Punch Like a Girl (16 page)

With so many people looking for Casey, we have to be able to find her or at least some clue to where she is.

I say goodbye to the Screamin' Demons and make my way over to Alena and her parents.

“Thanks for coming,” I say.

“We want to help.” Alena's dad kisses both of my cheeks and says something in Greek that I don't understand.

“That poor girl!” Alena's mom clears her throat. “And her mother! That man is a monster.”

Alena hugs me. “Are you okay?”

I swallow hard. “Yes. No. I don't know.” Alena's sympathetic eyes make me want to collapse against her shoulder, sobbing.

“Were you there…when it happened?” She bites her lip.

Tears well in my eyes, and I wipe them away. “I tried to stop him…”

“Oh, Tori. We'll find her.” Alena's eyes gleam, and I'm grateful for my friend. Whatever issues we had seem to be gone. “Come on. You need both your best friends right now. Let's find Jamarlo.”

As we're pressing through the bodies toward Jamarlo and Carmen, a cop with a megaphone calls for the crowd to quiet down. I don't recognize any of the officers. We stop to pay attention, straining to see over the heads and shoulders in front of us.

“Welcome, search-and-rescue volunteers!” the cop bellows through the megaphone. “I'm Constable Riyad from the emergency response unit. We're here to conduct a basic search of the surrounding area, including the park, residential areas and side streets. The main objective is the safe return of Casey-Lynn Foster.”

The crowd is quiet now.

“You may have heard that we located the suspect's car on a nearby street, and that we hope the quick response of witnesses and police search-and-rescue teams has prevented the suspect from fleeing the area.”

Alena elbows me. “He's talking about you!”

“Yeah, I guess.” I shrug.

“We'll be searching the network of nearby parks and ravines in particular, as well as local schoolyards, community centers, shopping centers and so on. Officers are already inquiring door to door in the neighborhood. We have a lot of ground to cover, so we'll be organizing you by task and location,” Constable Riyad continues. “But first, a few instructions.

“Do not search alone. Travel in groups of at least two people. Report back here when it gets too dark to see. We don't want anyone lost or injured.”

“We'll search together,” Alena whispers.

I nod.

“Be on the lookout for articles of clothing or other personal belongings scattered on the ground. If found, do not disturb. Alert a nearby police officer right away.

“And immediately report any sightings of Casey-Lynn or Stewart Foster to the police by calling
9
-
1
-
1
. Provide information on the location as well as a description of the victim, the suspect and any vehicle involved.”

Constable Riyad motions to the row of cops beside him. “Please see one of these coordinating officers to be assigned a task and location. You can also pick up flyers with the photos and descriptions of Casey-Lynn and the suspect.” He raises his voice. “Let's bring this child home safe, folks!”

The megaphone squeaks as he powers it off.

The crowd surges forward to the line of officers. Alena and I are heading sideways toward Jamarlo when I bump into Sal.

“Hey, Tori,” he says. “I didn't get to talk to you at the park.”

Every muscle in my body tenses; I'm sure Sal will blame me for not protecting Casey. “It all happened so fast. I couldn't stop it.” I take a step toward Alena, who's still walking. I can't look Sal in the eyes.

Sal pulls me back. “What are you talking about?”

I shake my head and examine my feet.

“You think this is your fault?” He sounds amazed, even angry. “I was there too, Tori. You're not the only one who wishes it didn't happen. Jia and Francine are beating themselves up.”

“They are?” I glance up at him.

“Of course they are.” His face softens. “We all are.”

Then Sal's brother, who looks about thirteen, elbows him. “Oooh, who's this? Your girlfriend?”

“Cut it out, Carlos.” Sal messes his brother's hair. “This is my
friend
”—he emphasizes the word—“Tori.”

Carlos madly smooths down his ruffled hair and glares at Sal.

“Hey, Carlos.” I must have imagined Sal was asking me out when he suggested we go bowling. I'm such an idiot. “Listen, I've got to go. I'm—” I glance toward Alena, Jamarlo and the rest of my crowd.

And I see Matt.

My legs tremble. My head pulses.

“Oh, shit,” I mutter. What's he doing here? Did Daniel drag him along? As if Matt cares about a kidnapped girl.

Matt is standing next to Daniel, who's talking to Alena. He's wearing the same bomber jacket he once lent me on a cold evening, and he's brought his golden retriever, Digit. I watch him smooth the fur on Digit's head and laugh with Carmen, who's with Jamarlo. My hands get clammy. Then I see Melody, linking arms with Matt while glaring at me.

I don't want to breathe the same air as Matt. How can my friends even stand near him? How can they fake-smile at Melody? If they knew what happened—

“You all right?” Sal follows my gaze. “Do you know them?”

“Uh, yeah. They're my”—I hesitate—“friends.”

