The Forgotten Ones

front of her, while Pop gazed out the back window. Aunt Jessie stepped away from the sink where she was washing the dishes from the night before.
    “You all couldn’t sleep either, I guess…. Any news?” I asked, as they all looked at me questioningly.
    Aunt Jessie smoothed back my hair and smiled at me with pity in her eyes. “No, honey. Nothing yet. There were a couple calls during the night but”—she sighed—“they were all dead ends.”
    It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. I wanted to tell them they were all wasting their time, that I was going to find her and bring her home myself.
    “I’m just going to grab some breakfast, and I’ll be heading back out,” I said instead.
    Uncle David walked into the room holding up his phone. “Nic said she’ll come here first, and you can go out with them. They’re about to head to the mall to see if for some reason she wandered down there.”
    I shook my head. “I’d rather split up for now, cover more ground.”
    Pop cleared his throat, and when I looked over at him I froze. His face was ashen, with dark circles shadowing his eyes. “Allie, please don’t go out alone. Wait for your cousin.”

    I felt a sharp twang of guilt as I packed my duffel bag. Leaving might hurt my grandparents a little at first, but it would be worth it when I brought my mother back safely. Staying here to keep them calm now would be worse in the end. As I zipped my bag closed, my bedroom door opened slowly.
    Nicole stuck her head in, her expression worried. “You planning a trip, Al?”
    “Actually...yes. And you’re just in time to help me.”
    Nicole frowned. “I don’t think I like where this is going.”
    “Come on, I never ask you for anything. I need you to cover for me, to keep Gram and Pop from worrying,” I said as I picked up my bag. “Now, I can’t tell you where I’m going, but you need to just trust me.”
    “Are you kidding? You’re just leaving, and you expect me to cover for you without any information. Of all the times for you to lose your cool, Al.”
    I put my hands on Nicole’s shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “I need you now, more than I have ever needed anything. I am going to find my mother, and you need to have faith in me. Whatever you have to say, just cover for me.”
    Shaking her head, Nicole turned away. “Fine, but don’t do anything stupid. It’s not like you to be so crazy. Please don’t do anything stupid,” she repeated
    “Thanks, Nic…really.”
    “Did I mention I don’t like how you’re acting?” Nicole said over her shoulder, walking out of my bedroom.

    I met Liam in the clearing after I snagged a few snacks to bring with me. He looked curiously at the bag slung over my shoulder.
    “You’re ready, then?”
    “Yep, I’m ready.”
    “And you’re sure about this?”
    “Stop stalling. How are we getting there?”
    “The portal is at Niamh’s house, about an hour from here.” he said, hesitating. “By car. But if we run, we’ll be there in about a minute.”
    My eyebrows shot up and I gasped.
    “I know, I know. But it’s true.”
    I shook my head. “Maybe you can run at light speed, but I can’t.”
    “Allison,” he said, as if I was being ridiculous. “I’ll carry you.”
    “Whoa, I don’t think so. I’d rather drive.”
    “We’re wasting time,” he said, his jaw tightening. “It’ll be over very fast. You won’t even have a chance to think about it.”
    I looked at him a moment longer. “Fine.” I threw my hands out. “Carry me.”
    In a flash, he had me up over his shoulder like a fireman rescuing a child, and the air was sucked straight out of my lungs like a vacuum. The change from standing still to flying through the air was so intense that I swore I left my vital organs in the wooded lot. I tried to pry open my eyelids, but the pressure kept them locked down. The only thought I had was of falling from Liam’s shoulder and exploding into a million pieces.
    When Liam slowed down and I felt the pressure release, my lungs automatically gulped in air. I opened my eyes to see grass and boulders and a dirt road blurring by. Then he came to a complete stop and I wriggled off his back. My equilibrium was still in Stoneville, so I was glad he held me steady by the elbows. I might have gone down like a sack of rocks otherwise.
    The trees on either side of the road towered above us, their long branches intertwining overhead to give the impression of a tunnel. The grass was