Part 16 (1/2)

But Rhiannon hasn't told me much of anything at all about herself recently-I should have pushed, should have made her tell me everything. I know she's angry. I know she doesn't have a lot of friends here. And I know about Derrick. It's been months, is he still even in the picture?

I take out my phone, wis.h.i.+ng I had time to charge it a little before leaving the house, and search Facebook for any sign of Derrick. If I can get in touch with him, he'll know how to get in touch with Rhiannon. If he cares about her at all, I can't imagine he wouldn't try to hide her from her worried family. But Rhiannon isn't friends with anyone named Derrick, no matter how I try to spell it.

On a whim, I try messaging Rhiannon over Facebook as well, just in case she's somewhere with a computer even if she's avoiding her phone.

Reagan: Everyone is worried about you. Can you please just come home? I'm not even convinced you'll be in trouble, Mom and Dad will be so glad to see you.

I hit enter and wait, but it still shows Rhiannon as being off-line.

Reagan: Come on, Rhiannon. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. I just really need to hear that you're not dead.

Rhiannon: Not dead.

The response comes right away, and at first I double check to make sure I didn't imagine it. She's answering, she's just been screening her messages.

I can't just leave it there.

Reagan: Pretty sure that's what a murderer would say if he had your phone.

Rhiannon: A murderer wouldn't know you left your soggy towel on the floor of our bedroom this morning. Now, I'm fine. I'll be home eventually.

Eventually. What kind of c.r.a.p is that?

Reagan: Where are you?

I'm not surprised when I don't get an answer. Sending back one last message, I ask her to at least touch base with Mom and Dad. But just in case she doesn't, I send out a quick message with an update to everyone else.

Reagan: Just heard from her. She's okay, but still won't tell me where she is or why she's doing this.

I almost add in a quick note about good news, she's not dead. But I doubt my parents will find that funny. Still, I'm glad she's not dead.

When I look back down at my phone in my hands, I'm surprised to find I'm shaking a little, even though in theory, everything is more okay than it was a minute ago. Rhiannon's okay, at least physically. And that counts for a lot.

It's only once I know she's fine that my mind truly comprehends that it was possible she wasn't.

This still hasn't had a happy ending, but it's hard to wrap my mind around all the things that could have happened.

I need to find my sister.

Already, I'm getting texts back from my family, hoping for more information, but I already told them literally everything that happened. Instead, I use my phone to call Rhiannon. Or at least attempt to. Just like I'd been told, her phone went straight to voicemail. So either it's off, or she has it set to block calls. But if it's the latter, in theory, her phone is trackable. And I would think she would know that.

a.s.suming she truly doesn't want to us to find her, then she's using something else to get online. And even though I've lived in Fairview four months now, I really haven't done much exploring of what the town has to offer. I kind of a.s.sumed there wasn't much, at least not compared to Richmond. I have an idea, but I'm not sure who to ask. Kent seems like the obvious solution, but I've already asked so much. Instead, I search out Rosie's number from when she called me earlier.

Reagan: Quick question. Probably a long shot. Is there anywhere in town with public computer access?

Rosie: Fairview isn't some hick town with no amenities, you know? Just because this isn't the big city doesn't mean we don't have a library. :P Yup. I'm an idiot. Of course Fairview has a library, and a quick search online tells me it's open for another hour. It's about a ten minute walk, and I could be going in the wrong direction if she's somewhere else entirely, but it's the best guess I have. Because Rhiannon would absolutely think of a library. She's probably been there for school stuff a million times already.

I find the building without too much trouble even though I spent most of the walk hunched over trying to keep my face protected from the wind, attempting to notice some town landmarks as I go so I can make my way back later. The convenience store, bus stop, a used clothing store, and then the library. It's a small building, about the size of my doctor's office in Richmond. But it's a library, and the sign out front advertises everything from a book club to free Internet access.

This is somewhere I can volunteer later, once I've put it off for as long as I can.

