I looked down at my adorable blond haired little sister. She was wearing her cute blue dress with a flower on it and I put her hair up in pigtails. She was so excited to go to her first carnival ever. To see all those flashing bright lights and smell the popcorn in the air, it was like heaven. I was excited too, I mean who doesn't want to eat cotton candy and ride on ferris wheels. We walked to the carnival because we lived about a mile away.

But by the time that you couldn't see our house anymore, Melanie cried out, so I gave her my phone, the only thing that calms her down these days. After she finished her last game, I took my phone back to check the time. 6:52, right on time for the carnival that started at 6:45. “There shouldn't be bad lines Melanie,” I told my little sister. I heard a reply “Jordan, look! A clown, cool!” I followed her little finger that pointed to the clown standing at the entrance. I thought he was a little creepy. Little did I know that I would be scared to death of him. I studied him, and looked at his clothes, his makeup, but what stuck out to me what the hair. It looked so real and it kind of creeped me out, but I couldn't think about it because Melanie pulled me over to him. He gave her a glum, “hi…” and Melanie looked sad. A lady, with the name tag of Mrs. Logan, touched his wig and said, “Excuse me, but you are working as a clown. I am your boss and I say you have to please the kids. Gerald, it's only 7. I'll grab you an ice cream!” She looked towards us and ruffled Melanie's hair, “ Sorry kids, here’s a balloon for you and sorry for the problems, Hope you enjoy the carnival!”

I grabbed Melanie’s hand and walked her toward the popcorn machine. I asked for two popcorns and let go of Melanie's hand to reach into my pocket to get the 10 that my mom gave me to buy some popcorn and drinks for later. I close my eyes and take it all in. The friendly sound of voices, the smell of the popcorn and the faint whiff of the cotton candy. Then everything went cold. I didn't know how, but I could feel it. I heard the cheerful chords of the carnival music playing that suddenly turned into creepy tunes. I opened my eyes and looked around. Melanie was gone, and I looked around and around and around until I was dizzy and I felt like I couldn't stand. I walked to the booth that was right next to the popcorn machine area. I asked the lady if she could help me find my little sister. She didn't seem concerned at all. In fact, she was rude, “I’m obviously running a business. Go to the back of the line and talk to me then if it’s really that important” She said. I couldn't believe it, how rude could she be? My sister was gone and this was a huge problem, and I didn't know what to do.

I remember the name Mrs. Logan and knew that she could help us. She was the boss of the clowns and was in charge of the whole carnival. She was nice and friendly and I was sure she would help. After 10 minutes, or what seemed like 3 hours, when your sister is missing, I had tracked her down and told her about how Melanie was gone. She asked me what my first and last name was. “Jordan Haites, and my sister is Melanie Haites, age 5.” She told me that she would do her best and I could come with her to search for my sister. And of course, I did. We walked through the carnival games with no sign of her there. We looked in the bathrooms and outside of the carnival, and she wasn't there. I told her my suspicions, that the clown with the creepy hair was the person who took her, and she led me back into the forest saying that he probably was the kidnapper, and since the first day that she had hired him, he had always seemed a little creepy. We walked through the dark forest and in the distance I saw something that looked to be a white shed. I told Mrs. Logan that I wanted to head towards the white shed that I had just seen, but she told me that there was nothing there and to head the other way while she ruffled the hair on her head, messing it up. I told her that my eyes had never failed me, and that I had perfect vision and even if it was nothing, I would race to find my adorable little sister, who at this time would be scared to death.

I ran as fast as I could toward that shed. I couldn't tell if Mrs. Logan was bad or trying to be helpful. Then I heard her voice say, “Jordan wait! I’ll tell you what's in the shed, and it's kind of weird so I don't want you to go in.” I told her to tell me and she explained that that's where all the clown costumes are and where they make their wigs and costumes. I didn't fully understand why I couldn't see that, so I ran again, thinking that she possibly was lying. But I was wrong, at least when I first looked in the shed, it seemed that what she was saying was really true. I looked and saw clown costumes that were hanging up, and then I looked over to where the wigs were made. There was hair, real long hair, with different shades of blonde. There was paint next to it, like someone was painting the hair to make the wigs.  And I saw that the person who took my sister, was some crazy person who took people hostage, cut off their hair to make wigs, and probably killed them. Who has access to wigs and costumes for clowns? One person, Mrs. Logan.

I heard a muffled scream and knew it was my sister. I saw my little sister tied up with cloth stuffed in her mouth and I looked her up and down. One of her shoes was gone, her blue dress now had dirt all over it and her face was red from crying. I looked at her hair, her beautiful long blond, shiny hair, and grabbed her into a hug. I felt fingers touch my head and Mrs. Logan's voice saying, “I usually don't do brown for the wigs, just blonde, but yours will do too.”  And the cold metal of the scissors was held against my head, and snip.