Search for the Fae

Chapter 2

Lifeless. That's how that morning felt to Resistance as she looked through the never ending flies of missing children. Sounds of officers walking back forth across the linoleum floors, phones ringing, and people talking could be heard all around the precinct, but to the strawberry-haired woman, it didn't bring the place to life. If anything a room feeling filled the air of everyone trying to make it through the day made the atmosphere of the room more stressful.

It didn't take long for word about the Brice boy's disappearance to spread around town. Paranoia and concern for child safety quickly took hold of Yggdrasil Burrow. This was no surprise due to the fact that exactly four children went missing just around five years ago. The record for child disappearances in a year was eight, and that had been back during World War II, but back then the town faced great poverty with most of the men deployed to the war. It was a dark time in Yggdrasil Burrow, and because of this the town hardly thought of the children's disappearances as a curse, but only that they chose to run away from home because of the war.

The second highest count of missing children had been 14 years ago. This thought made Ressy's gaze turn towards the wall of missing posters. There were more children on the wall than adults, which made it hard for people to look at. Ressy's eyes picked out one in particular, despite the wall being covered by a lot of new ones but. She could still barely make out half a little girl with a face full of freckles, peachy skin, dark brown hair, and deep green eyes in what appeared to be a school picture. The bottom of the picture revealed most of the information that wasn't covered.

Lucille "Lucy" Nole

Age 8

The rest just told where she was last seen: in her bedroom after she had been put to bed and the contact information if anyone had seen or heard anything. But no one ever did. Of course the town had brought in outside law enforcement like the marshals and even the FBI to help the case five years ago, but things would happen once outsiders were brought in. Endless bad weather, freak accidents surrounding police vehicles and anywhere the investigators happened to be staying in town. Of course the outside help did suspect foul play from the culprit to try to scare them away but, they could never prove it actually was that. Eventually the bad luck drove them out. For example, an FBI agent was struck by lightning on a clear-skied day, and a healthy marshal nearly had a stroke.

It was like some otherworldly force was saying, "Don't mess with things that don't concern you" in a very spiteful way. Since then no other outside law enforcement bothered to try when the town tried to reach out for help with more missing children. Of course, they would always say that they would review it and see what had to be done, but Yggdrasil Burrow would never hear back from them. It was like the town was blacklisted...

Just then the phone on Resistance's desk rung, snapping her out of her thoughts. "God, I need coffee," she groaned as she rubbed her eyes and picked up the phone. "Detective Nole..." she said in her most professional voice, but she was sure her exhaustion made its way into her tone.

"You sound like you haven't gotten any sleep," said a raspy but soft voice.

Resistance paused in the middle of rubbing her eyes as she recognized the voice of her mother. "Sounds like you haven't been getting much sleep ethier mom..."

Her mother chuckled on the other end of the phone. The young woman could literally hear the depression in her mother's voice. "You know I haven't had good sleep since... since what happened to your sister..."

Of course Resistance knew. The detective's mother had trouble with insomnia and depression starting with when her father passed away from a car accident when she was only nine years old. Her mother could barely cope, which led her down the path to alcohol and sleeping meds. Lucy had only been three at the time so she barely understood what was going on. Neither of them did. The only thing the two did know was that Daddy wouldn't be coming home anymore and that Mommy had changed completely forever. She was no longer a fun-loving and happy woman but a woman with endless sleepless nights and sorrow using alcohol and sleep meds to help cope. She became distant, and young Resistance had to take over as "mother" to toddler Lucy.