Chapter sixteen: Those in Denvile

"Alia!"

"Rwen!"

"Candice!"

"Ahh! why don't they just all appear already, this humidity isn't doing any good to my hair!"

Aiden glared daggers at Kelly.

"Look, no one is forcing you to be here. If you want to go home, just go, that goes for everyone else!" He raised his voice scanning the rest of the search party. Hands wrung, feet shuffled but no one dared to move.

"Great, fan out we'll cover more ground that way".

The search continued until daylight and then everyone left to tend their own businesses. All excepting Aiden, who had tasked himself with bearing the bad news.

Following the road to a snug suburban style house, he slipped through the open gate and continued down the paved driveway, up the stairs, to the white door.

"Aiden".

As soon as he had entered the joint living room and kitchen, he was greeted by a weary looking couple. The Lentlys. Mr Lently was seated on a stool by the kitchen counter, his wife, a petite woman with dark chocolate skin and her hair styled in cornrows dangling down her shoulders, She came to stand beside him, clutching his hands in hers. They both stared at Aiden, knowing yet fearing his response.

He hated that look. Shaking his head he lowered his gaze to examined the floor. It was as clean as a new pin.

"We haven't searched the entire forest yet and the sheriff thinks that they are just pulling a prank, you know Candy... I'm sure we'll find them...or they'll turn up soon enough!" He shuffled towards the door with a pain in his chest.

"Thank you, why don't you stay for breakfast, The girls will be so pleased when they hear how you all came together for the search". It was Mrs Lently, her voice was lovely though feeble from stress.

There was no way he could say no to them now.

He had not taken two steps forward when the door bell rang. Both he and Mrs Lently ran to answer it.

On the doorsteps stood a pretty woman her long blonde hair in a neat ponytail on top of her head. She wore a small checkered dress and a matching purse. And for her feet, a pair of red ballet shoes.

She was a stranger to Aiden but Mrs Lently welcomed her in.

"Charlet?" Mr Lently seemed genuinely surprised to see her.

"Oh hey Josh, I was in the city for some business stuff and I just thought I had to come and check up on the girls. Candice! Rwen!" She called lightly up the stairs. Aiden and the Lentlys all shared a look.

"Candice?" she turned around to face them. "Oh they are not here, have they gone out?"

"We were just about to start breakfast, maybe you should take a seat". Mrs Lently suggested pulling out a chair. Charlet skipped over and sat herself down primly.

"Why the long faces, you all look like Mr Kennedy when he got the wrong latte!" She gave them a minute to catch on, only they would need a hour. "Okay long story short, he's lactose intolerant." she waited again. Mrs Lently took the opportunity to bring tea to the table. And then, they settled over an uncomfortable breakfast of bacon and eggs with toast. Each analyzing how to break the news to Charlet, and she, blabbering on about her new workout routine.

"Um so... what brings you to our side of town?" Mr Lently spoke up. He was a big man. Contrastingly, his voice was merely above a whisper.

"I told you already, I wanted to see my daughters and Alia too, I was planning on taking them shopping but they are not here I see".

It was time.

"Charlet," Mrs Lently was reaching for Charlet's perfectly manicured nails, tears twinkling in her hazel eyes. Mr Lently had nodded slowly and Aiden was straightening in his seat, silently volunteering to take up the task at hand.

But, Charlet was completely oblivious to their mood.

"Oh!" she said, jumping up "Let me see the girls bedrooms". She climbed the stairs with Mrs Lently at her heals.

She came to a snug room, it's pale yellow walls reflecting warmly the rays of the sun that shone through the large windows. The polished wooden floor was mostly covered by a soft pink and white rug. To the left, a small shelf was mounted on the wall showcasing Candy's Athletic achievements and opposite that, a twin shelf bearing Rwen's academic achievements.

"Is this were my girls stay?" There was a hint of disgust in her words and she sashayed through the door, looking at this and pooking at that. "Hmph!" she scoffed giving up. "I'll come back later".

"Charlet".

She departed with a small wave.

The Lentlys would have been satisfied if they did not have to speak of their missing daughters, each time was equivalent to ripping the bandage from a fresh cut. Still, they would have to tell Charlet. Better sooner than later too!

"Don't worry," Mrs Lently said "When she comes back I will sit her down and tell her straight, she has a right to know!"

Then About midday, she returned. A brilliant smile and hazardously balancing two boxes of take out and paper cups.

"Hi, I was just passing by Birdy's and I thought to myself how much the girls loved fried pigeons and coke". She settled her load onto the dinning table. "So are they here now? Rwen! Candice!".

Mrs Lently had took note of the two boxes and suddenly she was not enjoying Charlet's company!

"They are not here!" She declared.

"Then were are they?" Charlet asked fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"They did not come home after the spring dance". Her voice broke and Mr Lently was at her side in a wink.

"What?!" Charlet eyes widened. "You mean they are missing? Lost! My poor babies!" she wailed. Then in a venomous tone, "you are all so irresponsible, how could I trust you to take care of them? This is exactly why I am suing for custody!"

Custody! The word reverberated in the shell shocked brains that were the Lentlys'

And Aiden thought it the best time to take his leave!

"Get out." Mrs Lently was breathing fire. "Get out of my house!"

Charlet had nothing else to say, in one heated flounce, she made for the gate.

"And take your birds with you!"

Confused, Charlet risked a backward glance and started, barely managing to dodge the boxes that went wizzing past her head.