Amanda, Kaylee’s daughter, had vanished from sight two weeks prior. There was no sign of Amanda, even after Kaylee and the police searched for a long time. When Kaylee visited her neighbor’s garage sale one day after hanging more posters, she was shocked to see Amanda’s jacket—the exact one she had been wearing the night she vanished.
With great care, Kaylee covered every lamppost and bulletin board in the city with flyers. A picture of Amanda and a fervent request for information were printed on each brochure.
Two weeks earlier, Amanda had run away from her house. She didn’t have any knowledge regarding her whereabouts, and her phone was off. At first, Kaylee dismissed it as typical teenage disobedience, but when days went by without Amanda showing up, her worries turned into fear. She alerted the police right away, and they launched a search.
Kaylee has been putting out flyers nonstop since Amanda vanished in the hopes of finding any leads. Her efforts were destroyed by the heavy rain the day before, so she had to start over. She fought back tears as she firmly attached the final flyer to a phone pole, exhausted but unflappable.
Kaylee saw her neighbor Angela preparing for a garage sale as she was driving home. Brightly colored placards and other objects adorned the yard. Kaylee heard Angela calling out to her, beckoning her to approach. Kaylee reluctantly consented at first, thinking that the diversion would be helpful.
Kaylee felt remote and empty as she strolled around Angela’s yard. She was idly looking through the things when she noticed a jacket. Amanda’s jacket was on it. Her pulse raced as she gripped the jacket and asked Angela to reveal its source. Startled, Angela revealed that she had purchased it from a thrift shop close to the bus stop. Kaylee ran to the store, desperate for answers.
When Kaylee showed the seller Amanda’s jacket at the store, she was able to jog her memory of a girl who looked like Amanda. He said that she needed the money for a bus ticket, which was why they had clashed about the price. Kaylee went to the bus station without any further information and showed the staff Amanda’s photo, but nobody could recall seeing her.
Kaylee sat down on a bench, holding Amanda’s jacket, feeling discouraged. In one of the pockets she discovered a slip of paper with an address on it. Amanda’s biological mother lived in a nearby town, as was indicated by the address. Determined, Kaylee took her car to the address.
A messy-looking woman answered the door when she got there. Although Amanda had visited, the woman confirmed that she had now left. Brokenhearted, Kaylee drove to the neighborhood police station in the hopes of learning more. She saw a girl sitting on the porch of an abandoned house while she was traveling. Amanda was there.
Amanda leaped into Kaylee’s arms as she rushed to her. Amanda clarified that she had been residing at the deserted home since she was unable to establish contact with her mother. She was afraid Kaylee wouldn’t want to visit her because her phone had been stolen. Amanda was reassured by Kaylee of her unwavering love, and they both expressed regret for their errors.
They strolled back to the car together, embracing one other firmly. They were relieved and filled with hope that they had found one other and were on their way home, even if it was pouring rain outside.