The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2201 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

David banged the gong for lunch as I was in the middle of expressing my milk. I watched them all troupe in and heard voices presumably making choices of what they wanted or thanking him for cooking it. I finally finished, I was hungry and quickly sorted out my clothing before placing the bottle in the refrigerator and went to the sink to wash out the pump before dropping it in the Milton fluid.

At the table I noticed a bit of a gap. “Where’s Danni?”

“Dunno,” was the common consensus.

“Want me to get her?” offered Livvie.

“No, I’m up I’ll go.” It served a double purpose, it felt as if one of my pads had slipped, so I adjusted it as I went up the stairs. Danni’s door was shut. I knocked and opened it, she wasn’t there. I checked several other rooms calling her name. I couldn’t find her.

Returning to the kitchen I said I couldn’t find her, and the other children went off to look for me. Simon insisted I eat my lunch but my appetite was depressed. I gave up trying when they all returned saying she wasn’t there and her jacket was missing as well as her phone and bag.

Trish was already trying to text her to ask her where she was, but there was no reply. It looked like she’d done a runner. We decided she was wearing a denim skirt with a polo necked jumper and her black hooded jacket. We think she had her boots on as they didn’t seem to be there. I wrote this down in case we had to inform the police.

I really began to wonder what sort of home I was providing if my children seem to spend half their time trying to escape. Julie assured me it was a teenage thing and the home was fine, the best asylum she’d ever visited. Sadly her humour was lost on me, all I could feel was worry about Danni.

I phoned Cindy’s mum. She hadn’t seen Danni, however, Cindy wasn’t in so she didn’t know if they were together. I tried to make it sound fairly casual not like I was worrying myself to death, despite this being how I felt.

Trish sent Cindy a text but there was no reply there either. So I called Pia’s mother who wanted to chat. Pia was coming on in leaps and bounds and she was now going to a girl’s school, thankfully not St Claires.

Once again Trish tried sending a text but got no response. I tried calling all of their mobiles but they were all switched off, which sounded suspicious to me. It was quite possible they were all together. On the other hand it might just be a coincidence. We had three teens who were incommunicado, which is unusual in this age of the mobile phone, they’re usually so worried someone says something about them on facebook or elsewhere and need to know about it instantly.

Trish went and checked up the various social networking sites but half an hour later she returned–there was nothing. As we had no idea where to start looking, I suggested we stay put, this might all be a huge mistake and perhaps she thought she told me where she was going.

Phoebe said it sounded most unlikely because she always told one of them in case I didn’t catch what she said. She’d told no one. Once again I began to wonder why I’d adopted these children when I could have stayed at home playing Lady Bountiful and spent some of Simon’s money before Stella got it.

I spoke to my sister in law who had a funny tummy and blamed it on my cooking the other day. She didn’t know where Danni was either. I was looking like she’d got angry with me or Julie and me, and had gone off to make us worry: in which case she was succeeding. I just wanted to know she was safe, I could kill her at my ease once I got her home.

Julie and Phoebe offered to go and look for her but I told them they’d be wasting their time. I fretted all afternoon when just as David was asking about dinner, Sammi came home. She’d been out with her boyfriend buying nightdresses for when she went into hospital.

“What’s the matter?” she asked sensing the tension.

“We think Danni has run off.”

“Eh? I saw her at Gun Wharf with Cindy and her other friend.”

“Pia,” I supplied.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Give her a call.”

“We’ve tried that and the other two. They’ve all switched their phones off.”

“I don’t think she saw me, we were in M&S and they were across the way, just walked past when we came out. They were laughing and joking so I don’t think there was anything wrong with her.”

I thanked Sammi and made some more tea. I told David to continue with dinner though I wondered if Stephanie would find Danni in a communicative mood when she finally got home. If she was trying to wind me up, she was succeeding, though at least I knew she was okay a little while ago.

I called Cindy’s mum again and asked if she’d seen the three of them. She said she hadn’t but was expecting Cindy anytime. I asked her to call me if Danni showed up and not to let her know I’d phoned or that she’d called me back. I think this bit is called, ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’

About ten minutes later, Brenda called to say they were both depleting her biscuit tin. I asked her to keep Danni there and grabbed my coat and keys. I didn’t need the coat, it was still quite mild and besides I was hopping mad and my anger fuelled my thermostat.

I arrived at Cindy’s house with Phoebe. I sent her round the back and to grab Danni if she tried to escape that way. It was just as well I did because as soon as I rang the doorbell, Danni rushed out the back door and straight into Phoebe’s arms.

It took us ten minutes to calm her down enough to get in the car and then only because I threatened to call the police. Once I got her home I took her to my study and really read the riot act.

“You have had me worried sick. If you do that again I’ll stop you from seeing either Cindy or Pia again. Do you understand me?”

“You can’t do that.”

“I can do anything I set my mind to. For that bit of lip, you’re grounded for the next two weeks, if you want to extend it–just carry on like that.”

“You can’t, it’s not fair.”

“Neither is worrying me quite deliberately. Whose idea was it to switch off the mobiles?”

“We went to the cinema.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“We did,” she blushed and spat at me.

“What did you see?”

“Gravity.”

“I thought that was an over sixteen film.”

“They don’t care if you have the money to get in.”

“Who’s in it?”

“George Clooney.”

“On his own?”

“No some woman is with him.”

“Who’s she?”

“I dunno, I was too busy looking at George Clooney wondering what you see in an old man.”

“As soon as dinner is over you are seeing Stephanie, if you give her any trouble, you’ll be grounded for a month and if that means I have to lock you in your room, so be it. Now go and wash your hands and don’t mess me about any further because the meter is running.”

She strolled out of my study as if she’d just come in to ask what was for dinner. Only her scarlet face showed she was pretending.