Bear turned his massive frame, looking down at the child with instinctive wariness.
"I think you dropped this," she said quickly, extending a small, tightly folded piece of white paper between her trembling fingers.
Bear looked down at the paper, then into the child’s wide, terrified blue eyes. He took the note without a word.
Chapter II: The Silent Cry for Help
Using his thick, scarred thumbs, Bear unfolded the wrinkled paper against the palm of his hand.
Written in shaky, block handwriting with a black marker was a terrifying three-line message:
- HELP ME -
- HE'S NOT MY DAD -
- PLEASE CALL FOR HELP.
Bear’s breath seized. The air around him seemed to drop ten degrees.