𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐘 → original

thirteen

In the morning, Amory convinced Marc to go with Ophelia and Lou. He knew that Marc was only staying back to keep him calm, and he felt he didn't need that. Plus, even though he knew Ophelia and Lou could certainly take care of themselves, he wanted Marc with them. It made him feel better about not being there himself.

So, at around 10 am, Marc, Ophelia, and Lou took Caspar's car and backed out of the drive. Tyler still hadn't emerged from his room. The further they got from the house, and him, the better they felt. Lou was driving, she had to adjust the seat and mirrors to fit properly, but she had yet to mess with the radio. Ophelia was in the passenger seat, so after about 20 minutes she began to mess with the various dials. The radio was mainly static for awhile, but eventually she found a station that played 80s hits and came through clearly.

Whitney Houston blared lightly through the speakers, but still none of them spoke. Lou was focused on the winding roads before her. She wasn't worried about directions, she knew that if she continued to go straight, she would reach town. Once they got there, she wasn't entirely sure of the plan. She didn't know if they just wanted to get service and call Vallie, or if they wanted to show up to her work, or any other option. Still, she did not speak and ask. 

When town came into view, her questions were answered. Marc was quick to type in the directions to the hospital into his phone. He guided Lou there, speaking only to guide her. They pulled into the non-emergent parking lot, and went into the lobby They knew Vallie worked in the ICU, but they did not know where that was or how exactly to find her. Luckily, Ophelia took the lead, going straight for the receptionist.

"Hi." Ophelia greeted warmly, Lou and Marc standing a small distance behind her. "We're in town and we're trying to visit our friend, Vallie Wrigh—Sinclair. Is she in today?"

The receptionist peered at them over her glasses, granting them an uninterested stare. She huffed, shuffling some papers around before returning her gaze solely to Ophelia.

"Look, I can't tell you when our workers are here or not. It's against company policy." The receptionist  seemed final with her words, returning to the newspaper she had displayed before her.

"Oh." Ophelia breathed out softly. She put on her sweetest look, her eyes wide and her smile large. "Well, I suppose we could just wait here in the lobby then, until she goes on break or gets off her shift."

The receptionist seemed unnerved by that, glancing around at the empty chairs of the lobby before studying the three people before her. Clearly, she did not want them just waiting around. She pushed her glasses back up on her nose, then held up a slender finger and reached for her phone.

"Is Vallie Sinclair available?" The receptionist asked after a few moments, chewing obnoxiously on her gum. She hummed, presumedly after getting her response, then hung up the phone and looked back at Ophelia. "She's not here, so no need to wait."

"When was the last time she was?" Marc stepped forward, a dreadful feeling pulling in his stomach.

"You know I can't tell you that." The receptionist deadpanned, stopping her chewing for a moment. "If you guys are such good friends of hers, shouldn't you know where she is?"

The three shared a look, their faces suddenly pale. Lou wanted to convince herself that Vallie was fine, that she had the day off and was on her way to the cabin, but that seemed impossible. Instead, she gulped, before fixing her eyes on the receptionist.

"Look, we had a vacation planned with her, and she didn't show up. Her husband keeps making up excuses that she's at work, but we don't believe him. Just, tell us if she's been here the last couple days, and we'll be on our way." Lou pleaded. Lou knew that to the outside world, she consistently came off as well-put together and calm. She prayed that in this moment, no one could see the cracks in the surface.