#FlashFictionMagic: Modern fairytale

With Declan under house arrest until the trial, Maeve ran all his household errands. As long as she was there, she also did all the cleaning. Really, it was the least she could do to atone for  dating the cop with a vendetta against her little brother. Declan assured her it could happen to any naive young woman, but she felt responsible for how easily Jonah had duped her. 

Today Maeve had planned to go to Zumba with a friend, but Declan had his lawyer coming at noon, and he asked if she could help get the house in order. Declan said he was changing the bedding in his room while Maeve scrubbed the kitchen linoleum, but she suspected he was probably playing video games. And why shouldn’t he? He was under so much stress, he didn’t need to worry about housekeeping. 

When the floor was spotless, Maeve went to wash her hands in the sink and glimpsed the clock. Time had flown and it was just about noon. “Declan!” she called up the stairway. Only after she spoke did she realize that she didn’t need to strain her voice.  No loud music or gaming sound effects were playing. It was never this quiet. 

Curious, Maeve called her brother’s name again and began to climb the stairs. At the top, Declan’s bedroom door was wide open, but it was clear he wasn’t in there. A window was open, and Maeve leaned out until her long braid hung practically perpendicular with the windowsill, but she couldn’t see a soul. It was only when she turned back around that an object on the floor caught her eye. 

Discarded on the hardwood as though abandoned in a hurry sat a black ankle monitor, its green light blinking at the ceiling, signaling to the authorities that its captive was in the wind.