Vanished (Syren Nova Series Book 1) Read online

  Vanished

  Mercedes Morgan

  Mercedes Morgan

  Copyright © 2021 Mercedes Morgan

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9798452695608

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Art Painter

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  This book is dedicated to all the children, teens, and adults who have been kidnapped/sold/or abused.

  Statistics

  According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, out of the 26,500+ cases of children going missing, 1 in every 6 were likely victims of sex trafficking in 2020.

  Unfortunately, quite a few cases go undocumented or unsolved (cold). On average, the United States has 600,000+ child abduction cases each year. Out of these, hundreds of thousands will never be found. Three out of five victims will be sexually assaulted. Globally, 25% of human trafficking victims are children while 75% are women and young girls.

  For more information, check out missingkids.org.

  We compiled all statistics and information from the following.

  Missing Kids Information(2020). https://www.missingkids.org/content/ncmec/en/ourwork/impact.html

  Sedlak, A. J. (2002). NISMART. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/196465.pdf

  Hanfland, K. A. (n.d.). Investigative Case Management for Missing Children Homicides. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/201253NCJRS.pdf

  Safe At Last(2021). https://safeatlast.co/blog/kidnapping-statistics/#gref

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Statistics

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

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  About The Author

  Books By This Author

  Chapter One

  They say that life is what you make it. And that everyone has a destiny that they need to uphold. But what if that destiny is cut short? What if your life was no longer in your control? Would you still say the same things?

  I never thought to really think about these things before… but, I guess, no one really does. We all have this beautiful fantasy of life. These expectations that we are all supposed to abide by. Family, friends, relationships, hobbies, you name it; that’s what makes us-us. But who are we really? When everything is taken away, what’s left? Are you still the same person? Or are you someone brand new, taking over so the previous person can die? Life is a funny thing like that. You are born, grow up, and die. But what happens when you don’t finish that pattern?

  Hi, my name is Syren Nova Velasquez. I am fifteen years old. I was born in Denver, Colorado, to Tally and Jake Burns. I had two little siblings, Allie and Whitley, ages four and ten. I had three of the best friends a girl could ever hope for. Marina, Jordyn, and Taurus.

  Marina was a short, bubbly girl. At first glance, you’d assume she is some cute kid who was a pushover. Well, you’d be wrong. She was captain of our girl’s varsity soccer team and was a black belt in karate. But the most intimidating thing… she was president of the debate team. As a freshman! That never happens! The girl could talk rings around you and spew facts all while charming the audience and winning all of her cases. She is going to make an amazing attorney one day.

  Now, Jordyn was what she liked to call “Latin realness”. She and her family moved here from Spain when she was twelve. Now at fifteen she was tall, had skin every person envied, and could walk in heels like no one’s business. She was an amazing artist and seamstress. I just know that someday she will have her own world famous fashion label.

  Taurus was my first friend. I grew up with them. We knew everything about each other. I was the first person who Taurus came out to. It was also my family who took them in when their no-good sorry excuse for parents kicked them out. Yes, I am extremely passionate about this. But back to Taurus; they were one of the smartest people I had the honor to meet. I mean, we are talking genius IQ level here. But, if you try to tell them that. They’ll shut you down quicker than you can shut a door.

  I miss them so much… but. I also want them to rest and move on. They have their whole lives ahead of them and they deserve to live them. If not for themselves, then for me. I just wish I could talk to them one more time, hug them, tell them how much I love them… but I can’t. They made sure we couldn’t.

  Chapter Two

  December twenty-third started out normally… or as normal as it can be considering the horrors that awaited me. But the magic in the air was hard to resist. Everyone’s excitement for Christmas and New Year’s was infectious. I had even found the best gift for Taurus the day before. I can’t wait for them to open it. I just hope it helps them.

  As ninth graders, we were the newbies. The awkward ones who were barely out of their pre-teens. We were the lowest of the low as far as the social hierarchy went. I mean, don’t get me wrong I was by no means unpopular. But I was also best friends and a sister to Taurus. Taurus seemed to have a giant BULLY ME sign on them. Jordyn, Marina, and I tried to deter the brunt of any potential bullying. But things always slip through the cracks.

  I worry about them, now that I’m gone. Taurus was my best friend… they still are my best friend. But more than that, they are my sibling. I’m getting ahead of myself, though. I guess I should start at the beginning.

  December 17th, 2010. Life was normal; I went to school, hung out with my friends, had an amazing significant other, fought with my siblings, and accused my parents of being overbearing. You know, normal teenage things. I thought I was invincible. Doesn’t everyone? Maybe it’s just a me thing. I’ll have to ask Cassandra or Kyle their older, so in this case I figure they must have more knowledge on this than I do.

  I can barely remember what the school looked like, the other people in my year, heck I barely remembered my teachers… okay, so I may have forgotten one or two of them. But it’s not my fault! You try living in hell for three years and then, given the freedom you craved, only to now crave something else. Something you never ever thought you could want. But now it’s the only thing that matters. Okay-okay, I’m getting ahead of myself again.

