Derek trudged toward the police station, his chest tight with dread. His daughter Amber had been gone for a week, and not a single soul had seen her.
The police had launched a full search, yet turned up absolutely nothing. It was as though she had been swallowed up by the world without leaving a trace.
Derek hadn’t slept properly in days. Every waking hour was consumed by fear, every quiet moment filled with the worst kind of thoughts.
The officers kept trying to calm him down, reminding him that teenagers disappear sometimes and usually find their way back. But something deep inside Derek told him this was different.
He and Amber had always been inseparable. He’d raised her on his own after her mother walked out when Amber was barely two years old.
Her mother had chosen someone else and never once called to check on the daughter she left behind. Amber was Derek’s entire world, and the idea of losing her was unbearable.
Derek pushed open the door to the police station, the cool air washing over him as he stepped inside. He spotted the officer assigned to Amber’s case and walked straight over.
The officer looked up and gave him a sympathetic nod. Derek shook his hand and tried his best to appear steady.
‘Any updates, officer?’ Derek asked, his voice barely holding together.
The officer shook his head slowly. ‘Derek, the moment we have anything, you’ll be the first call we make.’
Derek let out a long breath. ‘It’s been a whole week. Nothing at all.’
‘I know how hard this is. We’re doing everything we can to bring Amber home,’ the officer said, his tone gentle.
‘I just can’t stop thinking about her,’ Derek admitted, his eyes betraying the fear he was fighting to contain.
‘Every parent feels that way when a child goes missing,’ the officer said. ‘The best thing right now is to stay home in case she comes back.’
Derek gave a slow nod. ‘Alright. Thank you,’ he said quietly, then turned and walked back out into the daylight.
He chose a longer path home, hoping the walk might clear his head. But his mind kept drifting back to Amber no matter how hard he tried to think of something else. Then, out of nowhere, he spotted a homeless woman carrying a bag that made him freeze.
Derek’s heart lurched. He looked closer and felt the blood rush to his face. It was Amber’s backpack. He walked toward the woman, struggling to stay composed.
‘Excuse me, where did you get that backpack?’ he asked, his voice wavering.
‘None of your damn business,’ the woman shot back, pulling the bag closer to her body.
‘Please, I’m not looking for trouble. That backpack belongs to my daughter, and she’s been missing. If you can tell me where you found it, I’d be so grateful,’ Derek pleaded.
The woman studied him with suspicious eyes, then finally muttered, ‘Found it at the bus station. Some teenage girl left it sitting there.’
Derek’s heart flickered with hope. ‘Did you see where she was headed?’ he pressed.
‘What am I, a detective?’ the woman snapped, clearly irritated.
Derek realized he needed to sweeten the deal. ‘Alright, I’d like to buy it back from you,’ he said, flipping open his wallet and pulling out a hundred-dollar bill.
The woman’s eyes went wide. She snatched the bill from his fingers and thrust the backpack into his hands, then took off quickly before he could have second thoughts.
Derek dropped onto the nearest bench and opened the bag with shaking hands. Inside, he found almost nothing — only a water bottle and a folded scrap of paper.
His pulse hammered as he carefully unfolded it. It was an address with the words ‘Hostess Family’ written beneath it.
He grabbed his phone and typed the address in. His stomach dropped when he saw it was in another city — the very same city where Amber had wanted to go for a concert with her friend. He had told her no, worried it wasn’t safe.
Guilt hit him like a wave. Had saying no been the thing that pushed her out the door? Derek knew he couldn’t sit around waiting for the police to move at their own pace.
He had to go there himself. He gripped the backpack and headed straight to his car.
Derek didn’t even bother going inside his house. He got in the car and drove directly toward the address. While on the road, he decided to call Amber’s friend Claire to find out whether they had gone to that concert after all.
Claire had told him they had decided not to go, but now he needed the truth. He dialed her number, one hand tight on the steering wheel. She answered after a few rings.
‘Claire, did you lie to me when you said you and Amber never went to that concert?’ Derek asked, keeping his voice as even as he could.
‘What? No. Why would you think that?’ Claire sounded genuinely thrown off.
‘I found Amber’s backpack, and there was an address inside. It’s in the city where the concert was. Amber could be in danger. I need you to be honest with me right now,’ Derek said firmly.
Claire went quiet for a moment, then sighed. ‘I didn’t go because my parents said no, but Amber told me she was going anyway. She made me promise not to tell anyone.’
‘Do you understand how serious this is? The police have been searching for her,’ Derek said, his frustration breaking through.
‘I wanted to say something when she didn’t come back after three days, but I panicked. I was scared I’d be in trouble for staying quiet so long,’ Claire admitted, her voice cracking.
