Can't Stop Runnin'

Chapter 12

"Ashton?" I hear Julie's voice from the hall.

"Yeah." I say trying to make it seem like I wasn't crying.

"Where's Elise?" She asks the unanswerable question. I just point to the letter.

"Wha- she's gone? Where were you when all this happened?" Julie asks after reading the letter.

"At my house." I start to cry again. My girlfriend could be dead. On the back of the letter she said "I'll be back one day, don't worry." But how can I not worry. Christina was right, I can never stop running from her. She'll be there whenever something good happens in my life. Shell ruin it. Elise said it was okay if I moved on, but I don't want to. There are too many thoughts running through my head at once.

"Ash?" I hear Elise's voice. I only let her call me that. Her voice fades though, it turns into Julie's.

"Ashton?"

"Yeah?" I say coming out of my daze.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." I lie.

"Are you sure?" She presses.

"Yeah." I just want her to leave me alone so I can think.

"Okay, I'll give you some time." she says reading my thoughts.

Maybe I should call the cops. What would I tell them though? "Kidnapped" or "murdered"? I don't know anymore. It's like I can't think straight without knowing Elise is okay. My eyelids start to get heavy. The next thing I know my head has fallen on Elise's favorite pillow. It was a mint green throw pillow on her bed.

..........................................................

I wake to the sound of pots clanging.

"DANA!" I hear Julie yell.

"What?!" She yells back.

"Ashton is trying to sleep!" Julie quiets down a little bit.

I wonder what they are doing. Does Dana even know that Elise is missing? Does anyone know?

"Julie!" I yell.

"Yeah?" She yells back.

"Come here!"

"Okay!"

"Who knows about Elise's disappearance?" I ask right away.

"Only the people that you've told." she tells me.

"Oh okay. You can go now." I lay back down. I really don't know what to do. Where do I start? Christina could've taken her so many places. Elise's room is surprisingly clean. I notice a piece of paper on her desk.

Ash,

I see that you have found my first clue. Christina always wants to look hot, but lately she has been looking a little bit of the opposite.

I like to eat food, so do you.

The next clue is in a place that combines those two things. <3 Elise.

(I'm not good at making these)

What combines food and coldness? The fridge maybe? I get up and walk out to the fridge. Sure enough at my eye level there is another slip of paper.

Ashypooh,

You have found my second clue, but that was just a test. Christina has told me all her plans ahead of time. Why? I don't know. The first place she is taking me you have been many times before. With her, with me, by yourself. An old friend comes by when you sit there for long enough. <3 Elise.

An old friend? I've been there many times before? The bus stop! This is going to be a long day. I can't just not go though, I need to find Elise. What if I get there right as she dies? I need to stop thinking negatively. Elise could be alive, she could be perfectly fine. My head is pounding. Breath in, breath out. Okay, let's go to the bus stop.

"Julie! I'm leaving!" I yell.

"Okay!" She yells from her room upstairs. Elise is the only one with a room on the base floor.

When I get to the bus stop I look for another piece of paper. It's on the back of the stop sign, but there's something wrong with it. Its torn.

Ash,

I have to be brief. I think that Christina is catching onto me writing all these notes. The final places she is taking me to is-

That's where it cuts off. Literally the worst place it could have. Let me think about Christina though, she went to the bus to go somewhere. Where would she go though. I sit down to think. Charles shows up almost as soon as I sit down.

"Did you bring Christina anywhere lately?" I ask.

"Yeah, her and another girl went to 26th street. Are you going there too?"

"Yeah. Can you take me there as quickly as possible?" I ask hoping my old friend will come through.

"Oh course." Charles says with a smirk on his face.

I hop in right away. Lets see, what's on 26th street? Obviously shops... Oh yeah! I forgot that Christina owns a shop there. It's a makeup store, but how am I going to get in? I could try going through the cellar. It's worth a shot.

"We're here!" Yells Charles.

"Gosh, I'm the only one on the bus." I say rubbing my ear. "Thanks anyway."

"Anytime." my old friend assures me.

Now I just need to find Christina's shop. What was the name of it? I helped give ideas for it. Prissy Chrissy? No. I have the looks? Nope, defiantly not that. Ah of course Christina's Makeup Emporium. I should've guessed. Surprisingly it's open. The store is filled with teenage girls that think they need makeup to look better. It's smells like a million different perfumes mixed together. My headache is coming back. Fans start to swarm me. I push through them and go to the back. The staircase is in the back left corner if I remember clearly. Nope. It's in the right. Its dark and smells musty on the way down, but when I reach the bottom I see a door that has light coming out from under it. They're probably in there. I open it up to a horrifying sight.

(Thanks for reading, please vote and comment. I should update more now that school is over as of last Wednesday. This chapter was a bit different than the ones I normally write. It was more thinking than talking. Comment what style you like more. Love you guys!!)