crazy. It had happened. And Billy knew, had to know, where Alex was now. If she could get through this class, she would corner him. Then she would get some answers.
At her desk, she shuffled papers aimlessly. No one had stopped her in the hall or seemed to think anything was out of the ordinary. Perhaps no one knew that the missing boy had been in her care right before he disappeared. Maybe she could still get out of this without going to jail.
Children started filing in. She watched them, tapped her fingers absently on the desk. Everything was okay. No reason for her heart to be beating so fast. Her wandering hands sent a container of pencils spilling across her desk and she jumped. Quickly she righted it, taking a deep breath.
` Then, she saw something that made her skin run with goosebumps. Her mind worked furiously, trying to unsee it. But no matter what she tried, he was still there.
Rose and Billy walked into the classroom together. It was just like any other day. The only difference was that for some reason, Rose's normally buoyant attitude was replaced with a somber frown, her gaze fixed on Billy's face.
"Billy!" Mary shouted involuntarily. The boy turned and looked at her, eyes wide. He quickly hid his reaction, forcing his face into a bored expression. The other children stopped their chattering and looked up, eager to see what the troublemaker had done this time.
"Ah." Trying to quickly correct for her outburst, she improvised, "We had a good time on Saturday, huh?" She ended lamely.
"Sure." He said, deadpan, then turned and walked over to his seat.
Keep it together, she admonished herself. This was good. No one was going to come and arrest her over a boy that wasn't missing.
A nagging voice in the back of her head wouldn't let it go. It wasn't just Billy, Alex was gone too. She had seen it. Hadn't she?
The thought that she was going crazy had been running through her mind since that day. People suffering from schizophrenia saw hallucinations. Trauma could sometimes push people over the edge into insanity. She'd lost her boyfriend, she'd been emotionally unstable. It was just one small step from emotionally unstable to full blown nutjob.
No, she told herself. She wasn't crazy. It had happened. And Billy knew, had to know, where Alex was now. If she could get through this class, she would corner him. Then she would get some answers.
