Lost

Cecily

Lia and I are going out tonight.

It's been so long since we've hung out together and probably that's why I'm so happy about it. Lia and I were brought up in the same home though we weren't siblings. My parents had adopted her after three years of their marriage because they thought they wouldn't get their own child because of mom's pcos but then after two years I happened. Lia was seven when they adopted her and almost ten when I came into this world. My parents brought us up as siblings and I always looked up to her as my elder sister who knew this world better than me, better than anyone.

''I am going to kill her.'' Uria yells as she storms out of the bathroom. She is holding a dryer in one hand and its plug in the other- they both are not connected. Talia, my third roommate must've cut it to piss Uria off. She is totally raw and unpredictable, you can never know what limits she can go to take her revenge.

Last night, Uria and Talia had an argument and I thought that it's over but apparently it's not.

''Where the hell is she? Do you know about her, Cecily?''' She eyes me suspiciously as she clenches Tali's bedsheets. Our college's dorm room is pretty small so if she isn't on her bed, she's not in the room. It's eight in the evening, prime time for dorm girls to go out and about. Putting inductive logic, Talia must be with her boyfriend whose name I forgot because she changes boyfriends like a calendar.

''I don't know.'' I shrug and look back to the mirror, applying my lip gloss. Am thinking of ignoring this fight until I come back from my meeting with Lia because at this point it's like a weekly drama and though I am interested in the tea, I don't want to ruin my night with this.

''You're going somewhere?''' Uria asks, sceptically as if I am not allowed to go out.

''Yes, going to meet Lia.'' I couldn't control the grin on my face. She is my only sister and we are meeting after two whole years because of the incident so, it makes sense to be giddy and excited.

''Wow! I thought you guys-''

''Yeah, but we didn't.''

''Hey, do you have number of Gin?'' She asks and I remember that's the name of Talia's current boyfriend.

''I don't have and I think you should try calling her first.'' I say and take my little bag to leave.

''I did. Its switched off.'' My footsteps freezes because Talia can do anything but this. She never let her phone die; she has a no-mo phobia. But maybe i'm just overthinking and she is with Gin doing some stuff and have no cares about her phone- yeah, sounds like her.

I close the door behind and leave.

*********************************************

Piona's Cafe has always been the favourite spot of Lia and I. We used to come here since we were kids with our parents and even when I was in highschool, she would come to pick me up and we would end up here eating fries and her telling me about her college and me telling her about my highschool. Back then I thought that college life was best because Lia's college life was best. She had a big group, she wasn't so popular but still she was the main attraction of every room. I thought I would be like her when I grow up. However, I became the opposite of her in my college life. Shy, no friends, introvert and not even topper. Isn't this the rule that introverts are supposed to be toppers? Well, I guess then I am an exception because I am barely passing my exams. Lia was a topper, she even got medals and I was proud of her then, and I am proud of her now.

It's been thirty minutes already and she still hasn't come. Piona, the owner looks at me with pity in her eyes because she thinks I am being stood up by a man. She is in her mid fifties, she never talks much with her customers but I feel like she knows each one of us, every secret, every lie, everything. She has the eyes of a known person. I mean that she'll look at you and you'll think that she has infiltrated you, completely.

I sip water for thirty eighth times and call Lia.

Her phone is switched off.