said.
“Milligan? Are you related to Andrew Milligan?”
Jake looked up at the man and nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said. “He’s my dad.”
Emma couldn’t think of anything else to do but come out with the truth. She told him that they were in the forest looking for Jake’s father. She told him also about how her own father had forbidden her from doing so and that she would be in a lot of trouble if he found out.
“Alright, listen,” Aaron said when she finished. “I won’t call your parents. But you have to stay out of that forest. The police are doing everything they can to find the missing persons.”
“It’s been almost a month,” Jake said.
Aaron nodded and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
He led them back outside, out the front gate of the construction site, and onto Lockhart Road. The German Shepherd followed.
“Now, go straight home and don’t go back in the forest again,” Aaron said. “Stay out of trouble.”
They walked back up the road, the trees of the forest looking down on them on their right.
“How did we end up there?” Jake said as they went.
“I have no idea,” Emma said. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Also, I didn’t think you’d tell him everything!”
“He asked! What was I supposed to do?”
They walked on in silence until they turned down Belle Street. The Blue Jay, the one from before, Emma thought, was still there, though on a different tree. It watched them walk by.
“So what do we do now?” Jake said.
“You still want to do this?”
He nodded.
Emma sighed. She had already broken the rules anyway.
“Okay,” she said. “I have a plan.”
The Blue Jay chirped and flew away.
The following day after school, Jake rode the bus with Emma and Will on the pretense that he was coming over to visit again. When the three of them were walking from the bus stop to their house, Emma grabbed Will by the arm.
“I have to tell you,” she said.
“What is it now, Emma?”
“We’re going to go to the forest,” she said. “To look for Jake’s dad.”
“You’re crazy,” he said. “Dad will kill you.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I need you to promise me you won’t snitch. I’ll be back before he comes from work.”
Will shook his head and walked around her. Jake looked at Emma questioningly, but she could only shrug her shoulders. The older boy didn’t speak at all until they were back inside their house. They put their bags down on the floor, just inside, and Will turned to Emma.
“Okay,” he said.
“You won’t tell?”
“No,” he said. “I’m coming with you. Someone has to take care of you.”
Emma was happy to add Will to their search party. The three children went to the forest. Because of what had happened the day before, with their getting turned around and ending up at the construction site, Emma made sure this time that they were headed in a northerly direction.
“We keep the sun to our left,” she said, “and it’ll keep us going north.”
“So you think we can do better than we did with all those other people that one time?” Will said. “In only an hour and a half?”
“No,” Emma said. “We’re going to do this every day.”
“That’s the plan then? Come to the forest every day straight from the bus and then try to get back home before dad gets there and kills you?”
“Yup.”
“Alright,” Will said. He turned to Jake. “She’s crazy, you know?”
Jake nodded. “I know.”
They laughed together. Emma punched Will in the shoulder.
They continued on toward the north for a while, with Will keeping track of the time on his watch. Though Emma made sure that they did not deviate from their intended direction, eventually the Paigely Builders construction site appeared in front of them.
“Look,” she said. “It’s the construction site.”
“How is that possible?” Jake said.
“I don’t know. It’s to the east of where we started. There is no way we could’ve
“Milligan? Are you related to Andrew Milligan?”
Jake looked up at the man and nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said. “He’s my dad.”
Emma couldn’t think of anything else to do but come out with the truth. She told him that they were in the forest looking for Jake’s father. She told him also about how her own father had forbidden her from doing so and that she would be in a lot of trouble if he found out.
“Alright, listen,” Aaron said when she finished. “I won’t call your parents. But you have to stay out of that forest. The police are doing everything they can to find the missing persons.”
“It’s been almost a month,” Jake said.
Aaron nodded and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
He led them back outside, out the front gate of the construction site, and onto Lockhart Road. The German Shepherd followed.
“Now, go straight home and don’t go back in the forest again,” Aaron said. “Stay out of trouble.”
They walked back up the road, the trees of the forest looking down on them on their right.
“How did we end up there?” Jake said as they went.
“I have no idea,” Emma said. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Also, I didn’t think you’d tell him everything!”
“He asked! What was I supposed to do?”
They walked on in silence until they turned down Belle Street. The Blue Jay, the one from before, Emma thought, was still there, though on a different tree. It watched them walk by.
“So what do we do now?” Jake said.
“You still want to do this?”
He nodded.
Emma sighed. She had already broken the rules anyway.
“Okay,” she said. “I have a plan.”
The Blue Jay chirped and flew away.
The following day after school, Jake rode the bus with Emma and Will on the pretense that he was coming over to visit again. When the three of them were walking from the bus stop to their house, Emma grabbed Will by the arm.
“I have to tell you,” she said.
“What is it now, Emma?”
“We’re going to go to the forest,” she said. “To look for Jake’s dad.”
“You’re crazy,” he said. “Dad will kill you.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I need you to promise me you won’t snitch. I’ll be back before he comes from work.”
Will shook his head and walked around her. Jake looked at Emma questioningly, but she could only shrug her shoulders. The older boy didn’t speak at all until they were back inside their house. They put their bags down on the floor, just inside, and Will turned to Emma.
“Okay,” he said.
“You won’t tell?”
“No,” he said. “I’m coming with you. Someone has to take care of you.”
Emma was happy to add Will to their search party. The three children went to the forest. Because of what had happened the day before, with their getting turned around and ending up at the construction site, Emma made sure this time that they were headed in a northerly direction.
“We keep the sun to our left,” she said, “and it’ll keep us going north.”
“So you think we can do better than we did with all those other people that one time?” Will said. “In only an hour and a half?”
“No,” Emma said. “We’re going to do this every day.”
“That’s the plan then? Come to the forest every day straight from the bus and then try to get back home before dad gets there and kills you?”
“Yup.”
“Alright,” Will said. He turned to Jake. “She’s crazy, you know?”
Jake nodded. “I know.”
They laughed together. Emma punched Will in the shoulder.
They continued on toward the north for a while, with Will keeping track of the time on his watch. Though Emma made sure that they did not deviate from their intended direction, eventually the Paigely Builders construction site appeared in front of them.
“Look,” she said. “It’s the construction site.”
“How is that possible?” Jake said.
“I don’t know. It’s to the east of where we started. There is no way we could’ve
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