"Drakon!" I called, pausing to listen, but I could only hear my heart beating loud in my ears.

I looked up and saw Tristian up on a tree, gripping a branch as he stood up to look around. He called for Drakon much louder than I did, but we heard nothing.

Tristian glanced down, shaking his head. My hands shook as I pointed the flashlight everywhere and called for Drakon, my voice wavering a bit. I reached up to rub my throat as my voice started to get hoarse. I cleared my throat and Tristian easily climbed down the tree, standing next to me.

"We'll find him." He said, trying to sound hopeful for my sake.

I swallowed the lump down my throat and only managed to nod. Tristian squeezed my shoulder and we continued going forward, calling out for Drakon, but we were answered with silence.

I was starting to get desperate as we went deeper into the woods. I could feel the panic swell to the point where I felt like I was choking on it. I couldn't breathe right. I couldn't stop the shaking on my hands and legs. I couldn't stop wiping away my tears that kept blurring my vision.

And worst was that I couldn't stop the petrifying thoughts that kept resurfacing after I countlessly tried to convince myself that Drakon was okay, that he was safe somewhere.

Yet there were images in my head of Drakon lying somewhere dead or seriously injured. What if he couldn't get up to be seen? What if he was unconscious somewhere we had walked by? What if he fell off a cliff? What if a larger animal got to him first before I could? What if someone grabbed him?

I stopped and leaned on a tree, shaking my head as if the thoughts could physically slip out of my ears. My throat tightened and my hand clutched my shirt over my racing heart.

What if it was too late? What if those boys did something to him? I looked up and my eyes widen.

There was Drakon, hanging lifelessly on a tree. I cried out and fell back. My hands fell into something wet and I looked down. My hands were covered in blood and I could hear an angry snarl.

I snapped my head to the side to see an animal dragging a body away. My heart stopped to see Drakon's eyes staring at me, wide and frightened. My hands flew to my mouth when I heard a voice behind me.

I jumped and turned around. Someone was forcing someone over their shoulder as the other cried out for help. They stepped into the moonlight and Drakon was tied up, his arms and legs swinging and hitting at his kidnapper's back as he looked up. His tearful eyes locked on mine and his hand was held out towards me.

I muffled my sobs as I did a full three-sixty. At every turn, there was Drakon with his throat slit or Drakon being eaten by an animal.

I closed my eyes, my hands covering my ears.

Stop it!

"Mommy! Help me!" Drakon cried out, but I only squeezed my eyes tighter.

No more!

"Varia! Hey, Varia, look at me." Tristian said, kneeling in front of me and grabbing a hold of my chin, forcing me to look at him.

My eyes locked with his blank, covered eyes and I felt something escape my eyes, sliding down my cheeks. I looked up at the tree then to the side and behind me. Drakon was not there, nor the rope or the animal or a man. I held my hands up. There was no blood, but only mud.

"Varia, what's wrong?" Tristian asked, grabbing my chin again.

I struggled to find my voice and only sobbed, shaking my head. Tristian pulled me into his arms, burying his face into my neck as I sobbed into his.

My body shook as the sobs raked through my body. Tristian's grip tightened as I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck.

"It's going to be okay. We'll find him." Tristian whispered and I clutched his jacket.

"Wh-What if we're t-too late?" I finally asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Tristian pulled away, cupping my cheeks with his hands as he gently wiped away the tears from his thumbs.

"We'll find him." He repeated firmly. I hiccupped and noticed he didn't say in what condition Drakon would be, just that we would find him. Dead or alive, Drakon would be found.

A new wave of tears hit me and I cried harder. Tristian pulled me closer to his chest again. I could feel the warmth his body radiated. I could hear his heart pounding in his chest. I could smell his odor which was a mixture of pine tree, sweat, and chocolate.

Chocolate. My mind wandered back to Drakon and suddenly I was reliving every moment I had with him. From the time he was born to when I held out my hands for him to walk right into my arms on his own to the day we raced home last week after I picked him up.

