Lost But Never Forgotten

2

Rhea lay in bed, unable to sleep yet again. It's been 10 days since Rosalynn went missing. Police said there was no entry point. Officers had taken everything they needed as evidence, taken countless pictures of the home, had taken statements from both her and Emma, as well as the neighbors. Nobody had seen anything. It was as if she'd disappeared into thin air. There was no explanation. There were no prints besides the ones expected; hers, Emma's, and Rosalynn's.  She been told yet another search party would be heading out today, looking into the woods a few miles west of their home. There'd been one every day and every single one, Rhea had been a part of. Her boss had let her take the time off the last week, but she had 3 days before she needed to be back at work.

Rhea rolled out of bed finally once the sin peaked over the horizon. She walked barefooted down the hall into the kitchen. She turned on her coffee pot, allowing the steam and bitter aroma to fill the room. Rhea set a coffee mug next to the pot as she headed into the bathroom. As she sat on the toilet, her eyes looked around the room. Rosalynn's bath toys littered the edge of the tub, bright rubber toys sitting quietly, a small pink ship on the floor, and barbies littered around the counter space. They looked so natural in the environment. Once the toilet flushed and Rhea's pants sat back on her hips properly, she turned to the counter. The tube of kids toothpaste sat with the lid off, a small pile on the countertop. The lid had been lost who knows when. The bottle of bubblegum mouthwash was knocked over, sitting in the sink, a blue's clues toothbrush was in the cup next to Rhea's own plain black toothbrush. She looked in the mirror, small finger streaks littered around the glass surface. A few small kiss marks sat near the bottom of the mirror.

Rhea forced her focus back on her, staring at the dark circles under her eyes. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. She stepped out of the bathroom, eyes immediately landing on Rosalynn's bedroom door, a dark purple rose painted on the wood, her name spelled out by vines along the stem. She'd had the door painted when she had the girl, convincing her dad to do it before she came home from the hospital. The door was partially open, a pool noodle across the top, ensuring it wouldn't close completely. There'd been too many instances of her door getting jammed shut on accident.

Rhea found herself walking towards the room, hand gently pushing the door open. It looked as it usually did. A pile of stuffed animals sat in the corner, a bookcase with no noticeable organization to it, an unmade bed, a dresser with clothes hanging out of drawers. Rhea closed her eyes after a few minutes. When they opened again, Rhea found her focus on the toddler bed. It looked like a house frame, a sheer white curtain hanging around it, giving the girl a fairytale effect. A set of babyblue sheets was on the mattress, a darker blue comforter was on top, pillows matching both sets sat at the head of the bed, her favorite teddy bear laying against the wall haphazardly. She found herself picking up the bear carefully, feeling the soft fabric against her skin. She'd bought the bear for her 4th birthday. The beep of the coffee pot brought her out of her thoughts as she set the bear back on the bed, resting it against the pillows as she headed out to get her coffee and head out to join in the search.