Lucy's Family, but no one answers

“Mom!” Abigail’s excited shout echoed out the open front door of the Carpenter house so suddenly that Nancy jumped and dropped the tape measure. It whizzed loudly back into its case before it spun slowly to a stop.

Standing out on the driveway, Nancy was trying to measure inside the car so she could give Tom the right dimensions for a cage but her over excited daughter’s call stopped her in her tracks.

“Mom!”

Nancy trotted quickly back inside, hands on her hips at the bottom of the staircase as Abigail appeared at the top, “What is it?”

“I know the last one was good but you have to see what just got posted!”

Nancy felt her heart skip a beat and she couldn’t help but squeeze her thighs together in muted excitement. It was obviously something new about Lucy – Just the thought made butterflies fill her stomach; she felt like she was a child again on Christmas morning, rushing to open her presents. Lucy’s new life was just so right it made her giddy.

At that moment the phone beside her started ringing and Nancy glanced at it with fleeting irritation, she was **** to see what Abigail wanted to show her. The caller ID was unknown and the woman waved a dismissive hand at it, “If it’s urgent they can call my cellphone”

Abigail disappeared back towards her room and Nancy hurried up the stairs after her, “What is it? Abi, tell me!”

Abigail smiled, her desktop background displayed the image of Lucy sleeping, but it was the window the girl opened next that made Nancy’s eyes grow wide.

“Oh Abi!” Nancy gasped with joy.

The screen was filled with Lucy’s naked headshot, the bright pink collar her only adornment. Her brunette hair framed her cute face perfectly while her eyes were wide with confusion and innocence, like she was begging the camera for help.

“Isn’t it great?” Abigail giggled, pointing out how the picture was titled ‘Progress’, “It was posted like 10 minutes ago and all of my friends already have it as their phone backgrounds!”

Nancy smiled and hugged her daughter, “It’s perfect! Who took it?”

The atmosphere in the stately office was cold; a woman in a finely tailored blazer sat stony faced behind her imposing desk, drumming her finely manicured nails against its mahogany surface.

“And the UN?”

“The resolution was fast-tracked, considering the urgency; it’ll go to a vote this afternoon,” a grim faced barrel of a man spoke up, clutching a document marked ‘Secret’. The advisers in the room stayed silent but exchanged glances.

“I assume it’ll pass.”

“Obviously Madam Secretary. It’s just a formality at this point, it has unilateral support – there’s not a government on earth that doesn’t support it.”

“I still think this is unnecessary, all this fuss of having it put into international law like this - Lucy Carpenter is a pet, everyone already agrees!”

“I understand your frustration but considering their physical distance from her, other nations just want to do something to show their commitment and support… Having it in law may give some more weight when the time comes to help persuade her.”

The woman rocked back in her chair and steepled her fingers, “Fine. But if she finds out about this too soon…”

“Hello…”

“Max?” Lucy asked frantically before she realised she recognised the voice and her blood ran cold, it was a recording of her mother.

“…You’ve reached the Carpenter residence. I’m afraid Tom, Nancy, or Abigail can’t come to the phone right now, but if you’d li-”

Lucy recoiled in confusion. The number on her tag was the number of her family home?! That didn’t make sense; Max didn’t even know that number… did he? How had he done that…? Why had he done that…?

More importantly, Lucy was already panicking that no one had answered – though she realised even if they had, what use would they be, they were 200 miles away!

Barely registering that her name hadn’t been included in the message the naked girl glanced frantically between the cop and the phone, biting her lip. It was her only lifeline and no one was there!