Where Is My Daughter?

The Only One

Sarah's apartment was located in the center of the city, bustling with traffic and pedestrians and the last place I wanted to drive. So I called a car and had them take me to the corner of an avenue. An alley was tucked away right beside a large apartment complex and a smattering of various boutiques. The apartments were locked, so someone had to buzz you in. I found Sarah's apartment on the intercom and pressed the button.

I waited for a moment, taking in the alleyway, which made me feel extremely uncomfortable even during the daylight. I wouldn't want to live here. I had grown up in the suburbs - in your classic, white, American community. I was a suburb girl through and through. You'd never find me isolated from the world in a place like a farm, but the hustle and bustle surrounding Sarah's apartment gave me chest pains just trying to navigate it. No, I liked my city close by, within driving distance, but not in my front yard.

After awhile, there was no response, so I buzzed again. This time it only took one heartbeat for a voice to come back to me, "Tia?" She asked.

I nodded then realized she couldn't see me. God, when was the last night I got a decent amount of sleep?

I pressed the button, "Uh, yeah, sorry. Yes, it's Tia."

The door clicked, "Second floor, third door on your right." Came Sarah's voice from the crackly speaker. I rushed through the door before I had enough time to overthink it. This cloak and dagger charade was setting off every red flag I had inside me. Wasn't this always the point of the movie where somebody got murdered or an evil villain presented itself? Was I just some pawn to a bigger evil conglomerate that I didn't know about? Shouldn't I just walk away before I get hurt?

These racing questions gave me chills, but I had no time to actually sit down and think about them. I went through the motions, finding the elevator, hitting the second floor, waiting for the ping that would tell me to exit. There was no going back now. I had come too far.

Sarah must have been listening for me because when I got there, I didn't even have a chance to raise my hand before the door swung open. Sarah's tired smile greeted me.

"Come in, come in." She ushered, moving aside so that I could enter.

Her apartment was smaller than I had pictured. Studio style so I could see every corner of her living space. There was nowhere to hide in a space like this. From where I stood by the doorway, I could already see her bed on the far side of the room, a small open kitchen, a few chairs in a sitting area, and a door that was wide open, leading to her bathroom. She had a soft rug that you could bury your toes in underneath her chairs, and a blanket that looked like silk draped over her bed.

Sarah cleared her throat, closed the door behind me as I entered, then made her way to the small kitchen. She busied herself grabbing dishes from her dishwasher and putting them away, "I'm sorry if the place seems like a mess. I- I honestly wasn't sure you were coming. I was so surprised to see you." She met my eye briefly then continued her nervous cleaning, "Do you want coffee? Tea? Water?"

I smiled faintly. I could almost see the anxiety surrounding her. She wasn't just unsure if I was going to come; she thought I wasn't going to at all.

"Tea sounds lovely, thank you."

A few minutes later and I had been ushered to one of her cozy armchairs and handed a warm cup of tea to hug with my hands. I held it close to my chest, praying the warmth would put me at ease. But I had so many questions it felt as if my brain was buzzing. I needed these answers and I was so close. So close I could practically touch it.

Sarah knew something I didn't, but by the end of the day, I hoped it would be a secret we could both share. Then I would decide if she could help me with my plan, or if I had to do it all alone. It would be easier with a second person, but I couldn't risk it falling through because I involved the wrong people so, for now at least, I kept my own secret all to myself.