Small Anomalies (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 3: A Girl With a Violin Case

Raeann's POV

After an hour of walking along the winding road, I reach Nina's Diner. I walk over and peer through the window to find the lights off and the restaurant vacant. Nobody will arrive at work for another two hours, so I come up with a plan.

With the screwdriver from my violin case, I spell words into the dirt where I'm sure everyone will see:

I quit.

-Raeann Fisher

I keep the message short, but get my point across. Smiling, I admire my work. I've wanted to quit my part-time waiting tables at this run-down diner for months, and now I've finally done it.

"Very unofficial," I joke to myself and turn on my hill to continue walking. I feel as though I'm on top of the world, and everything in my life is under my own control for once. I can only hope I remain this optimistic.

____

Bee's POV

I release Evan from my embrace when I cease to feel Raeann's presence. Wiping tears from my eyes, I stare at the empty sidewalk.

"She must've gone back inside," my voice is scratchy from crying. "Let's check up on her."

As I take Evan's hand to lead him towards the front door, his body stiffens. "Her birthday is tomorrow," he sighs. "Josh and I were planning a huge surprise party for her. I just..." His voice cracks.

"More than anything, I'm sure she needs to be comforted," I stride towards the stairs. "I know she'll find a way to blame this on herself. She always does."

Evan nods knowingly and follows. Without saying a word, we walk through the door and into a quiet house. "Raeann?" I call out as loudly as my voice allows me. I receive silence as a response.

"Maybe she's in her room?" Evan suggests and grabs my hand to lead me upstairs. I follow obediently, worried for my sister. The stairs creak under our weight as we hurry to see Raeann. When we reach the second door to the right, Evan swings it open and gasps.

"She's not here," he says slowly, as if trying to understand the words himself. "Bee, she's gone."

"She's gone," I repeat and begin to feel lightheaded. After all this, after our mother just died, she left. "She didn't even say goodbye."

"We have to find her," Evan can obviously handle matters calmly during a situation such as this one, unlike me. As I stand hyperventilating in the doorway, Evan begins running down the stairs.

"She couldn't have gotten far!" I hear him call up to me as he sprints to get outside. When I hear the door slam, I slowly sink to the floor.

"Raeann, what have you done now?"

____

Raeann's POV

I slowly unfold the map in my back pocket and study the trail before me. The trail goes straight for a mile and takes a sudden turn to the left. Once it goes to the left for three miles, it swerves to the right again for five.

"So if I go diagonally," I whisper to myself. "I can reach where it goes right and spare myself the extra walking." I smile slightly and begin moving off trail. The branches reach out to me, so I run my fingers along the low-hanging ones.

I can't help but wonder how things are going at home. Have Bee and Evan noticed I'm gone? There's no doubt they'll search for me, and there is absolutely no way I'll let them find me.

I look over my shoulder to reassure myself nobody is watching me. I keep feeling a presence behind me, and my eerie surroundings aren't helping. Though the sun has risen, the shade that the trees are providing put everything under shade.