Running, and Running, and Running

4. Critter

As if life didn't suck enough, Priscilla was now hooked up to an IV. She had fainted as a result of fatigue and malnourishment, according to the doctor. They didn't want her to do any more chores or planting for a while, which meant that she was running out of activities to distract herself with. Terrible. She let out a heavy sigh as she tossed and turned in her bed. Was it time to just go back to sleep again even if she had just been startled awake less than an hour ago? She didn't want to go to sleep because it was scary given the nightmares, but at the same time, there wasn't much left to do when she was told to rest.

Even worse, Miss Brenda was asked to take a break and go home after that night.

Things had gotten out of hand very quickly last night. There was no telling when her father might act out aggressively against her again. The police had advised her to move back to her own place for a while, until everything had died down. It just meant that there was one less friend to talk to for Priscilla. She was truly alone now, with her girlfriend missing and her guardian out of the house. Her parents were grumpy at every meal and only talked about Miss Brenda actively causing harm to their house, which was a conversation that made no sense and wasn't something that she wanted to be a part of.

How could they blame Miss Brenda?

There were many locks in the house, each with their own number code. It only made sense that Miss Brenda did her best to write it all down. It was never written down with the intention that it would one day allow someone to sneak into their shed and take equipment for a possible kidnapping. There was no point in blaming her. She was only doing her job. Miss Brenda had always been damn good and reliable over the years, which was why they had never gotten a new helper around the place. However, now they wanted to fire her over something that wasn't in her control.

To Priscilla, this was all an unfortunate incident. If anything, she hoped that the missing twine would lead to some clues to find her girlfriend.

Her home was truly silent now. Priscilla turned to lie on her side, wondering if she should fall asleep again. She squeezed her eyes shut, once more gripping for the cat plushie that Delia had given her. It was her only friend now. This little cat, that didn't talk and didn't breathe. Sad. Priscilla felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes as she hugged it tight to her chest. She felt so hopeless.

Everything good in her life was being taken away.

For the first time in a long time, Priscilla let the tears flow freely. Her chest heaved as she sobbed. She had no idea how much she had been holding back. It was like a broken dam. The tears just kept coming. It flowed down her cheeks, onto her pillowcase. It dampened her sheets. She felt like she could barely breathe due to how hard she sobbed. The cat plushie absorbed some of her tears as well, looking up lifelessly as she hugged it. Its embroidered smile remained in place even as Priscilla cried.

She cried until she felt choked. Until her throat was hoarse. It was only then did she feel the sobs start to slow down and she finally could slow down the wiping of her tears on her cheeks. As she sniffed miserably alone in her bed, Priscilla thought that she heard a little scratching.

Something against wood.

Priscilla paused and listened out for it again. It wasn't there anymore. She frowned. Maybe she was just imagining it. She sniffed. Oh- there it was again. The little scratching sound. It was so faint that she felt as though it wouldn't be able to be heard if she breathed too loudly. Priscilla held her breath. She heard it again.

Was there a rat?

Sitting up, Priscilla held onto the IV stand and wheeled it aside so that she could look under her bed. Nope, no little animal in here. She checked under her table, and then checked around her beanbag. Nothing. She stopped and listened out for it again. It was quiet now, but it might be due to how the animal was freaked out by the sounds of her moving around her room. She opened her closet, and pushed her clothes around idly, still not finding any small animal that might have caused the scratching noise. Just as she was about to close her closet doors, she paused.

There was a tiny space. It was where she used to hide her diary when she was a kid, hidden in a broken part of her closet floor, just above the drawers. Could the little critter have made its way in there?

Bending down, she grabbed her folded shirts and put them onto her bed to move them out of the way. Already, she caught a glimpse of the loose plank beneath. It was out of place, with a small hole at the side. Ah. Surely, this must be where the critter is hiding. Priscilla tried to jiggle the plank out, but there was still a lot of clothes stacked on the other half of it. Reaching in once more, Priscilla pulled out more clothes for easier access.

Yup, the hidden plank there was not placed properly, which meant that there was a little hole. Perfect for the critter.

Lifting it up, she smiled triumphantly as she saw the empty pistachio husk inside the small hole under the plank. She was right. Seems like the critter had found her childhood hiding spot.

Hmm? There was something else in here.

Priscilla pulled out a diary. Oh, it was her recent diary! She hadn't found it for a while, and yet it was here all this time. It wasn't very dusty as well, which surprised her. Priscilla couldn't remember the last time she had written in it, or when she had put it in there. Surely, it should be dustier than this.

Another white thing caught her eye. A little strip of paper.

Perhaps it fell out of her diary.

Priscilla reached her hand in and pulled it out, her eyes widening as she saw what it was.

The page. It was the remaining half of the page that was torn out of Miss Brenda's diary. The section containing the passcode to the lock on the shed.