I didn't want those to be the only memories of him. I wanted to have more. I wanted to remember all his graduation ceremonies, his first prom date, our first fight, and more. I wanted to strangle him when he got to his rebellion stage. I wanted to give my disapproval of his first serious girlfriend. I wanted to cry and hold on to him when he goes away to college or moves out.

I wanted to do so much with my baby.

And it felt like it was slowly being taken away from me—even if it had only been a few hours since he disappeared. Once a child goes missing, their mother goes crazy.

I don't know how long I stayed curled up in Tristian's arms, but when we finally pulled away, I felt like I could finally handle my emotions better to continue with the search.

I wiped my face with my hands and Tristian helped pull me up. I wobbled a bit as my legs got used to being folded up.

"Let's head back. The authorities would probably want to talk to you." Tristian spoke up, offering me a white handkerchief.

I nibbled on my lower lip, wanting to continue my own search, but Tristian was right. The police could help. I nodded and a mouthed a thanks as I took his handkerchief.

I blew my nose and we walked back in silence. Tristian seemed to know every twist and turn as he led us through the woods while I struggled to remember if we walked through here already.

I listened carefully, eyeing my surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. My fears of having missed Drakon rose again and I couldn't help pausing every so often. Tristian seemed to understand and patiently waited for me to catch up with him.

"We didn't miss him." Tristian said suddenly as we walked side by side.

I looked at him, squeezing the handkerchief. "How do you know?"

Tristian lightly shrugged and moved his head as if looking around the woods. "I spent most of my life here. I know when there's something that doesn't belong here."

I nodded slowly to take that in. Well, that was true. Since the first time I ran into him, he seemed to know every tree, every bush, every path. I wanted to ask more, but there was suddenly shouting. Tristian grabbed my arm and hid behind a tree, wrapping one arm around me. It was dark and the moon was hidden behind dark clouds.

He put his finger to his lips to indicate I be quiet. I gave a quick nod and the voices drew closer. I instantly recognized Jamie's voice as she called out for her son.

"It's Jamie; the mother of one of Drakon's friends," I whispered, "Her son is still missing."

"Go and join her. I'll go look around my home. The authorities probably have covered the roads." Tristian whispered back.

Jamie's flashlight waved around and a couple of other people started to call out other names, making my heart sink further. The whole group was missing. If they were all missing, no one was going to be able to us where Drakon went.

Tristian shifted his arm to get my attention. I glanced at him as one flashlight passed us, barely missing us.

"We'll find him." He repeated again and before I was able to voice any doubts, his hand crept up to the back of my head. With his other hand, he slowly pulled off his mask as if he wondered if this was the right idea.

I stared with wide eyes as I was only able to make out his memorizing brown eyes. A lock of brown hair fell in between his eyes. I couldn't make out much of his facial features other than his eyes as the lower half of face was covered with a black half mask. He leaned forward and I couldn't tear my eyes away from his. I was captured, locked in even when he lowered his half mask.

My lips met with his surprisingly soft lips. It was a small kiss, but it made me breathless all the same.

"I'll bring your boy back to you," He whispered, his voice clearer and his breath fanning my lips, "I promise."

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat, but couldn't stop the tears from falling. I managed a nod, reaching up to cup his cheek.

While I couldn't see his face, I was able to feel it. It was rough beneath my fingertips. I was able to make out a couple of scars, some deep. I ran my thumb over a small deep scar on his cheek and I felt Tristian shiver at my gentle touch.

"Be safe, please." I muttered out and I felt Tristian nod against my palm.

I nodded back and stepped away, feeling suddenly cold without Tristian's warmth. He quickly lifted his half mask up and put his mask on. He turned his back on me and climbed on the tree without being detected by the others.

I sniffled and wiped away my tears. I turned on my flashlight that I kept in my sweatpants pocket. I walked over towards the others and Jamie looked over her shoulder at me.

Her eyes widen and she quickly walked towards me, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"Oh, Ms. Galvan! I swear I had no idea of Brian's plans!" She said, referring to her son.

I tried to force a small smile, but it came out flat. "Let's just keep looking."