‘Forget about that for now. Do you have any idea where she is?’ Derek asked, clinging to any shred of information.
‘No, she’s not answering me either. I haven’t heard from her since she left,’ Claire said quietly.
‘Thank you, Claire,’ Derek said, his voice softening. He ended the call and fixed his eyes back on the road.
If Amber had only gone to the concert, she would have been home by now. But she wasn’t, and that meant something had gone wrong. Derek’s heart pounded harder with every mile.
Eventually, he reached the address. He stepped out of the car, walked to the front door, and knocked. A friendly-looking woman answered, her expression warm and open.
‘Sorry to bother you. Is Amber here?’ Derek asked, his voice full of hope.
‘Amber? I’m sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name,’ the woman said, looking confused.
‘A teenage girl was supposed to come stay with you about a week ago,’ Derek explained.
‘Oh, I see. But she never actually showed up,’ the woman said, nodding slowly.
‘You haven’t seen her at all?’ Derek asked, his heart sinking.
‘No, I’m sorry,’ she said with a sympathetic shake of her head.
‘Understood. Thank you,’ Derek managed, doing his best to hide how crushed he felt.
The woman gently closed the door. Derek stood on the step for a moment, feeling completely lost.
He walked back to his car and sat there, despair pressing down on him. The one lead he had was gone.
After sitting in silence for a while, Derek finally started the car and headed back. His mind churned with worry and helplessness as he drove through the unfamiliar town.
Then he saw someone who stopped him cold. Sitting in a café window was his ex-wife — Amber’s mother.
Derek’s mind raced. Could Amber have come looking for her mother instead of going to the concert? It seemed like a stretch, but he had nothing else. He parked and forced himself to take a steady breath before walking over.
Miranda looked up as he approached, her eyes widening. ‘Derek? What are you doing here?’
‘Has Amber come to see you?’ Derek asked, skipping any pleasantries.
‘What? No. Why would she?’ Miranda said, her eyes darting around nervously.
‘She ran away from home a week ago. No contact, no trace, nothing,’ Derek said, his voice strained.
‘That’s awful. I’m sorry,’ Miranda said flatly.
Derek was about to walk away when something in Miranda’s bag caught his eye. An inhaler. One that looked exactly like Amber’s.
Without stopping to think, he reached for it. Miranda tried to pull back, but he got hold of it first.
‘Where did this come from?’ he asked, holding it up.
‘Derek, just let me explain—’ Miranda started, her face draining of color.
‘Where did you get my daughter’s inhaler?!’ Derek’s voice rose, his anger finally breaking free.
‘Because she’s here! Alright. There’s no need to yell,’ Miranda snapped back.
‘Why didn’t you say anything?!’ Derek demanded, his whole body shaking.
‘Because I knew you’d put a stop to it,’ Miranda said, looking away. ‘Relax, I was going to send her home once my mother signed the will. She said she’d only sign it once she saw that I had a child. Amber is my only one, and I’m not having any more, so I needed her here for that. Once mom signs, Amber goes back. I’m done playing house.’
‘Mom?’ came a broken voice from behind them.
Derek and Miranda spun around. Amber was standing there, tears pouring down her face. She had heard every word.
‘Amber, that’s not what I meant—’ Miranda said quickly, stepping toward her.
But Amber was already running. Derek sprinted after her, the inhaler still clutched in his hand, terrified she might vanish again.
He found her on a bench, sobbing into her hands. The sight of her broke his heart open. He walked over slowly and sat down beside her, pulling her gently into a hug.
‘Amber, I’m so sorry,’ he whispered.
‘I should have figured it out when she told me I’d need to stay with a hostess family,’ Amber said through her tears.
‘But you didn’t end up staying there,’ Derek said, carefully brushing her hair back from her face.
‘No, then she said I’d live with her so I could meet my grandmother,’ Amber explained.
‘Heartless woman. Why didn’t you call me? I was out of my mind with worry,’ Derek said, his voice thick with emotion.
‘I didn’t want you to come take me away from her. But I see now what a mistake that was,’ Amber admitted, staring at her hands.
‘It’s okay. You just wanted to know your mom,’ Derek said gently.
‘I’m sorry, Dad. I never wanted to scare you like that. I know now that you’re the best dad in the whole world,’ Amber said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
‘That’s easy when you’ve got the best daughter in the world,’ Derek said with a soft smile, holding her close.
Amber wrapped her arms around him, finally feeling safe again. Derek helped her to her feet, and they walked together toward the car.
‘You’re grounded for two weeks, by the way,’ Derek said, trying to bring a little lightness back into the moment.
‘Yeah, that’s fair,’ Amber replied with a tiny smile, leaning into her dad as they walked.
