Sanctuary

Hallie hit play, filling the grassy clearing area with upbeat music. She double checked the table of food, bowls of chips and veggies, bottles of sodas and teas, piles of plastic cups and plates. A huge banner hung between two trees: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARYN, it read. It was perfect.

Now all that was missing was the birthday girl herself.

“You told her to meet you at one, right?” Shae asked her leaning in close to be heard.

Hallie nodded, straightening the purple table cloth and wondering where her roommate was. "Yeah, I made fake lunch plans with her for noon, but I just texted her and told her to meet me here instead."

“People are getting restless,” Shae said, glancing at party guests fidgeting in their seats at a picnic table. “Where is she? You don't think she'd blow you off, right?"

“I don’t know. Have any of you heard from her?” Hallie said nervously as she addressed the table. Each person shook their heads slowly, some pulling out cell phones to reassure her. She threw her head back, glancing up at the canopy of trees. She hadn’t seen Taryn all day, and from the looks of it, no one else had, either. Of course, that could have been from their deliberate attempts to avoid her until the surprise party, but Hallie hadn’t even seen her wake up that morning. She was long gone by the time Hallie had woken up.

She tried to think back to what she actually had seen of Taryn the last few days. Not much, come to think of it. She had seemed pretty happy, if not a little quieter than normal. Coming and going without much. Very polite, very peaceful.

Her mind furiously raced, trying to figure out how to reach Taryn. She wanted so desperately for this party to surprise Taryn and prove just how much all of her friends loved her. Especially after the weird tension over Alex they had experienced earlier that semester. She wanted nothing more than to celebrate Taryn before they all went their separate ways for the summer.

“What are we going to do?” Shae said, his voice low. He ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous tic that he kept repeating even though it looked fine. “Has she done anything since yesterday? Said anything about plans? Done anything weird that might hint to where she is?”

She stared off into the trees, her mind racing furiously as she tried to find answers to his questions. Suddenly, her eyes flew open wide and she reached for her bag. “The journal. She hasn’t let go of it for days. It’s the journal.”

She pivoted and ran, leaving the rest of her friends and party guests in total confusion.

***

“I’m really sorry, guys. Thanks for sticking around,” Shae said, patting Matt’s shoulder as the group headed for the entrance to the clearing. It had been two hours since the party was supposed to start. He watched his friends leave, turning to clean up as he waited for Hallie to return. He pulled his dark beanie lower onto his head, pulling on a grey sweatshirt to ward off the approaching chill.

One by one, he cleaned off the tables, dumping uneaten food into plastic Ziploc bags and tossing dirty cups into a trash bag. He pulled out his cell phone, hoping for something, anything, from Hallie or Taryn. Even he, usually calm and cool-headed, was beginning to worry.

He picked up a bowl of chips, reaching for a bag as he heard approaching footsteps. Hallie sprinted into the clearing, a little black book in hand. “Shae!”

“Did you find her?” he asked, dropping the bowl as she reached him.

She shook her head, her face white with fear despite her panting breath.

“Hallie…?” His eyes shifted from hers to the black book. “What is it?”

“It’s Taryn,” she said, holding the journal up. “She’s tried to kill herself.”