Welcome to Gaia! ::

Abbie's eyes widened when Michael said that he too received the phone call, but was let down that it was not from whom she thought it would be. She sighed, letting a small breath push through her parted lips and sank back down into her seat. She seemed to be the only teacher in the entire school that was given such a wonderfully haunting phone call. However, Michael mentioned that there was a child outside of class making a mockery of their shooting drill. That kid might have been responsible for the phone call himself, but even that seemed a bit farfetch. To have answered the call in the office with enough time to be outside hitting the sides of mobile classrooms seemed too impossible, even for a child in the fittest of conditions. Not to mention he did it, almost entirely, unnoticed.

"I suppose that could be quite a predicament." She stated in complete sincerity. She too suffered her own spook. Too bad there was no one she could go to who could fully understand the situation. Without first thinking she had been over worked and was too tired to grasp that things happen, sometimes things that cannot be explained. Abbie was not someone who enjoyed being thought of as, "crazy."

Looking down at her hands, Abbie took in a deep breath and sighed. This too was another dead end. Perhaps it was time to let this one go. To stop trying to play detective and solve all of the unsolved mysteries going on in this school. She looked back up at Michael with a smile. "No. She caught me in the hall when I was taking one of my students to the nurse's office. Alerted me as to what was happening in his family." She paused. "Why, was she suppose to call everyone?"

"Well, I promise I didn't set her up with anything she didn't already know. I would hate to feed you to the wolves like that." Abbie was again very sincere. She didn't like to dish out information that wasn't all that crucial to anyone's lives. Teachers already had it rough. What with tenure being a complete joke and the teacher's union doing more bad than good, adding on a campus investigation that might as well have been a prank would just be bad for business. Teachers protected each other, so Abbie decided to keep the phone call she had received from that student to herself.

"Hank Oleander? Yes. It was him." She wasn't shocked that he nailed it right on the head. If the principle already knew that the boy's brother went missing, so did the rest of the faculty. More and more she felt sorry for the kid. How many teachers are probably staring at him right now? Worse off, what if other students know? Surely their parents, who believe their children to be saintly angels no matter what they are capable of, have talked amongst themselves about the disappearance with their children still in the room. Hank wasn't doing any good by being here, and it was starting to feel like she was the only one who thought so.

"No he's not. Mrs. Davis spoke with his family I guess before school and their wishes are for him to remain on campus. In my opinion, as if it matters to anyone but me really, I think this is not a good place for Hank to be." Then of course the phone call came full circle back into her thoughts and wondered if there were any connection. It's possible. She had watched enough paranormal shows in her life to think that way. However, if that were the case, Hank's brother would already have to be dead.... Abbie didn't want to think the worst had happened yet.

"What if... what if Hank's brother was taken? Or abducted or something? We have school shooting drills because schools are not safe anymore. What if.. what if something happens to Hank while he is at school? I think I would just die if something happened to him." Abbie hugged her arms tightly. She didn't like where this conversation was going. "I really need to stop shaking myself into hysteria. I am really sorry I intruded. I don't know what I was thinking. I am just glad there was nothing wrong and that you are alright."

"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry." Abbie was a bit shocked that there were any relation between this art teacher and her young pupil Hank. Here she was talking about the lack of parenting she felt was going on in this very scary situation. Why would the house be empty? Shouldn't it be filled with police people with the parents waiting desperately by the phone in case any sign of their son comes a ringing? Of course, this image comes in response to too many cop dramas on television and she felt silly for having thought this to be reality. Their lives had to go on, despite what happened to their son. Maybe that just proves how much stronger they are in comparison to her. If her son suddenly disappeared, Mrs. Davis would have her written termination first thing that day.

"I didn't mean to imply anything about your extended family. No matter if you keep in contact or not, it wasn't my place." Abbie paused. She looked up at the topic of detention and for a flicker of a moment, that seemed like such a fantastic idea. Of course, that would be unfair of her to unjustly keep Hank at her side for fear of this safety... Or perhaps it wasn't all that bad of an idea. Abbie kept that in the back of her mind, thank you art teacher whom she had never met up until this point.

Turning her head towards the door, she heard Hank's voice. She quickly got to her feet as if startled by him. "Hank? What's wrong, are you okay?" Abbie made a B line for the door and opened it wide.

"Hank." Abbie began, but cowered away from anything understandable. She hesitated for a moment, staring at the kid with an open jawed bewilderment. Jeremy? That was his brother, she remembered the name from Mrs. Davis's office, but until then, she had completely forgot that Hank even had a brother. Which is why his disappearance came as such a horrific shock to Abbie, she was being reunited with the memory of a sibling and now he was gone as if he never were there to begin with.

