Soul Stitched (book one)

Chapter 23: Crystal

I was looking day and night for Wilt. My house was still MIA, and I had no food. I was in a t-shirt, jeans, a sweatshirt, and boots. I had been so upset when I had left my house, that I hadn't even thought about putting on a coat.

I shivered, but I wasn't nearly as cold as I should have been in that weather- a blizzard. Well, I guess I should say another blizzard.

"Wilt!" I called. There was no noise except for the roar of the storm. "Wilt!" I repeated. I sighed, thinking it was hopeless. How could I find her in the middle of nowhere? Nothing lied ahead but snow. No trees, no animals, just snow. Plain white snow. It was so thick in the air, I could barely see. I wished I had my sled dogs. I wished I was at home, in bed, dreaming about an adventure in the snow. Instead, I was living one.

I walked on for hours, until eventually, I collapsed. I didn't even try to get back up. I lied limp in the snow. Life was meaningless. My thoughts were hopeless. I decided to forget about anything I had ever dreamed of, things that I thought were possible. Nothing was possible. My life was gone. I was just going to die.

The moment I thought those thoughts, the snow seemed to slacken. It started to fall horizontally, washing over my face. It felt so peaceful and refreshing, I couldn't help smiling. Then it moved the other way, towards my toes. It felt like it was pushing at my eyelids, trying to get them to close. Eventually, I couldn't fight the force anymore, and the snow pushed my eyes shut.

*Flash* I saw a boy. He was running. He had a worried expression on his face. As he ran, he looked back. He shrieked and ran faster. I heard shouting behind him, but couldn't see anyone else. Then I noticed he was holding something- a bag of money. He breathed heavily, and he only looked about ten years old. *Flash* I saw a woman, tall and frail. Her cheeks sagged over large cheek bones, and her eyes seemed hollowed out. Her expression was sad. "My son," She said. Her voice was quiet and raspy. "What have you done?" She asked. *Flash* I caught a glimpse of the ten year old boy with a look of horror on his face. *Flash* All I saw was dankness, but I heard his voice yell, "Nooooo!"

I woke up covered in sweat. "Strange dream. My mind can make up weird things sometimes." I mumbled to myself. I got up and realized something: I was alive.

I didn't make much progress that day. I just kept muttering to myself about how i Had to find Wilt. I knew she was in danger. The dream I had had a couple of days before assured me of that. In most cases, I would say, "Oh it was just a nightmare." But this time it was different. The dream, was accurate, and Wilt was in danger. I could just feel it.

Meanwhile, at Crystal's house....

"Yes, I know we should go and look for her, but I've told you a million times, it won't help! She's probably long gone by now!" Crystal's mom yelled over the phone. Her and Crystal's dad had come downstairs to find Crystal and Wilt missing. They had gotten so stressed, they hadn't left the house since. They hand't looked for Crystal, because by the time they figured out she was gone, it was to late. They would never find her.

"I already gave you her description! And the kidnapper's!" She shouted. She listened to the policeman respond, then said. "Yes! Black spiky hair, tall, thin, definitely goth! I've told you this already, just fine my daughter!" She was getting desperate, and she was trying not to cry. Crystal's dad walking in with a grim expression. "I don't understand. All of Wilt's stuff is still here. If she was going to kidnap Crystal, wouldn't she pack ahead of time and take her stuff?" He asked. Crystal's mom shook her head and put her hand over the phone to the policeman couldn't hear, "No, she could be in to much of a rush to pack.I'm sure she would have, if we hadn't come home early. She must have read the note and thought she had plenty of time to kidnap Crystal. When we would come home, since Crystal wasn't there, we would just assume that she had never come home and was still running away. It's the perfect cover up. But when we came home early, she realized she had to act quickly." She explained. They heard a muffled voice, and Crystal's mom took her hand off the phone and continued her frustrating conversation.

After a couple of minutes, she gave up and hung up while the policeman was in mid-sentence. "So, wait, let me get this straight. You said that your great aunt just blew up, and-"

"Any luck?" Crystal's dad asked. She shook her head and put the phone down. "I guess we only have option left: go look for her ourselves." She said. Her husband nodded, and they put on their winter coats. They walked to the front of the house and Crystal's dad opened the door. He gasped. "What? What is it?" Crystal's mom asked. "We're..." His voice faltered. "We're in Florida."