Sarah gasped sharply.
Charles looked around for a bit, but went back to sleep. Sarah began breathing again. She ran down the stairs quietly, and opened the bread oven.
"I love this thing." Sarah whispered. She climbed down into the bread oven.
She opened the wall to the cellar.
Shadow crawled over to her. "Meow. Meow."
Sarah picked him up. "What did that horrible man do to you? Aw." Sarah rubbed him. She took out some tuna. "You have to be quiet. You can't wake up Charles." She opened the tuna can.
She set it down on the ground, while Shadow ate.
While he was eating, Sarah looked around for a bit. Charles had a family album on the desk. She looked through it. "Wow. Charles has a soul." Happy pictures became newsletters of the 1874 Mansion Explosion and mental institutions.
She closed it. When Shadow finally started getting quiet, she took him out the cellar, and went into Robert, Rhys, and Jax's room. She turned on their lamp.
"Can't you see we're trying to-" Jax grinned. "Shadow!" He whispered.
"Look, Jax." Sarah started off. "You're going to have to let him go."
"I know." He responded. "You do?" Sarah asked. "Yeah. I won't let Charles have a Shadow number two. Stuffed Shadow and stuffed dinner."
Sarah rubbed Shadow, and left.
~~~~~
The next morning, August and Arielle were the first ones down for breakfast. Arielle took a breath, and sat down. August sat down a few seats away from her.
Trudy scattered into the kitchen. "Oh! I'm so late!"
"What's up, Trudes?" August asked. "I was supposed to meet the reverend at the church with Parker a few hours ago. I overslept! I didn't make you guys breakfast, either! Oh..."
"It's okay, Trudy. We'll just grab some yogurt or something." Arielle assured. "Thank you, Arielle."
Trudy ran by the counter so fast that a letter had blew off of it. "Trudy!" Arielle yelled. But she was already out the door.
Arielle stood up and grabbed the open part of the letter. She saw Robert and Sarah's names, so she opened it and read.
"Arielle, that is an invasion of privacy!" August gritted. "It was sent to Sarah and Robert by Nina."
Hey kids.
Everything's okay
Letting you know that if Dad calls
Please tell him that I'm fine.
My aunt told me I had to go to
Eastbourne and help her out.
Sincerely,
Mum.
"That's weird. Nina has no more living relatives." Arielle stated. "I wonder why she would lie."
The phone rang. "That must be Fabian." August said. They walked over there. Arielle sat down and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Who is it?" August whispered.
"Arielle?"
"It's Fabian." She responded. "Hey, Uncle Fabian." Arielle greeted.
"Hey. Um, this might sound a bit weird but, I haven't seen Nina around. Has she sent the kids a letter or something?"
"Actually, yeah. She did. She said she was in Eastbourne helping her aunt out with something." Arielle told him. August listened.
"Nina has no more living relatives. Oh my god, something is wrong."
"Uncle Fabian?" Arielle called out. "What happened?"
"He's ruffling for something. Uncle Fabian?" Arielle heard a crash.
"It's gone!"
"What is?" Arielle asked. "Find her, Arielle. Find her." Fabian hung up.
"The letter!" Arielle jumped up from the chair and ran straight to the letter. The rest of the kids started coming down.
"What's up?" Sarah asked. August and Arielle ignored them.
"Why is there no breakfast on the table?" Rhys asked. "There's some bagels, cereal, or yogurt in the frigde."
"You take the first letter of each line. What do you get?" Arielle hinted. "H-E-L-P-M-E. Help me?"
"We have to take Shadow to the shelter. What's that?" Sarah asked. "Your mum, Sarah. She needs help. She's missing." August explained.
~~~~~~
Charles sat in his office with Ms. Marshall. "So, the day we have to make the ingredients is your housemother's wedding day and the time is something called the Siring Hour?"
"Yes. I heard the children," Charles leaned forward with a tape recorder in his hand. "discussing it in their rooms."
"So? We still don't have the ingredients, it's over!" Ms. Marshall rubbed her face. "You underestimate me, Ms. Marshall."
"When I was younger, I'd play hide-and-seek with my siblings." Charles smirked.
"I always won."
*****
Looks like Charles going to get what he wants after all!
Is Charles going to find the ingredients?
Why does Nina need help?
What was Fabian looking for?
Will the kids find Nina?
Sibun