Escape to Home

Searching... Searching...

~Carrol~

Still no sign of the boy, sir," my worker reports, scanning his screen again. I sigh, hopelessly. "You can't find a trace of Nathan, Jenkins?" I ask him, desperately.

"No... It's like they're absorbing the tracking signal... I can't get a lock."

"You mean they're using anechoic tiles?"

"Yeah, but a way more advanced version of it. With regular anechoic tiles, there's... I'll say a lack of signal feedback. With these, it's like the radar is completely missing it!"

I start biting my nails, nervously. "Is there any hope of finding my boy??" I interrogate.

"I... can't say, sir, I'll be trying my best, but there's no guarantees..."

"I understand," I reply reluctantly. I exit the building and find my brother waiting for me at the exit.

"Any luck?" Frīgēre questions, hopefully.

I shake my head.

"Oh... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, it's not your fault... It's mine... I should've paid better attention to my son instead of ignoring him."

"You're too hard on yourself, it wasn't your fault. How could we expect that Francis would be attacked and Nathan kidnapped?"

"I don't know... Something about that story sounds off. Like a part of it's missing."

"Hmm... I think Francis is telling the truth, he couldn't have helped that situation."

"Maybe," I reply, still unsure, "I'm gonna have to tell Diana either way about the failed attempt again..."

Frīgēre chuckles, but not a full one since he's worried about Nathan. The hassle of calling my limo isn't worth it, so I take a bus to my wife's salon and spa. As I reach it, the familiar logo of her spa shines brightly. I read the sunshine-yellow words Diana's Spot to myself as the bus stops.

Her place is the biggest and most popular girl's and women's salon and spa in Locust Point. I always find her with a client, either working or just chatting. I open the arched doors to the spa, which causes a bell to jingle, and I slip in.

I inhale a whirlwind of smells, including lavender, eucalyptus, lemongrass, basil, and green tea as I slip inside. As I suspected, my wife is talking to a client. I spot our daughter, Vivian, as well, talking to the client's girl.

My wife spots me immediately and rushes over, tightly embracing me. I am uncomfortably aware of her clients watching us, some with surprised expressions, others smiling.

...

Nathan: Okay, this might sound a little weird. I'll need to explain this to you. See, my parents were not a close couple before my disappearance. They met at a business conference and both had blooming businesses at the time. They only married later because it was convenient.

TheWritingWarrior14: Really? Huh. They met and liked each other, and they needed heirs to take over the family businesses.

Nathan: Yeah... They dated once or twice to see if they still liked each other enough before getting married. Nothing special, really. So, when my mom rushed over to my Dad, he and my mother's clients were caught unawares.

...

"Did you find him?" Diana asks, her eyes, which I just noticed are a beautiful, dark green, were filled with hope. "No, I'm sorry," I whisper. She starts softly sobbing into my shoulder. I stroke her hair, a little embarrassed, to try to ease her pain.