"I hate to bother you so late, but it's a real emergency," My hands are shaking as my dad speaks to Butch over the phone. After we realized Charlie was gone, my dad decided to call Henry's dad. He tells him everything.
"Thanks, Butch." My dad mutters. I twiddle my thumbs as he hangs up the phone. I watch him, feeling nervous. He's going to ask me where I was, he's going to find out. I just know it.
I could lie, I could say I was with Greta. He'd believe that for sure. But he would call Mr. Keene. He'd tell him that his daughter had been out late and when it's revealed she wasn't, then I'll really be in trouble. No, lying wouldn't help anything. But neither would tell the truth.
If he finds out I was out with Henry so late, we'll both get it. Especially if something happens to Charlie.
I need to take the blame for this, but I can't involve anybody else.
My dad inhales like he wants to say something. I anticipate his words, clenching my fists. But he doesn't say anything and instead gets up from the chair and marches to his room. I exhale, all my tension coming out like foggy breath on a cold day.
Soon, blue and red lights illuminate the lamp-lit living room. My eyes shift to the window. That's when it hits me. The gravity of this situation seems like it will crush me.
I realize now what's important. Not the lie, not getting into trouble. Not even Henry. It's Charlie.
Suddenly, I get an awful feeling in my stomach and I know if I breathe in, I'll be sick. We'll find her. Derry's such a small town, there's a handful of places she could be.
My mind flashes to the missing posters plastered around town. All the faces of kids that aren't coming home.
I hear footsteps and my dad stomps past me out the door. I follow quickly and slam the door.
Butch sits in the squad car and my dad gets in the front, clutching a picture of Charlie and me. I get in the back and try to focus on breathing. It's the easiest thing I can do.
"Where should we start, Lou?" Butch asks. His voice is gravelly and rough.
My dad looks down at the picture. "Anywhere."
With that, we pull out of the driveway.
We cruise down the streets slowly, looking for the car, for Charlie, for anyone out past curfew we could ask about her whereabouts. Every business in town was closed for the night and the chances of finding anyone were slim, let alone my sister. I tried not to think about that, though.
We've been driving for at least thirty minutes when we see a group of boys I go to school with smoking in a circle behind the laundromat. My dad tells Butch to stop, which he quickly does. My dad climbs out of the car, leaving the door open.
"Hey!" He tries to get their attention. They turn to the squad car and I hear one yell, "Oh shit!" They drop their cigarettes and run. My dad starts to rush towards them, despite them being gone. "No, wait! Please!" He exclaims. I hear the helplessness in his voice and feel a lump form in my throat. "I'm just trying to find my daughter!" This time he shouts to no one in particular, his yell bouncing off buildings.
Butch watches with a solemn expression on his face and puts the car in park. He gets out and walks to my dad.
"Lou, we won't find anything out here," He puts his hands on his belt. "Let's head to the station, we can file a report-"
"No!" My dad barks. "We're going to keep going until we find my girl." He marches back to the squad car and gets in. I see Butch wrestling with himself but in the end gets back in the car and presses on.
