Ethan

Ethan watched as Laura walked off, muttering to herself. He couldn't hear what she was saying due to the wind, but he had a good idea that it was about him. She was not happy that he was stuck with her.

He followed behind her, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, trying to keep his hands warm and out of the wind. He looked up at the sky, trying to figure out a way to make the situation better, but short of miraculously finding her brother, he had no ideas. He shook his head and grumbled. Why did Jace have to stick him with her? Who died and made him boss?

Laura wanted nothing to do with him. She'd made it very clear that she didn't want to talk to him after their night in the museum. She'd told him so in multiple texts. He'd even tried calling her, but some guy answered the phone and read him a riot act. The guy told him to never call back and that Laura wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

So, he didn't look her up or try to contact her again. He didn't know why she had suddenly changed her tune after the fantastic time they had at the party, but he was going to respect her decision.

Except, now they had to work together. This was not what he wanted. If he had known this was going to happen, he would have just stayed in California. He didn't want her to have to deal with him and looking for her brother.

She was already halfway up the hayloft ladder when he got to the barn. It felt so much better inside than out in the wind. The barn was warm and lit up with soft yellow light. It smelled of hay and horse, but it was better than being outside. He hoped the two boys were here and not out in the bitter cold.

He walked past a horse stall, stepping wide. He didn't trust horses. They were just so big. And smelly. He didn't see the attraction that Laura and Carter obviously did in them.

“Here,” Laura said, tossing him the walkie-talkie as she reached the top of the ladder. “Hold this. Hopefully, they're just asleep up here and that's the end of it.”

She called out the boys' names as she started to look for them. Some hay fell from the open hole as she walked around above him. The tone of her voice became more panicked. More hay fell. Laura's feet appeared and she nearly fell down the ladder. Her eyes were huge.

“They're not here. They're not here,” she whispered, as she paced the barn floor. Her hands dry-washed as she walked. “Where are they? I can't lose him too.”

“It's okay,” Ethan told her, reaching out a hand to try and comfort her. He missed as she spun to pace the floor in a different direction. He pulled his hand back. “We'll find them.”

She stopped her pacing and nodded. She looked away and wiped at her cheek. He hated to see anyone so upset. As an only child, he wasn't sure exactly what level of concern was normal for a sibling. She was certainly worked up and he wanted to help.

“Jace said something about them being with the dog, Jupiter,” he said, trying to think of something that might help. “If we find Jupiter, we'll find them.”

“Right,” she replied with a sniffle. “Um, he probably chased a rabbit or something? I saw some baby rabbits yesterday by the camp counselor house.”

“Okay. Let's go look there,” Ethan said. He held open the barn door for her. She was keeping a brave face, but her hands were shaking as she passed. He wanted to help. He doubted he'd ever win her over like he did at the museum again, but he could try. If nothing else, it would make this year's Christmas party less awkward if they both showed up.

Outside the storm was moving in fast. The wind had somehow dropped another ten degrees and the sky was dark with snow clouds. It wouldn't be long before the snow started to fall. He hoped they had found the boys by then. The boys wouldn't last long out in the elements with this storm.

“This is Emma and Mia,” the walkie-talkie crackled. “Everyone check in please. Over.”

Laura stopped walking, coming in close to him in order to hear the radio. He held it up so they could both hear.

“Group one checking in.” Carter's voice came across the radio loud and clear. “Jack and I are at the pool. There's no sign of them here. We're checking the changing rooms. Over.”

Laura swallowed hard.

“Group two checking in.” This time it was Jack's head of security, Dean's voice. “Brian and I checked the cars. They're not here. Over.”

Laura wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the sky. She blinked hard.

“Group three checking in. Ella and I are out checking the field behind the barn. No luck yet. Over.”

Laura let out a little whimper and turned away from the walkie talkie. Ethan cleared his throat and pressed the button.

“Group four here,” he said. “We checked the hayloft. No kids up there. Over.”

The only sound was the wind for a moment. Ethan wished he had something better to offer.

“Dean, Rachel's looking at the security footage and it looks like they were chasing the dog. She's checking the other feeds now, but we don't see them yet,” Emma said over the radio. “Ethan, you and Laura check the counselor house.”

“Heading in that direction. Over,” Ethan replied. He clipped the walkie back to his belt.

“You're supposed to say 'Roger' or 'will do' on the radio,” Laura informed him.

“Thanks,” Ethan replied, trying to keep the snark out of his voice. He knew she was stressed and just taking it out on the nearest person. “And it's not 'will do', it's 'Wilco', as in 'will comply'.”

“Whatever.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Let's get going.”

“It's a good thing we were headed in that direction,” Ethan said, giving her a smile.

She just rolled her eyes and huffed off, stomping across the dirt.

Ethan took a deep breath in and let it out before following her. She was walking fast, either because of the cold or to get away from him, he wasn't sure. Probably both. He let her have some space. She was obviously struggling with not finding her brother right away. He knew that his presence wasn't helping with her state of mind.

The counselor house was a cute little building built off to the side of the regular house. It was off enough that the people inside would have a little privacy for themselves yet be close enough to where the kids were to keep an eye on them. They checked both doors and found them locked.

“I don't think they're in here,” Ethan said, peeking into the windows. The drapes hadn't been installed yet, so they could see into the empty building easily. There wasn't any furniture yet, and all the windows were shut.

Laura slammed her hand into the side of the house. It looked like it hurt she hit it so hard, but she didn't make a sound. She just looked up to the sky and took a shaky breath in.

A single snowflake floated down and landed on her cheek.

That was when she started to cry.