User blog:Corbierr/The Missing- First Chapter

'''You guys said a while ago you were interested, and I was typing up the first chapter for my friends tonight, so I figured, why not? Enjoy! Suggestions and criticisms welcome!'''





The Missing

Chapter 1-

Haven’t most people wondered about a perfect world? For centuries, people have dreamed, conquered, ruled, preached, worked to make their version of perfect a reality. What is perfect, though? Is it a world of peace and prosperity? A world of total freedom, and independence? Is it when everyone can be equal, or when everyone has a place in society, a place tailored just for them? Nobody really knows what ‘perfect’ is...but sometimes one person’s ideals, and their determination to make them happen, can create worlds that come pretty close…

Welcome to Terces, a large and isolated country with a population in the millions, millions who live in freedom and peace, with no fear of enemies or poverty. It’s a country of snowcapped mountains to the west and white, sandy beaches to the east, of large cities and small towns, with expanses of forests, rivers and plains to fill the rest of the land.

For generations, the ruling Peirce family has kept things running smoothly, and the people could not be happier...there’s no place they’d rather be, many claim, if there are any other nations at all. Truth is, years of isolation has kept many Tercians from knowing anything about the outside world...but to them, leaving would be foolish, and those potential other countries are merely places of imagination. If one has a happy life, after all, why would they want to change it?

