Gene XVIII: The Missing

Last Normal Day

1

Haven

It's been a year...

Two whiskey glasses shattered. Its shards scattered around me, decorating the floor. The culprit of the incident didn't flinch; instead, she called Mrs. Flores.

"No, I'll clean it," I said. Mrs. Flores was working on a wine stain on the white suede couch. "Are you sure about tonight's party? It's only been a couple of months since my eighteenth?"

All that blood.

"No, I think this is probably the worst thing I could do, but let's be real; no one would be surprised." She said as I discarded the weapons.

Lily and I only became friends after the epidemic of missing people grew. My mother is one of them. The police were not coming up with new leads on her, so I took matters into my own hands.

Many nights were lost to partying and drugs. All in hopes of growing closer to the connected. Dead ends stacked upon dead ends.

I met Lily on one of the nights my father forgot his medication. She offered me a line of coke and a place to crash. Her materialism and aloofness almost deterred me, but she cares.

We settled on the outdoor patio sectional, sipping on our drinks. With soft ebbing music in the clear dry air, I asked, "Is Julian coming tonight?"

"Why? You want a good time?" she said.. Sensitivity has never been her strong suit. "I'm kidding." She wasn't. "I don't know, I didn't invite him, but you know how these parties are; everyone shows up. If he comes, ignore him."

"Like you ignore Jason? Ducking under tables? Jumping into pools?"

"Oh, shut up!" I caught the pillow she threw before it knocked something else. "Excuse me for trying to spare myself another conversation about soulmates. About how we share the same aura."

"I mean, at least he doesn't give up. Many guys would after being rejected... how many times?"

She sat up, "Two hundred and sixty-seven times."

My phone chirped as she spoke. I slid it out from under me and glanced at the screen. My heart sank.

"Another one bites the dust." I read aloud.

That treacherous day's memories tried resurfacing, but I held it down by its neck.

When the images faded, I told Lily it was time to prepare the house and ourselves for the party.

Because of my father, I had taken a break from looking for her. Going on a solo detective mission puts a nasty bruise on your school GPA, and he was not impressed.

I stopped on the condition that I would until new developments surfaced. The latest missing was the go-ahead I was waiting for.

My hands itched to pull out my laptop and notes, but Lily pulled me from the bed. A Five Seconds Of Summer song had come on, and it was a tradition (made by her) to have a mini dance party before the night began.

We jammed out to the music for the next hour. After, we went through Lily's sultry clothing. I chose a high-waisted blue legging with cut-out holes near the top of my thighs. A diamond-incrusted backless crop top completed the look.

"Oh, my God! If you were my type, I'd sleep with you!" She laughed, spinning around in her little black dress and fishnets. "Add a few extra makeup cover-ups, and you'll be ready."

My eyes rolled, knowing she was referring to my scar. It's hard to miss. It runs down my left eye and stops short by the edge of my bottom lip. She brings it up at any chance, hoping I'd tell her how I got it, but I've buried it. Two people know about it, one of them being me, and I intend to keep it that way.