Jess sits through the ceremony. It’s difficult to stay still at this age, particularly given that she doesn’t know anyone here. But she stays on her best behavior. After the ceremony ends, she gets to her feet. The woman looks more closely at her. Her eyes widen.
“Josh, this isn’t Annabelle.”
“What?” The man looks at Jess as well. His jaw drops. “Who is she, then? Where did she come from?”
“I don’t know.” The woman picks Jess up. “There’s a daycare room here, I’ll bring her there. You see if you can track down her parents, or at least someone who would be willing to watch her for a while.”
“I Jess,” Jess says desperately.
“Okay, tell the people you ask that her name is Jess,” the woman instructs Josh. Josh nods and walks away. The woman carries Jess out of the hall. During the walk, the woman stops and smiles at Jack and his new wife, as they walk past. Jess squirms desperately, trying to get loose. The woman merely tightens her hold.
When they arrive at the empty daycare, Jess is promptly dumped in a playpen. She tries to get the woman’s attention to explain things to her, but the woman turns away and pulls out her phone to call someone. Resigned to wait, Jess sits down.
Jess doesn’t have to wait long; just as the woman hangs up the phone, someone comes into the daycare.
“Hi, I’m here to pick up a wayward charge,” says the young man. Jess looks up. She doesn’t recognize him. The woman nods at Jess in the playpen. The man picks her up. “Thanks. Jessie tends to wander off sometimes.”
“No problem,” the woman says, visibly relieved. Jess opens her mouth to speak. The man pops a pacifier into her mouth. She sucks on it instinctively. The man and woman both leave the daycare.
Yet again, Jess is carried off. The man exits the church and crosses the street to the nearby reception hall. Once they enter the building, Jess discovers that they’re at a wedding reception for…