Chapter 1
The Pages’ home was usually filled with laughter, joy, and happiness.
The sound of music from the kitchen, Hellen’s footsteps running down the hallway, the smell of dinner cooking.
it was always alive.
But today, it felt like a dark cloud surrounded the family home.
A woman paced around the room nervously. She had called everyone in the neighborhood and distant relatives just to find out if they had seen Hellen. Her fingers shook as she dialed the same numbers over and over, hoping this time someone would answer with good news.
“Have you seen her?” she asked again and again.
But to her dismay, no one had seen her.
Coming home late wasn’t something Hellen would do at all.
If she was going to be late, she would always call. Even if it was just to say the bus was delayed or she was staying to help a teacher. Hellen was responsible. That’s what made this silence so much worse.
The house felt too quiet. The clock on the wall ticked louder than usual. Every creak of the floor made her jump.
The sound of a car snapped her out of her thoughts.
She quickly looked out of the living room window and saw her husband’s silver minivan drive up the driveway and park. Her heart jumped into her throat.
As soon as she saw her husband get out of the car, she ran out of the house to meet him, barefoot on the cold concrete.
Slightly filled with hope that maybe their daughter was in the minivan too. Maybe she was asleep in the back seat. Maybe this was all a misunderstanding.
But when she looked at him, all hope vanished.
His face was pale. His eyes were red. He wasn’t smiling.
“Have you found her?” the woman asked desperately, tears forming in her eyes. Her voice cracked on the last word.
“No,” he finally said, his voice shaky. He ran a hand through his hair. “But I’m sure she’ll turn up tomorrow,” he added, trying to reassure her. “Kids do this sometimes. She’s probably at a friend’s house and forgot to call.”
She felt a lump in her throat as she tried to hold back tears. She wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him.
“We should go inside and get some sleep so that tomorrow our minds are fresh,” he said, pulling his wife close and rubbing her back to comfort her. His jacket smelled like rain and worry.
“But what if she’s out there, cold and lost?” she cried. “What if something happened to her? What if she’s hurt and no one’s helping her?”
“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. Tomorrow, when we find her, we’ll even laugh about this,” he said, leading his crying wife back into the house. He locked the door behind them, as if a lock could keep the fear out.
But something told her that Hellen was never coming back.
***
The bell over the door jangled as Mr. and Mrs. Page pushed inside the police station. The fluorescent lights were too bright. The smell of coffee and paper filled the air. They walked over to the front desk, clutching each other’s hands like they might fall apart.
After a brief discussion with the receptionist, they were referred to Detective Julie McLaren and Detective May Holls’ office.
Mr. and Mrs. Page walked down the hallway until they reached a door marked with Detective Julie and May’s names. The hallway felt endless. Each step felt heavier.
Julie and May were seasoned detectives who handled various cases of missing persons and homicides. Their office was full of whiteboards, case files, and photos pinned to the wall.
Mr. and Mrs. Page sat down in the chairs facing the two detectives. The chairs were hard and cold.
“She didn’t come home from school. Her phone goes straight to voicemail. It’s not like her. Please, we need to file a report,” Mrs. Page said in distress. Her words came out in a rush.
“Slow down for me,” Detective Julie said gently, getting a notebook and pen from a drawer. “We’re going to help you.”
“What’s her name and age?” Detective May asked, her voice calm but focused.
“Hellen Page. She’s sixteen. She usually leaves Hillview Secondary at 3:30 pm. She used to walk home with her two best friends, but they had a fight a while ago, so now she walks home with her other friend, Anita,” Mr. Page said, holding his wife’s hand for support. His knuckles were white.
“Okay. Because she’s under 18, we treat this as a missing juvenile case immediately. I need to open a report. Do you have a recent photo on your phone?” Detective May asked.
Mrs. Page handed her phone over to Detective May with trembling hands.
As Detective May looked at the picture, she could see the resemblance between Mrs. Page and Hellen. Same eyes. Same smile.
Most people at a glance would think the two were sisters.
“This is from last Sunday. She’s 5’5”, has long brown hair, and greenish eyes. She was wearing her school uniform: grey skirt, white shirt, blue blazer,” Mrs. Page said. She recited it like she’d practiced it in her head a hundred times.
“How long has she been missing?” Detective Julie asked as she wrote the details in her notebook.
“Maybe eight to ten hours now,” Mr. Page said.
Detective Julie nodded and underlined something twice.
“Any reason to think she ran away? Any fights at home, trouble at school, someone new she’s been talking to?” Detective May asked.
“No. Nothing. She was normal yesterday morning. She even texted me at lunch saying the lunch meal at school was gross. That was the last thing,” Mrs. Page said. Saying it out loud made it feel more real.
“Alright. I’m going to get your contact details, a description, and a picture so that we can make and post some flyers. We’ll enter her into the system now and send a patrol to check the route between the school and your house, and the surrounding areas,” Detective May said.
Mr. and Mrs. Page both nodded in agreement, desperate for any action.
“You said she had a fight with her two best friends before the disappearance,” Detective Julie said, reading her notes again.
“Yes,” Mrs. Page answered. “They had a fight a few weeks ago, and since then they haven’t been talking much.”
“Did Hellen ever tell you the reason?” Detective May asked.
“No. Every time we asked, she just brushed it off like it was nothing,” Mr. Page answered.
“Hmm, I see. How long have the three of them been friends?” Detective May asked.
“Since they were five,” Mr. Page said.
“That’s strange,” Detective Julie thought to herself, frowning slightly.
“What are their names, including the other girl she walks with now?” Detective May asked.
“Samantha Smith, April Jones, and Anita Blake. All in the same grade — Grade 11,” Mrs. Page said.
“I think this is enough information for now. Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Page. I’m sure we’ll find your daughter very soon,” Detective Julie said, standing up.
“Are you sure?” Mrs. Page asked, searching their faces.
“We haven’t even talked much,” Mr. Page added.
“Time is of the essence here. The sooner we start the search, the sooner we find your daughter,” Detective May said, handing them her business card. “Call us anytime. Day or night.”
“I understand. But please, Detective May and Julie, promise us that you’ll find our baby girl,” Mrs. Page said, her voice cracking, while her husband comforted her.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find your daughter,” Detectives May and Julie reassured them.
When they left the office, Detective Julie read through the notes a few more times. Something about the timeline didn’t sit right.
“Another missing persons case,” Detective May said, closing the file.
“But this one seems off,” Detective Julie replied.
“Yeah. A sudden fight followed by a disappearance,” Detective May agreed.
“We should start the investigation by
Interviewing the three girls. I’m sure they know something we don’t,” Detective May said as she set the notebook down.
H hi
