The Hidden Sin V1: Chapter 2
Carol Graham was gone, vanished along with the darkness that had clouded the gymnasium for a short while. The townspeople looked about their surroundings to indicate where she may had disappeared to, but there was no sign of the high school graduate. Even principal Winston, the superintendent and other members of the school's district cannot seem to find Carol anywhere in the gymnasium, not even through the crowd. The townspeople had started to panic a little thinking it may be the same incident that happened with Karen Hannah. Some believed that it was probably just some stunt Carol had pulled or some magic trick. But the only problem was that nobody saw Karen vanished the same way Carol had. That was what Principal Winston was thinking. Often some students in his school had no respect nor remorse for those who had either loss a loved one nor having no sensitivity to what was happening. Sometimes their imagination had gone way too far then their moral sense. From what he had been taught by his father was that academic studies were more important than one's imagination. He would rather see his son being a businessman and rise along side him than having his head up in the clouds. Sure, it is good to dream of something that you would like to achieve in life, but every time Winston had done that, his father would smack him on the head with a Accounting text book. After he died, he felt somewhat relieved but all of his aggressive ways of getting him to be like his father only made him half of what his father was, a sneering, strict, but a mellow dreamer. He had a dream of becoming a teacher one time. And all of the abusive, hard-as-nails, strictness that had been passed on to him from his father made him achieve that dream and even more. He became a principal in a short time and he was so close of getting a promotion to superintendent. While the previous superintendent was about to retire in the fall, after the graduation of Greensburg High School. Winston kept looking around and about for any sign of where Carol Graham might be. He wasn't able to spot her, not even from the balcony above the mumbling audience. But something had caught his eye, on the floor from where she was standing. Her mortar board hat was found laying upside down but had really struck his eye was what was underneath it. Jake was still looking around also thinking Carol may have pulled a stunt or a magic trick. Then he thought that if it would be a magic trick, there would have been a trap door on the stage floor behind the podium somewhere. It sort of made sense to when Carol would have vanished that quickly under the darkness the gymnasium had briefly fallen under, so he turned his scanning eyes toward the stage and where Carol was standing. There was definitely something there, but from the assigned seat to where Jake had sat and the viewing angel that would hid a person's legs behind the podium made it difficult for him to see if there was any clue. All he was able to see was Carol's mortar board hat laying upside down. He even stood up and just by standing on his toes, there was something underneath the hat. He still could not see much but he barely saw a something black underneath. It was definitely not the same light-brownish colour the rest of the stage floor had. Winston stood up from his chair from the back of the stage and slowly walked up to where the mortar board had laid. As he gotten closer, the black stain, that looked like it had burned right through the varnished floor, became more clear. And the complete view of the stain had almost shook Winston in his leather shoes. The stain had formed a shape, a silhouette of a person burned right into the stage floor. After lifting the mortar board hat from the floor, there was even a black line sitting on top of the silhouette that may have been the hat itself. After better view of the picture, it became frightening clear that the silhouette was indeed belonged to Carol Graham. It was neatly placed and formed perfectly as if Carol would still be standing behind the podium, still giving the valedictory speech. Deputy Alan Craig rushed back into the gymnasium assuming he heard Carol's blood-curdling scream. He quickly looked around crowd for any sign of her but there was none. As we quickly ran up toward the stage, he too saw the black silhouette on the stage floor, neatly shaped and positioned directly where Carol had stood. Seeing that sparked the time where he and a few other officers were searching Karen's bedroom the night she vanished. She had also left a black silhouette on the bedroom floor behind her desk, perfectly shaped as if she would still be sitting there. Only thing that went through his mind after was hoping he would not find what he had recently found back Karen's house. So, without any further hesitation, Alan went up to the podium and spoke to the civilians of Greensburg. �Ladies and gentlemen.� he spoke. �Please remain calm. The Greensburg police will handle this situation and notify you if there is any news. I would strongly advise to return to your homes and lock your doors for the time being.� The crowd slowly turned toward the main doors of the gymnasium and walked out of the school building. �As for the graduates of 2009,� he continued, �your diplomas will be delivered to your doors personally after a short talk with your principal. Thank you for your cooperation and congratulations to you all.