Page 55 of One More Song

No one has.

Fear wraps around my throat, choking me with every step I take, every bush I look around, every person I question. But I remain as calm as I can, knowing Ember needs my strength.

Synn, Dusky, and Saint are here too, and all three look as worried as I feel. We’ve all come to care about the girl. It’s impossible not to. Just like Ember, she radiates kindness and love and sunshine.

It’s amazing how quickly the mind turns dark when that light is removed. Thoughts swirl through my head, thinking the worst. That someone took her. That she wandered too far...to the creek or the railroad tracks. That someone knew my connection with her and is using her as leverage. Or worse.

I shiver, but when I do, Ember looks up at me, her own fear blazing from her eyes.

“Ash,” she whispers, but it’s a choking sound, a sob at the back of her throat. She reaches out for a tree when it looks like her legs are giving out on her. “It’s been too long. What if...”

I pull her into my arms and hold her. “We’re going to find her.”

Synn is walking toward us, his typical scowl intensified. The look he gives me tells me he’s just as worried as I am. “There’s a police officer that wants to talk to you,” he says to Ember.

“I can’t...I need to keep looking.”

I cup her face. “You go with Synn. I’ll keep looking.”

She shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Ember, listen to me. We won’t stop until she’s home safe.”

A small shaky breath escapes her lips and she nods.

I turn her toward Synn and he wraps an arm around her. I hold a silent conversation with him, and I know I can trust him to take care of her. He may not like the idea of me being with her, but I know in his own way he’s come to care about her too.

When they walk away, I continue my search. I can hear people yelling Cadence’s name in the distance, the sound of the school bell ringing. The other children will be out now, making the search even more difficult.

The forest isn’t that big, but the trees are dense, and there’s dark foliage everywhere.

“Cadence,” I call out.

There’s a rustling in one of the bushes, but when I lean down to push the leaves back, a rabbit hops out, skittering around me.

“Fuck,” I mutter.

I’m about to move on when I catch a flash of pink.

A shoe.

I pick it up, recognizing the sneaker as Cadence’s.

My heart races.

“Cadence?” I yell louder, voice more panicked than before. I scour the area, finding no other trace of her. “Come on, sweetheart, if you hear me, you need to come out. Everyone’s worried about you.”

“Ash,” I hear a small cry from a few feet away.

I look around, frantically, but at first, I don’t hear where it came from. And then I see her. Legs pulled to her chest, eyes red from crying, she’s hidden between a large rock and a fallen tree.

“Cadence.” Relief sweeps through me, and I rush to her, picking her up and hugging her to my chest, probably too tight.

Her arms go around my neck and she starts sobbing.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

“I don’t...” she hiccups, words slurred with her tears, face buried against my neck. “I don’t want to live with Daddy...I want...” More hiccups. “I want my mommy.”

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