Chapter 2 Struggling and Discovering

Gabby Fore was the most valued reporter on Valley High School newspaper staff. She dug up dirty secrets that California’s government hid: political scandals, murders, anything.

Valley High School was built on an one  hundred feet high hill, surrounded by vast greenery, open space, and cherry blossom trees. The newspaper headquarters was located on a separated tall tower, ten yards away from the main school building. Up in the highest window of the tower, Gabby was pacing back and forth from her office desk. She was working on her latest article for the Valley Jargon. A young girl disappeared a month ago. It was said she was leaving Valley High School on the twenty-seventh of April at five in the evening. Two days later, she was reported missing. The girl was a transfer student. Suspicions arose when all her files went missing. No one remembered her name. With a Canon Camera strapped to her left hand, and a pencil and a notebook to her other, Gabby was ready to crack this case.

***

“Tim,” Gabby spoke in the phone and held her breath. She was locking up the news tower and heading downhill. On the other line, Tim Smith, a close friend to Gabby who often accompanied her on her investigations, picked up.

“Gabby,” Tim replied.

“You know about that missing transfer girl? I’m going to find her…” Gabby paused, lightly distracted by the way and sound Tim said her name. “I need your help.”

“I am on my way,” Tim pressed end on his  cellphone. “Another great scoop,” Tim said to himself.

When Tim arrived, she found Gabby examining cherry blossoms. It was quite windy. Tim put on his hat, covering up his short jet black hair. Gabby’s brown eyes widened, as her red hair swirled in the wind. She picked up a piece of hair and a tattered piece of lavender cloth.

“Look,” Gabby lifted the articles up to Tim’s eye level. “I heard the transfer girl was wearing a lavender hoodie that day…and this could be her hair.”

“Quite possible. Good catch. I think–,” Tim started to say before  a small black object three feet away from him covered in dirt caught his eye.

Gabby, confused as Tim started to walk away from her, asked, “Yes? Continue?”

“Hold on, I think, this is her wallet,” Tim said softly as he picked up the black object. He opened the wallet as Gabby walked over. There was a picture of three people, an older woman, a man, and a young girl. There was also some China currency.

“I think these are her parents, and that’s her, the little girl,” Tim said.

“Nothing else? No Identification card?”

“Wait,” Tim said as he browsed deeper into other pockets of the wallet. “Here, this card.” Tim handed the card to Gabby. It was a plain white card with only a tiny print in the middle.

“Hmm…wonder how the FBI can miss this eh, Tim?” Gabby took the wallet and placed the name card in. Then she placed the rest of the evidence into a plastic bag and started to head back to the school. Tim sighed reflectively for a few seconds, and  then followed.

***

Everyone backed away. The girl was shaking violently, trying to free herself as she kept screaming.

“Everyone out,” the man ordered. The room soon became empty except the two. The man grabbed her hand. The girl quickly balled it into a fist, but the man managed to pry it open. He took a white wax paper from his overcoat’s pocket and slammed it onto the girl’s palm. When he peeled it off, he took out a metal object. A red lazer beam shot out and scanned the wax. Three beeps sounded off from the scanner.

“DNA scan complete,” a mechanic male voice spoke from the metal. The man looked at the detailed report screening from an angle of the object. He began to grin. He smothered the girl’s scream with his hand.

“Shhh…Daddy’s here.”

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~ by jellylver123 on May 2, 2009.