� he finished by giving a smiling wink to her sister Alice who was sitting next to Jake. He was really proud of her sister and promised to give her some support when she goes to University in Carlton City to become a fashion designer. Alice was already proud of her older brother for handling the crowd that easily, but can never be more proud than the day the town made him into an officer of the law, a deputy at the most. He was also a good friend to Jake. The two young men got along so well that they were almost like brothers, but back in junior high, Alan was always there to help him out. That was all because of the bully and Alice's boyfriend, Jason Baker. Jason was always pushing Jake around, not just because of Alice but because he could. The hulking fan of many sports had dreams of becoming an athlete went way over his head that most of the time he pretend himself to be a sports star and anybody who was weaker than him were all nothing but a bunch of sacs of dough. And whenever Jake got in contact with him, whether it was smack talk or fists Alan somehow stepped in and prevent Jason from doing any damage. Though he cannot figure out the reason why Alice was dating him, but anyone who was friend of Alice was also a friend of him. As soon as he made it into the police force, he kept his eye on Jason to make sure he didn't harassed his best friend or he would have to place him handcuffs. According to Alice, Jason may be a hot headed, overly protective sports jockey, but he did have a soft spot because of her kindness and loving spirit that she had shown to him. He actually imagined Alice as his cheerleader but her mind was already set on being a fashion designer. But hey, even fashion designers can make awesome clothing for cheerleaders. She even promised him that if she made one cheerleader outfit, she would probably wear it sometime in their honeymoon. If there would be a honeymoon, of course. Jake and the others followed the townspeople out of the main doors of the gymnasium and outside the building into the morning sun. It was hard to believe that the whole thing that happened in there occurred in a short time span and to think that the graduation ceremony would end with Carol's disappearance right in front of the public. Jake's aunt and cousin were waiting at the car near the parking lot just outside school. �Wow.� she said to her nephew. �First Karen, now Carol?� She shook her head in disbelief. �Well, I think we may know something about Karen soon.� Jake said. �Just before the black out, I saw Alan talked to her parents and her mother looked upset than ever.� �Yeah, I saw that too. Doesn't look like good news at all. Well, I hope they have better luck with Carol and find out whats actually happening.� �Me too. We should head back home.� Aunt Laura Miller smiled at Jake. �I got cake waiting for you and Becky's anxious to eat a piece right now.� Becky was sitting in the backseat of the car poking her cheeks through the window. �Yeah, I can't stay cute forever, you know.� Jake laughed at her smart comment and peered through the opening of the half-way downed window. �I'll see if I can persuade your mom to give you a big piece.� Jake and his aunt both got into their car and drove home. As soon as they arrived, Jake took off his robe and his mortar board hat and threw it on living room sofa. He then noticed a cake that was sitting in the middle of the dining room table. The cake was made of two golden layers with peanut butter in between, while the whole caked was soaked with chocolate frosting. Around the edge of the top layer was green swirls with white lettering in the middle to which it read �Congrats, Jake! GH Graduate of 2009.� Jake smiled as if the cake had just spoke those words to him but it was his Aunt Laura and his cousin Becky who put their heart and soul into baking it and he couldn't be any happier. The last time he felt this happy was when his father came to visit him and his mother on his sixth birthday. Every time Detective Jeremy Miller would appear at the front door of the old house Jake and his mother moved into, little Jake would run into his father arms. As for his mother Olivia, the sight of seeing those two together almost brought a tear in one of her eyes but she kept on wishing it would stay like that forever. If only Jeremy would have moved with them, or at least transfer his job to the Greensburg Police Department, they would live together as a family again peacefully and protect his family at the same time. But unfortunately, her efforts of persuading her husband were in vain. Jeremy had brought something from the city, a birthday present for Jake. The size of the package was taller than the three-foot-six birthday boy. When he tore the red gift wrapping like a starving, ravaging hyena with his mutilated meal, his eyes suddenly widened with surprise and excitement. It was a red coloured fishing rod which included a bobbing ball with a cartoon scuba-diver designed on it. Jake gave his father another big hug and he promised to his son that by the time he goes on vacation, he would take him and his wife camping at the Greensburg Nature Campground located in the far East of the town and be able to go fishing at the nearby river. The first day of his vacation was also his and Olivia's eighth wedding anniversary, but it was also the day of when Olivia received the phone call from the station in Carlton City that her husband was shot and killed on the freeway, on his way to see his family. �Go ahead, Jake.� his aunt Laura said, disrupting his moment in memory lane. �You get to eat the first piece. I gotta make a few phone calls.� �Okay,� Jake said. �Thanks a lot, Aunt Laura.� Little Becky poked Jake's side with a proud smile. �I did the writing.� He padded his little cousin on the head. �Well I have to thank you for that, Becky.� Much later after, Jake was in his room after having dinner with his relatives. He laid on his bed looking into mind and tried to make sense of all that was happening. Karen's disappearance, then Carol's. That was strangest thing that ever occurred since the last time Greensburg had reported some missing children which happened about two months earlier, almost after the wife of the Chemistry teacher was killed in the freeway accident. Ten children, all girls between age of eight and twelve had gone missing and there had been no progress in finding their whereabouts or any clue to where they had gone. It started with just one girl, then two twin sisters, and other followed after almost one or two of them each week. The numbers stopped growing sometime during the spring and the police even had help from other departments outside including Carlton City. The police had almost lost hope townspeople had never gave up on the missing children so they had to do what they can in their power to find them all while trying to enjoy their lives as each passing day moved on. Jake looked on his night table next to his bed and noticed a small picture frame of him and his parents. That was the day when his mother Olivia and he moved into their new home and it was the first time his father came from the city for a weekend visit. He was sitting on his mother's lap and his father behind the chair with his hands on her shoulders. They all looked happy together, despite the fact that Jeremy had to stay in the city because of his job as a police detective. His aunt Laura had been the one taking the photograph and the flower-designed wooden frame was made by little Becky on his fifteenth birthday. �You miss them a lot, don't you?