You promise?

Chapter 11

Alex

The holiday break is over, and my internship as a resident is over. The return to college was harder than I expected. The tranquility of the classrooms could not compare to the hectic task of shadowing doctors, trying to save patients' lives from disappearing completely.

I open my locker, pulling out my computer case, before heading to my car to finally go home.

I turn on the air conditioning, searching for my charger inside my backpack until I remember I've left it in the glove compartment of the car. I reach down to open the hatch.

I startle when something falls.

My body goes still, understanding what it is that has fallen.

I pick up the small black velvet box.

I sigh, leaning back in my seat. I grab my cell phone, only to see the unread messages. The unreturned calls.

Three weeks without knowing anything.

I haven't managed to surprise her at school, like the last time she was planning to run away, when I couldn't hear anyone inside her house.

It was just silence.

As if she had decided to leave.

The same pressure I've felt since Christmas starts to build again.

I go online one more time, searching for her brother's name, her parents' name, or any relative's name I can remember, but I always get the same results.

I go on her social media, but even if I follow some people, I can't be sure who are her friends, who would know what happened to her.

I cursed myself for dropping the box next to me.

I drive home, hoping the pressure will ease.

Knowing full well it won't, not until I see her.

Char

The bell for last period rings, and students start walking to their classrooms.

I open my locker and see my cell phone. Dead since that night.

In desperation, I reached for my charger, trying to contact him to explain why it wouldn't arrive, but the little wire was cut, and the bucket was submerged in water.

I look at the cell phone one more time before deciding to take it out of the locker.

"Jora," the redhead turns around at me and smiles.

I approach her slowly.

"Char, I hadn't seen you today, did you just get in?" she asks, and I nod, hoping that no one in the group saw me come in the morning. No one did, so I don't have to explain why I've been avoiding her as much as I can since returning from vacation.

"Yeah, I overslept." I say this, smiling sheepishly at her. The girl in front of me smiles back, trying to hide the slight worry that appears in her eyes. "Could I borrow your charger? I left mine at home, and my cell phone died." I'm pointing to it.

Jora smiles and nods, taking her bag off her shoulders, reaching inside and then passing me the wire.

"Thanks, I'll give it back to you when I'm done using it."

"You can use it as much as you want, Char; I have another one at home, don't worry," she says. My mouth opens to refuse, but she takes my hand, waving goodbye to me before walking to her classroom.