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JJ hadn't told his parents that he was leaving. He figured they'd understand that he left to hang out with his friends—even though what they were doing was far from that.
The four of them stood alongside the yellow police tape, the color of warnings and secrets. Teagan's hands buried themselves in her pockets, her leg bouncing with the desire to run through the tape like she was a runner racing toward the finish line; Reece stared at the police with interest, watching them closely as they examined the park for more signs of Lizzy Conner; Mateo refreshed his phone constantly in case something new popped up about Lizzy's disappearance.
A small crowd laced with low whispers surrounded the four, baritone voices mixed with high-pitched lilts and everything in between. JJ ignored them, his eyes trailing the scene until they landed on a group of people dressed in reflective gear.
"Guys, look." JJ pointed at the cluster who was receiving some instructions from a man dressed in a police uniform. "I think they're going to search."
"For Lizzy's body?" Teagan choked out in horror.
JJ disregarded Teagan's last comment and instead focused on immersing himself in the search party. He ducked underneath the flimsy tape and sauntered toward the crowd like he was meant to be there. He heard the gentle swishes of pants and soft footsteps muffled by the dirt—Mateo, Teagan, and Reece had followed suit.
Teagan ambled up to one of the more important-looking people and spoke with her quietly. JJ listened to small snippets of her spiel: "My friends and I traveled all the way from New York for our friend, Lizzy. If you'll let us, we'd really appreciate if you let us search for her." JJ stopped listening; he refused to believe that they were looking for Lizzy's body.
Teagan walked over to the trio of boys who waited silently for her. "She said we could. We just need to grab an official vest and be careful not to tamper with any evidence. Even the smallest thing like a cigarette could help lead us to Lizzy."
Each of them selected a bright vest and slung it across their shoulders. Despite summer almost upon them, the cool temperatures swirled about them like ice cream—although the air tasted more foul than sweet to JJ. The assembly of searchers were split into a few smaller groups and some people were given walking sticks. Then, they began to tread in the forest that menaced just beyond the park where Lizzy's jacket had been found.
JJ was soon separated from Lizzy's old friends from New York, but he realized he didn't mind being alone. Having Teagan, Reece, and Mateo around brought him more urgency and stress rather than relief. Now, without them surveying and questioning his every move, he could sort out his thoughts and compile a battleplan to find Lizzy.
His sneakers shuffled on the weed-infested ground, dry dirt splattering across the white laces. Nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye—just weeds, small yellow flowers, three-leafed clovers, sticks, leaves. He observed the young girl next to him with a walking stick who paused to pry open a thorn bush. The girl seemed to feel JJ's eyes on her as she met his gaze and rose an eyebrow. "Did you know her?" she asked.
JJ shrugged. "Kind of." Their story was complicated, and all he knew was that he didn't want it to be over. Not yet. Not ever.
The girl pursed her lips and offered him sympathy in her expression—pity that he didn't want or need. They were going to find her—alive and well. Not dead and definitely not in these woods.
Despite these thoughts, JJ continued to trudge forward, hands in pockets, eyes trained on the plain forest in front of him. Everything was still as if every creature—squirrels, deer, birds—found a hiding place before the search party had entered their home made of thin branches and flapping leaves.
Every so often, everyone would stop as a ringing voice rose above the stillness. Like a garden of statues, each search member waited until a flag marked the possible evidence before continuing their journey. As minutes slipped by into an hour and they still hadn't found a body, JJ finally let himself breathe. He had known it all along; she wasn't out here. He could feel it in his bones. Even though they had never met, something connected her and JJ. Something he couldn't decipher but wholly felt all the same.
Sluggishly they moved as slow as turtles or snails. It was a long process, searching for clues. No one wanted to overlook a single thing. A couple people even backtracked to make sure they hadn't missed something important. JJ himself discovered the difficulty in the fact that he had no idea what to hunt for. An earring? A ripped piece of clothing? A piece of hair? A knife? Even worse, he didn't know what he would find if they ventured far enough. Stumbling across a body—JJ did know that if that ever happened it would sear into his memory forever.
JJ did find something, but it was nothing of importance. Nonetheless, he crouched down, his fingers tenderly pressing the straws that formed itself into a nest. Broken, lifeless eggs were cracked inside, and JJ bit his lip. He could salvage nothing from the wreckage. He was sure the eggs' parents were flying high in the sky, squawking with worry as they sought their babies.
The girl with the walking stick looked over JJ's shoulder to see if he'd found anything. When she saw it was just a destroyed nest, she rested her hand on his arm consolingly. "Raccoons probably got them. C'mon now, let's keep going."
