WHAT IF?

10.

MIA

It's already been six months since I came here and I still haven't found anything and I am so frustrated right now. No body wants to talk about Nyssa Emberstone! I have spent my entire time enquiring people about her and her death but came up with nothing. There is no doubt they know what happened to her. The way their eyes widened in surprise and their pupils dilated sometimes gave them away easily, but they are afraid of something, or rather someone, because they act like they swore not to even whisper about it until their death. 

First week of the vacation has already flied by in a matter of a few minutes. And I have barely started with my assignments. But that drifts to some distant place of my mind whenever my gaze lands on the old notebook with vintage pages.

Her diary.

This was the only thing Lara had of her sister. But it was too painful for her to even look what's inside it, so she willingly gave it away. I won't blame her for that. She is a sensitive girl trying to find a life after Nyssa. They were close. No one knew them they way they did each other. They were inseparable. Nyssa was older than Lara by a year and when she had to go to college, their parents worried that Lara might isolate herself from the world because she never bothered to even look at anyone else. Nyssa assured them that she won't let that happen to her. And surprisingly, she used to visit them every weekend just for her. I have no idea how did she manage the transport and time to travel two hundred miles from her college and back. 

I pick up the diary and flip through the pages. She died a year ago. In this very same college. She wrote about Peidro, Marcus, Jake and someone else but their name isn't legible. The page is torn from the corner where that name was written.

Someone got their hands on this before.

And they surely didn't want anyone to know about this. But what do I do? No body wants to fill in the blanks and I simply can't go to the men she wrote about and ask them if they had any hand in killing her.

There is another torn page at the last folded in half. And I have read it several times but there is nothing I could use.

It's tonight. After four years of restrain I am finally going there and have atleast a night for myself. I'll go to Lana next weekend. She is easy to go along with. A little bit of persuasion and she'll be alright. But this. It is so grand. I have always wanted to go but held myself back because the rumors are true. Peidro told me they are, but who cares when it comes to him? Peidro is a handsome man, no doubt, but his brother...

Tonight, I'll try my best to at least talk to him, get to know him and if my luck favors me, then have a night like never before, with him. Afterall, it is his fest, shouldn't he get some relaxation after such hectic work? 

The fest. 

I heard it was going to be held in the last weekend of this month. That means I have two more weeks to find what happened to her that night. I have never dared to show this note to Lana since a year. She'll break into pieces. She'll never be able to get over this again. It was so hard to pull her out from the vortex of loneliness and depression after Nyssa's death, it would be impossible to do now that she would know it her who walked into the death trap herself. Her family was told that she committed suicide, maybe because of the intense academic pressure. And it would be better to let them believe the story. But I don't have to. I know this wasn't suicide, it was murder. I just have to prove it.

Anyway, who's Peidro? I have even seen Marcus and Jake, roaming aimlessly around the campus and drunk half of the time, but him? And it's not just me, no one has heard that name before, and sadly, that is the truth because their micro-expressions indicate they are unaware of the person. I am no profiler but these are basic things anyone should know. Reading body language, micro - expressions, hand movements, the tone and words. It helps to know who could be trusted and who to be wary of. 

It's already two in afternoon and sun blazes in the sky, there is limited activity outside now that most have gone to their homes to enjoy 'family time'. I look around the distant building of our campus from my dorm window. Yeah, those who want to stay here are provided with everything. Lara went back due to some emergency. She got a call yesterday but she refused to tell me anything. Said it a personal matter and I didn't have to worry about it.

Strange.

She never talks to me like that. Something has happened, big enough not to involve too many people. So, she is avoiding attention. I'll deal with her later, at this moment I have to focus on the case.

A notification pings up on my phone and my thoughts reel back in as I read the name and the message.

ETHAN : You ready for today? 

ME : Yes! Eager to meet you.

I cringe as I read my message. Ugh! I really have to learn how to talk to boys or this will be my death.

ETHAN : Me too. I'll pick you up at 7?

ME: Ok. Uh, where would we be going, BTW?

ETHAN : Somewhere special. Hope you'll like it.

He arranged a date? I thought we were going to a nearby cafè like normal people, chat for some time and then return to our work. What does he mean by 'special'? And how far this 'somewhere' is from here? I should have called him instead. Texts don't show much when you are typing half things like a normal person. I'll have to keep my gear, I like to call my self defense set that, in case of any trouble. Afterall, he is like any other rich kid here. Who knows what he wants at his side?

I reach my closet and start hunting down for a nice and decent dress that would be according to the occasion and not so highlighting. It should light and comfortable with soft colors that would be soothing to the eyes. I find a long dress with light floral prints on white base. Orange, pink, purple, light blue hues mingle with each other perfectly. Just like the sunset. I smile as I examine the dress some more and then hop away to get ready.