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Audrey first started hearing the murmurs as she was leaving her chemistry class. She wasn't one to listen to other people's chatter, but it was hard to ignore the passing words of "where do you think he went?" and "I can't believe someones missing." It was odd, to say the least, but she didn't think much of it. She figured maybe one of the popular kids had bailed out on class or something. Not really big news, but big enough for a place like Hawkins.
As she made her way to her locker to switch out her books for the final class of the day, Math, she noticed from the corner of her eye her friend Mary approaching her with a slightly hesitant look to her face. Weird. "Have you seen the posters?" She questioned slowly. Audrey cocked her head to the side, questioning, "What posters, the ones for the dance? I keep telling you there's no way I'm going." Mary shook her head. "Uhm, no. Look," she murmured, lifting her hand to point at the poster board a few steps away. Turning to look, she couldn't quite make it out from this distance, so she pulled out her textbook and shut her locker before weaving through passerbys in the hallway to see.
On a small piece of paper was a picture or a kid she recognized all too well; Christopher Byrd. And above it, the words "missing boy" was scrawled, along a description and the Bryd's home phone number. This can't be real. Chris was fine just last night. Turning to look at Mary, she hurriedly asked, "have you seen Henry anywhere?" Mary nodded. "Yeah, he only just started putting these up before the bell rang. I think he's still going around." Audrey gave her a brief nod before running off in the opposite direction of her math class. She wasn't one to skip, but Henry was her friend and she wanted to ask what was going on.
After wandering the walls aimlessly for about four minutes, she finally saw the familiar dark curly hair that she'd been looking for. Running up to him just as he was stapling another poster up, she came to a stop just before him and grabbed his arm, asking, "Is it true? What happened?" Henry took in a small inhalation of breath before looking at Audrey. She was quick to note how gaunt and stressed his face was. "Yeah. Yeah, he's missing," he spoke quietly, and Audrey was quick to pull him into a hug. He didn't react at first, just letting his arms hang loosely at his side, but he eventually returned it. Letting go, Audrey took his arm and led him to a bench underneath the staircase, sitting him down. He was almost like a puppet on auto-pilot. "He was at Wesley's still when I went to pick Luke up," she stated. She didn't want to ask him outright what had happened, what he had yet to find out if he didn't want to share. This was so she could give him a bit of information and let him tell her as much as he wanted. Henry nodded, as he racked his hand through his hair and leaned back. "The last we know is that he rode his bike off that night. When I woke up today we noticed he wasn't home, his bikes not there." The breath he let out after that sentence was one of frustration. "Have you talked to Peter to see what he knows? He baby sat last night," she questioned. Henry sharply grounded out, "No. The cops can talk to him if they want to." Audrey gave a small shocked look at his clear aversion to his idea. She didn't really want to read into that too much right now, especially as he quickly changed the subject. "I didn't even check on him last night Audrey, we have no idea if he even got home last night. I should have checked," he bit out.
Audrey nodded along as he told her, leaning back against the wall with him as he did. She felt a lump starting to form in her throat. She understood the guilt he felt, hell, he should be pissed off at her of all people. She thought about driving Chris home last night but didn't. If she had, he probably wouldn't be missing. "It's not you're fault for not checking on him Henry. No one could have guessed something like this would happen," she murmured, turning her head to look at him. "I should have drove him home last night. I'm so sorry," she breathed out, and Henry just shook his head. It wasn't her fault for not driving him home. Henry knew he should have been there. Standing back up, he cleared his throat slightly as he said, "you should get to class. I still have to put these posters up downtown and go around some of the neighbourhoods." Audrey stood up after him, and took half the missing posters from his pile. Trying to give him a reassuring smile she said, "I can miss math. I'll go downtown and put these up, okay? We'll be able to cover more ground faster." Henry stood there for a couple of seconds just looking at her, before giving a relenting nod. She gave him one last one armed hug, before running off the the parking lot to get in her car, praying her mother would forgive her for skipping out.
Around an hour and a half later, Audrey was making her way up her home's drive way. She managed to get a lot of posters up, and avoided conversation with gossipy old ladies who were more than a little inquisitive about Chris's disappearance. Opening her front door, Audrey was not prepared for her mother to be right there, frustration sketched upon her face. "Audrey Virginia Fletcher, where have you been!" she yelled out, before Audrey even had the chance to step inside the house. "I was just-" she was cut off before she could even provide an explanation. "Do you know I got a call from your school? I can't believe my own child would skip class. You are a half an hour late! You do know that Christopher Byrd went missing, yes? I've been out of my mind!" Audrey raised her hands in defence as she butted in with, "I know, I know, I'm sorry! I was helping Henry put up missing posters downtown." Audrey's mother still stood there, hands on her hips as she contemplated the girls answer. "That is still not a good enough reason to skip class young lady. From now on, I want you home right after school until the police figure out what happened. I don't want you or your brother going missing on me, got it?" Audrey didn't get it. This was house arrest. However, she's learned over the years to not argue and to just find way around it. "Alright, mom," she sighed, slipping past her to go up the stairs. Just as she reached the top landing to her bedroom door, her mother hollered out, "and I'll be telling your father what you did when he get's home from work!"
