The commotion started in the middle of the night. I could hear the steps, the muffled voices, the knocks on doors, as I laid sleepless in my bed, looking up. There were shadows on the ceiling, too, from the headlights of a car that's passed outside, which was unusual. The school being far removed from any roads and towns, no cars usually disturbed our night sleep.
Someone knocked on our door. I slipped out of the bed.
"Who the fuck is it?" Mathew's voice was thick with sleep.
I opened the door and faced Mr. Calwin. Despite the hour, he was wearing one of his tweed suits and a tie, but his hair was uncombed and his face pale.
"Hallo, Gordon," he said, peeking over my shoulder into the dark room. "Sorry for the hour. A student is missing so we're looking for him in all the rooms."
"We've got nobody here." I stepped back, opening the door wider. "You can check."
"No, no, it's fine." Still, he stepped inside and looked at the top bed from which Mathew was squinting back at him. "Mathew, when have you last seen your brother?"
"About seven or something." He sat up abruptly. "What're you saying? Owen is missing?"
"He hasn’t turned up in his room, yes." Mr. Calwin rubbed his cheek. "Maybe it's best you get dressed and come with me. The police may want to talk to you."
"The police?" Mathew nearly rolled down the ladder and landed on his feet with a thump. "You called the police?" He grabbed his clothes and began to put them on in hurried, jerky movements.
"The school has procedures for such situation, so yes, notifying the authorities was one of the steps. I'm sure that's nothing, though. Don't worry. He'll be found."
After they left, I walked over to the window. A police car stood parked by the dorm, its flashlights turned off. Two people stood on the lawn, talking, their silhouettes unclear in the poor lighting. Another police car rolled over and parked by the first one, dark and silent. I couldn't see the windows of my own building, but judging by the shadows on the lawn below, there was light in many of them already and more were lighting up every minute.
I preferred to remain in the shadow, watching the growing activity below, my forehead pressed to the glass. I felt strangely calm. Owen was missing. Perhaps bad things did sometimes happen to bad people, after all.
The sky was beginning to brighten when the commotion reached a new level and students began to pour outside and gather on the passageway in front of the building. The policemen tried to keep them off the lawn. I turned away and went to fetch my clothes.
In the corridor, I stumbled into Mr. Calwin again. He must have found a moment to comb his hair during the last few hours, but his tie was hanging askew and he seemed even more disheveled than before.
"Great, Gordon, come on downstairs," he said, passing me by. "They want to search the woods. They'll need everyone. People from Northfield are coming to help, too." More students were stepping out into the corridor as he moved on, knocking on doors. Most were fully dressed despite the early hour, and all of them were exchanging confused and excited glances as they made their way to the stairwell.
Outside, the air was chilly, and despite to the grim reason for us being outside so early, the students seemed more excited by the adventure than worried about Owen's well-being. There were giggles and a lot of muffled talking and even a few bursts of laughter that were quickly extinguished by the strict looks from the adults. Almost all the teachers were there, and half a dozen policemen, most of them looking rather tired and impassive. Some of them were passing thought the crowd, giving everyone flashlights. The morning was growing nearer and the sky was shifting from black to grey, covered with ragged dirty clouds that threatened rain at any moment.
"Hey, I got a pink one," said a voice behind me. I turned around and found Jesse, demonstrating me a pink plastic flashlight. "It's from the stock of the villagers. Police only have the simple black ones." He wrapped himself into his jacket, watching me.
"Hi," I said, relieved he was talking to me again after having stormed out of my room earlier.
"They want to make a line," he said. "Line of people to search the woods. Want to go with me? I could use a minion." His tone was playful, but I could see something akin to panic in his wide open eyes. "It's been a shitty day and a shittier night and I could use someone friendly."
I blinked, not sure why he was asking me and not some of his official friends, but pleased that he was.
"Sure," I said. "I'll walk with you."
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