  I know I had eight classes. Ironically, while I forgot some teachers, I can remember my locker combination and schedule. It’s funny how the brain works like that. But yes, I had Chemistry first with Marina and Jordyn, Geometry alone (at the time this is what I considered cruel and unusual punishment), English with all three of my friends, Spanish with Taurus, World History alone, Theatre with Jordyn and Marina, Home Ec with Jordyn, and Soccer with Marina. All in all I had a pretty great schedule for a freshman. Not many people have most every single class with their best friends.

  Our teachers weren’t even that bad. Ms. Clark (Chem) was a stumpy old lady who had more sass than any one person should have. Mrs. Young (Math) was a strict woman who I swear had eyes everywhere! She could be
sitting at her desk writing or whatever and without even looking up and call some kid out for cheating. Nothing could get past her. Our soccer coach, Mr. Hodge, was by far my favorite teacher, though. He was always smiling, cracking jokes, and giving out compliments to me, and commenting about the slight changes I made to my hair or clothes… in hindsight, I guess that is a little weird.

  He was also a devastatingly handsome man. No one in their fifties should look as good as Mr. George Louis Hodge. He had muscles, salt and pepper hair that always looked the slightest bit tousled, tall broad shoulders, and the brightest teeth I have ever seen. But he was married. He married Joyce Hodge nee Rodgers thirty something years ago. They even had six children. SIX! I don’t know how that woman does it. Needless to say nearly all the girls at the school had crushes on him, even a few of the boys and they’s.

  Chapter Three

  “Syren! Where were you this morning? You missed morning practice and Mr. Hodge is super upset.” I jumped slightly when Marina grabbed my shoulder.

  “OH MY GOSH! Sorry Syren! I thought you knew I was behind you.” Shaking my head, I finally turn to look at my friend.

  “It’s fine, Mar, I’m just on edge today. Something feels… off? I slept through my alarm. Taurus woke up with a fever, I couldn’t find my chemistry homework, and I got into a fight with my mom. It’s just one of those days.” I give Marina a half smile and sigh, leaning against the wall.

  “Oh Sy, I’m sorry. Wanna talk about it any of it? I wouldn’t stress over the homework. Mrs. Clark isn’t even here today, remember? She went on break early to attend her grandson’s wedding or something.” Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. I know Marina means well. But I just need some space. I don’t know what’s up with me today. I yelled at my mom for moving my homework, which I know she didn’t, slept through my alarm, which I have never done. I woke up terrified and confused for no reason. And to make matters worse, I ignored Taurus all morning for the stupid reason that they were sick and I wasn’t and now this?

  What is going on today? I can’t just ignore everyone today… or well I can, but what good would that do? But what do I even say? Hey, I have no idea what’s going on with me today; I have this horrible feeling that I’m forgetting something important and now it’s just making me irritable and you should probably just leave me alone. Yeah, no. That will not go over well.

  So trying to explain is out of the question. At least right now, it is. I guess I could try to act normal? No, that would just lead to me blowing up on one of them like I did mom. That just leaves ignoring them. Which is exactly what I wanted to avoid, but unfortunately appears to be the best option. With my mind made up, I pick up my bag and walk away, ignoring Marina’s shouts to wait up.

  I, under no circumstance wanted her to catch up to me. She would demand answers, and I would relent and inevitably blow up. Evading. That’s what I need to do. Glancing around, I see an open door and I bolt for it. Shutting and locking the door quickly, I allow myself to look around the room. I’d never been in here before… heck, I didn’t even know whose room this was.

  Peeking out the window, I see Marina looking around wildly before taking off towards our first period. No doubt about to inform Jordyn of my bizarre behavior. Slinking down the door, I allow my body to relax and slump forward. There was no way I could go to class like this. I can’t go home either, especially not with how I treated my mom and Taurus before I left. The only option is to go somewhere else. But where? Where could I go that it wouldn’t look out of place?

  The park is too obvious as is the mall…. but what if I didn’t actually leave the school? What if I went somewhere that was deserted apart from the morning and last period? The soccer field was perfect. There was a small gym off to the side that had bathrooms, vending machines, and our showers. It was connected to the school’s air and heating system and it had mats I could sit on. I could easily hideout there until around eighth period and then go to practice and leave like normal. Yes. That gives me enough time to calm down and think.

  Glancing at the clock, I stand slowly. Okay, its nine twenty-five first period lets out in five minutes. I can just walk out and join the other students walking to class. Then I will walk into the athletics hallway and head straight to the soccer field. But that leaves me exposed to the cameras for at least two minutes. Okay Syren, think… MY JACKET! Grabbing my bag, I search through it for my wayward hoodie. Or, well, technically, it was Ardent’s. But that wasn’t important right now. All that matters is that Ardent is bigger than me and his hoodie is massive.

