�Blue jeans, a red shirt...� Alyson started.
�Purple.� Kennedi interrupted.
�Are you sure? I thought she was wearing her red and yellow one with the kitty on the front.� Alyson said.
Kennedi shook her head, �No, she was wearing that earlier today, but when we left she was wearing her purple and pink lacy top.�
�Tara?� Alyson asked, looking at her friend.
�I last saw her in the red and yellow kitty shirt, but she could�ve changed.� Tara looked flustered.
Kennedi sighed and stormed into the room, coming back just a few moments later with the red-and-yellow shirt in her hand. Alyson blushed, �Yeah, okay, she was wearing the purple and pink one.�
Special Agent Linus smiled, �Okay, and did she have shoes or socks?� he asked.
�Nope, she was barefoot.� Alyson said, and Kennedi nodded in agreement.
�Okay, one last question. Did you notice any suspicious characters lurking about?� he asked.
Alyson immediately shook her head, but both Tara and Kennedi looked thoughtful, �I-I don�t remember seeing anything.� Tara finally said.
�Me neither. But whenever we�re walking around we�re usually too focused on talking to each other to notice other people.� Kennedi explained.
�Okay, thanks. The CSIs are here now, and they�ll need an hour to go through the scene, so if there�s a friends� place you can go, I can give you a lift. Is there anyone you need to call? Her parents?� he asked.
�Oh, no....� Kennedi trailed off.
�Her parents are in Sweden until the end of the month.� Alyson explained.
�Do you have the number where you can reach them?� he asked.
�N-no. Siobhan had their number, but I don�t know where she put it.� Kennedi said, looking flustered.
�Well, if it�s in the room, the CSIs will find it. Now, can I give you a lift anywhere?� he asked, looking truly concerned.
* * * * * * *
He chuckled to himself as he lovingly cleaned his Smith and Wesson. He had escaped with the girl without anyone even realizing what he�d done. It had gone like clockwork, beautiful clockwork He smiled to himself, �Now for some fun!� he cackled, heading into the next room.
* * * * * * *
Alyson, Kennedi, and Tara sat on the couch at Tara�s house. They�d come straight here to find it deserted, no signs of Tara�s parents anywhere. They�d warmed up their meal from the cafeteria, and picked at it, no one really hungry. After eating, they sat on the couch to watch the news, to see what exactly was being done about Siobhan�s disappearance. Special Agent Linus had said they�d start search parties in the morning, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Alyson had been all for going out anyway, but he had stopped her, saying it was better to wait for daylight hours.
�Now, from quiet Edina State University, a college student goes missing. Siobhan Arintero, almost 22 years old, disappeared from her dormitory in the late afternoon hours. Police have not named any suspects, although they are wondering whether it has anything to do with the college girl that was kidnapped and killed two weeks ago in Bloomingdale. If anyone has seen this girl, please contact the Edina Police Department right away.� the newswoman sounded way, way too chipper to be talking about a kidnapping. A picture of Siobhan was shown on the screen. It was actually several years old, but they didn�t have any pictures of just Siobhan that were recent. She still looked somewhat like that, though, so the police had taken the photo anyway.
* * * * * * *
�Police are still looking for the 21-year-old woman who disappeared from Edina State University three days ago. Search parties were launched, and three girls who call themselves Siobhan�s best friends joined in. One of them found Siobhan�s bloody clothing in the woods, and police fear she is dead, but no one wants to lose hope....� the news lady�s voice faded into the background as Tara crumbled into sobs. Kennedi and Alyson immediately had her in their arms again, as they had comforted her when Tara had made the discovery. They were curled onto the couch at the Maclayne�s, Tara�s mom and dad in the kitchen. They had been searching for three days, and for two and a half there had been nothing. Not until this afternoon when Tara had found the purple and pink lace top and the blue jeans Siobhan had been wearing- stained with blood.
Tara leaned into both her friends, sobbing. She was so scared. She just couldn�t lose another friend, �I-I need her, guys! I need Syvanni.� she cried.
�I know, sweetie, I know. She isn�t dead, I know she�s not. We�d know if she was.� Alyson soothed. Kennedi stroked Tara�s hair, saying nothing. She hadn�t said a word since Tara had found the clothes.
Tara pulled back, �Kennedi?� she asked, softly. She was worried about her friend, Kennedi was a bigger talker in crisis than she herself.
Kennedi shook her head, tears dripping down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her hand, not wanting to cry, wanting to be strong for Tara, but Siobhan was her absolute best friend, not Tara�s or Alyson�s. She had told Madison she�d keep her safe, and she�d failed. Tara pulled Kennedi into her arms, as Alyson watched the touching scene, saying nothing. Kennedi pulled back, her eyes misty, �I love her.� she said, and those simple three words broke Tara�s heart.
�I know you do, sweetie, so do we.� Alyson said, brushing a lock of hair away from Kennedi�s face. Kennedi smiled, but inside she was disagreeing. They didn�t love her the way Kennedi did. Kennedi loved her in....that way. In a girl-loving-girl-lesbian sort of way. She wasn�t sure when she had come out, she actually technically hadn�t since she hadn�t told anyone, but it was in the past year that she�d noticed herself having strong feelings towards Siobhan. She�d never voiced them, afraid Siobhan wouldn�t love her in that way, and their friendship would be broken, but Kennedi did love her. In a kissy-face sort of way.
�Hey, what�s going on in there?� Tara asked suddenly, tapping Kennedi�s forehead, �You seem lost in thought.�
Kennedi smiled and shook her head, �Nothing.� she said, and before her friends could retort, she pulled them into another hug, this time lasting for quite awhile.
Back to the Homepage Onto Page Four