As she made her way to her locker to switch out her books for the final class of the day, Math, she noticed from the corner of her eye her friend Mary approaching her with a slightly hesitant look to her face. Weird. "Have you seen the posters?" She questioned slowly. Audrey cocked her head to the side, questioning, "What posters, the ones for the dance? I keep telling you there's no way I'm going." Mary shook her head. "Uhm, no. Look," she murmured, lifting her hand to point at the poster board a few steps away. Turning to look, she couldn't quite make it out from this distance, so she pulled out her textbook and shut her locker before weaving through passerbys in the hallway to see.
On a small piece of paper was a picture or a kid she recognized all too well; Christopher Byrd. And above it, the words "missing boy" was scrawled, along a description and the Bryd's home phone number. This can't be real. Chris was fine just last night. Turning to look at Mary, she hurriedly asked, "have you seen Henry anywhere?" Mary nodded. "Yeah, he only just started putting these up before the bell rang. I think he's still going around." Audrey gave her a brief nod before running off in the opposite direction of her math class. She wasn't one to skip, but Henry was her friend and she wanted to ask what was going on.
After wandering the walls aimlessly for about four minutes, she finally saw the familiar dark curly hair that she'd been looking for. Running up to him just as he was stapling another poster up, she came to a stop just before him and grabbed his arm, asking, "Is it true? What happened?" Henry took in a small inhalation of breath before looking at Audrey. She was quick to note how gaunt and stressed his face was. "Yeah. Yeah, he's missing," he spoke quietly, and Audrey was quick to pull him into a hug. He didn't react at first, just letting his arms hang loosely at his side, but he eventually returned it. Letting go, Audrey took his arm and led him to a bench underneath the staircase, sitting him down. He was almost like a puppet on auto-pilot. "He was at Wesley's still when I went to pick Luke up," she stated. She didn't want to ask him outright what had happened, what he had yet to find out if he didn't want to share. This was so she could give him a bit of information and let him tell her as much as he wanted. Henry nodded, as he racked his hand through his hair and leaned back. "The last we know is that he rode his bike off that night. When I woke up today we noticed he wasn't home, his bikes not there." The breath he let out after that sentence was one of frustration. "Have you talked to Peter to see what he knows? He baby sat last night," she questioned. Henry sharply grounded out, "No. The cops can talk to him if they want to." Audrey gave a small shocked look at his clear aversion to his idea. She didn't really want to read into that too much right now, especially as he quickly changed the subject. "I didn't even check on him last night Audrey, we have no idea if he even got home last night. I should have checked," he bit out.
Audrey nodded along as he told her, leaning back against the wall with him as he did. She felt a lump starting to form in her throat. She understood the guilt he felt, hell, he should be pissed off at her of all people. She thought about driving Chris home last night but didn't. If she had, he probably wouldn't be missing. "It's not you're fault for not checking on him Henry. No one could have guessed something like this would happen," she murmured, turning her head to look at him. "I should have drove him home last night. I'm so sorry," she breathed out, and Henry just shook his head. It wasn't her fault for not driving him home. Henry knew he should have been there. Standing back up, he cleared his throat slightly as he said, "you should get to class. I still have to put these posters up downtown and go around some of the neighbourhoods." Audrey stood up after him, and took half the missing posters from his pile. Trying to give him a reassuring smile she said, "I can miss math. I'll go downtown and put these up, okay? We'll be able to cover more ground faster." Henry stood there for a couple of seconds just looking at her, before giving a relenting nod. She gave him one last one armed hug, before running off the the parking lot to get in her car, praying her mother would forgive her for skipping out.
Around an hour and a half later, Audrey was making her way up her home's drive way. She managed to get a lot of posters up, and avoided conversation with gossipy old ladies who were more than a little inquisitive about Chris's disappearance. Opening her front door, Audrey was not prepared for her mother to be right there, frustration sketched upon her face. "Audrey Virginia Fletcher, where have you been!" she yelled out, before Audrey even had the chance to step inside the house. "I was just-" she was cut off before she could even provide an explanation. "Do you know I got a call from your school? I can't believe my own child would skip class. You are a half an hour late! You do know that Christopher Byrd went missing, yes? I've been out of my mind!" Audrey raised her hands in defence as she butted in with, "I know, I know, I'm sorry! I was helping Henry put up missing posters downtown." Audrey's mother still stood there, hands on her hips as she contemplated the girls answer. "That is still not a good enough reason to skip class young lady. From now on, I want you home right after school until the police figure out what happened. I don't want you or your brother going missing on me, got it?" Audrey didn't get it. This was house arrest. However, she's learned over the years to not argue and to just find way around it. "Alright, mom," she sighed, slipping past her to go up the stairs. Just as she reached the top landing to her bedroom door, her mother hollered out, "and I'll be telling your father what you did when he get's home from work!"