<< Go Back

The Tethered World (The Tethered World Chronicles) (Volume 1)

By Heather L.L. FitzGerald

Order Now!

THE POUNDING WOULDN’T STOP. A PERSISTENT sound in my dream became an alarm that jolted me awake. I sat up, blinked against the darkness, and listened. Was that someone at the door or my pulse throbbing through my cranium?
The absurd time that glowed from the clock only added to my confusion. Friends don’t swing by at three o’clock in the morning—if they want to remain my friends—and Santa doesn’t make house calls in June. I couldn’t come up with a good reason for anyone to be at the door, or why I’d want to answer it. But the silent house insisted that no one else heard a thing. For real? I’m the one who has to miss my beauty sleep?
“Ugh.” I rolled out of bed, grabbed my robe, and made a beeline to my parents’ bedroom. “Mom, Dad, someone’s at the door.”
Bam-bam-bam.
Banging loud enough to wake the dead. But not loud enough to wake the rest of the family. I guess it was up to me to find out what was going on.
The downside of being a light sleeper.
“Clark County Sheriff’s Department. Anyone home?”
I popped my head into their dark room. “The police are here.
Wake up!”
Adrenaline spiked. The police? I barreled down the stairs.
My socks hit the tile and sent me skidding to the front door. I winked an eye at the peephole and flipped on the outside light. Brass and blue muddled in warped shapes, but I made out two officers blinking up at the overhead light.
“Just a minute.” I turned and hoped to find my parents plodding down the stairs, half asleep. Instead, the bleak stairwell meant I better make a judgment call—and quick. Police officers seemed like a safe bet.
I unfastened all three deadbolts and the lock on the knob.
With a jerk, the door opened as far as the chain allowed. Clearing my throat, I put on my best authoritative voice. “May I see some ID?” Hey, it worked for people on television.
A French-manicured hand slipped into the gap and flashed an official-looking badge inscribed with Clark County Sheriff’s Department, Dedicated to Serve and Protect. An attractive blonde stared through the laminate. Officer Pamela McKenzie.
“Hang on.” I worked the chain off its latch then opened the door enough to get a look at the early morning visitors.
“Is this the Larcen residence?” asked a burly man with a heavy mustache and eyebrows to match. Correction: just one eyebrow. The man had the biggest unibrow I’d ever seen.
“Yes, sir. I’m Sadie.” I tried not to stare. Funny how your mind can make random observations, even in the midst of strange situations. I found myself comparing the man’s unibrow to Bert’s from Sesame Street. Bert’s was definitely smaller.
“I’m Lieutenant James Garrett, and this is Deputy McKenzie.” He waved calloused fingers between the two of them. “Do you own a white Honda Odyssey van?”
I nodded. “My parents do. What seems to be the problem?” I nabbed that line from TV too.
“We found an Odyssey abandoned in an empty lot next to Burgerville.” The blonde had a cheerleader smile, complete with pink lip gloss and dimples. Not the stereotypical cop with skills for taking down felons. “The lights were on, the door wide open, which seemed odd since it’s raining.”
Drips from the overhang splatted behind the officers like sound effects on demand. I watched the water plop to the ground while my mind weighed their words. With a gazillion white Odysseys on the road, I felt sure they’d confused our van with one of the others. Pulling my robe tight against the damp air, I stepped across the cement to get a view of the driveway.
The empty driveway.
I turned to the officers. “Whoa! Our van is gone.”
“Yes, miss, that’s why we came by.” Lt. Garrett offered a condescending grin. “McKenzie, here, looked around for signs of the driver while I ran the plates to see if it’d been reported stolen. Course, when a vehicle is jacked in the middle of the night, most people are fast asleep. We felt it best to come and check. Oh, and the deputy found this.”
The man dug something out of his back pocket. He presented me with a plastic sandwich bag that held a filthy pocket knife. He plunked it in my palm.
I held it near the light for a better look. “That’s my dad’s pocket knife. Guess he left it in the van.”
