Victorie plus N

Chapter 23: Wrong

Margy didn't speak. For some reason, I keep coming back to that from our conversation. Not about the N's, or Curves, or even Ann! I just keep thinking... Margy didn't speak during our conversation. Well, she did, but barely. And nothing really intriguing. No questions. She wasn't writing in her notebook. It's... strange.

I thought she was into these kinds of things. I guess I was wrong. But, something's off. I just don't know what. Something's wrong with Margy, I know it. Something is just... wrong. And I'm going to find out what it is.

Which is why first thing the next morning I track down Teddy and ask him what's up in one of the lonely hallways of the manor.

"I..." Teddy says, "I don't know," he admits, shaking his head.

"You don't know?" I ask in disbelief. I thought he knew everything! Well, at least more than me.

"I don't know, okay! She never liked talking about this stuff, I don't know why," he sighs, "Let's just get started on the journals."

And so the hunt for where Ann is is on.

Teddy and I spend day after day combing through the family journals in the hope we might find out where Ann is, but with no luck. We try to make sure no one finds us, so we tell the servants that we're doing a summer project for school. Which we're not, but what's a white lie to save a friend? Yeah, I think so too.

About a week later, Teddy finally declares his defeat.

"This is the last journal that we've double-checked, and there's nothing!" He cries, "I give up, let's go ask the others if we can search their libraries."

"Right," I nod on my perch sitting on a red velvet chair doing TikT Toks because I finished my pile of books for the day. What can I say, I read fast.

"Texting them now," Teddy says, pulling out his phone.

A few minutes later, Teddy looks up at me from his phone. "All of them said we could, except for one, who didn't reply yet."

"Who didn't reply?' I ask although I already know the answer.

Margy.

"Margy," Teddy says.

I called it. "Hmm, okay."

"Yeah..."

"Well, until tomorrow then?" I ask.

"Yes, we'll start at Owen's. Until tomorrow then," he stands up from his spot on the rug and shelves his pile of books.

He gives a wave as he walks away.

And now all I can think about is Margy. Why? What's wrong with her? Why didn't she respond?

I get a text message from May, another one of my friends back in California.

M: Loved the new post on insta!😘

Instagram was the last thing on my mind. I silence my phone and don't reply.

I live in a different world now. I shouldn't mix with my old life. And with that, I soundlessly delete Tik Tok and Instagram.