"Jeremy?" The red-head looked at Michael through her peripheral vision, knowing full well that whatever Hank just said is going to be bad for him in the long run. This was part of Hank's family and even if they didn't talk all that much, she was certain that there would be plenty of it between them now. Abbie had to think fast. She had to think fast and she had to act even faster if she wanted to save this interjection.

"Jeremy Fisher is such a little trouble maker. Is he bothering you again Hank?" Abbie took Hank by the shoulders and stood him against her front side. She spoke to Michael. "If you ever get Jeremy Fisher in your class, put him away from most of the other students. He is such a trouble maker and a bit of a hot headed bully. His parents are, well, let's leave it at they aren't much guiding and nurturing as they should be." She laughed uneasily again to Michael and reached behind her for the door. "If you'll excuse me, I am going to go take care of this issue. Thank you again for your help. It was nice to have met you Mr. NeSmith. I hope to see you around." She smiled a warm smile and pushed Hank slightly, to get him out of the room.

Abbie took Hank by the hand and lead him back to their classroom, she looked around a few times and pushed the door open and lead the boy into the dark room. The drapes had been pushed closed when Abbie left to visit the art teacher. This gave her the perfect opportunity to question the boy.

"Hank, you are a smart boy. I know you are, I have your grades to prove it. You know Jeremy couldn't have possibly told you that I would take you home. Even if I wanted to send you home, I can't, but you cannot make up stories like that. This is really serious." Abbie placed a hand on the boy's young shoulder. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

It was almost like looking into the eyes of a ghost, as Abbie peered down at Hank's phone. That conversation was as crystal clear as spring water but even staring at it right in the face, it almost felt impossible. Abbie took Hank's phone into her hands and sat down at a desk to read it over again in case she missed something crucial in the writing. How could a young man be missing yet still contacting his little brother? Someone couldn't be so cruel and play such a terrible joke on Hank and then--

A thought struck Abbie. And it struck hard, like getting smacked in the head with a two by four. What if the phone call she had received prior to the shooting drill was also this elusive kid? Is it possible that Abbie spoke to Jeremy? Well of course it is possible, but is it probable is the better question. The teacher took to her feet and handed the phone back to Hank. She immediately began pacing back and forth between her desk and the young boy in her care.

However, Hank's downpour of tears got her to stop dead in her tracks. Abbie turned to him, put her arm around his shoulder and embraced his young frame. "It's okay. Maybe Jeremy is just not in a place where he can answer the phone just yet." Who was she kidding? She had no idea who she was trying to convince of this, Hank or herself. Either way none of this made sense and the more she tried to piece it together, the more pain she caused to her head. However, Abbie had to hold it together, at least for Hank's sake.

There was one thing for sure. Jeremy, as she is going to assume is at the wheel of this all, knew exactly how the day has played out. If it was indeed him on the phone, and of course, messaging Hank with her exact location, the only thing that Abbie can think to do is follow the message. Abbie had to get Hank off of this campus and back home. How she was going to do that was another matter all together.

The red-head walked to her desk and pulled her purse and keys out of the bottom drawer where she kept them locked away. "This can get me in a lot of trouble, so I need you to keep quiet." She bit her bottom lip. This was the most idiotic thing she has ever thought about doing in her entire life. But she had to face facts. "What should we do Hank?" Whatever he wanted, he had her full attention and was at his beck and call. Something in her said this was right. And whatever that something was, she hoped that it would not do her any harm...

The phone ringing startled Abbie, and she turned her head towards the sound. For a moment she didn't want to answer it. She knew what that was. Mrs. Davis calling to tell her she was fired. Everything she was thinking shouldn't have even been thought of and her time at the elementary school had come to an end. Despite how illogical this thought process was, it was powerful enough to give her goosebumps and start her heart on a sprint course through the school. Her mind metaphorically waved it off as Abbie walked slowly towards the phone. She hesitated for a second before picking it up. "Hello?" She said into the receiving end.

Abbie's eyes lit up, almost with excitement. How perfectly this was all playing out, and she was too naively interested in the happenings going on to question whether or not this should frighten her. There was something inside her that was hoping that her small sliver of involvement may one day help bring Hank's brother home. As it stood, the thought was far off, but it gave her hope and the strength to really take this entire situation in. Who else in their right mind would be as level headed as she was right now? The list was so short it didn't even begin.

"Yes ma'am. Are there any instructions afterwards?" She asked. Of course she wouldn't just drop the boy off and leave him to his own devices. That was irresponsible of her as a care giver. Even for a teacher, with little to no precedence over this child, she couldn't leave him alone.