Lola's Project

Thursday, July 26th, 2012.

The beginning of the end. The End of the Beginning? I don't know. It's the end for some the beginning for others. But for me? It is the worst day of my life.

I woke up. 3 am to the sound of my sister screaming. I ran out of my room and down the hall to her room just to see that she wasn't there. She was no longer in her own room. I check everywhere in the house. Our parents weren't home so I was supposed to keep an eye on her.

The house was empty except for me. Silent except for the sound of my own footsteps across the tiled floor. Dark except for the flashlight that I had held tightly in my hand. I walk through the cold dark house, hoping, praying, that this was all just one fucked up nightmare.

When I didn't wake, when the sun started to rise and I couldn't find my sister anywhere, the reality set it. I call my parents and the police and sit on the front steps in a panic.

I was 16 at the time. Barely old enough to drive myself to school. The day I lost my baby sister. Everything else was all lost.

March 24th, 2020.

My parents have given up all hope years ago on finding my sister. The cops stopped hunting before I even went back to school that fall. Everyone except me has given up on finding her.

I spend any time I can following whatever leads I get. Going back through the days before she disappeared. Trying to find anything to lead me in the right direction. The dark web became a useful tool. Often finding someone talking about someone that could possibly be my sister.

She'd be almost 16 now. 8 when she disappeared. I keep a close lookout for any mention of a girl that could be her. With the help from my high school best friend, who is now a police officer, I meet up with people who have girls they are willing to have others use. I talk to them. Get whatever information I can and later the police will go in and raid.

We've saved almost fifty girls in the attempts to find my sister. But none of them have ever been her.

Today I am hoping will be different. I am meeting with a 16-year-old girl. Brown hair blue eyes. Just like my sister had. Hopefully, we'll find her.

But first I need to meet with my police officer friend.

I get to the station just at the beginning of her shift and meet her in her office. At this point, she has a whole drawer in her file cabinet dedicated to my project. We had named it Lola's Project because it was originally about my goal to find her and help these other girls in the process.

"Yo Zeryck!" I hear from down the hall. I groan as I see Officer Thyne heading up the hall. "You here to see Officer Gordan?" He asks when he catches up to me.

Thyne was an older officer, he had been with the department for almost 20 years. His grey short hair remained the same length the whole time I've known him. His dark brown eyes were always emotionless.

"I always am," I say coldly. "She's the one heading Lola's Project."

"I could always help you guys with it. You know I am in the Human Trafficking Unit." He tries to convince me like he does every other time I am here.

"I only trust Officer Gordan. She's the only one that will know what I am doing and when." I reply before stopping at Officer Gordan's door. "Now if you excuse me. I have work I need to do."

I turn and slide into her office before Officer Thyne can say anything else to me. I close the door behind me before letting out a sigh. I run my hand through my dyed blue hair.

"Gillian!" I smile as I look down at the women at the desk in front of me. Her bright red hair pulled to the back of her head in a tight bun.

"Hey, Zeryck!" She smiles back before unlocking the drawer marked Lola's Project. "You have a mission today, don't you?"