Going to Pasalacqua

“Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign. Instead there's only silence, can't you hear my screams? Never stop hoping, need to know where you are. Never felt so sure, you were always in my heart.” 

“Somewhere” by Within Temptation

I was beyond panicked, horrified. She had been missing for over an hour and I'd personally checked every inch of the park. Drops of perspiration dewed on my forehead. I wiped at it viciously and looked around again. I stood a few feet behind Ollie, she talked to a woman at the front desk, showing her pictures of Adeline on her camera so they could find her, they told her they'd sent out security.

I sighed a little, half relief and half still agonized.

“We'll find her sweetie...” Ollie smiled, brushing my cheek as she walked by. It wasn't comforting like I was hoping it'd be. It only put me in edge even more because she wasn't sure, she couldn't guarantee me that. 

I followed Ollie closely, gazing over the crowds, hoping to latch eyes with that perfect set of hazel. But I couldn't see her, she could be anywhere in this goddamned park. 

I wasn't looking where I was walking, or more so panicked jogging, and slammed into someone, seeing it was only Mike and not some buff dude that would destroy me. 

“Hey dude.” he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I dusted off the back of my jeans and half heartedly smiled, though it did me as much good as pricking my heart with nails. I sighed and took a deep breath “Any sign of her?”

“No” he shook his head.

I took another deep breath and scratched the back of my neck out of nervous habit. I looked up to see two security guards walking towards us.

“Billie Joe?” the tall one asked.

“Yep.. That's me.” I muttered glumly.  

“We found this out in the parking lot, the chain was broken. In your mothers photos, Adeline Stewart was wearing this, correct?”

I studied what he held in his hand. It was a rainbow colored guitar pick on a broken chain, it was Adeline's.

“Yeah, that's hers... I made it for her a while back.”

<><><>

“Billie, Larry is renting a hotel room for tonight so we'll be close by, you need some rest, Sweetie.”

Ollie brushed a strand of bleached blond hair out of my eyes “Rest is for the weak...” I muttered.

“Just come with us, ok?”

“But what if Adeline is looking for us? And we aren't here?”
I asked, looking up at her to see her reaction.

She dodged the question and patted my shoulder instead “They will find her sweetie. Now come on.”

She put her arm around my shoulders and guided me towards the gates. My mind was hazy with lack of sleep, but as long as she's been gone? That's not normal. I blinked several times, realizing I was exhausted, but I wasn't about to sleep. I leaned my head against the car window and watched the gates for her, but she never came. 

I watched the town, thick with traffic, pass by. The windows blurred with lights of every color and I couldn't block it out by closing my eyes. I had every possible scenario playing through my head, what happened to her? Adeline wasn't much on playing pranks, especially not one like this. It wasn't a prank, it could be something so much worse. I blocked the possibilities from my mind. I didn't want to think about what could be wrong, because those scenarios killed me from the inside out. 

We got to the hotel and I shuffled to our room in a trance, the second Ollie unlocked the door, I shuffled towards the window and pulled the recliner up next to it, eyeing the phone while the moonlight washed my skin pale. 

Ollie tried to encourage me to get some rest, but eventually gave up and went to bed, even after everyone was asleep, I still glanced at the phone every now and again then looked out the window over the city's scape, thinking to myself “...Where are you?...” 

         <><><> Adeline's Point of View <><><>

I blinked several times and became aware of the pain in my head as I became more alert. I could feel a slight vibration under me, but no matter how much I blinked, the darkness surrounding me never eased up. I tried to sit up, but my wrists were tied together with a piece of rough old rope that cut into my wrists with every movement. I sat up a little bit, then hit my head on something. It smelled faintly of gasoline and peppermint, I had a faint idea of where I was. But not really...

It had been a normal day really, until this happened. I'd just got done dragging Billie through the Peter Pan ride at Disney land. Then I ran off to the bathroom. I wasn't really paying attention to anything around me. My mind so knotted up in dumb, cliché teenager thoughts.  I ran into someone, it was a man and his girlfriend. And... Lucky me... They spilt fucking shakes on my shirt, I felt like the girl did it more so on purpose than the man did.  They apologized and asked my name, they told me theirs, they were Jake and Jess. But they stated that their nicknames were Reverend and Mary-Jane. 

They offered To buy me another shirt so I wouldn't have to walk around the park in a shitty stained tank top. I sighed and agreed and we headed off to the general direction of one of the gift shops. Then Jess said she left her money in the car and she'd be back quick, she begged me to go with her, but I didn't trust her. I sighed and followed her though, keeping my distance a little bit. I hadn't noticed Jake following me a few yards back. 

We got to their car, a rusted up Pontiac. She rummaged around in the passengers seat, then called to me to check the trunk. I started to feel uneasy, I stood in front of the trunk, not opening it yet, my instincts kicked in.

“Hey, actually it's ok, I don't really need a new shirt...”

She laughed “Hey don't worry about it.”

“I'll see ya around...”

“What? You don't even want to hang out with us?” she pouted.

“Sorry, I've got people waiting for me...”

“Oh! You mean Billie, Mike and Tré? And then there's Ollie and Larry.” she waved nonchalantly.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously “How would you know that?”

“Because Adie, honey, me and Jake have been assigned to take care of you.” she laughed and put her hand on my shoulder, I heard Jake's laugh and spun around in time to be met in the face with a crowbar.

I struggled against consciousness to kick them off of me, Jake snagged off my necklace and threw it on the ground, laughing as he bound my hands together and shoved me into the trunk. 

I blinked as I realized where I was and that I was kidnapped my breathing became heavy, she said they were assigned... By who? Who would want to end me?...

The trunk jerked around as the car came to a stop and I heard the voices of my captors talking to someone else.