This Empty Northern Hemisphere (A Mumford and Sons fanfiction)

Chapter XXIV: Second Chances

Chapter XXIV: Second Chances

Ted rubs small circles on Winnie’s back, hoping to calm him down.

“We’ll find her, Win,” Ted assures him. His friend is shaking like a leaf, just on the edge of an anxiety attack as he thinks of his little sister, out in the world without protection.

“Kate is already out looking for her, I’m sure she’s not too far away.”

Kate had left with a little wallet sized photo of Cherry to walk with and ask people if they had seen the little girl wandering around. Ted is eternally grateful for Kate’s desire to help, and so is Winnie, though he hasn’t been able to voice it.

“Of all the fucking things I manage to screw up, it’s this,” Winston mutters weakly. He’s already blaming himself.

“Did you call your mother?” Ted asks quietly. All he can think of is the kiss they had unwillingly shared earlier, and the fact that Winston had still called him instead of calling Ben. But he needs to shove that back to the farthest corner of his mind and concentrate on finding Cherry.

“She didn’t pick up. But I just don’t get it,” he growls. “She wouldn’t run away like that. Especially not with how sick she felt this morning. And if my mother had her, she would’ve let me know. I locked the doors, so if someone took her how did they…”

Winston looks up again, horrified. “Fuck.”

“What?” Ted says fearfully. Winston buries his face in his hands, trying to hold back the tears born of anger, worry, and fear.

“Our father,” he says, his voice cracking. “He probably took her… the locks haven’t been changed since he pretty much left for good…” Winston swears, wishing that he hadn’t been stupid, wishing that he had been a responsible older brother and that he had stayed home with Cherry so he could keep an eye on her.

“Why would he take Cherry?” Ted asks slowly. His own fear is growing.

“He loves her probably the most out of anyone in the world, but when he’s drunk you never know what he’s gonna do- Fuck!” Winston stands, pacing back and forth and desperately hoping that he’s wrong; any second now, Cherry will pop out from her hiding spot and giggle, telling Winnie that he’d been silly to worry, and reminding him that they had started a game of hide and seek and he just forgot to look.

But he hadn’t forgotten to look. Winston had practically torn the entire house apart looking for her, and there wasn’t a trace of her anywhere. Some of her clothes had been taken, judging from her empty dresser drawer, and her favorite stuffed animal had disappeared as well.

“Winston, stop. You’re gonna pass out.”

Winston nods, and attempts to slow his breathing. He hadn’t even realized he’d been hyperventilating.

Once Ted thinks Winston has calmed enough, he hands Winston a jacket from the closet by the front door. Ted pulls a hoodie over his head, regretting that he hadn’t brought something more likely to protect him from the rain.

“Now,” Ted says slowly. “Call the police again, tell them that about your father. Them we can go out, see if maybe she just got lost or something.”

Winston mumbles a quiet ‘okay’ and shuffles off to retrieve his phone from upstairs.

While Winnie is occupied with that, Ted takes the opportunity to call Kate and see if she has any clues.

“Hello?” She answers on the second ring.

“Hey. Have you found anything?” Ted asks, beyond hopeful.