When we arrived in Brighton, the cab driver asked me if he could let me out on the road next to Chestnut Grove, since he would have to take a long detour otherwise. I told him I didn’t mind and paid him from my savings on my credit card. As I got out of the car and was about to go on Google maps again, I noticed my phone was out of battery. I should have charged it before leaving, I thought to myself.
I made my way to an elderly lady who was standing on the other side of the street. When I asked where 16 Chestnut Grove was, she paused and seemed to think intensely. She then told me the street only goes up to number 15. Disappointed, I made my way along the road where I had thought I would find my sister. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. Where else could she be?
Once I approached the end of the road, I caught a glimpse of a scarlet red ribbon on the front porch of number 15. It looked identical to the one I got Scarlett at the mall once. She wore it every day, so this had to be hers! I quickly rushed to the house but before I rang the doorbell, I realised that the owner of this may be my sister’s kidnapper so he shouldn’t know I was there. I decided to look at the back of the mansion to see if there was a second entrance. When I didn’t find one, I knew my only option was to ring the bell. Suddenly I saw a figure at the window. I couldn’t make out who it was, but it seemed as if the person saw me and quickly rushed away. I could feel my heartbeat in my chest. This must be where she is, I told myself. I ran back to the entrance when a lady in her mid-forties exited the house. When she noticed the ribbon on the ground, she picked it up and told a little girl behind her that she had just found her red ribbon. My disappointment hit me like a knife. It wasn’t Scarlett’s ribbon. I wasn’t closer to finding her than I was before.