“What on earth happened? Where’s your bicycle? Why are you covered in blood? Did someone do this to you?” Alicia demanded as Robert came up behind her and gingerly picked up Alison.

“I think these are questions for tomorrow,” Robert informed before carrying his daughter back inside. Alicia followed close behind and locked the doors immediately and told the staff to do the same. “We don’t know if someone did this to her.”

“What do you mean? Do you think she got blood all over herself on purpose?” Alicia interrogated, shocked to hear this from her husband.

“Maybe she got a flat tire and got tired of carrying the bike. Maybe she tripped, since there’s a trail of blood leading to her nose, and maybe she spooked herself coming home. Those woods get very dark very quickly,” Robert reasoned as Alicia shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s it at all! What if she experienced the same thing that happened to Lizzy, but managed to get away?” Alicia responded as they began to climb the staircase. Robert sighed and shook his head.

“I doubt Lizzy was attacked, Alicia. There would be evidence, a trace of a struggle. She wouldn’t just disappear like that if she didn’t want to go,” Robert mumbled, entering Alison’s room and resting her on the bed.

“Lizzy didn’t run away,” Alison joined in, her eyes closed from exhaustion.

“Hush, sweetheart, and get some rest,” Robert instructed, but Alison didn’t listen. She sat up and struggled to keep her eyes open.

“Someone ran me off the road,” Alison informed before Robert insisted again. Thinking that she wasn’t going to get anywhere tonight, she laid back down while staring at her father. He smiled before ushering his wife out of the room.

“It’s too soon. We should continue this in the morning when everyone has a clearer head,” Robert suggested as Alicia bit on her forefinger.

“But what if she was telling the truth? What if someone ran her off the road?”

“Then we’ve find out tomorrow. I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it, anyway. Let her get some sleep and she’ll be ready to tell us what happened. And I doubt someone ran her off the road. It was dark, I’m sure she got disoriented when a car drove by,” Robert reasoned.

“She looked scared, Robert. As if someone was coming to get her,” Alicia insisted before Robert shook his head.

“I don’t think I can talk about this right now. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding. And I don’t want to hear talk about how Lizzy disappeared, because the likelihood of her getting abducted is almost absurd,” Robert answered. Alicia shook her head while tilting her head.

“What if she was, Robert?”

“She wasn’t.”

“But-”

“Then I couldn’t do anything, could I? I have no idea who would have taken her. I have no idea where she would even be. I have no idea if she’s even alive. I would prefer to think she ran away, because that is something I can’t control. I can’t make her stay here against her will. But, if she was kidnapped or attacked, I could have done something. I could have been there for her, but I wasn’t. I refuse to believe that I wasn’t able to help her,” Robert explained before Alicia’s mood went sour.

“You can’t control everything, Robert. Things like this happen, whether we want them to or not, and pretending that it isn’t an option isn’t going to solve the problem,” she sneered before storming off to her room. Robert sighed and ran a hand through his hair, not sure what to think.

The next morning, Alison woke up with a headache, but her vision was back to normal. She sat up, trying recall what had happened the night before. Holding her head, she remembered the man with the white hair chasing her through the forest. She stood up as fast as she could and stumbled toward the door. She opened it and found her way downstairs. Her parents were eating breakfast in the kitchen. Robert was reading a newspaper as Alicia conversed with the cook.

“Alison,” Robert greeted, noticing her behind the paper. She sat down in front of him as he put the paper down on the table. “Did you sleep well? You look panicked.”

“I have to tell you about last night,” Alison informed before explaining what had happened a few hours ago. Alison ceased her conversation with the cook, growing concerned with the story. Even Robert was turning a bit pale.

“This man followed you from the restaurant and ran you off the road?” Alicia whispered, in complete shock. As Alison nodded, remembering her fear from the night before. Robert placed his head in his hands. “Robert, we have to call the police.”

“We have to be absolutely sure before we do that,” Robert mumbled as Alicia embraced her daughter.

“How can you say that? Especially after she came home like she did last night?” Alicia nearly screamed as Robert gave her a trying look. “We have to call someone.”

“I’m just saying that they might not believe us after what had happened to Lizzy,” Robert replied, careful with his wording. Alicia shook her head and sighed.

“Well, I am calling the police. I will not have my daughter be stalked by a strange man,” Alicia informed before standing up and walking out of the kitchen. Robert quickly followed her, hoping to change her mind. Alison watched as her parents leave before taking a piece of toast off her father’s plate.

After waiting a few minutes, she sighed. Her parents were probably arguing by the phone. Her father didn’t want to be embarrassed while her mother was willing to risk everything. Alison stood up and walked outside for a breath of fresh air. Maybe that would clear up her headache. As usual, she stole some flowers from a nearby vase that only the staff would notice empty and went outside.

She wandered through the dying flowers and shrubbery, noticing the lack of wildlife in her garden. She no longer saw the birds that nested in the crevices of the statues or the bees buzzing around. Even the mice and rabbits were hiding for the winter. With the cut flowers wrapped in newspaper, she walked over to Lizzy’s angel and sat across from it. She tucked her knees underneath her chin and sighed heavily.

“A man chased me into the forest yesterday,” she whispered, looking toward the groups of trees past the garden. A cold breeze kicked up as Alison hid underneath her collar. “I hope it wasn’t the same man that took you away, if you were kidnapped. I hope he was a strange, drunk man, mistaking me for someone else. I hope you are safe, wherever you are. And warm. I don’t what I’d do if you aren’t alright.”

“Alison,” a man whispered, startling her. She turned her head and saw the man from the previous night. She got up in a hurry, the flowers falling apart on the ground. “I’m so sorry for startling you yesterday. I thought you parents had explained.”

“Explained what?” she asked, looking around for an escape route.

“Your home, your parents’ home. Where you come from, and such. I am from the same place,” he replied before Alison took off. She saw a narrow opening between two large bushes, somewhere he might not be able to follow. “Hey, wait!”

“Go away,” Alison warned as she started to run away from the angel statue. She could hear him sigh before he pulled the branched aside, hoping to get through. Alison could see a path to the house and ran for it, twisting and turning through the dying rose bushes and daisy beds. Just before she reached the edge of the garden, something caught her leg. She looked around to see a root wrap around her ankle before she fell to the ground, knocking her unconscious.