JJ stood up from his crouched position and saw that he and the girl were farther behind than everyone else who turned over every leaf and rifled through every bush methodically like searching for a possible dead girl's body was simply routine. A flash of fury burned in his stomach, but it was quickly doused. At least someone was searching. Lizzy wouldn't be forgotten—not as long as he was alive. And Teagan, Reece, and Mateo too. And all these strangers around them. In that moment, he promised himself and Lizzy that he would stop at nothing—nothing—to find her.
The girl watched him peculiarly and it unnerved him. "What are you staring at?" he snarled disgustedly before stepping around her and catching up with everyone else ahead of him.
"I don't think you 'kind of' knew her," the girl said when she caught up with him. JJ rolled his eyes. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but this girl couldn't seem to catch any of his blatant hints of being irritated by her. "Your face right there—" She pointed toward the area where JJ had found the nest. "—it looked as if you were broken, no, shattered by her disappearance. I've only seen that look in people who love—"
"Will you please just shut it?" JJ said, exasperated. He stretched the space between himself and the girl by marching away while prolonging his search at the same time.
Quiet met his ears once more and he relished in the tranquility. Just then, something sparkly caught his eye. He knelt in the green weeds and wiped away the dirt from the mysterious object. A golden ring. He peered closer—the words Halley Jo appeared in swift, curvy calligraphy.
"Hey!" JJ shouted, his nerves escalating. Sure, he was glad the ring didn't belong to Lizzy, but this girl—Halley—could be missing too. If they could locate both her and Lizzy—JJ forced himself not to hope at the possibility of saving two lives. They would be extremely lucky if they saved one. "I found something!"
The girl with the walking stick trotted over and glanced at the golden ring. "Halley?" she whispered in shock, her face paling into a sheet. She swayed, and JJ caught her before she could fall.
"Did you know her?" JJ asked. It was the same question the girl had inquired of JJ, but this time he was using it in reference of Halley Jo—whoever that was.
The girl nodded, her lips trembling as tears threatened to overflow. An older man placed an orange flag to mark the ring and then the search party commenced their examination, paying no attention to the girl's breakdown. "She was my sister. She went missing a year and a half ago—they said we'd never find her and her case went cold. I joined these search parties after that, hoping that someday I would find her or her kidnapper or her murderer." She stopped speaking and JJ softly led her back to their group. Suddenly, she froze, every muscle tense and ready to pounce. "She's here," the girl whispered, her dark brown eyes almost turning black. "She has to be."
JJ didn't say a word—mostly because he didn't know what to say. He just supported her and led her along as she searched frantically for another clue to lead her to her sister.
"A body. They found a body" were the whispers that echoed around JJ and the girl. Both she and JJ had stayed in the back of the pack, rifling through the trees and scattered leaves, taking their time and going over everything twice just to make sure they missed nothing important. Unlike the rest of the search party, JJ and the girl were personally linked to this specific search—JJ for Lizzy and the girl for her sister, Halley.
When those words reached the girl (whose name JJ found out to be Sandra), she collapsed into his arms, her face paler than snow. "Is it Halley?" she murmured after a few minutes, but nobody had an answer.
JJ carefully half-dragged half-carried Sandra in the direction where the body was found. They approached an area with a burbling brook, a group of people including a couple detectives and police officers surrounding something that JJ and Sandra couldn't see. A new set of yellow crime scene tape curled around and closed off the area. Together, JJ and Sandra ducked underneath the tape, afraid of what they would find on the other side.
A body—a girl's body—was mangled and bloodied, her purple fingers gently dipped in the creek. Her other arm was awkwardly twisted behind her back and she was dressed in a dirty pair of jeans and purple T-shirt that matched her lifeless fingers.
"Lizzy?" JJ choked out, dread suddenly cloaking him, just as Sandra whispered, "Halley?"
Sandra pressed her tear-stained face in JJ's shirt, his arm tightening around her, while JJ's mouth was set in a grim line, accompanying his pained face.
Neither wanted to face the truth or the girl lying dead on the ground in front of them. But yet a nagging curiosity tugged at both—who was she?
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A/N:
AHHHH WHO IS SHE???? You'll find out next chapter lol. Vote and comment if you enjoyed reading this! Sorry for the sporadic update--I've been extremely busy lately between school, college applications (which have been sent!!!!!), drama (I got the female lead this year!!!), and volleyball (I'm a team captain!). And I'm a co-president for student council! Go big or go home!
I'll try to update again ASAP!! Love you guys and thank you for all your support :)
- Payton