I paced around the tiny dorm restlessly for a while. Maybe nothing was wrong. Maybe I'd somehow forgotten the numbers. And, two years ago, programmed all three into my cell phone wrong. Or maybe not. But if not, then why weren't their numbers reaching them anymore? I couldn't erase the feeling that they were in trouble. That feeling had carried me through the day, and each time I'd had it, I'd been right.

The feeling only intensified when each additional time that I tried their numbers, I got the same result. The same thoughts were running through my head over and over again, without any conclusion. If they didn't answer soon...God, maybe I should drive up to Seattle?

Someone knocked on the door, and I jumped.

"Hey!" Kyle's voice rang out from the other side. "Open up! I am laden like a pack mule with groceries here. I just had to knock with my head, Luke. My head!" He sounded indignant.

Despite the horrible day I'd had, I smiled, relieved to hear a familiar voice, and I opened the door. Kyle strolled in and announced without preamble. "You owe me forty bucks. No complaining." Then he glanced around the room and pouted. "Damn, did I miss Callie?"

"I have to go to Seattle," I said, surprising myself.

"When?"

"Now."

"...now? Dude, it's like a three hour drive. And you have class tomorrow morning. I warned you Saturday classes were a terrible idea," Kyle tsked, acting as if he thought this was a joke. Of course, that was pretty normal for Kyle.

"I'm serious. I need to drive up to Seattle tonight." Here's where it got awkward. "Could I borrow your car?"

"Wait, what?"

"I don't have a car, you know that," I couldn't afford one, unfortunately. "I'm a good driver, I won't scratch it up or anything!"

"Yeah, you won't scratch her up because you're not borrowing her!" Kyle replied, sounding very firm on the subject.

I sighed. I should've known this was a terrible idea. Kyle is the way with his car that Callie is with her cat. His car, as he never lets me forget, is a '1967 Ford Thunderbird named Lady' (that would be the long winded response I normally got when I referred to the car simply as 'a car') that he got for the same amount of money as my parents spent on their last new car. He still had to spend a summer fixing the junker up.

"Fine, you can drive it! But I need to get to Seattle," I told him, a pleading note resounding through my voice.

"I am not wasting my weekend on you. What's the big deal? Got a hot date?"

"My parents called," I lied. "Something's wrong."

Kyle suddenly stopped smiling. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry for joking around. What happened? Is everything okay?" Although we pushed each others buttons sometimes, that didn't change the fact that Kyle was an awesome friend.

"It's kind of personal. I just...I really need to get up there. Tonight." I improvised quickly. I was getting way too good at this whole lying thing.

"Yeah, of course man, let's go! Let me just grab some stuff and put out food for Camael, and we can head out in like, 20 minutes, alright? That way we'll get there around seven. Is that okay?" Kyle had officially switched into best friend mode.

I nodded, thankful that he was understanding. I refused to let my last conversation with my parents be...well, my last. I was going to track them down, even if it meant missing Chemistry 3B with Mr. Caroly at 8 AM tomorrow. I hated that stupid class anyway.

The ride was tense. Silent, expect for my dialing and redialing my parents numbers, and cussing when I didn't get them.

"Hey," Kyle said softly, when I tried and failed to reach them for about the thirtieth time. "You said they just called right before we left, right? They're probably just busy with whatever's going on."

I nodded, miserable. I really hated lying to Kyle, but he was my only ride up to Seattle, and the continued lack of communication was making it apparent that I had to get there. Best case scenario, they were avoiding my calls. Sure, I wouldn't have blamed them for a few screened calls, but I was their only son, and I was pretty damn sure after the fifteenth or sixteenth call they would've answered if they could. If, on the other hand, they were just ignoring me, then I needed to give them a serious lecture on the merits of not terrifying me.

"Why don't you take a break? Relax for a bit. We could listen to music? Or talk, if you wanted. Whatever." Kyle suggested.

I didn't respond for a moment. "Okay, fine, music sounds good. Is there any way you could go any faster?" Anyone who accused me of having a one track mind was completely right. I couldn't focus on anything but getting to Seattle.

Kyle shook his head. "We'll be there in about an hour."

Resisting the urge to scream or punch something, I curled into my seat. One more hour.

We pulled into Seattle half an hour earlier than expected. Embarrassed, I realized that Kyle must've been really pushing both the car, and the speed limit. "Thanks," I told him. "I'll pay you back for gas."

"You better," he joked. "So, where are we going?"

I told him, and the drive there seemed to take even longer than the drive from Portland to Seattle. I was antsy, practically twitching out of my seat every few seconds. Finally, we pulled up in front of my old house. Even though it was still early evening, the sun had set a while ago. In the dim lighting from Kyle's headlights and the streetlights, I could see that the house had undergone a remodel. Instead of being the pale yellow I was used to, it was now painted a creamy white, with new door and windows. More importantly, the lights were on inside. Maybe someone was home?

"Want me to wait here?" Kyle asked, breaking my thought process.

I nodded. "I'll be quick, okay?" Slowly, I slid out of the seat, and opened the car door. Now that we were here, I was starting to freak out even more, if that was possible. I couldn't help but be scared of what I was going to find. Taking a deep breath, I walked up the three steps that lead to the brown door, and rang the doorbell. From inside, I could hear footsteps, as someone approached the door. Oh, thank God, someone was home.

The door was opened by a petite woman who I had never seen before. She was probably in her thirties, and very pregnant. Behind her, I could hear the evidence that this was not her first kid. "Yes, can I help you?" she smiled sweetly.

"Hi, um, are Mr. or Mrs. Anderson available?" I asked, nervously.

"I'm sorry, but there's nobody named that here."

They'd moved? Without telling me? What the hell! "Oh. There used to be. Do you know where they might've gone? Do you have a forwarding address or anything?"

She shook her head. "You might have the wrong address though. My husband and I have lived here for the past ten years."

"What?" That wasn't possible. I'd only moved out two years ago.

My face must've looked strange, because she frowned. "Are you alright? You look kind of pale."

"You can't have lived here this long," I found myself saying, angrily. I'd had it. This was my childhood home. I was born in the hospital down the street. I knew every nook and cranny of this house, and the street. The new paint job didn't make it any less mine. "I lived here until I was eighteen." I snapped.

The woman started to look worried. "Look, I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong house."

"Wait!" I shouted, but she'd already slammed the door in my face. I knocked a few more times, but no one answered. After waiting desperately at the door for a few minutes, I headed back to the car. I wanted to force them to let me into the house and tell me where my parents were but I couldn't. I had probably terrified them enough already. Besides, I had to move and do something. If I stood here helplessly, I'd go crazy.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, as soon as I sat down in car.

I didn't answer, staring straight ahead. What the hell should I do?

"Hello?" Kyle said, tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. "Was that your mom? What's going on?" He waited for a moment, and when I still didn't answer he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, ignore me. I don't know what's going on, hell I never know what's going on when it comes to your family. I've only heard you mention them once when you were wasted! And then you denied it the next day! But I just drove you up here with no advance warning because you asked, so I think you at least owe me an explanation. Enough of this secrecy crap, I'm your best friend."

I looked at him. He had a point. Kyle had driven me up here, he deserved to know what I did, however little that was. I was opening my mouth to explain-

-when something heavy slammed into our car behind Kyle, knocking it over, and smashing glass everywhere.