The blonde gave a curt nod. “I found it lying in the mud, blade exposed, near the driver’s door. And the van looked suspicious, y’know? Way back toward the woods in the middle of a soggy night with the door open. Lots of red flags.”
Dumbstruck, I ran a hand through my brunette tangles. Who would want our van? Why not the neighbor’s Lexus? Besides, it looked like a pigsty. We could survive for a week on the stale food that garnished the inside.
“Miss, are your parents home?” The deputy peered into the silent house.
I nodded and stepped back into the foyer. “You can wait in here. I’ll wake them. They must’ve stayed up late if they’re sleeping through this noise.”
The officers stepped inside.
“What’s with all the deadbolts?” Officer Unibrow—aka Lt. Garrett—stared at our collection when the door closed.
“Uh, my brother. He sleepwalks. If you want, you can wait in the living room.” I gestured toward the room on the right and took the steps two at a time.
Our van... stolen! I cringed to think of some creep slinking around our house while we slept. Maybe now Dad would allow our dogs to stay out of their kennels at night. I bet their barking would’ve scared the thief away.
“Hey, Mom! Dad!” I tapped the doorframe with my knuckle. “Wake up. The police are downstairs.” I groped along to my mother’s side of the bed. My hand sank down to the mattress when I reached to give her a shake.
“Wha...?” I straightened and switched on the bedside lamp.
The light didn’t reveal what I expected. Dad and Mom were gone. Not sleeping as they should be. Not momentarily out of bed grabbing a midnight snack. The bed was made, throw pillows in place. An envelope with my name scrawled across it in blue marker lay front and center.
Confusion rummaged around my brain. I stepped back, trying to make sense of things. My foot caught the corner of the nightstand just right, and I toppled into the lamp with a yelp. Like a chain reaction, it tipped onto a framed photo and shattered the glass lamp base. The bulb blew as it tumbled off the nightstand, raining a stack of books on my feet.
I stared into the void, too dazed to move.
Footsteps bounded up the stairs. Both officers rushed through the door, guns drawn, flashlight beams sweeping the room. They targeted my face, blinding me. I squealed and backed into the wall, hands up. They do that on TV too, which I discovered is a natural reaction.
“Are you all right, miss?” The lieutenant shined the flashlight around the room. “We heard quite a commotion.”
My insides were mush. My legs shook, and I sank to my knees. “I’m okay. But I don’t know what happened to my parents. They’re gone.”
They holstered their guns. The woman flipped on the light switch.
Lt. Garrett craned his neck and scrutinized the room. “I see no evidence of foul play.”
Deputy McKenzie helped me up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m fine. Thanks.” Fine as I can be with missing parents and police pointing guns in my face. I walked to the bed and snatched the envelope. “Definitely not foul play. They left a note. I couldn’t wake them, so I turned on the light. When I discovered they were gone—like, totally not here—I somehow tripped and knocked everything over. Sorry.”
“Very understandable, Miss . . . Larcen?” Lt. Garrett continued to inspect the room.
“Yes, Larcen. Sadie Larcen.”
The blonde took out her notepad and scribbled something. “Your last name is spelled L-A-R-C-E-N, like larceny, the crime, right?”
“Yes.”
The officers looked at each other and shrugged.
“That’s a new one.” McKenzie pointed to the letter. “Why don’t you read the note? It seems odd that, if they wanted to get away, they’d leave their car next to Burgerville with the lights on and door open.”
My trembling fingers worked the flap open on the envelope.
Lt. Garrett studied our family picture on the wall. “Big family.”
“Yes, sir.”
“There’re three, four, five, six—six of you kids? No wonder your parents wanted to escape in the middle of the night.” He lifted his hat and scratched his head. “Good grief.”
Although being the oldest of six made me want to run away sometimes, I didn’t recall asking for his opinion. Since you have a gun, I guess I’ll let that slide. I unfolded the letter, aware of the officers waiting for an explanation. My mother’s voice filtered through her handwriting while I read the note to myself:

My Darling Sadie,
Good morning! I know you’re probably shocked to find Dad and I aren’t home. I was called away on business and didn’t want to wake you. Dad needed to come with me too. (Hey, there’s a first time for everything!)
I’ve contacted Great-aunt Jules to come and stay while we’re away. She’ll help you hold down the fort. Of course, she couldn’t leave on such short notice so it may be a day or two before she arrives. You’re in charge until she gets here.
I can’t say for certain when we’ll be home. About a week, I’m guessing. In the meantime, keep everyone on a regular schedule, keep doing school, and don’t forget about karate for the boys.
Speaking of the boys, I really need you to keep a close eye on Brock. Closer than usual. Make sure those locks are in place on every door. I’d hate for there to be a sleepwalking incident while we’re gone. Plus, keeping him on his schedule avoids needless frustration for everyone—as you know.
I’ll call when I can. Give Aunt Jules a hug from Dad and me. Of course, give all the kiddos a big snuggle and tell them we love them and we’ll see them soon!
Love you,
Mom (and Dad)

“Well?” Officer Unibrow pointed a thick finger at the paper. “Does the note clear things up?”
“I guess.” I sat on the end of the bed. “My mom travels for work sometimes. But it’s never happened in the middle of the night, and she’s never taken my dad.”
“What does she do?” The deputy tucked a loose tendril behind her ear.
Ah, the dreaded question. One that I tried to avoid. “My mother is a leading expert on Sasquatch. You know... Bigfoot.”
Four eyebrows shot up—well, make that three—and four feet took a step back. The officers looked at me like I’d sprouted a set of antlers.
I shrugged. Though I tried to keep this odd, family fact from surfacing, there were times, like this, when it worked to my advantage. “Yep. That’s what she does.”
Then I decided to really freak them out. “She’s also an expert on Faeries, Trolls, Leprechauns, Dwarves, and Elves. She has a blog.”
Stunned silence.
“Although,” I continued, “that doesn’t explain why my dad would go along. He’s a hairdresser. Okay—cosmetologist. Maybe he wanted to give Bigfoot some highlights or something. Who knows?” A combination of the late night and crazy circumstance made me a bit testy. They can’t arrest me for that, right?
“A hairdresser.” Lt. Garrett frowned.
“He owns the Camas School of Cosmetology. CSC for short. He hardly does hair anymore, though, except when he teaches a class.” Maybe he could wax that brow for you sometime. Soon.
“I see.”
“So, your parents’ van.” The blonde tapped her pen against her pouty, lower lip. “You think they got out and left it to hunt down Bigfoot?”
“Seems that way. Maybe that’s why my dad decided to go along. Usually, my mom catches a flight somewhere, you know, more isolated. People call her or email with pictures and stories. If it sounds legit, then she hops a plane and goes to investigate.”
“I’m curious.” Lt. Garrett leaned toward me. “Has she ever seen one?”
“Oh yes. Several times.”
“Really?” He looked doubtful.
“Really.” It seemed likely the elusive, wooly Yetis might be
his distant relatives. Their whole body merely one, giant unibrow. “May I read the note?” Deputy McKenzie extended her hand. “Sure.” While she scanned it, I couldn’t help noting her resemblance to a life-size Barbie. The two officers were like Beauty and the Beast.
“It says ‘keep doing school.’ Do you guys homeschool?”
Oh, joy. A second awkward question in under five minutes. “Yes, ma’am.”
She gave her partner the look. I’ve seen it a hundred times. It’s the look that says, “Oh, you’re one of those.” She made no attempt to be subtle.
“Well, I guess we’re finished here.” Deputy Barbie doll handed back the paper. “The van can’t stay where it is, though. It’s illegally parked.”
They turned businesslike. You would think the plague had descended on the house, and the officers wanted to escape contamination.
I stood. “If you give me a minute to change, I can drive it home.”
The deputy gave me a skeptical look. “Do you have a license?”
“Yes. I’m sixteen.”
She looked at her partner. “Want me to keep an eye on things here until Miss Larcen returns?”
Unibrow nodded. “Probably a good idea with all the kids asleep.”
“All right.” McKenzie stuffed her pen into her pocket. “Bring your ID. I’ll be waiting by the cruiser.”
Throwing on sweats and flip-flops, I contemplated waking my brother Brady to explain the crisis. It didn’t strike me that Beauty and the Beast would want to wait for that to happen. Since Brady slept through the commotion to this point, he’d surely snooze through the next ten minutes.
I locked the front door and jogged to the police car. The deputy held the door while I climbed inside. From the vantage point of a bulletproof backseat it was hard not to feel guilty of something. I confess, I’m a homeschooler. Beware! I’m weird and unsocialized.
At least my curious, late-night activity would go unnoticed by our neighbors. Hopefully. You never could tell with Mr. Marshall, World’s Nosiest Neighbor. The man seemed to constantly peer from his blinds, cigar in hand, watching the world go by.
We pulled away from the curb, leaving Deputy McKenzie on the front porch. She clenched a flashlight between her pearly- whites and flipped open her notebook. If Mr. Marshall was awake, I hoped he enjoyed the show.
The tinted windows and condensation prevented me from seeing a thing, so I put a call through to my parents. Both numbers went straight to voicemail. I decided to leave a safe message— skipping over the cops coming by and hearing our life story. Without an explanation of how I knew where to find the van, I told them I would pick it up. They could call when they needed a ride home.
The water rivulets that ran across the glass reflected the maze of thoughts weaving through my brain. This whole scenario didn’t sit right. Such an odd place for my parents to pursue this reclusive legend. Bigfoot spotted at the local fast-food joint? Really? And if so, what would make them leave the van like that?
I leaned my head against the cool, clouded window and closed my eyes. Too many questions—and not enough answers— meant things didn’t quite add up.

Order Now!

<< Go Back