  I quickly slip it on making and grab my bag just as the bell rings. I wait for the hallway to fill up with students and I quickly slip out and slip the hood up. Okay, Syren, just get to the PE hall, then we will be fine. Just act normal and no one will suspect a thing. You’re just another student walking to class. Finally, making it to the PE hallway, I bolt to the doors leading outside. I had approximately two minutes to make it to the soccer building before the doors automatically relock themselves, and I do not want to be trapped in a near blizzard for an hour.

  I fling open the door and run as hard and as fast as I could. I ran as if my life depended on it… which I mean, it kinda did. I made it and had no sooner opened the door and stepped in when the bell rang and the telltale noise of the doors locking clicked in place. Panting, I look around and walk towards the small gym in the building. Pushing on the doors, I walk in and feel around for the lights. It was dark… too dark.

  Normally, I’m not someone to let my imagination get away from me, but after last night and this morning, I was terrified. Finding the light switch, I flip it on and move over to the mats. Slumping down on the mats, I grab my journal and a pen. I need to find out what happened last night and why I feel so strange.

  Chapter Four

  Opening my journal, I attempt to remember what I did yesterday. I know I went to school, met up with my friends, went to practice before and after school, stayed for tutoring and then nothing. Jordyn, Marina, and Taurus didn’t need to stay after school yesterday, so I told them to head home. I’d be fine walking after tutoring.

  I remember saying by to them and watching them get into Jordyn’s car to head home, then nothing. Okay, okay, that’s fine it’s normal to forget things. No need to panic, just take deep breaths and close your eyes, Syren. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do to put off panic attacks? Yeah, so I think I just ended up making things worse since when I next opened my eyes and looked at my phone, it was one twenty-two. I had been out for over three hours!

  I guess I needed the sleep? I don’t think I have ever heard of someone passing out and being out for an extended period… could you pass out and then fall asleep without waking up? I really should have paid attention in health class last year.

  ‘Bluuuurgh’ Jeez, could my stomach be any louder?! Sighing, I sit up and reach for my bag and felt around for my wallet. Thankfully, it was near the top and I had my debit card. Standing up, I grip my card and walk out of the gym to the vending machines. It’s a lot colder out here than it was in the gym… and darker. Walking quickly to the machines, I swipe my card and put in the first combinations I see. Thankfully, these machines were the kind that you could put multiple orders in and just hit end when you were done. Modern technology at its finest.

  Leaving my food at the bottom of the machine, I move to the second machine, holding drinks. Quickly I swipe the card, grab my water, java monster, and snacks from the other machine and sprint back to the gym doors right as a loud groaning noise sounded from the roof knocking the power out.

  Great. Now there’s no light, I’m alone, no one knows where I am, I have… a bag of jalepeno doritos, a honey bun, an oatmeal creme pie (ew), and a pack of dried fruit. This is exactly why I should have actually looked at the combinations I was putting in. None of this is even remotely filling and who the hell eats oatmeal creme pies? Well, I have to eat something- grabbing the fruit; I open the bag and quickly scarf it down.

  Well,
that was better than nothing, I guess. Not great, but I mean edible and slightly healthy? Reaching next to me, I crack open my monster and take a drink before grabbing my journal once more and writing. I guess my impromptu nap/passing out session worked to my advantage? I remember more now. I went to tutoring for Mrs. Young and left sometime around five thirty.

  Here is where it gets foggy. I know I started to walk home, and I obviously made it home at some point, but for the life of me, I can not remember what the hell happened. Taking a deep breath, I allow my body to relax and begin mentally retracing my steps. Okay, so I left through the south entrance of the school and walked towards Cador street… I think I made it all the way from Cador to Abilene road which is about a mile away from Cador and the school.

  I remember feeling like I was being watched or followed… but no one was there, at least no one I could see. I walked past Mr. and Mrs. Hardocks house and then nothing. My head feels like its being run over by a semi-truck just trying to remember something. “This can’t be normal… I shouldn’t have a headache let alone a migraine from trying to remember something.” Groaning, I lay back on the mat and pick up my phone. I only had twenty percent left, and the power was still out.

  It’s freezing in here, but I don’t want to chance attempting to get back into the main school building and getting stranded outside because of a mass power outage. At least in here I had some semblance of heat- and I had shelter. So that’s a plus. Okay, Syren, back to the memory issue. Grabbing my journal once more, I write a list:

  My name is Syren Nova Velasquez. I am fifteen years old and attend Denver High School. It’s December 17th, 2010 and two twenty-eight pm. I am sitting in the soccer gymnasium. The power went out about thirty minutes ago, but I don’t want to go back to the main building and risk being trapped in the snow. I came in here to hide and think. I feel off. I feel like something important happened and I can’t remember it. So, I came here. No one knows I’m in here. So far, all I know is this: