Buried (Bailey Roberts Trilogy #1) Editing

17: Imaginary pt. 1 [3rd Draft]

If only this agony would end.

Bailey jerked awake clutching her throat as she took heaving breaths trying to calm herself. She'd been emerged into the depths of despair, a dream that took so much light from her that Bailey thought it was her in the cramped room with an IV in her arm. Lost, alone, so alone, and for too long. Panic bloomed in her chest, making her skin crawl as she remembered the hopelessness of the girl in her dream, a girl that reminded her of Samantha Levy.

The fear paralyzed Bailey. Why would she be dreaming of Samantha when it was Gwen she should be worrying about? She'd told everyone at the Atherton's house just how connected she felt to Gwen too.

Bailey had been furious when Sheriff Lambert voiced his thoughts on how ridiculous it would be to waste resources by using a quarantine procedure. That the irrationality of a child was not going to find Gwen and that searching everyone's house was illogical. So they didn't do it.

The next day, instead of going to school, Bailey, with Gale's help, petitioned the board, trying to go over Lambert's head. She even suggested cancelling school so that everyone could participate in a search that she later found wasn't going to happen.

Bailey clenched her teeth. When she'd first come to town, she'd had a crush on Sheriff Lambert. After having lived in Haven she'd come to like him as person too. He'd always done his job... until now. He'd told her she was too close to the situation. That she couldn't see things clearly.

Crystal couldn't be more clear than I am, is what she wanted to tell him.

Sheriff Lambert had been livid. Bailey remembered how he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. She still had the bruising finger marks to prove it.

Bailey had decided then that if he wouldn't do it she would. She was going to find Gwen.

Sheriff Lambert groaned from his office desk with such a heavy dose of irritation that Bailey almost darted towards Officer Davis' desk instead. "You have been here every day for the past month," he scolded. "You're skipping school. I've heard you're barely speaking to your other friends. I've even arrested you for obstruction, but you come. What is with you? You're like a fucking dog with a bone." He paused, cringing at his cursing, but too frustrated to correct himself. He let out a growl. "This is our job, not yours."

Bailey raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "Then do it better!"

He slammed a hand down on his desk. The loud bang caused Bailey to jump. Her eyes slammed shut and she stiffened before letting them open. She'd only needed a second to gear up for this fight. She made sure she didn't move another inch, not in fear, not in surprise, nothing. She would give him nothing other than determination.

Sheriff Lambert had indeed arrested Bailey and held her in a cell overnight. After that to say everything else had gone downhill was too polite. Not just with Sheriff Lambert, but the other officers as well. They were more tightly lipped and refused to disclose any new information. It didn't help that the Atherton's had given up, so all the funding they'd been adding to the police stations budget had stopped. It had surprised Bailey so much she'd gone over to demand why. It had only been a month.

Bailey hadn't been received well, but Damien had said something about Sheriff Lambert. That he'd said something to his parents that drained the life out of them. Bailey still hadn't found out what the bastard had said to them. She'd pestered them so much she was no longer allowed over. Secretly Bailey knew it had nothing to do with her questions. It was painful to see Bailey without their daughter.

"If you had just done what I suggested..." she started.

"If every police precinct took the advice of a sixteen-year-old I'm sure we'd all be a lot better off," he said sarcastically.