Innocence

F R A G I L E

"But sometimes, the only thing you can do is hold on with your little, stubborn heart and have faith."

~Alison Malee~

~🎀~

I T  H A D  been six hours since Freya found out that Falcon was missing. She had called him at least one hundred times over the course of the day and each one went straight to voicemail. She was worried before, but now she was terrified.

Kendra had called the police an hour ago, relying on Freya for the details of the situation. After the filing of an official missing person report and the general exhaustion of the day, Freya's eyes were drooping closed but sleep refused to find her.

Her eyes were puffy from the constant slew of tears she had suffered over the last few hours and her heart ached from the absence of the boy she cared about more than anyone else in the world. Not for the first time, she wished her mother was here. Freya never knew her personally, but she knew what mothers were supposed to be like.

She curled into a tighter ball under her heavy blankets, sniffling as a new onslaught of tears threatened to appear. The feeling of emptiness in her bed seemed to have multiplied with the haunting knowledge that he may never fill it again. That hurt worst of all. The possibility that they never find him. The possibility that he was lost forever.

The possibility that he may never come back.

She didn't dare think of him dead. The thought lodged her breath firmly in her throat, unmovable until it banished from her mind. He wasn't dead. She had the feeling she'd know if he was.

A knock on the door had her pushing her lethargic body into a seated position as Kendra entered the room with a sad smile.

"An-anything?" Freya didn't dare let herself hope, but the question slipped out before she could restrain it.

Kendra's eyes grew softer - sadder - as she perched herself on the end of Freya's bed. She shook her head slowly, watching the little girl with cautious yet caring eyes.
"They're trying as hard as they can, darling," She spoke softly.

Freya's heart wilted and she didn't give any response, simply curling back under her covers as her mind grew numb. Kendra leaned forward, resting a hand on her upper arm as she rubbed the spot in a comforting gesture.

"They'll find him," The doubt in Kendra's words was palpable. "He can't have gone far."

Freya didn't have an answer, so she stayed silent, staring at her white painted wall. Kendra's hand slipped off her arm as she took in a deep breath, letting it out in a rush.
"Try and get some sleep," She whispered before pressing a kiss to Freya's temple and getting up to leave the room.

Freya didn't get any sleep, and all too soon it was morning. The light filtered in through her curtains, the faint aroma of ground coffee beans and breakfast foods filled the air, birds outside had begun their day, singing and chirping unique tunes as they flew past her window. Freya would think that it was the start to quite a lovely day, but Falcon remained absent and her heart continued pulsing in pain.

She didn't bother moving from her spot in the bed, not seeing any positives in leaving the one thing that was keeping her body warm. So she stayed. She stayed when breakfast was brought in, she stayed when breakfast was brought out, she stayed when Kendra attempted to coax her out with the promise of hot chocolate and biscuits, she stayed when lunch was brought in and she stayed during all other intrusions.

Until Kendra came back inside her room in a slightly rushed state.
"Get up, child," She pleaded. "You're father's going to be returning any moment now and I can't have you looking like this. He'll think I didn't even try and take care of you."