Three days later, the morning sky cracked open with a gloomy, comfortless light—the kind that offered no warmth, only the slow creep of additional hours. Anna stood alongside the brick wall of a grocery store, her hair twisted in a loose, impatient bun, and a worn sweatshirt slipped off one shoulder as she pressed the corners of a poster against the wall with determination.
A face stared back at her in black and white. Sharon Andrew had been missing for three days, with no leads in sight.
Behind her, two boys—Curtis and Zane, both younger than they'd like to admit—pressed identical posters onto the bus stop poles, glue stuck to their fingers and stress twisting their cheeks. Residents of the neighbourhood had stepped forward to assist Anna in her search for Sharon.
Anna pressed her phone to her ear for the fifth time, but there was no answer.
She inhaled forcefully and muttered beneath her breath. "Damn it, Jill."
Curtis took a step forward, noting the anxiety on her brow. "You still can't reach her?"
She exhaled sharply, frustration visible in her eyes. "She's too stubborn—just like her mother."
"A woman of steel, one in a million," Curtis said, his brow furrowing in bewilderment. "I just don't understand how someone like her could go missing."
Anna shook her head and pocketed the phone. "I don't know why she's not picking."
Zane looked up. "You think she's okay?"
"Of course, she's not okay—her mother has been missing for three days." "What were you expecting?" Curtis grumbled, returning to pin another poster to the wall.
"No." Anna backed away from the wall, already turning on her heel. "Keep going without me. I've got a bad feeling."
Curtis said, "Take your time, Sis., We'll handle it."
"Thank you, Curtis," she mumbled halfway down the block, her pace quickening.
Anna walked away, leaving Curtis and Zane behind as they posted the posters.
Curtis and Zane stood side by side, quietly pressing posters to the wall as they worked together.
Zane took a deep, calm breath before saying, "The Andrews used to be a wonderful family... but something isn't right with them recently."
"First it was Will, and now Sharon," Zane continued, his voice low with unease.
"Why would she just leave home and vanish without a trace?" Curtis asked, his face tight with worry, his eyes scanning the row of posters as if they would explain.
"Maybe there was some kind of argument," Zane offered. "Mr. Halden mentioned overhearing her talking to Jill—she sounded upset."
Curtis turned to face him, his brow wrinkled. "Yeah... and didn't he say something about Jill being pregnant?"
Zane nodded slowly, the burden of it all sinking into his chest. "Yes, he did. He said Sharon seemed troubled by it."
"Jill's not a kid—she's old enough to have a boyfriend," Curtis said, trying to sound rational.
"But I've never seen her with any guy," Zane replied, a hint of doubt in his voice.
He paused, then added more firmly, "You can't predict her movements… and honestly, no one can be trusted these days."
"We need to cover more ground before Anna arrives", Curtis said.
Zane nodded, then slapped another poster on the wall. The adhesive smeared unevenly, but he didn't care. Following Sharon's disappearance, the area had become increasingly silent, as if the houses were holding their breath.
"You know what's crazy?" Zane said, lowering his voice. "People around here are shocked. Everyone's talking about it like it doesn't make sense."
Curtis glanced at him. "Yeah. Sharon wasn't the type to walk away. "She was always composed and graceful, you know."
"Maybe she was kidnapped," Zane muttered quietly, his eyes narrowing as if the realisation had just hit him hard. "They need to make a statement at the station."
Curtis nodded slowly. "People think maybe losing Will did something to her. Like it finally caught up."
"That's another good point," Zane added, tapping the stack of posters against his palm. "What if she lost her mind? What if that grief just swallowed her whole and no one noticed?"
Curtis sighed. "Or maybe someone noticed and didn't say anything."
Zane looked away, scanning the empty sidewalk. "Either way, it's not like her. Sharon Andrew is going missing? That's not normal. That's not just someone having a breakdown. Something's off."
For a minute, they both remained there, their hands idle. The wind softly tugged at the corners of the freshly posted posters, causing them to flutter across Sharon's face as if she were trying to speak but couldn't.
"Let's finish this side," Curtis said, his voice low. "Before proceeding to the next street."