Zoes father threw down the newspaper. He didn't have time to sit around and read a bunch of drama piled into a few pages with cartoon comics and word searches in the back. He had work to do. And it was more important than a pile of words.

     Zoe and Darwin came running downstairs with smiles and laughter on their faces. And what looked to be hungry faces when they saw breakfast all set out on the table for them.

     Zoe began to eat everything on the plate while Darwin reached over to grab the katchup in the middle of the table for his eggs. He didn't want to put too much on to make it taste bad. He just squirted a little bit on the side of the dish to dip his eggs in.

     Just as he put back the katchup only to discover the newspaper Zoe's father had placed down. He began to read almost all of the information up until a photo of him saying,'Young boy goes missing after big fight with his older brother.'

     Darwin threw the paper down on the table so he could get up and leave immediately to his room. He had to pass by the living room first to get there. And things seemed to get worse. The TV caught his attention with the news crew reporting about a missing boy. His family in the back huddled together like a family picture, but without him.

     Now, his worst fear is coming to reality. Being found by his family. Darwin quickly ran upstairs as he ignored the rest of the news.

     'Tobias Wilson, a former student at Elmore Junior High School has escaped two days ago. His whereabouts are still unknown. Police are on the hunt for this young boy. If found, please call this number.' The news crew then switched to a building cought on fire.

     Zoe moved her plate to the side, already full. She wanted to do something outside today. Gardening seemed to click to her, and her mother wanted the flowers to be planted. She ran to Darwin, asking him politely if he would like to join her outside or have an extra hand to help her.

     He agreed, placing his feet on the cold floorboards. He knew her parents were leaving for work and trusted him and Zoe to be alone in the house together. It was shocking, but Darwin knows his boundaries and is more of a gentleman.

     "Hey, it's fine to walk outside? Do cars come around here a lot?" Darwin asked.

     "Yeah, it's okay to go outside. What, are you afraid of flowers?" She joked, "and no, it's very rare to get a lot of cars around here. A lot of people like to drive on the other side sense it has a nice waterfall." She pushed open the door, allowing Darwin out.

     "Oh, so you guys hardly get anyone around here. That's good. I just wanted to know because I like quiet places like this. The outdoors are a lot nicer than cars driving by and neighbors yelling at one another." Zoe opened the shed to pull out the equipment she needed. Darwin stood by her, waiting patiently.

     "Hey, mom wants us to plant the flowers on the edge of the lawn." Darwin sat down next to her, watching as she dug up and planted a few seeds or a flower.

     Darwin joined in, helping Zoe dig up and plant a few flowers all the way to the end. Just as they began to pack up. Zoe looked down the road to spot a car. She pushed Darwin to the side while she jumped to safety from the speeding vehicle.

     "What a jerk." Zoe said, grabbing her tools and all the trash. She was done anyway, but she didn't want to deal with an idiot on the road.

     "I know, right. What got them in a mood like that?" Darwin asked, standing up.

     Both kids began to walk their way back to the house when the same car came down the road, this time stopping. Darwin stood still while Zoe backed up slowly. The window cracked open a bit as two pare of eyes stared down both of them. Then, just like that, Darwin grabbed Zoe's hand and ran right to the house.

     He pushed her to the side, slamming the door and locking every lock that was screwed in. Zoe took a peek outside to find the car gone. "They left." She said, looking at Darwin, who is pale as a ghost.

     "No, they didn't." Darwin spoke in a shakey tone. "Lock all the windows, now!" He ran, slammed down the windows one by one, and checked twice to see if they were locked.

     "Zoe, check the storm door. Idk if they made it in." Darwin yelled up to her. She leaned over the railing.

     "It's already locked." She yelled back.

     Both kids took a breather. Darwin was still shaking in his shoes, and Zoe leaned back as she tried to breathe. "That was close. I don't know what made you do all of that. But I have a weird -" Darwin looked at her. "The garage." She said. "My parents never lock the garage door even when they leave for work." Darwin stood up.

     "No, wait. We have to run, hide, than if they find us, attack them then run away again. If that doesn't work, then killing is an option." Zoe tried to tell him, but he grabbed a weapon instead.

     "You hide. I'm staying here just in case they come in." Darwin said. But Zoe grabbed his hand and yanked him upstairs into a secret hiding spot. Both stayed quiet as they listened to the garage door open and close. Footsteps were heard walking across the tiled floors in the main hallway.

     Zoe stopped breathing for a moment before breathing again as Darwin rubbed her back calmly. He could hear the men walking around downstairs but not digging through anything valuable. Zoe went stiff from the footsteps, making their way upstairs and across the floorboards where they were hidden.

     It seemed like forever, but the strangers seemed to walk around in each room before stopping above them. "No sign of the kids," the first male spoke.

     "Well, that fish boy is more important than that girl."the second voice spoke, sounding deeper than the first voice. Zoe looked at Darwin with confusion. "So we better find them before the boss flip's out again."

     The footsteps slowly vanished, letting both kids sigh with relief. Zoe began to crawl her way through the vent, with Darwin following from behind her. It was nothing but silence as the kids crawled their way through. Then a crash sounded from above them, making the two stop in their tracks.

     Listening to nothing but silence. They began to crawl their way through again. This time, I heard a loud thump to the floor boards. Darwin turned to look behind him when he noticed that one of the men began to hit the floorboards with a crowbar, tearing it apart one by one. In front of Zoe was another man, also lifting the floorboards up after smashing it open.

     Both kids started to freak out and even regret moving an inch. And they had no chance to get out. But Darwin had an idea. He began to kick the side of the vent as hard as he could. This vent led to another vent. Zoe joined in, slamming her feet on the side. But she was too late. Hands grasped onto her tightly. She could feel one of the men pull her out.

     Darwin, on the other hand, slid down the new vent into the basement. He fell on the ground with a loud thud that was probably heard by the men. And if he didn't move fast enough, he could be cought right now. Slowly standing on his feet as his head began to thump from the hard fall. Footsteps were heard again. This time, he acted fast and ran behind a pile of junk.

     Listening to the door opening and the sound of heavy footsteps hit the steps. Darwin began to regret not helping Zoe. His breathing increased, making his spot known. Hands grasped on to him, pulling Darwin out from his hiding spot and dragged up the steps, and put the door. Zoe was already inside the car, slamming her feet on the seats.

     "Is this the boy?" The first man asked.

     "It is. Throw him in, and be quick about it." Darwin looked up at the man holding him. And with one swoop! A slap across the face knocked Darwin out.