Collab between @Fox of Hearts and @Fox of Spades
Of course they were devastated, what else was he expecting? Matt could only sigh as Ethan wrapped a reassuring arm around his shoulders. Yes, Joseff had returned with Kelsey's beanie, but the fact that Kelsey wasn't with him… that was what scared him most of all. The dork was always wearing her stupid hat, so if she wasn't there when Jo found it, where the hell was she?
Missing people in Bellwoods were never
ever found.
The thought had been burned into his brain ever since he was a child, and had it not been for London's sudden arrival, Matt would have spiraled into even darker thoughts. "Thanks, man." He placed an arm around Ethan's shoulder and gave it a quick, reassuring pat. "Let's hope you're right." Slowly, he pulled away and turned his attention to London. He didn't know her too well, but Kelsey had described her as shy but brilliant. "London, right? Glad you could make it."
The three of them gathered in a small circle of sadness. Marten was the next person to arrive, and like everyone present, she looked tired and antsy. "You're not late, don't worry about it. We're still waiting on Kindle," Matt explained. "He said he needs to do a few things first."
Sensing the blanket of seriousness that had fallen over everyone around him, Joseff trotted around their small circle. Occasionally, he would butt his head against their legs to let them know he was with them every step of the way. The Shiba Inu was resting his head against Matt's good leg when his ears perked up at the sound of an arriving vehicle. The car stopped, Ana walked out, and Joseff began to bark out in greeting.
He dashed off to run around Ana, their latest arrival. The gang was almost all here. Matt gave her a polite nod before Jace arrived on the scene. "Could be better, man. Thanks for heading out here." All that was left now, was to wait for Kindle.
It was a little pass 11.13 am when a familiar banged up Honda pulled into the parking lot. Kindall, for the first time since Matt knew him, was the last to arrive. Usually, it would be Ethan or Kelsey. Milton parked his car neatly beside Ana's and killed the engine. He waved absentmindedly to the group before walking over to the front passenger seat to retrieve a carton with a Walmart logo on it and his forest green backpack. The handle of his baseball bat peeked out from the bag.
"Morning," he greeted as he walked over with the box in his arms. "I thought we could use some food before we start." His hazel eyes looked straight at London as he spoke, making it very obvious whom he was referring to. "I recall some people saying they aren't breakfast people."
"Hey, Kindle." Matt greeted when the last member of their ragtag search and rescue team finally arrived. Before Matt could say anything else, Joseff had already trotted to the boy's side. The dog was sniffing the boy's pockets.
"Breakfast, that's a good idea." Matt looked at the dejected faces around him. They could all use a pick me up. "Joseff, sorry. No human food for you, buddy. Anyway, Kindle, now that you're here, you guys can get ready for the forest. I'm sorry I can't come. If I didn't have this stupid cast on, I'd be with you guys in a heartbeat. I'd slow you down."
"Take it easy," Kindall reassured Matt while glaring at the enthusiastic dog clawing at his pocket. He didn't like how patches of drool were already dotting his well-pressed jeans. "Maybe we can move to those benches there. Get comfortable and discuss things."
Trying to be as gentle as possible, he nudged the dog aside with his sneaker. A pitiful whimper came from the chubby Inu, causing Milton sigh in annoyance. Matt's dog better be as good at finding Kelsey as he was at finding extra treats. "Jo, I bet Matt fed you plenty this morning. You know you need to shed some pounds. These biscuits are for later."
Matt almost laughed when he saw how disappointed Joseff looked, but they had more pressing matters to attend to. That, and he needed to tell them about the day he'd broken his leg. Something wasn't right in those woods.
"Sure, you guys go ahead and eat. I need to tell you something before you go."
The group made their way the bench and after everyone was seated. Matt sat down and moved his crutches to the side.
"Works. A more detailed version please. I mean you have been repeating yourself half a dozen times in our chat group .... buuuut you can tell us something new." Milton was half serious and half joking but Matt's expression said the opposite. Kindall knew he was treading on thin ice, so he did his best to salvage the situation. "H-hey, I am serious! A recap would be good. Doubt everyone got the full story with so many people talking in the group."
With Matt placated and talking once more, Kindall opened the box and began handing out the food. He passed Marten her favourite blueberry scone and hazelnut latte. For London, he got a can of Monster, a bagel and a small tub of hummus. Ethan got two of his favourite breakfast burritos and a choice between coffee or orange juice. Jace and Anastasia were offered a choice between taking donuts from the Dunkin Donut box or sandwiches from the deli. Their drink choices were the same as Ethan's.
"Sorry I didn't call to check," Milton explained as he set the box of donuts in front of the last two and three wrapped sandwiches. "Was rushing so I bought what I remembered seeing you eat."
He helped himself to one of the sandwiches, a ham and cheddar, and a takeaway cup labelled tea. "Hey, Matt," Kindall shouted from the Jace and Ana's end of the table. "Want anything?"
He eyed the food Kindle brought for everyone and shook his head. Knowing that more people would be leaving for the woods this morning made Matt lose his appetite. "I'm good. I'll have something to eat later." His eyes flitted to Kindle. "Did you really stop by Kelsey's house like you said you would?"
A teasing remark coated with his usual sarcasm sat on the tip of his tongue but Milton didn't want to goad Matt too much. The guy was clearly cracking under the guilt. "Yeah. Talked to her folks too," he replied. "Had to reassure them we will leave White Woods by 6 pm before they let me take one of her scarves."
Turning to the rest, he filled them in on what transpired between him, Matt and Ethan in the wee hours of the morning. "We were talking last night and planned to do our own search if the police came back empty handed in the morning. Well, here we are." He swept his hand round to indicate the group sitting at the table. "And Joseff here will be our guide. He will help us pick up Kelsey's scent ... in theory at least."
"Bark, bark!" Joseff interrupted with hearty enthusiasm. He didn't know why the humans were mentioning his name but he knew there were biscuits for him. He wagged his tail before rolling over on the ground. Maybe being cute would win him some biscuits. "Bark, bark!"
"Riiiiiiiiight," Kindall responded clearly unimpressed by the furball's attempts to weasel away some biscuits. "Yeah, but we don't have anything of Kelsey's. Not since Matt gave the beanie to the police. So, I went to her place to grab something."
Again, he was interrupted by a small whine. The Inu lay flat on the ground and wormed his way towards Matt. "Uuu, uuu, uuuu..." His efforts earned him affectionate scratching behind the ears but no biscuits.
Milton raised an eyebrow. When did Jo learn to be so crafty? He wondered while resolving not to give in. The pooch was a few pounds away from a heart attack and he had no intention of sending Jo to an earlier grave. "Matt, back to you."
Matt placed a hand on Joseff's head and nodded. "He'll do his best." He wasn't sure it would do the rest much good, but it was the only thing he could do to aid them and help find Kelsey. "Anyway, the day I fell, I saw something." He'd never been superstitious, but it was starting to get to him. "And the day I lost Joseff, Kelsey told me she'd seen something as well."
He brought a hand to his neck and sighed. "I don't know. Ever since we were kids, we've been hearing all about how the White Woods are cursed and yadda yadda. I always thought it was a story adults told keeps to keep kids in line, you know? But these days I'm not so sure. I mean, Kelsey's been missing for 10 days now. Call me crazy, but what do you guys think? Do you think there might have been some foul play involved? Maybe an accident, or do you think Kelsey's monster finally got to her?" He shuddered at the darkening possibilities. "Promise me you guys will be careful out there, alright?"