Finding Grace(2)

‘What’s wrong?’ I rush up the damp, mossy path in my bare feet, and then I realise. ‘Where’s Grace? I thought Mike said she was on her way?’ My words sound hoarse, like there’s a lump of gristle suddenly wedged in my throat.

Blake half turns, limping badly on one leg.

‘He did say that, but she hasn’t appeared from around the bend yet. My phone distracted me, and I slipped on the moss… twisted my ankle. I’ve been shouting you for what seems like ages, but—’

‘Oh God!’ I rush back into the porch and jam my feet into my mucky old trainers, then run out again, flying past Blake through the gate.

‘Call Mike, make sure she’s left.’

‘I already did,’ he shouts after me. ‘He watched her leave the house five minutes ago.’

His final words fade to nothing as I sprint down Violet Road towards the bend in the middle that signifies the halfway mark. From there I’ll have a clear view of the rest of the road.

My shoulders are hunched up under my ears, every muscle in my body feels taut enough to snap.

I must’ve walked this route a thousand times with Grace, and at our nice easy pace, it’s never taken more than five or six minutes to get from Mike and Bev’s house to our own front door. Grace should have certainly at least reached the bend.

I get there, panting. I can visualise her surprised face as I bump into her… She’ll chastise me for checking up on her. I’m not a baby, Mum. I’m NINE now! Her new favourite phrase echoes in my head.

My eyes are clouded with fear as I round the bend, but I force myself to focus. To breathe.

There’s a woman walking a dog, a young mum with a toddler in a pushchair and a couple of teenage lads who’ve just hopped over the fence from the small park.

But I can see immediately that there is no sign of Grace.





Two





I run. I run faster than I’ve ever done in my life, down to Mike and Bev’s house.

Mike rushes out before I even reach their front door.

‘Is she back?’ His face is etched with concern, and for a moment I feel light-headed, like I’m watching the two of us from a distance.

Bev dashes out of the house behind him, and I spot Grace’s best friend, Olivia, standing in the hallway, hugging her arms around herself, big brown eyes wide in a pale face.

‘Have you got Grace?’ Bev shrieks.

My legs begin to shake and I stumble, skittering forward until I grab at the hedge.

‘No, she’s not back yet… Oh my God, Grace… Which way did she—’

Wordlessly, Mike rushes past me, his face a mask of determination. He begins jogging up the road, looking into every garden he passes.

‘Lucie, come inside.’ Bev takes my arm gently.

‘No! I can’t. I have to look for her.’ I turn around full circle, scanning the road, the houses, the gardens. ‘Which way did she go?’

Bev stands at my side, an arm around my shoulders as we look up the road. ‘Mike brought her outside, then watched her go up the street towards the bend. He came in smiling, said she looked like a little soldier marching up there.’

I stare up ahead. A car crawls past, its occupants taking in our alarmed expressions with interest. A dog barks in a garden somewhere close by. My feet feel fused to the asphalt.

Mike is almost at the bend himself now.

Bev says something in a soothing tone, but all the sounds around me are starting to fade out, as if I’m drifting away.

‘I have to go. Have to look for her,’ I mumble. Breaking away from Bev’s touch, I begin to stride away.

‘I’ll get someone to watch Livvy,’ Bev calls out urgently. I can hear the strain in her voice. ‘I’ll be with you very soon.’

I try to focus on my breathing.

I put one foot in front of the other.

This can’t be happening. It just can’t.

I move up the road, looking, searching every possible place.

Grace loves animals. She might’ve stopped off to stroke a cat or a dog, or a lonely old lady might have asked her in for a chat. She’s such a gregarious, caring girl, is my Grace. She loves people, too… She’d always find the time to help someone in need.

My vision grows blurry with tears. I pull a tissue from my sleeve and look to my right, where Abbey Road branches off from Violet Road. I stumble on a few more yards and look through the gap in the houses towards Florence Road and Priory Road.

All these side roads, houses… All the hidden places Grace might be.

I stumble and grasp on to someone’s gatepost. I feel sick, dizzy… I can’t bear the terrible feelings that are rising up inside me.

What if… What if someone has taken her, is hurting her just yards from where I’m standing now? I press the heels of my hands into my temples. I can’t bear it. I can’t stand the thoughts.

‘Come on, Luce, it’s OK, we’ll find her.’ Mike appears in front of me, helps me stand upright. ‘Take a minute and just breathe. That’s it. Grace is a sensible girl, she’ll have seen someone she knows, or—’

‘She knew she had to come straight home, Mike.’ My voice is rising. ‘She knew we’d be worrying. She… Oh no, oh my God… her medication, her insulin!’