Part Four
As soon as she got home, Willow began to frantically rush around the house.
"Clothes, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, bank book, id, photos,
money,
jewelry, notebooks…" As she spoke Willow threw each item into a
large duffel
bag. "Have I forgotten anything?" she murmured to herself
as she took a quick
look around her room and then the house. "Don't think so
but if I did, too
bad." Willow wrote a quick note to her parents, put it on
the fridge, and
left the house for what she hoped would be the last time.
****
"I can't believe how blind we’ve been,” Buffy said as she and Xander
practically ran towards the Rosenberg home.
"I know. I feel like such a jerk. Willow's my best bud,
but I’ve acted as
though she doesn’t exist," Xander responded. The two were
then silent as they
thought about how they had treated their friend.
Finally, they reached the Rosenberg home. They were surprised,
to say the
least, to find a police car in the driveway. As they came
closer to the
house, they saw Mrs. Rosenberg exit the building with a man who
exuded an aura
of law and order.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Rosenberg but until she's been missing for 24 hours
we can't
do anything," they heard the man explain.
"Thank you officer, "Mrs. Rosenberg said as she watched the man
walk away.
She continued to watch, silently, as he drove away. Then
she started to go
back into the house, but as she turned she caught sight of Xander
and Buffy.
"Oh, Xander, Buffy, have either of you seen Willow?" she asked,
with a look of
hopeful expectation.
"We saw her leave school earlier, but she ignored us. We were
hoping to talk
to her now," Buffy said.
"What happened, Mrs. Rosenberg?" Xander asked. "Where's Willow?"
Xander's
worry for his friend filled his voice.
Before she answered Willow's mother drew the two teenagers into
the house and
then into the living room. She pushed them down on top of
the couch and sat
herself down in a nearby chair. She picked up a piece of
paper sitting on the
coffee table and stared at it intently. She looked at the
paper as though it
held all the secrets of the universe.
Slowly Mrs. Rosenberg began to speak; "I came home about a half
an hour ago.
I didn't expect Willow to be here. She hasn't spent much
time at home for the
last two weeks. I don't know where she goes but she hasn't
spent a single
night here at home. She only comes home in the morning to
eat and get ready
for school and the afternoon, just after school, to eat and drop
her school
stuff off. I know she hasn't been spending the time with
you two. When I
asked her during the first week, she 'assured' me that she wasn't
spending her
time hanging around with you two. She said that the two of
you were rather
pre-occupied."
At their reluctant nods, she continued explaining. "Usually,
Willow has left
before I've gotten home so it didn't surprise me to not find her
here. What
did surprise me was finding this note from her." Mrs. Rosenberg
began to cry
as she handed the slip of paper to Buffy and Xander.
Silently, side by side, the two began to read the note.
"Mom and Dad,
I can't handle things right now; my life has gotten too complicated.
I need
some time on my own so I'm leaving for now. I don't know
how long I'll be
gone or even if I'll be coming back. Just know that I love
you.
Don't worry about me, I'll be staying with a close friend and I'll
be quite
safe.
Love always,
Willow"
Buffy and Xander looked at one another. They couldn't believe
it. Willow had
run away! That just wasn't like the Willow they knew.
The Willow they knew
always tried to fix the things that weren’t working in her life.
Xander looked at the crying form of Mrs. Rosenberg and instinctively
went to
her and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, Mrs. Rosenberg,"
he said,
"We'll go out and look for her. Buffy and I should know all
the places where
she might hide."
After she gave them a hesitant smile and her thanks Buffy and Xander
left. By
a silent agreement they stayed together and began to search for
Willow in the
local neighborhood. Unknown to them their quarry was on the
other side of
town and was about to knock on a very familiar door.
End Part Four