� she said standing at the foot of his bed. �Yeah, I really do. I miss them a lot.� �I don't know much about your mommy, but my mommy told me she was a good person.� Jake lightly smiled while his eyes were still fixated on the photo. The memorable moment was interrupted by his aunt calling him from underneath. �Jake,� she called out. �Alan's here to see you.� Jake placed the frame back on his night table and quickly got off the bed. �At least you still have us.� Becky said smiling. �Right you are, squirt.� Jake said petting Becky's little head. Becky didn't like to be called a squirt because of the fact that she was small, so her smile turned into a cute little frown. �I'm not a squirt.� she said sharply, almost raising her voice. Jake stopped mid track and looked back at his cousin with a smirk on his face. �Okay, okay. You're a little squirt.� �I'm not little.� Becky's voice raised a bit more in anger, but Jake had already disappeared through the stairway from his bedroom. When he reached the bottom, Jake noticed deputy Alan Craig was standing near the doorway talking to his aunt. �Hey, Alan.� he said feeling glad to see his old friend. �Hey there, buddy.� Alan spoke back with a proud smile. �Just came to deliver you your diploma. Sorry about the whole ceremony being cut short but congratulations anyways.� �Thanks. So any news about what happened?� �Not much, I'm afraid. We've asked the people around town if they had seen Carol outside the school since the power outage and still no clue. But what we are hoping for is to not have her ended up like Karen.� What Alan said sparked something in Jake's mind. He remembered seeing Alan walking in during the speech and told Karen's parents something and made Mrs. Hannah more upset than ever. �Yeah,� Jake said. �You just happened to talked with her parents before the lights went out and you were escorting them out.� �We had to have them identify the body we found. It was mostly a skeleton covered in some form of black goop. Possibly some oil-based compound. They've already confirmed that it was their daughter due to the fact that her body was wearing a golden crucifix her mother have given her during the Grad Mass.� The mass for graduates occurred five days before Karen's reported disappearance. Jake was at the mass as well since his aunt Laura had kept bugging him about it. And he did remember Alice Craig saying about going to see Pastor Brian Mayne for something. �That's terrible.� Laura said somewhat shocked by the entire thing. �Who would do such a thing to girl like Karen?� �Well, like I said.� Alan continued. �We're doing our job as best as we can to make sure Carol doesn't end up like that.� Jake then thought of something that he also had seen at the gymnasium. �Wait,� he said. �Wasn't there some sort of black stain on the stage floor, from where Carol was standing?� Alan had wished Jake didn't asked that question since the incident was similar to Karen's case, but he clearly remembered seeing it after running back into the gymnasium upon hearing the graduate student scream. �Yeah, there was.� Alan said softly. �The life-sized black stain was found there. And luckily the stage also has a couple of storage compartments in the front for maintenance and we didn't have to break the floorboards. Carol wasn't even under there. You can say she completely vanished.� Alan slowly turned toward the door away from the confused faces Jake and Laura had on. He then sparked an idea and looked back quickly with a slight smile. �Since Karen's funeral is tomorrow in the evening, how about if I treat you something for lunch at the diner?� Jake's confused expression had disappeared. �Sure, that would be great.� �Alice wanted to meet us there too. She's got some more fashion sketches she wanted to show us and to bring to the University this fall.� �Sure, I'll be there.� Alan was almost half-way out through the door when Jake suddenly stopped him for one last question in which the answer had sent chills up his spine. �Alan,� he stopped the young deputy . �Where did you find Karen's body?� There was a slight silence and Alan gave out the details of how one of the deputies was doing a routine check around Karen's house the same morning in case they may have overlooked something. He was walking around with a cup of coffee in his hand surveying the place and end up thinking that he should be home watching the game on television. The deputy stopped in the living room for another look when he did not noticed that something had fallen in his coffee cup. He turned back and was about to take another sip when he tasted something that made the muscles in his face tightened, his eyes squinting, his throat squeaking and felt like he was gonna throw up. It tasted foul, and he even received a smell that stank like something had puked into his coffee, mixed it with crude oil and sweetened with something that was ice-cold and spoiled rotten. When he spat out whatever he had in his mouth, the instant reaction of his head bending forward had delivered his eyes to something that was on the living room carpet between his feet. There was a small, black stain on the carpet. And when the deputy bent down for a closer look and touched the stain, it was wet and it looked like a small pool. Suddenly, a black drop had passed by his eyes from above. Looking up to where the drop had came from, there was a bit more of the black liquid on the ceiling and one floor above the living room was Karen's bedroom. �The deputy called me and Sheriff Barkley to check it out.� Alan continued his story. �When we arrived, we noticed that the source of the black substance was right where that life-sized stain was found on bedroom floor. So, we took an axe from out patrol vehicle and broke through it.� Jake just stood there nearly frozen. �You mean...� �Yes,� Alan said quietly. �With no point of entry or any sign of physical force whatsoever, covered in that same substance...� There was another pause. �Karen was found between her bedroom floor and the living room ceiling.�
Copyright © 2010 R J Levesque |