Endless Possibilities

Marissa scanned the bookshelves with her eyes, hand suspended outward, waiting to snatch a book from the shelf. Marissa was a big-time reader. She visited the library often, searching the vast expanse of knowledge for a suitable way to use up the time on her hands.

         Marissa selected a book and sat in a library chair. It was quiet, a nice contrast to the school she went to, with children laughing and playing and screaming and yelling. Sometimes even a whisper was enough to set her off. But the library was her haven. The library always welcomed her, comforted her. She loved the musty smell, the soft, plush chairs, the quiet environment, even the librarians were kind to the girl who came regularly. Marissa had one older sister, who was in middle school. She told Marissa, when she talked to her, how much better middle school was. How much less screaming there was than elementary school. And there was a library there that was much more like the public library. Marissa, a year from middle school, wished they’d accept eleven-year-old's in her sister’s middle school. But, strict as they were, they would not allow her if she was the smartest girl in the world. So, the public library remained her safe spot.

         Marissa flipped through the book, and as she skimmed through the fifty-third page, she found something peculiar. A folded, lined piece of paper tucked into the spine. It looked like it had been ripped from a basic notebook. Curious, Marissa took the note in her hands and saw something even more curious. In neat letters, were the words, “For Marissa.” Hmm. Maybe the librarians had put it there. She opened the note and began reading, “Dear Marissa, I do not have much time. I am sorry I haven’t visited you in such a long time. I’d like you to go to the middle school. Your sister will still be there for after school activities. Retrieve her and meet me at the elementary school playground. Sincerely,—”

The rest was a scribbled signature Marissa couldn’t read, she realized with annoyance. Who was this guy? Why did he—or she—think Marissa cared if they visited her or not? A tingle of exciting realization ran through her skull. Could it be? Marissa’s parents were divorced. She hadn’t seen her father for years, ever since he dropped her off at mom’s house when she was six. Marissa set the book on the bookshelf and stormed out of the library, clutching the note desperately in her hand. She ran all the way to the middle school, where Sarah, Marissa’s sister, was participating in a book club. Marissa rushed into the building, barely caring that she was not supposed to be in here. She crashed into the room Sarah would be in, cheeks flushed and out of breath. Sarah bolted to her feet, blushing a deep crimson.

“Marissa!” she stormed. “W-what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the library, or home or...whatever! Get out!”

“Sarah,” Marissa gasped. “It’s important.”

She held out the note. Sarah only glanced at the note before her face went pale. She touched her pant pocket absentmindedly, where only a slight bulge hinted at anything unusual. Marissa’s eyes widened.

“You got one, too?”

Sarah nodded.

“It’s just nonsense. Some rando out there trying to kidnap us.”

“How can he kidnap us if there are two of us? Why would he target us? Sarah, I think it’s dad.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. She dug the note out of her pocket and skimmed over it. Her jaw dropped and she mouthed, “No way.” The rest of the girls in the book club just stared in shock. Sarah grabbed Marissa’s hand and bolted from the room.

“We need to get to the elementary school playground!” Sarah exclaimed.

********

They stood among the play structures, looking around.

“He didn’t mention a time,” Sarah said aloud, as if it had only just occurred to her.

“Yeah, he did,” Marissa objected. “He said to get you from your after school activities.”

“And he told me to pick you up from the library.”

“Right. Exactly. So it has to be about now.”

The playground appeared quite vacant. Odd, since people came to this playground all the time, even after school let out.

“Girls,” came a voice. Marissa spun around. Her eyes welled with tears.

“Dad!” she exclaimed. She recognized him immediately, despite the sunglasses that seemed to be an ill attempt at a disguise. Marissa and Sarah both tried to run and hug him, but he held out a hand to stop them.

“Sarah. Marissa,” he said. “You’re in danger. They’re trying to use me, to get to you.”

“W-what do you mean?” Marissa stammered.

“No time to explain. Right now, I need to get you girls to safety, before they realize I’ve betrayed them. Come, quick.”

He turned and sped away faster than Marissa could process what he’d said. Soon enough, Marissa was running, with Sarah catching up. Sarah passed her, catching up to their dad. Marissa sprinted as fast as she could, but her legs, used to sitting around reading, were much slower than her sister’s naturally athletic ones.

“Get them!” Marissa heard a shout from behind. She glanced back and saw men with sunglasses matching her dad’s. They held pistols. And they were about as fast as dad. Marissa shrieked and leaped onto a play structure, climbing like a monkey. She looked down. There were two men. One of them was chasing Sarah and dad. The other was climbing after her. The note fell from her pocket where she’d stashed it during the run to the playground. Marissa groped with one of her hands and caught it. The note flipped open in the wind. Marissa’s grip slipped. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. The fall was surprisingly short. Marissa opened her eyes, shaking in terror. All she saw was white. She sat up and looked around. Where was she?