Chapter 6
Hayden leaned against the doorframe of the library with his hands in his pocket, holding Nora's silver watch in his palm. He could almost imagine each stroke of the minute hand was one of her heartbeats. He turned the thing over and over in his palm, tracing the glass with his fingers as his eyes traced Nora's face in front of her computer.
The morning sunlight was hidden behind dark broody clouds. The woods around the house drank in all the rain from the nights before, making the green of their leaves rich and dangerous. Nora sat in the armchair with her laptop blanched on her knee as she scrolled away. Her big round glasses hung from the bridge of her nose as her eyes scanned the screen with rapid speed.
Hayden stood watching her for the longest. He wanted to walk over to the girl and pull her hair out of the bun she had tucked it into, but he couldn't bring himself to disturb her. Her small toes poked out over the edge of the armchair making Hayden wonder if she was cold.
He had never really seen her so quiet and still. It was a strange sense of peace he knew wouldn't last too long. And as the seconds ticked by, Hayden wasn't sure if he even liked the silence around her. The mind that craved silence since birth suddenly feared silence from the modest beauty in the armchair.
"Nora?" Hayden cleared his throat.
"I know, I'm going," Nora didn't bother looking up from the screen. "Just another minute."
"Where are you going?" Hayden asked, curious to hear her answer.
"Breakfast," Nora muttered. "Birdie called me for breakfast."
"Birdie left for school almost two hours ago," Hayden chuckled.
"Who called me for breakfast then?" Nora's eyes snapped up.
"Birdie," Hayden said. "Two hours ago."
"Oh shit," Nora clicked her tongue. "Wow, how rude of me."
"It's fine," Hayden waved his hand.
"No, it's not," Nora frowned. She placed her laptop down on the coffee table in front of her and rubbed her face. "You guys have all been so sweet to me. Your mom is amazing and I think you dad might even like me a bit. I shouldn't be buried here in my laptop."
"You're working," Hayden tried to ease her conscience. "It's fine. We all get it."
"Still makes me feel bad," Nora shook her head.
"Any hits yet?" Hayden pushed away from the door and walked into the room.
"No," Nora looked at the laptop. "Wherever she is, she's not using her phone or her cards."
"Yet," Hayden added. "Give it some time. It's only been what....24 hours? Not even."
"I don't like waiting around," Nora muttered. "I don't know what else to do. I looked up all of Lidia's old contacts, but nothing valuable came up. Who do I go to? Who do I ask what the hell is happening?"
"Have you tried contacting your father?" Hayden asked slowly.
"He doesn't know anything," Nora rolled her eyes.
"We don't know that," Hayden pushed. "Maybe he knows something about your mom or Lidia."
"I don't think he does," Nora shrugged.
"Again, you don't know tha-"
"I don't want to speak to him, okay?" Nora frowned, trying her best to not let her frustration out on Hayden. "He has made it very clear that he doesn't want anything to do with me. I'm not going to go knock on his door again."
