The fear, the paranoia and the frustration were extremely palpable in the house. The detectives had just left after coming to update the family on the development or lack thereof in the case.
Xanthippeia was missing, two days ago Stella Castiano had just gotten home from a long shift to see her husband frantically pacing around the house yelling on the phone. At first, she thought that her daughter simply went out to have a break to think about things going on in her life. All the recent events that happened in the past few days had to be overwhelming for the seventeen-year-old but after midnight came and went that first day Stella started to get worried as well.
Xanthippeia was her baby, her godsend. She and her husband Matteo had been through quite the ringer when they started trying for expanding their family. It was one of the worst times of both their lives and nearly tore them apart had they forgotten their love for each other. Then Xan was dropped on their doorstep just as they had given up.
Stella was frantic but she had prescribed herself some anti-anxiety medications to get through another day without her external heart. It was very late in the middle of the night and Matteo was asleep with little Luna in their bed, it had been something the toddler has adopted since her big sister has been missing. Stella snuck out and found herself wandering into her daughters' bedroom.
The police and everyone had been here after the mandatory twenty-four hours had passed to ransack her room searching for clues as to where she could be or any evidence left that she had been taken. She tried desperately to hold herself back from freaking out at the mess as her obsessive-compulsive disorder kicked in. But she failed and for the next forty-five minutes she spent mindlessly straightening up the room to perfection. Every item she touched whether it be her daughter's clothes, bed linens, electronics and nicknacks the emotions were heavy.
Her heart was constricting with each passing second but she could not make herself leave the room and try to get back to sleep. So she settled for sitting in a chair just looking around the room, memories flooding in like waves. She remembered how excited Xanthippeia was when they moved to this house after Stella and Matteo had a fantastic year in both their jobs and wanted a big and beautiful home to settle into where their little girl could grow up and be happy. She was six years old at the time and her laugh, her bright eyes and long wild curls running around the house were a constant ray of sunshine for her family.
Looking around at the pictures scattered around the walls of Xan with family and friends and some just things she found pretty and took pictures of, Stella realized how much of her daughter's life she's been missing now that she's growing up and it made her upset to think about. She worked too much and everything she did was with her children in mind but maybe she had lost perspective and it was a shame it took her baby disappearing for her to realize it.
Stella felt weak and dropped to her knees on the carpet and for the first time in a long time, she put her hands together and started to pour her heart out.
"Please lord…please bring my sweet baby back home safely. This family, our lives are meaningless without her. I know I haven't always been the best mother in the world but my children are blameless and please just don't punish them for any mistakes I might have made. God please just let her come—"
"Stella, what are you doing honey?" the soft yet deep voice of her concerned husband asked as he came up behind her in the dimly lit room.
"Praying."
"You haven't done that in thirteen years."
"I never stopped believing and that's the most important thing…is Luna still sleeping?"
"Yes, she was clinging to me again." He stated and she rolled her tired eyes at him.
"Well, what do you expect from her Mat? Xan was…is the person she goes to cuddle when she's restless, of course, she's going to be clingy." Stella was annoyed and overwhelmed with so much emotion that she forgot that they were supposed to be united during this difficult time.
Matteo sighed as he glanced around the room, his body stiffening as he pictured his daughter around every inch and corner of this room. Even though he did not want to have negativity he understood how Stella was feeling at this moment because when he realized Xanthippeia was missing he immediately blamed himself for not checking up on her when she was taking too long getting her car washed. He had been beating himself up about this for the past forty-eight hours soon to be seventy-two if she does not re-surface soon. What kind of father doesn't check on their child after hours and hours?
He felt like a failure and there was nothing anyone could say to assuage his guilt about the situation.
"Honey try and get at least a couple of hours of sleep, we are starting the search party in the morning."
"I can't, what if—"
"If she shows up or there's an update don't you think I will tell you first?"
"Mat, what the hell are we going to do? I can't imagine going on like this in limbo."
"You can't think like that sweetheart. We will get her back, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep." Was the only thing Stella said as she stood up and walked out of the room not sparing her husband a second glance. She was not necessarily blaming Matteo for anything but she was just frustrated and had no idea how to process those feelings so she just left him to his thoughts because it was not going to help to keep talking in circles about this when nothing can be done right now.
The town-wide search party for Xanthippeia began at dawn, hundreds of people had gathered. The Castiano's were touched by the amount of support given to them by the people they see and interact with every day but seeing how dedicated Xan's friends were to find her warmed their hearts. The kids were all going to split up into groups of three accompanied by an officer for safety even though the town was relatively safe. In this town, there had been things, crimes that were heinous and even gruesome but a missing girl was something that sent everyone into a tailspin.
"She probably ran away you know." The whiny yet sultry voice of Courtney Adendolff said behind Carey as they trekked through the thick greenwoods behind the school.
"Well after what happened in the summer and the first day of school it might be possible." Jessica Williams' timidly agreed.
"Freak city much—"
"HEY! That's my best fucking friend you're talking about you hateful bitch!" Carey had had enough of listening to them gossiping and with her fragile emotional state, she was ready and willing to blow up on anyone in her sights.
Finding out her other half, her soul sister was missing was the most gut-wrenching thing to ever happen to the girl who seemed to be living the charmed life. Never in her life had she ever made a deep connection with someone so easily as she did when she and Xanthippeia met at the beginning of middle school when they were singled out and ostracized by other kids.
Xan was a true friend, the only one that did not look at her as some kind of experiment when it was discovered she had two mothers. And Carey clung to her when Xan had been teased about being adopted. Their bond was instant and long-lasting and in this moment walking around this damp forest, Carey started to replay all the best and worst moments of their seemingly lifelong friendship. She heavily regretted every time they fought and spewed out vicious things to each other. All she wanted right not was to see that beautiful smile on her friends' face and hug her and never let go.
"Care, never mind them okay. This is about finding Xan not entertaining anyone's bullshit comments." Quinton came around and held his friend hand. He took a quick and disappointing glance at his girlfriend before he walked away with Carey.
The truth is that a lot of rumours were going around at school and around town about Xanthippeia. It didn't help anything that suspicious events happened just days before she vanished and that fact that there was no trace of her left anywhere seemed to convince everyone that she had been planning to run away for a long time. The people that knew and loved her, knew it was bullshit. Sure Xan faced some drama but nothing would have ever made her turn her back on her family and her best friends, she was too loyal and loved them too much to make them suffer this way.
So they kept searching all through the day and into the late night to no avail. She was gone and even though some were losing hope, the people that mattered were not going to give up,
"Mr and Mrs Castiano we just want to express our apologies that the search came up empty—"
"Wait a minute, why does it sound like you're giving up? Mat?" Stella shot up out of her seat looking over at her husband in a panic.
"She's only been missing for three days! We need to look harder, I have friends at the tv station and we're going to go on air and offer a reward for tips." the enraged father stood as well.
"Sir we don't recommend that, all it's going to do is bring the crazies and con artists out of the woodworks." The lead detective said but Matteo was not trying to hear it.
"I will do anything to find my daughter, if you're not willing to do the same then GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he exploded too torn up to see any kind of reason.
The group of detectives looked at each other before filing out of the home, all except one, the lead detective Ford that found Xan's phone in the street by the carwash.
"I want to help you Mr Castiano, I have a daughter too and she knows your daughter from school. In your shoes, I would probably feel the same so believe me when I tell you that I will do everything in my power to make sure you get your little girl back." He said solemnly as he walked out leaving the distraught family with yet another night in a house filled with images and memories of a daughter that might never walk through those doors…