The building is quiet as I slip inside, and the interior looks like I imagined it. The checkout desk is small, and an older, bespectacled woman sits at the computer out front. Fairview obviously hasn't adopted self-checkout for library books yet. The woman looks up when I enter, but when she does, her head snaps back toward me for a second look.

While I am beyond tempted to search out the fantasy and young adult sections here, I'm on a mission. I'm just going to have to remember to come back later and give the library the time it deserves. I find the computers at the back of the building, and with them my sister.

Rhiannon's brand-new red hair is impossible to miss, hunched over the third computer. The one beside her has out of order sign stuck to its monitor. I sidestep so I'm hidden behind a shelf, giving myself time to regroup.

Now what? I never figured I would be the one to find her first. And I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. It's easy to guess what my parents would say-call them and they would take care of it. But now that I see her, and it's not like she can make a daring escape from the building, there's time to be a little more cautious. There's no way all of this was all because Rhiannon wanted a little alone time at the library. There's more to what's going on, and until I know what it is, I can't risk bringing anyone else in to risk p.i.s.sing her off more. They know she's safe, that will be good enough for a few more minutes.

I try to walk quietly toward the computers, but my foot hits a creepy spot in the floor and Rhiannon's head jerks up.

”Reagan. You didn't see me here. Just go.” Rhiannon's expression is hard, and I'm not expecting any more jokes about would-be murderers. There's no question she did not want to be found. She didn't want us to worry she'd been horribly slaughtered either, but her eyes flare with disappointment that I tracked her down.

I ignore her request and sit down at the broken computer. ”Rhiannon. Everyone is freaking out. You just disappeared and no one knew where you were. How did you imagine everyone would take that?”

”They'll get over it. They get over everything else easily enough.”

I don't even ask what she means. ”You need to come home at some point. The library closes soon, and I don't think Fairview has a great nightlife.”

”I'll be gone by then.” Rhiannon stairs pointedly at the computer screen in front of her, browsing some forum for nerds who actually enjoy school.

Gone. There is nothing I can say in response to that. So I wait, and stare at her intently.

”I'm going back to Richmond,” Rhiannon says. ”The bus leaves in about forty minutes.”

d.a.m.n. If I'd taken even a little longer to get here, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. She'd be gone already.

She can't believe for a second that I can let her get on that bus without calling my parents in a panic to stop her. Now that I'm here, she has to see there's no way she'll be able to see this plan through.

”So, what? You're running away from home? That's what this is? You've decided it's too much work being part of this family so you're just going to... Hide in Marybeth's house until you graduate from high school?” Rhiannon must hear how ridiculous I think this all is. This isn't anything like her. Stupid plans are Reece's thing, sometimes mine, maybe Reilly's. Never Rhiannon.

”Don't be an idiot. I was just going for a visit, and there was no way Mom and Dad would go for it. So I'm going to catch the bus, stay for the weekend and be back by Sunday night. What's the big deal?”

Yes, she's fine now, but that doesn't mean she'll stay fine if she takes a bus across state lines, when no one knows where she is. I want to say that the big deal is that we are fifteen, and she's a crazy person, but I don't think that would go over well. The fact that I've made it this far without p.i.s.sing her off is already a miracle and I'm not going to push my luck. Mostly, she seems tired.

I smack my head downward into the keyboard of the computer in front of me, trying not to think about all the germy fingers that must've used it in the past. ”Seriously? How did you even get a ticket for the bus? You need to be eighteen.”

”Derrick is eighteen.”

I keep my head down and force myself not to groan out loud. All of this was so she could go see some guy she's never even bothered to introduce to us? And he was willing to just buy her a ticket so she could do it?

After sitting up, I shake my head slowly. I've gone through so many emotions today that I can no longer put a name to whatever it is I'm feeling now.

I give the rolling chair Rhiannon is sitting in a nudge with my foot, forcing her to face me. Tears are forming in the corners of her eyes.

”You're not going to Virginia. I don't want to get you in any more trouble, but there's no way I'm letting you get on the bus. It's not safe. And it's not worth it.”