𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

[𝐕𝐈. 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠]

chapter six !
word count: 1276

[this chapter kind of reminded me of games like Sally Face. like an investigation game or something, idk..]

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A MISSING PERSONS POSTER was not something he wanted to see while walking to school, but he knew it was coming. There was something about the kids face that was recognizable, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He tried not to picture the boys face in his mind, but he couldn't help it. He needed to tell someone. Maybe someone of authority. He walked to school in silence, only noise being the sound of cars passing by. He walked into school, not looking in anyones eyes. Whispers echoed throughout the halls about the missing kid. Only a few were sad though.  He walked up to robin and his friends.

"Whats going on?" He asked, to get more knowledge. "Someone is missing." Finney spoke. "Do you know who?" Vance asked. Robin thought for a moment. "I think his name was James?" He said. Griffin nodded in confirmation. "James.." Vance knew James. They were friends at some point. "You knew him?" Robin asked. Vance shook his head. "No." It was better not to tell them.

The missing poster states they haven't found him yet, So he knew something that the police didn't. Vance furrowed his eyebrows.

Then Vance realized. He couldn't just tell the police he knew where the body was. That'd raise suspicion. He walked away from Robin and his friends, deciding to leave them alone for now. He walked into his first class, and sat down in the furthest corner. He noticed everyone was talking about James. A tragedy. James didn't deserve whatever he was going through. But if they knew James— really knew him, they wouldn't be saying those things.

James was never really nice. He would torment the kids he saw walking alone. He would hit his mother when she did something wrong. He made people wish they were never born. Vance knew, because he was one of those people. James used him for entertainment. Like a lab experiment. He would make him do things sometimes. "Punch him", "cut his arms". It was sickening.

When the bell rang, the teacher exclaimed the principal was holding an assembly in 10 minutes, and that they had to go to the gymnasium. Vance got up, and walked out of class along with the rest of the students. He walked into the gym, and sat down on the bleachers, along with the rest of his class. Other classes started to flood in, and sat down also.

The assembly ended with the principal saying to walk home in pairs, and Vance walked out with the other classes. The assembly lasted a few hours, and it was now lunch. He walked outside, going to the bench where he always sat at. Sitting down, he opened his bag to get his lunch out, only to find he forgot his food. He sighed, zipping his bag back up, and placing it beside him. He waited for lunch to be over, watching the clouds in the sky move. It was a gloomy day, the sun being covered by disgusting grey clouds. It was probably going go rain again.

Vance had an unsettling feeling in his stomach that something bad was going to happen. His mind wandering back to the image of James' body. Who did it? And why? Was it just purely for entertainment? Did James do something? He had so many questions that he had no way of answering. A click of a camera brought him back to his senses. He looked around, seeing no one but a few kids walking around. No camera. He exhaled, trying to calm himself. Maybe he imagined it. He turned back to the table. But what if someone found out?

Were the police gonna arrest him? Was he going to be framed? The feeling came back. The feeling of eyes on him. He remembered that funny looking guy. The guy with pale skin. Who was he? And how did he know him? The bell rang, making Vance jump. He quickly grabbed his bag, and ran into the school.

When school was over, Robin offered to walk him again. "Sure." Vance answered, making Robin smile. They started walking in the direction of Vance's house in silence, when Vance finally spoke up. "Do you ever feel like someone's watching you?" He asked.

"Like.. in school? Yeah, all the time. People are such judgers, man." Robin crossed his arms while rolling his eyes. "No, like.. i dunno. Like, what if you knew someone was watching you. What would you do?" He asked the boy. "Ummm..." Robin looked to him in concern. "Is this like, hypothetical still? Are you- are you okay Vance?" He asked him. "What? No, yeah I'm fine. Never mind." Vance waved him off. "Alright.." he didn't sound too convinced, but dropped the subject anyways. "Can i sleep over? My uncle has something to do tonight, and i don't really wanna be alone." Robin rubbed his arms.

"Yeah, sure." Vance said, as they turned the corner. When they got to Vance's house, they both sat in the living room. Vance rested his head on the arm of the couch, while Robin sat on the floor. He claimed it was more comfy, and Vance couldn't really care less. Robin looked on the coffee table. Seeing the note plus envelope, he grabbed the note. "Whats this?" He asked.

"Note from my mom. T'says they'll be back in three weeks or something. I dunno, I can't remember." Vance shrugged. Robin looked to him with wide eyes. "Three weeks? What are they even doing?" He asked. Vance shrugged. "I don't know. Forgot." He got off the couch, and walked to the kitchen. Robin followed him. "So you're just home alone for three weeks?" He asked. "Well given the fact that i just said so, yes?? Whats the big deal?" Vance looked through his cupboards.

"You're alone in your house for three weeks. Alone. Isn't that illegal?" He asked, causing Vance to shrug. "Im always alone. What difference does my parents being away make?" He said, grabbing a bag of chips out of the cabinet and ripping it open. "I guess none.." Robin walked down his hallway, peeking at all of the rooms. Vance ate while watching him look through everything. Robin came across a room with a king sized bed, with forest green sheets and blankets. Must be his parent's room. He looked to the dresser. Wasn't much, just a jewelry box and a watch sitting on the top. He walked out of the room, claiming he was bored. "Lets just watch a movie or something." Vance guided him over to the tv, and he searched through his tapes. He grabbed a random one, putting it into the VHS, and pressing play. He sat on the couch next to Robin, chips in his lap.

By the time the movie was done, Robin was dead asleep. Leaning on the arm of the couch for support, his mouth was slightly open, breathing steady. Vance looked away from him, and grabbed a blanket from a chair, before draping it over him and walking to his room. Getting into bed, he looked out his window. It was lightly raining out, almost looking like snow with the street lights. It was at that stage of spring where it was constantly raining. The grass was greener, and the flowers were blooming. It was still gloomy for Vance though. No matter what the weather is, he never truly felt happy. Maybe a little bit, but it doesn't change much. He was always alone.