Untraceable

Survival Skill #31

As a survivor, you must get a rescuer’s attention by sending a message they can easily understand.

~

I scream as Wyn presses a piggy nose against the glass.

Sliding off the chain lock, I swing the door open. “Dude, you gave me a heart attack.”

“Why?”

I stand there, holding the door wide open. “Your face scared me.”

Wyn strolls by me without being invited. “Gee, thanks.”

“Anytime.” I slam the door shut and follow him into the living room.

“Man, it’s been ages since I’ve crashed your pad.” He walks around the house looking at things before he jumps into another subject. “So, where yah been? I’ve been calling you the last two days.” He doesn’t face me.

I try not to stutter. “Oh, my phone isn’t charged. I keep forgetting to plug it in.”

He points at the bag of Spicy Cheetos on the counter. “I see you’re eating a nutritiously balanced meal.”

“Yup! Carbs, fat, and protein.”

He wrinkles his face. “I don’t get the protein part.”

“Cheese!” I shove a fistful of cheesy nuggets into my mouth.

“That’s disgusting.”

I flash him an annoyed look. “Surely, you didn’t come over to discuss my eating habits. Why are you here?”

“Well. Your mom called my house last night looking for you. She was kinda wigged out.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, sorry about that. She’s all drama these days.”

He studies me in an odd way. “Seems to run in the family. Saw your bike in her truck at the diner. Is it broken or something?”

I scoff. “Believe it or not, she grounded me.”

“Seriously? What are you, ten?”

“My point exactly.”

Wyn sits down with one foot up on his leg and bounces his knee. “So where were you?”

I twist my hair into a bun. “Uh … no place special. Just out and about.”

He probes further like he knows something is up. “Not really your style to stay out that late by yourself, is it?”

I suddenly feel like I’m under a spotlight, and everything I’m hiding inside is glaring. Leaning back, I put my feet up on the coffee table, trying to appear casual. “Didn’t know I had to check in with everyone. The rules around here change as much as Joan River’s face.”

“That was bad.” He moves next to me on the couch. “So you’re not going to tell me either?”

I rub my hands across my pants. “Nothing to tell. I was out searching for more clues and decided to camp out.”

Wyn scoots down to get more comfortable, but his face is still tense. “And? Find anything?”

“Actually, a lot. Nothing makes much sense, but I have a theory forming.”

He sits back with his hands behind his head and stares at the ceiling. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

“You sure?”

“I’m all yours.”

I stand and pace, playing with my hair as I talk. “I found an article about Al. Evidently, he got nabbed for hunting in Tennessee. Got off on a technicality though. He probably came down here and started killing bears. I’m guessing Dad caught him and tried to bust him. Obviously, Al didn’t want to go to jail so he must have kidnapped my dad and hid him somewhere.” I slump back down next to him. “What do you think?”