The Dirt Road
The evening sun was quickly fading below the horizon. The final bell of the schoolday rang out across the campus. Alone under the shade of the big willow tree, I sat on the bench hewn from the tall oak that once stood nearby. Clearly rotten, the willow seemed soon to follow. It appeared eager to take the slightest breeze as an excuse to crush through the fence and into the street.
The crickets were in a frenzy. Summertime. I've grown sick of hearing these insects and the gnats buzzing around my face. I don't entirely mind their presence; the hum has just been getting to me these past few months.
"Ugh, leave me alone!" I say as I swing my hands to get the little buggers off of me.
Speaking of little pests...here comes Jada.
"OH, YOU'RE WAITING THIS TIME!" Jada, my sister, screeched at me. I'm not surprised. Normally I would never bother sticking around but she nagged me so much about waiting for her last time. As if it's my fault she's slower than a snail.
"Yeah, yeah. I just didn't want to be a completely horrible person. I know how scared you get walking home by yourself," I groaned half-jokingly.
Jada grinned, "I'm just happy you didn't ditch me."
I got up and began to start walking with my sister. I kept turning back to check if any creeps were following us. Jada kept telling me not to look back so much. She thinks I'm embarrassing.
I need to keep watch for anybody that might be trying to tail us. Our walk between school to home is about thirty-five minutes, though Jada's lead feet can bring that time up to an hour.
* * * * *
I'm pretty tall for my age. Everyone calls me lanky. Jada is a bit shorter and stockier than me. Me and Jada have a lot of similarities in our face but our hair colors are different. Some people get so surprised when they find out we're actually related.
[could use some kind of transition or whatever before this paragraph to mesh better with the other one]
It's already September, a month into the semester. It's really hot still. There's heat everywhere. Cars, concrete, asphalt, my forehead. Why do we have to suffer?
[extend this paragraph into Jack trying his best to ignore his sister's rambling, wandering in his thoughts of whining about school, summer, sister, etc., until he notices she's gotten quiet]
Jada is pretty quiet today. I looked down to my right and she was no longer there. Turning around 3 times and triple checking. Yup. She's gone.
How in the world? She was here just a minute ago. I swear! Walked back and forth down the sidewalk. I just facepalmed. Why?!
Now if I was Jada, I would probably be playing a trick! She's kinda sneaky like that. A trickster, more like a clown. This has to be a joke! Jada's probably hiding behind a bush or corner somewhere and waiting to see my dumb face.
I'm not gonna fall for it! I'm walking home. There's only 5 minutes left to walk anyways. She can get home on her own.
[give Jack worries or doubts ablut where she disappeared to here but chooses to ignore them and continue home?]
Almost a few feet away from my house I hear my name being called. It was the neighbor girl Molly. I wave at her and nod. Sometimes I wish she was my little sister instead of what I got.
Molly is just a middle schooler who I babysit sometimes. I don't babysit her that often now that she's a little older. Jada is only one year younger than me but I've always had to parent her. Our parents work all the time so we have to keep an eye on each other.
I get to our house expecting Jada to magically be there before me. Silence. She must just be slow then. Maybe she got distracted by something on the ground.. I lay down and start playing video games and about 30 minutes pass by like air. Standing up to go get a snack. I also check to see if Jada made it back.
[same here, some doubt or second thoughts]
Checked the kitchen, checked the living room, checked the den, checked the bathroom, checked her room. She's not here. Did something happened back then?
[panic sets in]
I grab my backpack and a knife... just in case. Gonna be in big trouble so I probably should go look for her.
Left the house in a hurry after Jada never came back. What should I do? Do I call the police? Do I call my parents? I called and texted Jada.
"Hey, you alive?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Finally, I have gotten back to the spot where she disappeared. I searched for her through all the bushes and shrubs around the area. Nothing. Please be okay!
Bzzt! I got a buzz on my phone.
"I'm alive."
SHE RESPONDED. My heart was beating so fast and I was so close to crying. I'm so glad. I'm really so so glad. Wait, but what happened?
"Are you home?"
"No."
"Where are you?"
"..."
"..."
The response was slow.
"Heaven?"
I don't know how to respond to that. So she's alive but also in Heaven? What do I say?
"I'm alive in heaven now."
So she's dead. I'm texting a dead person. Maybe some kidnapper stole her phone and is texting me.
"Who is this?"
"A secret."
It was completely dark outside now. I had already brought myself back to the bench. The bright screen of my phone turned yellow as the blue light filter switched on.
Jada is gone. I didn't even know what to do. I just sat there and cried. I'm such an idiot. Why did I think she was messing with me? I should've called the police. I'm going to quadruple check. Maybe she is just playing some sick joke with me right now. I worry that it's not though.
I tread through the darkness past many traffic lights once finally reaching the residential area. Thought it wouldn't hurt to ask the neighbors, "Hey, has Jada stopped by here?"
I asked everyone that lived around a the cul de sac.
Finally, get to our next door neighbor. I knocked hastily. When the door opened, I didn't see anybody until I glanced down and identified that it was Little Chris. He's five years old. I picked him up and greeted him.
Along with Molly, there's Christopher. Babysat them so long since their parents are gone a lot too. Molly stuck her head out and grumbled to herself. She looked mad probably because Chris opened the door for what she thought was a stranger.
"Jack, what are you doing here? It's almost midnight."
"Has Jada stopped by here at all?"
I prayed that Molly would tell me that Jada has been here all along. Molly responded, "Not that I know of. Why? Doesn't she do a lot of extra stuff like soccer and band?"
Jada is 100% missing. Great. Why did this happen to me? I handed Chris to Molly. However, he hung onto my shirt.
I awkwardly moved around to get him off. Chris's grip is strong.
"I know, buddy but it's getting late now and I have to leave. We can play again another time."
I asked Molly if I could come in so I can somehow convince him to release me.
"Okay!" Molly widened the door for me and Chris to fit through and I plopped down on the couch.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be getting ready to sleep now? I know you're hiding your switch from me" I scolded Molly. She's not even dressed to go to bed and she looks like she hasn't done her homework. Molly snapped back at me, "Well, you play a lot of games too!"
Molly is normally a hardworking and good kid. I think she's maybe gotten a few bad habits from me. I sat there and contemplated her response. She's not wrong. Then I remembered the 30 minutes I spent playing games today.
I felt my stomach drop and deep regret surged through my being. Chris was starting to loosen his grip and I plopped him on the couch. Slowly he was getting drowsier until he was finally in a slumber and was completely relaxed. I found a blanket in their hallway closet and covered him.
"Go to sleep soon. Lock all the doors. Close the blinds. Brush your teeth too. Floss."
Molly nodded her head diligently. She really likes things in a list so I wrote everything down for her as well with a pen and paper from their kitchen.
"Is Jada alright?"
"I'm not sure yet."
I shamefully left their humble abode. Back at my house, I rechecked all the rooms one last time. Finally, dropping on my bed after finding nobody. I wondered to myself "Where is Heaven anyways?"
[outwardly he acts like he resents his sister but loves her deeply and is ready to "go to heaven" to get her back?]