Divagate

Chapter 9

                                              Lia
                                             •••••
    We all rush to find hiding spots, moving as quickly we can while staying as silent as possible. Charlotte dashes out of her bedroom after Vince got her.

    "I'll talk to them." Her voice is urgent and she's a little out of breath. There's a thunderous knock on the door.

   Siggy and Vince run upstairs, and Darwin sprints into the bedroom Lincoln's in. I slip into the closet that the washer and dryer are in. It's a tight fit, but I make it work.

   The police knock again. I press my ear against the closet door, hoping I can hear what they're saying. Through the door, I hear Charlotte unlock the front door and open it.

   "Good morning, officers." She says in her best American accent. To be honest, it's not that bad.

    "Good morning, miss. My name is Officer Torres and this is Officer McKellar. There's a group of missing teens that could potentially be dangerous. We have reason to suspect that they may be somewhere around here." A deep voice says.

    "Dangerous?" Charlotte asks. I'm not sure whether the fear in her voice is fake or if she's genuinely scared.

     "Yes." A second voice says gruffly. It's slightly higher than the other officer's. "Have you happened to see anyone near here recently? Anyone that looked like any of them?" There's the sound of paper rustling. Silence.

     "Uh, no, I haven't. I'll let you know if I do, though." The door hinges creak as Charlotte begins to close it.

    "Actually, miss, would we be able to take a look around your barn? We wouldn't want you getting hurt if anyone's hiding in there." The first voice, Officer Torres, asks.

     "I... um... I guess so." Charlotte says.

     "Would you be able to come with us to unlock anything?" Asks Officer McKellar.

     "Yeah... yeah sure." I hear Charlotte pull on some shoes, grab some keys and head outside. The door closes with a thump.

   I exhale a shaky breath. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I'm surprised that they weren't able to hear the sound of my heart pounding.

   I stand in the closet, my knees pressed against the washing machine, and wait for Charlotte to come back.

   I hope that everyone else is doing ok in their hiding spots. Is Darwin having a silent fight with Lincoln about what he did to me? Is Vince ok? The poor guy went upstairs with Siggy. I'd jump out of the second floor window if I had to hide alone with Siggy.

   After what feels like an eternity, the front door opens.

     "---home alone." Charlotte's fake accent fills the house.

     "Is there someone that you could call to come stay with you or go stay with? They may not be here now, but we can't guarantee that they won't be later." The second voice says.

     "I guess I could stay at my aunt's house until my parents get home." Charlotte suggests.

     "Alright. We just want to make sure that everyone's safe. It's sort of our job." The first voice laughs. Charlotte laughs, too.

     "Thank you so much. Have a good day." Charlotte shuts the door. I hear her let out a breath.

    There are two thunks as her shoes hit the floor. It's quiet for a few minutes. "Ok, they're gone! You can come out, now!" She shouts, dropping the accent.