Waves of Healing (Mikhaiah)

Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Lost Without You

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Ava’s POV

Sumapit na ang umaga pero hindi ko pa rin maalis sa isip ko kung bakit hindi pumunta si Miley sa café kagabi. Merong mali, nararamdaman ko yon, hindi gawain ni Miley na mag paasa ng tao. Meron siyang isang salita kaya nakakapagtaka na hindi siya pumunta kagabi. Kinuha ko ang phone ko at dinial ang number niya.

Ring... ring...

No answer.

I tried again, and again, but every time, the call went straight to voicemail. Nakapatah ang phone niya. Hindi gawain ni Miley 'to, kinakabahan na ako paano kung may nangyari sa kanya?

I couldn’t sit still any longer. I rushed to take a bath, quickly getting dressed before heading out. I went straight to the café, the same place we were supposed to meet last night. Her car was still parked in the same spot, untouched since yesterday.

Mas lalo lang lumalim ang pag aalala ko. Hindi niya binalikan ang sasakyan niya, nasaan siya?

Napag-pasyahan ko na pumunta sa bahay ni Miley, nag babakasali na makita ko siya roon. Ilang beses na akong nakapunta dito sa bahay ni Miley kaya alam ko kung saan nakatago ang spare key niya. When I entered the house, everything looked normal, almost too normal. The air felt still, as if it had been untouched since yesterday.

"Miley?" mahinahon kong tawag sa pangalan niya, hoping na sumagot siya. As I walked further inside, I saw Neon lying on the floor, her green eyes staring at me as if she had been waiting for someone. It broke my heart to see her like this—alone and hungry. Agad akong pumunta sa kusina at binigyan siya ng pagkain at tubig, watching as Neon eagerly ate.

But something still wasn’t right.

Pumunta naman ako sa kwarto ni Miley.  Opening the door, I felt a wave of familiarity wash over me. Everything was in its place, her clothes neatly folded in the closet. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but that only heightened my anxiety. If her clothes were here, where was she?

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of Miley’s secretary, Liza. Maybe she would know where Miley had gone.

"Hello, Liza? It’s Ava." agad kong saad ng sagutin ni Liza ang tawag ko.

"Hi, Dr. Allejos. Oh, it’s been a while. How can I help you?"

"Liza, have you heard from Miley? I’ve been trying to reach her since yesterday. We were supposed to meet, but she never showed up. I’m really worried." nag aalala kong tanong kay Liza.

"Hmm, that’s strange. Ma'am Miley didn’t mention anything about a meeting to me. I haven’t heard from her since our last check-in two days ago. She hasn’t been in the office either."

"Did she have any meetings or business trips scheduled? Anything out of the ordinary?" tanong ko pa ulit kay Liza.

"No, nothing like that. Actually, she cleared her schedule this week. She said she needed some time off, but she didn’t say why."

"Thanks, Liza." binaba ko na ang tawag at nilibot ulit ang timgin sa loob ng kwarto ni Miley.

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Nang sumapit ang gabi napag-pasyahan ko na pumunta na sa police station. The streetlights flickered as I parked my car outside the station, my heart pounding with every step I took. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Miley was supposed to be safe.

I walked up to the front desk, where a police officer sat behind a computer.

"Excuse me, Officer, I need to report someone missing." saad ko sa officer ng makalapit ako sa front desk.

The officer looked up at me with a serious expression, grabbing a notepad. "Sure, ma’am. Who’s the person you’re reporting?"

"Her name is Miley… Miley Lancaster. She’s been missing since last night. We were supposed to meet, but she never showed up. Her car is still parked at the café, but she’s nowhere to be found." nanginginig na boses kong saad sa officer.

The officer typed something into his computer. "How long has she been missing?"

"24 hours. She didn’t come home, and her phone’s been off all day." saad ko pa ulit sa kausap kong pulis.

"Alright, we’ll file a report." sabi ng pulis.

"Please, can you at least check her last known whereabouts?" pag mamakaawa ko sa police officer na kausap ko.

The officer sighed, nodding. "Okay, we’ll start by contacting her phone provider and checking if we can track her location. We’ll also put out an alert to patrol officers to be on the lookout. Just try to stay calm, ma’am."

I nodded, though staying calm felt impossible.

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Matapos kong kausap ang officer may tumawag sa pangalan ko, pamilyar ang boses niya.

"Ava?" tawag ni Cody sa pangalan ko.

Lumingon naman ako sa likod at nakkta ko si Cody na naglalakad papalapit sakin.

"What are you doing here?" nagtatakang tanong nito sakin.

I felt a lump form in my throat as I explained the situation.

"Nawawala si Miley, Cody. Mag kikita dapat kami kagabi sa café malapit sa hospital na pinagtra-trabahuhan ko pero hindi siya nakapunta. Nandon yung sasakyan niya sa parking lot ng café. I haven’t heard from her since. I’m filing a report." naramdaman ko na nag init ang mga mata ko hudyat na may luhang namumuo sa mga ito.

Sumeryoso naman ang mukha ni Cody.  "What? Miley’s missing?" 

“Sinubukan kong tawagan ang phone niya pero walang sumasagot, naka off lang.” puno ng pag aalalang turan ko kay Cody.

Cody looked as worried as I felt. She ran a hand through his hair, pacing slightly. "This doesn’t make sense. Miley wouldn’t just disappear without telling anyone."

"I know. That’s why I’m here. I don’t know what else to do." Naiiyak kong saad kay Cody.

“Tinignan mo na ba ang CCTV sa café kung saan kayo magkikita dapat?” mahinahong tanong sakin ni Cody.

Iniling ko naman ang ulo ko. “Hindi pa, Pupunta pa lang ako ron para tignan.”

“Ava, umuwi kana muna; bukas mo na tignan, okay? Sasamahan kita bukas basta mag pahinga ka lang muna ngayon. Mukhang wala ka pang maayos na tulog.” puno ng pag aalala ang boses ni Cody.

Tumango nalang ako bilang tugon, hinatid ako ni Cody sa parking lot ng police station at nag paalam na kami sa isa't-isa.