Except, there is one problem. To someone hearing it for the first time, it would seem like a big, panic-worthy thing, but not to the Tercian citizens; to them, it’s on the same level as a house fire- bad if you’re involved, but a rather common fact of life. They also believe it would be bad luck to speak about, so they don’t.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Sometimes, people just disappear. They vanish, always without warning, and always permanently. Nobody, save for a select few, knows why, or how, but at least that children seem to be exempt from this...for now. These people are known mostly by their nickname: The Missing.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">But, life goes on, and for many, The Missing is just a story meant to scare toddlers into behaving...at least, that’s what the people who have not experienced it believe. They make up the majority, and for them, one problem will not spoil their otherwise perfect life.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Well, sometimes, ‘perfect’ is just a cover for disaster.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">It was early in the morning, and much of Liberty Brook was still asleep. The summer sun was just starting to rise over the forest nearby, and mostly, things were quiet.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">At least, until Amber was woken from her sleep by a loud noise downstairs. Being the light sleeper that she was, she automatically began to stir. Sitting upright, she yawned and looked around her dim, empty bedroom. It was just a normal morning- maybe she dreamt the noise. She rolled onto her side and attempted to sleep some more. It was too early, and she had been up late last night watching movies, so she needed rest. But when there was another noise, she, annoyed and curious, decided to go and see what was going on.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The rest of her house was dark, like her room was. It didn’t seem like anyone else was awake, but then, what made the noise? Turning on the living room light, she looked around and saw nothing except her normal house. Amber wandered for a bit, still unsure. There might have been someone lurking and ready to add her to The Missing. But everything seemed perfectly fine. On the couch were some pieces of the spicy corn-chips she had been eating, and had forgotten about, during the movie marathon. Shrugging, she picked up her trash and carried it into her kitchen to throw it away.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Upon entering, that’s when she realized the front door was open.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Getting rid of the crumbs, Amber decided to go outside to see if she could find the source of the noise. Slipping through the open door and walking into the damp grass with her bare feet, she stopped and scanned the area. The sun was finally up, and the sky was a beautiful soft blue color. There was a rabbit hopping across the lawn, and birds beginning to sing in the trees. It was a lovely morning, but it wasn’t what she was outside for.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">After deciding that nobody was outside, she went back in, shut the door and made her way back towards the stairs so she could go back to sleep. Then she heard the doorknob jiggle.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Her heart leapt when she heard the noise, and her tired mind jumped to the conclusion that whoever had made the noise had left and was now coming back. Well, she wasn’t about to join The Missing- not today! Amber, with sudden resolve, dived behind her couch and did a small ninja-roll over to the wall by the kitchen entrance. Pressing herself against the hardwood floor, she crept closer, as she heard footsteps. They were quick and steady, as if the mystery person knew where they were going- as if they had been here before.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They seemed to be entering the dining room, which was in the opposite direction of her. Good. Amber slipped into the dining room, then looked around for a new place to hide. There was only one place that would cut it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">She climbed up on the sink, and then, with a small breath, hoisted herself up onto the top of the nearby fridge, as she had done many times before for fun. There she sat, crouched, waiting and prepared to confront her enemy if needed, almost envisioning herself as a lioness on a hunt. The footsteps came closer, back towards the kitchen, and instinctively, she tensed. The dust from the top of the fridge threatened to make her sneeze; Amber forced herself to hold it in.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The person entered the kitchen and walked past the fridge to the sink. She tensed automatically, only to relax when she saw a distinctive blonde and messy bun, one she had seen almost every day of her life. Amber forced herself to relax. It was just her mom. Then, she grew curious again.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">What was her mom doing, up so early, wandering in and out of the house? She was dressed in her regular weekend clothes, and when Amber listened carefully, she heard her mom humming in a carefree manor. But there was a small bulge in her pocket, and near the table, a strange briefcase.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Mom?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Her mom jumped and screamed, then turned around to see her while breathing heavily. “Amber! Don’t do that,” she scolded. “You scared me half to death!...What are you doing on top of the refrigerator, honey?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Amber slowly climbed down and wiped the dust off of her. “I heard a noise, and got a little spooked.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">She was given one of her mom’s classic, beautiful white smiles. “You always were a light sleeper. But you’re very good at being sneaky, though, I have to say.” Her mom looked over her for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, until snapping herself out of it and saying, “You can go back to bed, sweetie, I’m just running a couple errands, that’s all,”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Why so early?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“The early bird gets the worm, you know,” she laughed a little.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Oh.” Amber turned her focus to something else. “What’s the briefcase for?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“That’s your father’s, sweetie.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I didn’t <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">look <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> like her dad’s briefcase. “Is it new?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“He’s holding it for Mr. King,” Her mom explained. Mr. King was her dad's boss at the advertising company he worked for in the nearby Silver City. It didn’t seem that implausible that the briefcase was his; her dad was one of the higher ups of the company, and Mr. King relied on him often- a little too often for Amber’s tastes, as his dad was never home since he received the promotion- and once he had even eaten dinner at her house. Amber decided it made sense, even if she didn’t like it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Shrugging, she said, “Well, see you in a few hours, Mom,” and went back upstairs to her now-sunlit-room. Amber got back into bed, but because she was so awake, she ended up just staring outside of her window, deep in thought.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Her mom had been acting strange a lot recently. It was always tiny things- like leaving early in the morning, just to come home late at night- which was usually something only her dad did-, talking to a strange person on the phone in a hushed voice, going on unusually long walks, and more. Amber had shrugged it off the first few times, but now she was beginning to wonder.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Was her mom having an affair? No, not possible. Her parents were one of the happiest married couples she knew; just last month, they had gone off on a romantic beach vacation to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. So that was out. Then what could it have possibly been?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Maybe she was overthinking things. Her mom never kept secrets from her- it wasn’t something family did. Her mom had even told Amber the little secrets dad didn’t know, like how she once accidentally ruined his favorite expensive suit and was forced to trash it, and when asked for it, pretended she didn’t know where it was. There were a lot of little shared secrets between them. Her mom wouldn’t lie to her. She was sure of it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">But it was true that Amber didn’t know where her mom went off to every day and why she was acting so oddly. Her father had a job to keep him away, but her mom was an English teacher at the local Middle School, and so she always got summers off- and she would know if her mom would have a summer job. That would be nothing worth hiding.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Amber missed when her family was close and her parents weren’t always gone, and didn’t act strangely; but what could she do? Things were changing- even she’d be leaving in autumn to go to college in the city. She had to face facts; her family wouldn’t be together forever, and she couldn’t be clinging to her parents all her life.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">She continued staring out the window at the empty street, deep in thought, until she finally fell back to sleep; until the distant sounds of birds chirping, the heat of the sun beating down on her through her window, and the dazzling blue sky faded away into nothing.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:10pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Calibri;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Had she remained awake, however, she might have noticed her mom walking down the street with the briefcase, headed towards the train station.

'''Hope you all liked it! Tell me honestly what you think, and if you'd like more!'''

'Character Analysis- Mara'' comes out Thursday! More of The Halloween Game on Friday- check out the first chapter now!