CHAPTER 2 — THE MESSAGE ON HIS ARM
CHAPTER 2 — THE MESSAGE ON HIS ARM
The restaurant remained silent.
No one reached for a fork.
No one spoke.
The only sound was the broken plate spinning across the tile before it finally came to a stop.
Ethan stared at the boy.
"What did you say?"
The boy shook his head.
"I shouldn't have told you."
His voice trembled.
"They'll know."
Ethan's mother, Sarah Carter, knelt beside them.
"Sweetheart, who will know?"
The boy's breathing became shallow.
He glanced nervously toward the restaurant windows.
"They're always watching."
Sarah gently took off her sweater and wrapped it around his shoulders.
"You're safe here."
For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to believe her.
Then tears spilled down his face.
"I don't even remember what being safe feels like."
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The restaurant manager quietly locked the front doors while another customer called the police.
No one wanted the frightened child to disappear again.
