| “Am I to assume there’s nothing wrong?” Piper asked. “Doesn’t appear to be anything wrong at all. Unless there was a huge power outage around the neighborhood, there’s nothing wrong with the fuses.” Mulder answered. “Weird.” Piper said to herself. “What’s so weird?” Mulder questioned. “Well, not only are the lights out but the telephones won’t work, either.” Piper answered. Mulder stood and walked into the computer room. He picked up the phone and turned it on. He put it down and then turned. Something next to him caught his glance. He looked at Piper’s computer. “Hey Piper, did you turn your computer on?” He called. Piper walked into the room. “No, why?” She asked as she entered. “Because now it’s on.” He answered. “This is too weird.” Piper commented. “Hey Piper!” Kyla called from the other room. Piper took one last look at the computer screen and then walked into her parlor. Kyla was standing at the front door, gripping the door handle. “What are you doing?” Piper asked. “The door’s stuck. It won’t open.” Kyla responded. Piper walked to the door and pulled on the handle. The door was stuck fast. “Mulder, I think you should take a look at this.” Piper said. Mulder walked over to them and tried to open the door. “That is definitely stuck.” He informed them. “What the heck is going on here?” Piper wondered out loud. “What’s going on?” Erin asked from behind her. Piper jumped a little and turned around. “Erin, where did you come from?” “I was in the bathroom.” Erin answered. “I thought Candy was in the bathroom.” Maxine said, coming up behind Erin. Erin shook her head. “Then where is she?” Kyla asked. They all looked at one another, not knowing how to answer the question. Chapter 3 Alexander Residence 9:42 AM “Okay, let’s not panic, Candy has to be somewhere.” Piper stuttered. “Piper, Candy wouldn’t just run off somewhere and not tell us. She doesn’t do things like that.” Kyla protested. “She would if she was playing a prank.” Maxine added in. “I don’t think she would play a prank. Especially since she knows how scared we all are.” Erin commented. “Well, she has to be somewhere.” Piper said. “Maybe someone kidnapped her.” Erin suggested. “Who? We can’t even get the door open?” Kyla reminded her. “Wait, first the lights go out, then the phone goes dead, then the computer turns on when there’s no power, and now the doors won’t open? What’s next? Someone’s going to try an atomic bomb on us like Pearl Harbor, Florida?” Maxine questioned. “Max, Pearl Harbor isn’t in Florida, it’s in Hawaii.” Mulder corrected. “We know.” The girls said together. They all grew silent. Erin walked over to the couch and climbed onto it. She kneeled on the cushions and reached over towards the windows. She unlocked the top of the window and tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge. She tugged on it again but it was stuck. “And now the window’s stuck.” She announced as she climbed off the couch. “This is too weird.” Kyla whispered. “Look, standing around and sharing our theories about atomic bombs isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Mulder said. “We need to split up and look for Candy. Erin, you go with Max and search on this floor. Piper and Kyla will go upstairs and search there. I’ll go down to the two basements and search there. We’ll meet back here when we’re done. Whatever you do, don’t split up.” The girls all nodded and began to break into their groups. Piper and Kyla made their way up the stairs. As they reached the landing at the top, they turned right. They first went into Piper’s room. Piper rummaged through her cluttered, walk-in closet as Kyla looked under the bed. “This is stupid.” Piper said as she walked out of her closet. “We’re not going to find her up here.” “Let’s just keep looking.” Kyla encouraged. She knew that it was somewhat hopeless in finding Candy but she hoped more than anything that they would find her and that this entire thing would just be a big joke. She and Piper left the room and walked across the hall to her bathroom. Downstairs, Maxine walked through Piper’s kitchen. Erin stood right behind her, rummaging through a food closet. She might have been ordered to look for Candy but her stomach told her to look for some food, as well. Max passed by a large bay window over the kitchen sink. She glanced outside and noticed something strange. A single, pink flower was popping up from the ground, right in front of the window. “Hey Erin, take a look at this.” Max said. Erin walked over to her, chewing a granola bar. “What is it?” She said. “Think that flower is a little strange sitting out there all by itself?” Max asked. “I’ve never seen it before.” “Maybe Piper’s starting a garden.” Erin suggested. “I think she would tell us something like that. Why would a flower like that be growing randomly in the middle of Piper’s backyard? Besides, Digger would probably ruin it.” Max explained. “I think you’re just looking for something that isn’t there.” Erin said. “We’re trying to find Candy, not a flower.” She walked through the kitchen and into Piper’s living room. Max took one last look around and followed Erin. Below them, Mulder searched around Piper’s basement. He squinted, trying to peer out into the darkness. Without electricity, the basement didn’t get too much light. He held out his flashlight, trying to see where good hiding spots would be. Every once in a while he would call out Candy’s home, hoping she would respond. He kept his right hand, cupping the butt of his gun just in case something or someone decided to surprise him. “Ouch!” Kyla shouted as a large shoebox flew down and hit her in the head. “Sorry.” Piper apologized from above her. “Do you see anything?” Kyla asked impatiently. She rubbed her head with one hand and held a ladder with the other. “Not really. It’s too dark to see anything.” Piper called down to her. “Hey, I found some of my parent’s old clothes from the seventies.” “Piper, you’re in your attic looking for Candy not clothes!” Kyla scolded. “I don’t think she’s up here. Besides, we would have heard her opening the door and taking down the ladder.” Piper said. “Well, then come down so we can finish checking up here and meet back with everyone else.” Kyla commanded. She peered up to the large hole above her. Piper swung one foot onto the metal ladder. She heard it strain below her weight but she knew it would hold. She climbed down the ladder backwards and landed on the ground. She folded the ladder back up and allowed the door to close. “Besides, I don’t even know if Candy could reach the door.” Piper said. Kyla shrugged and shoulders and followed Piper down the hallway and to her parent’s room. Their door was closed. Piper paused outside the door, closing her eyes. Her hands clenched into a fist and then relaxed. “Piper, you don’t have to do this. I don’t think Candy would hide in here. She knows how much this room means to you.” Kyla said quietly. “We have to do what we have to do.” Piper responded. She opened her eyes and pushed the door open. Mulder paused before opening the door to Piper’s spare room. He slid it open and glanced inside. His weapon was now in his hand, outstretched before him. The back room was even darker than the basement. He walked through the room, glancing at the various shelves, covered in old games and toys that used to belong to Lynn, Suzanne, and Piper. As he spotted the board game, Stratego, he smiled to himself. The game marked the last memory that he had of his sister. His series of thoughts were shattered when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a door. He walked over to it and turned the knob, the door didn’t open. He swore under his breath and tried it again. Still, nothing happened. He put down his gun and his flashlight and began to kick the door with all his might. After his sixth kick, he knew he wasn’t going to get it open. He considered shooting at the handle but the sound of the shots would only scare Piper and her friends. He shrugged his shoulders and turned from the door. Maxine and Erin walked from Piper’s living room to her parlor. Maxine sat down in one of the chairs and sighed. Erin walked to her sleeping bag and knelt down beside it. She began to roll it up, making sure the roll stayed tight. Max watched her and laughed. “What’s so funny?” Erin demanded to know, as she slipped her bag into a small, plastic protective covering. “Just the way you roll your sleeping bag.” Max answered. |