2. Thanatophobia

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♡Chapter dedicated to funnyguy73

"You got tears, making tracks
I got tears, that are scared of the facts." Athlete.

The last thing that Jenna Jones wanted to hear at seven o'clock on a Saturday morning was Maria Mansfield's nasally voice

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The last thing that Jenna Jones wanted to hear at seven o'clock on a Saturday morning was Maria Mansfield's nasally voice.

Unfortunately, as she answered the ringing phone, still half asleep, that is exactly what she heard on the other end of the receiver.

"Jenna, how are you? Is Kayla still there? Can I speak to her?"

"What?" Jenna answered groggily, trying to comprehend what the other woman was saying.

"I mean, it's not that I mind that she stayed the night, it's just that they are only eighteen, you know? With college coming up the last thing we need is a little accident." The sneer in her voice at the last word was evident, even through the phone line. She had never approved of her daughter's relationship with Jenna's son. "And what about Ryder? Did he stay there too?"

Come to think of it, Jenna didn't remember hearing anyone come home last night. Although, they could have just been really quiet.

"Hold on." Jenna dragged herself out of bed, reluctant to leave the comfort of her cotton sheets, her husband's questioning eyes peered at her over the top of the duvet. She waved him off and wandered out the bedroom, padding down the hall and opening the door to Noah's room. 

Her eyes widened when she realized Noah's bed was neatly made, as though it hadn't been slept in. Ignoring Maria's insistent voice coming through the speaker, she walked through to the living room next, half expecting to see the kids sleeping on mattresses on the carpeted floor. The emptiness of the room caused her heart to flutter. "They're not here."

"What do you mean 'not there'? Of course they are! Where else would they be?"

Jenna had to resist the urge to press the end call button on the phone, "I mean," she emphasized, "that they are not here. Neither is Noah."

Somewhere beneath her annoyance with Maria Mansfield, Jenna was beginning to feel the slightest bit of unease. It wasn't like Noah to not come home; he would have at least sent a message. She pulled the phone from her ear and checked the screen. Seeing no new notifications, she bit down the slight hint of panic she was beginning to feel and tried to reason with herself as well as the other woman.

"Maybe they are at Savannah's? Or Aaron's?"

"Savannah's was the first place I called." The edge of hysteria in Maria's voice was impossible to ignore. "She didn't come home either."

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