Meet my friend Matt
, a random guy at the library said to me on a cold day in March.

I was checking out books for a school project that would be due in only two days, so I ignored him.

The guy grinned and shoved his friend forward. Matt's stunning smile and piercing eyes made me drop my library books. Outside, he introduced me to Digit, who greeted him with three happy barks.

I didn't know that Matt would treat his dog better than me.

“Listen,” I say to Sal. “Do you want a partner for the search? I could use one.” I nod toward Carlos. “Or two.”

“Sure.” Sal beams.

I silently apologize to Alena as Sal, Carlos and I head over to get our assignment. It's the second time I've ditched her in the last week, but I can't face Matt.

The mood at Mill Pond is completely different from earlier that day. As the evening sun dips below the treetops, police dogs in bright-orange vests lead officers along paths and into bushes. Searchers stream to their assigned locations, some by car and others on foot. Sal, Carlos and I head around Mill Pond to where the asphalt ends and the gravel path curves through the forest. We've been assigned a stretch of ravine between two communities of large two-storey homes, and it's a bit of a trek to get there.

In the last of the daylight, we cross a stream that has been diverted into a culvert and pass grasses that are taller than I am. We circle a smaller pond and traverse a well-kept park with a playground. Everywhere, I see hiding places that I want to check, hoping I'll find Casey's scared, dirty face peering out at me. I picture her arms wrapped around my neck as I bring her home to her mother. If only.

When we reach our assigned location, the path disintegrates to nothing. The sun sinks lower in the sky, and the forest darkens.

Carlos wanders ahead, climbing over logs and kicking up the dusty scent of last year's leaves. Sal and I find an old newspaper and what looks like someone's chemistry homework.

The sound of voices and music from the nearby backyards reaches us. A woodpecker taps at a tree, and squirrels go about their business like there's nothing wrong.

When there's a screech from a nearby search team, we rush over. They've found a smashed computer hard drive and monitor, which they plan to show to an officer even though I'm sure it has nothing to do with Casey.

The sun sets behind the trees. We're supposed to go back, but I pull out my flashlight. We find cigarette butts and broken beer bottles. My shoe gets stuck in the mud. As Sal helps me try to pull it loose, he asks why I didn't want to search with my friends.

“There's this guy I don't want to see.” It feels strange to talk about Matt. “He's an asshole.”

“So why are your friends with him?” Sal is on his knees in the mud, tugging at my shoe.

I put my hand on his slender back to keep my balance. “Maybe they don't know how big an asshole he is.”

Sal looks up at me like he knows something I don't. “Maybe you should tell them.”

“Maybe I don't want to talk about it.” With anyone. Ever.

“Yeah. I get that.” Sal gives my shoe another yank. “But do they need to know?”

My shoe comes free with a squelching noise. Sal and I tumble backward together into the dry leaves, my flashlight aimed at the purple sky. I flinch when I land on my broken hand.

“Thanks.” When I look up, Sal's face is inches from mine. I gasp. His bangs have fallen over one eye; the other is gazing at me, warm and curious. The freckle on his lower lip is terrifyingly kissable.

I scramble backward, my fingers digging into the earth, pebbles under my nails, a root jamming into the small of my back. As I untangle from him, I'm grateful that his fingers didn't wander to any awkward places.

“Any time.” Sal helps me up.

My hand hurts. I rub the small of my back. What just happened?

Then Carlos is beside us, peering into the darkness, his hands out in front of him. “I can't see anything.”

I give him a turn with my flashlight and try to stop my hands from trembling. We search for another hour or so, until we finish our assigned area.

When we arrive back at the parking lot, Matt and the others are nowhere in sight, and Mom and Dad are waiting for me. I say goodbye to Sal and Carlos to avoid awkward introductions.

“Where were you?” Mom shines her flashlight on me. “We were phoning you.”

I squint into the light. “I left my cell at home.”

“Tori, we got it for you so we could stay in touch!”

“I know. Sorry. But it's waterlogged, and I don't think it works.” Except to get Matt's text.

Around us the search is winding down, and volunteers are heading home. I don't want to leave without Casey. I march over to Constable Riyad, my muddy shoe squishing with each step.

“What happens next?” I ask him.

The streetlamp shines on his face. “We continue the search at first light,” he says.

He sounds positive, but I'm losing hope. All I can think of is Casey's terrified face when she recognized her father. What was she so afraid of?

I head to the
SUV
with my family. It's great that all these people came together tonight, but it hasn't made any difference to Casey.

RiSE
to get up and move the hell on

I wake up sweating. My clock glows in the darkness:
2
:
16
AM
. Nine hours since Casey went missing. An eternity.

A nightmare is still with me. Aliens had embedded a bomb in my chest that was about to blow up the entire world, destroying everyone I knew. The nightmare ended when it detonated.