Beyond the Veil

Chapter 17

Sera felt guilty for ditching Sam. She really did, but she also didn't care. He deserved it. They barely knew each other and he already made her feel uncomfortable.

She had her day packed with things to do. Sera planned to study with Quinn and make sure Quinn is up to date on her schoolwork, and she also wanted to further her findings in this investigation. She was fired up since her falling out with Saul yesterday. It bothered her to no end that there was something here that she didn't understand and no one else seems to know or care about. Saul all but admitted it yesterday.

Nishay just disappeared, she at least had to ask around to see if she is still showing up to school. She might have been weird and unsettling, but she is still a student at this school and deserves the same due diligence that she would give to any other missing student. It's shocking that no one else seems to have noticed yet.

Sera started the day in the library, she asked the woman behind the coffee bar if she had seen anyone of Nishay's description. She hadn't.

After all of her classes, she asked her professors if they had seen Nishay. They all acted like they had never heard that name in their life or seen anyone that looked like her. It didn't make sense, maybe a few of the professors truly didn't have her in their class, but it's a small enough school that at least one of them had to of.

Sera dragged herself to the administrative office. It was a dusty old building, and she was met with the bothersome hum of a broken A.C. unit. There was an older man sitting behind the desk, filing papers into an old file cabinet.

She felt a knot form in her stomach. She had been dreading this conversation all day, but knew it had to be done. She approached the desk where the old man with thick glasses was sitting, surrounded by stacks of papers and folders.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

The man looked up at her, his eyes squinting in the dim light of the room. "What is it?" he asked, his voice scratchy and tired.

"I'm trying to find a girl who went missing a few days ago," Sera said, her hands shaking slightly. "Her name is Nishay."

The man's expression grew confused. "I haven't heard nothing about that," he said, flipping through a folder on his desk. "You sure she went to this school?"

Sera nodded, feeling her frustration building. "Yes, she did. She was in my class. She disappeared after school and no one has seen her since."

The man nodded, looking down at his desk, "Alright, I'll put the word out. You can go on back to class now."

Sera put her hands on the counter and leaned in, "that's it? We should call the police!"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't help you. But I'll be putting that word out." he said, turning back to his paperwork.

Sera felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she turned to leave. She had been hoping for some kind of lead, some kind of clue that would help her find Nishay. But now it seemed like she was on her own.

Maybe she should try to go to the police. She had to. It didn't make sense, no one knew who she was or gave enough of a damn to look for her. Is this how people would act if she went missing? Do people matter so little?

___________________________________________________________________________

Sera arrived at the police station, her heart racing with anticipation. Even though she wasn't doing anything wrong she still felt nervous going into the police station.

The police station of Darkwater Creek was a single-story building made of brick and concrete, located on the corner of Main Street and Oak Avenue. The building had a small parking lot in front with a few police cars parked in it. The front entrance had a faded blue sign with the words "Police Station" in bold white letters.