Taint Me More ☑️

Chapter Eleven

I feared that this was Oriana's story all over again. If there's one thing we got out of my mother's negligence, it was definitely Oriana going wayward. She started to spend more time with drinking buddies from school. She wouldn't come home until late and it would get my stepfather furious and my drunk stepfather and a high Oriana was a deadly combination. This went on for a couple of years and I couldn't control it. My sister didn't care that I cared for her.

By evening of Saturday, Gabby had made up her mind to go out there to search for her sister by herself . She'd said the police weren't doing their job. I'd tried my best to reassure her that everything would be alright. I didn't believe it myself but the both of us panicking and going crazy together wouldn't have helped anything.

"I'll go prepare something, we both need to eat" I said as I squeezed her shoulder and went to the kitchen to put something together for the both of us.

I'd just dished out some Mac and cheese and pleaded to Gabby to eat when my phone started to ring. Gabby jumped quickly to get it. Any ringing phone at that moment got her all jumpy, even though it wasn't her own phone ringing. When she went for it and saw that it was mine and it was an unknown caller, she handed it over to me and she watched me eagerly as I hit answer.

"Hello" I said and waited quietly for the caller to reply. "Hello?" I said again but there was no response. I waited a few beats more, expecting the caller to say something but there were no words, only breathing sounds on the other end.

"Hello, who is it? I can hear you breathing" I said but there was still nothing said on the other end.

I brought the phone down to look at the number but it wasn't one that I recognised.

Gabby was getting fidgety beside me so I brought the phone back to my ear, then the person hung up.

"That's strange" I whispered, "the person didn't say anything but I could hear them breathing, so someone was definitely on the other end" I said and Gabby sighed with a frown.

"What if it's the person that took Heather or knows something of her whereabouts?" She asked, "call them back. Please call them back."

I sighed and stared down at the number again. "Or it could be a pocket dial." I shrugged and redialed the number but got no answer.

If Heather was not found soon, Gabby would lose her mind and blame herself and then I'd lose my mind too. This was the exact situation we'd been avoiding for weeks.

***
*

"...my God. Please put her on, I need to be sure she's fine." I heard Gabby say as I blinked my eyes sleepily. I must've fallen asleep. I sat up on the couch and watched Gabby as she spoke into her phone. "Please officer, just let me talk to her" Gabby pleaded and I could hear her choke back a sob. Then she paused for a few seconds and stood up from the couch so quickly, I had to stand with her.

"Hospital? What hospital?" She asked and I gasped. Gabby covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head repeatedly. "I'm on my way." She hung up and rushed to the door.

"I'm coming with you" I announced and went to grab my jacket and shoes. I took the car keys from her and we made our way out of the apartment.

Minutes later, we were driving to the hospital and we didn't even know what we were going to meet there.

Gabby cried the entire drive there. Good thing I was the one driving.

We got to the hospital and found out Heather was alright. She just had a mild concussion, the police said they found her in a motel after she'd placed a distress call. She wasn't awake yet but the paramedics were able to stabilize her. So whatever questions they had for her would have to wait till she was awake.