Love; unwanted

Chapter ten: Second investigation, dont start leaving me behind.

We pull up to the movie theater, all the lights and screens making it obvious. So when I see the faint glow down the road, I stretch out one hand across from me to wake Madeleine up.

"Hey. Wake up, we're here."

I say to her as I gently nudge her. She stirs in her sleep but she doesn't quite wake up yet. I decided to give her a few more minutes, she looked tired. I park the car, then slowly reach over and shake her gently.

"Madeline woke up. We're here, hey!"

I give her one big nudge, she slowly wakes up. Her body radiates the weird warmth people usually have when they wake up from a deep sleep. She yawns and takes in her surroundings, gathering her things and stretching in her seat.

"Sorry"

She says in a tired voice, scratching her hair and yawning. I side-eye her, then I look back to the theater and open the car door.

"Stay here, I should be in and out"

She cuts me off, getting out of the car and looking at me from over the top.

"I don't know if you forgot, but I'm a journalist. I'm your journalist. I'm supposed to journal shit. You're not gonna start leaving me behind, OK?"

She says to me, closing the car door and walking over to me. I scoff internally at her pathetic attempt to stand her ground; she had no power here. Though some of what she said made sense; I didn't want or need her, I was fine by myself. I choose not to respond, walking into the theater with her following close behind.

I walk up to the front desk, Madeine standing next to me with her journal out.

"Can we see the manager, please?" I flash my badge, "It's an emergency." I accidentally said a bit more seriously than I would have liked. Poor kid was probably thinking his manager was about to get arrested as he rushed to get them. Their manager came out, dressing in the usual AMC uniform and trying his best to look calm.

"Hello, may I help you...?

He asks, taking off his hat and putting it to his chest. Madeline looked a bit excited, to which I tapped her back as a subtle way to tell her to calm down. She won't be able to focus like this. I turned to the manager, who was looking at me expectantly.

"Hello sir, please relax. You are not in any trouble, I just want to ask you a few questions. Can me, you, and my partner head to that back room there?"

I asked him. Dreading saying the words "Me and my partner." Me and Madeline followed behind the manager to the back room. It looked weirdly like a stereotypical interrogation room. The room was dark, with a table in the middle with chairs on either side and a dim light bulb hanging above her table.

Me and Madeline sat down, our legs brushing against each other, to which I scooted over a bit. She took out her journal and I took out my notepad.

"Hello, I understand you witnessed or have been informed about a disappearance that happened here. Mind telling me what you know?"

I asked him, my tone stern and professional. He shifts and then sits up straight in his seat.

"Y-yes, about that. It was about a few months ago. I didn't see it in person, the security cameras picked it up. I was in the ally directly west from here, right next door. All it caught was her walking past the ally. Then a pair of black gloves yanked her in and that's where the footage stops. I don't really know much else, security went to investigate but they didn't find anything."

He says to me in a rant. Me and Madeline writing stuff down. I nod and get up, him unintentionally answering all my questions. I was one to work quickly and efficiently. I give him a respectful bow, "Thank you"

I give Madeline a tug at her shirt

"Let's go"

I tell her, to which she responds by finishing writing stuff down in her journal and walking behind me. She decided not to speak up, probably nervous. I walk west of the movie theater. Towards the ally, maybe security missed something.

I walk into the ally, Medline clinging onto me. After a while of searching, it got annoying. I turned to face her.

"Can you let go?"

I ask her in the calmest tone I could muster. She lets go but doesn't take a step back. I get back to looking around. Madeline speaks up timidly

"Sorry...just my anxiety...I just wanna be near you..."

She tells me, it made me pause for a bit. Surprised that she was so open about it. It made me turn back to look at her.

"You're scared?"