She nodded and we spread out, yelling out the names of the missing boys. I came to know that there were four boys missing. Drakon, Brian, Timothy, and Jones. Their parents each came to me, saying they had no idea this was going to happen. I could only reply that neither did I and took the hint that I didn't want to talk. They parted ways, the mothers sticking close as the fathers took different directions, but remained close.

The night dragged on and my feet ached. I longed to sit and rest, but as seconds stretched into minutes and minutes to hours, I felt my chest tighten.

Why wasn't Drakon appearing? Where was he? The woods were big, but with a number of people searching, they had to turn up, but none of them did.

I reached towards the edge of the woods where the road to the city was. From here, there were police cars, lights flashing. The cars were empty and I could only guess the policemen were in the woods.

I lowered my arm that held the flashlight and looked around my surroundings. There was nothing but trees and a road. I felt frustrated tears well up my eyes and I bit my lip to hold back a sob.

"Drakon!" I wailed, my voice cracking, "Drakon, pl-please answer me!"

I was answered with silence.

I couldn't take it any longer and sat down on a nearby rock, my elbows resting on my knees as I stared at the dirt. I sniffled and wiped my forehead with my arm.

I was drenched in sweat and tears. My shirt was wet and clung to my skin. My sweatpants stuck to my legs, making me feel uncomfortable. Yet this was nothing to what I felt inside.

I wanted my son back. I wanted to hold him, run my fingers through his hair. I wanted to hear his voice. I wanted him in my arms safe and sound. I wanted this to all be a nightmare, but no matter how hard I pinched myself, I knew this wasn't.

I got back on my feet, wincing at the ache on my feet. The snap of twig caught my attention and I whirled around, pointing my flashlight around me.

"Drakon?" I quickly asked, my hope swelling up but it quickly died down as Javon stood there.

He was also covered with sweet. His plain t-shirt was wet around his neck and armpits. His messy hair stick on his face and the bottom on his jeans and boots were caked in mud.

"You didn't think to call me when our son is fucking missing?!" He shouted, his eyes flickering with anger and hate.

I swallowed hard. I had completely forgotten about Javon. The only thing that was racing through my head was Drakon.

"I'm sorry. I forgot." I admitted, lowering the flashlight down.

Javon narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward. "You forgot? Oh, that's fucking rich! I wonder what else you forgot, like say, maybe that he's my son too."

I didn't say anything and lowered my eyes. Guilt hit me and though Javon had changed for the worse, he was still Drakon's father and deserved to know what was going on.

I was so used to it being me and him, that at times I forgot that he had a father. That, and because Javon was hardly around. He didn't call or text me to know how Drakon was or if he needed anything.

Before, when we lived in the city, the three of us were so close. We were a tight, happy family that I knew some children were unfortunate to have.

And now Javon had left us, wondering what we did wrong. He changed so suddenly and quickly that it left me confused and hurt. I knew Drakon felt the same even if he didn't show it.

I clenched my fists and glared at Javon.

"I did not forget that he is your son. It's just that with Drakon missing, I went into action without thinking about anything or anybody else. Hell, I couldn't burn my house down and I still wouldn't think about it."

Javon looked surprised at my respond until his glare came back and he moved quickly, grabbing my elbow painfully.

"You better watch what you say or else—" Javon started to say, his voice dark and low.

"Or else what?!" I yelled, his eyes going wide at my sudden outburst, "You're going to hit me? Some man you are, huh? Hitting people and pushing them makes you feel tough, makes you feel powerful, right? Well, guess what, sugar. I. Am. Done. Hit me. Push me. I don't care, so long as I can get up to look for my­—you hear that—my son!"

I tore my elbow from his now loose grip. I was breathing hard and though my voice wavered and cracked, I knew I made my point across. Javon stood there, dumbfounded and seemed to be lost for words.

I walked around him and looked at him over my shoulder. He was still standing there, his arms at his sides and his head lowered.

I sucked in a deep breath, looked straight ahead of me and without another word; I continued to walk through the woods, sticking close to the road. I called out for Drakon again.

Moments later, I heard Javon shouting for Drakon, but he was going the opposite way.