Snowdrop Boy

12: "Blood?"

POV: Izz

For the next few days I refused to leave my room. I would just sit on my bed staring at my blank wall. I took all my posters down, they reminded me all to much of Rosie. My parents would occasionally knock on my door and asked if I wanted food, in the end they just left the plate inside my room. I sometimes picked at whatever they gave me but mainly just left it. I never felt like eating.

The days spent isolated in my room allowed me to think. The accident just didn't add up. After a crash, why would anyone leave? Was she so upset by me that she just had to get away? Guilt gnaws at my thought and eyes, daring me to cry. I swallow it down. I need to think clearly.

I bring my knees to my chest and rest my head on them, adjusting so I'm not leaning on my head injury. My head injury. At the time of the crash I was looking at the car, I remember that clearly. So why did the doctors say I hit my head on the steering wheel?

I can't think of this all alone. My suspicions about the truth of Rosie's disappearance are too much. I need the help of Jess and Mila. I know they'll think I'm crazy but I can't make sense of this alone. Something doesn't seem right here and I need to find out why.

"Come in come in" Jess' mum beckons me into their house. "They're just upstairs, can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you" I smile politely then start towards the stairs but she gently pulls me back.

"Isabel," she begins softly. "How are coping?"

I give her a small smile, I can't tell her what I truly believe because she'll think I'm in denial. Maybe I am. "I'm getting there" I lie. She gives my shoulders a small squeeze.

"I'll make you girls some hot chocolate", one last squeeze and then she heads to the kitchen whilst I go to Jess' room. 

"Here you go" Jess' mum comes in with a tray of three mugs filled to the brim with steaming liquid and a small plate of cookies. "I made this the other day, it needs eating so I thought I could give it to you three" she smiles a little and then leaves with the empty tray. I look at my drink, Summer isn't the time for hot chocolate.

"So you really think she's alive?" Mila's question pulls me back into the room. "But Izz, you know that can't be true..." She gives me a pitiful look.

"I know it sounds crazy" because it really does when you think about it, "but I can feel it. Don't you think it's a bit suspicious that no one was allowed to see her body? Not even her mum"

"You don't know that" says Jess frowning.

"I asked Rosie's mum, she said that the morgue told her it was best not to see her because her injuries were so severe that visual identification wasnt needed"

"You asked her mum about this?" Jess exclaimed and set down her drink. "Izz, you can't do that. She's been through enough. She doesn't need you asking if she saw her dead daughters body"

"Jess I had to. It was the only way for me to get conformation of her death. But no one ever saw her so I still believe she's alive"

"Well do you have any ideas what happened then?" Mila asked, already having finished her drink and now starting on the cookies.

"I don't know" I admit, "Maybe we should go the forest". I receive questioning looks. "You know the one we crashed by?"

"But we can't search a whole forest, it will take us weeks" Jess sighs, already looking tired.

"Well do you have a better idea?" I question her.

"It's a start" Mila suggests. "We could go tomorrow?"

"No, we need to go as soon as we can. What if she needs help?"

"Okay, I guess you're right. Jess, you're coming aren't you?" Mila looks to our friend who doesn't look very enthusiastic about the plan.

"Guys I don't know, do you really think this is a good idea? Maybe we should just accept the truth-"

"The truth is" I interrupt, " that Rosie is still out there and we need to find her". I get up to grab my jacket and bag. "So are you coming with us or not?" I look at Jess expectantly.

"No" she barely whispers.

"I'll tell Rosie that when we find her" I retort before I leave the room, Mila on my heels.

I turn off the engine then face Mila, the whole journey was spent in silence.

"Mila, if you don't want to come-"

"Don't be stupid, you can't go into the woods alone. Plus, I want to come. If Rosie's out there..." a worried look spreads across her face. Something I don't see on her often.

I grab her hand. "Hey, we'll find her okay?"

"Yeah" she sighs, squeezing my hand.

I lock the car once we're out and put the keys in my bag, making sure I have my phone just in case. Then I turn to the mass of trees, swaying every time a car zooms past. Luckily we crashed near a lay-by so we didn't cause too much disruption.

"How about we look around the lay-by first?" Mila suggests, "In case we find something the police missed". It's unlikely but I agree anyway. After a few minutes it's clear we don't find anything so we follow a dirt path into the forest. But as we do, I see something...

"That tree" I point to it, "Is that..."

"Blood?" Mila looks scared so I step towards the tree for inspection. It does seem to look like blood. I dark patch of brownish-red on the tree about leg height off the ground.

"How did they miss this?" I whisper.

"We should call someone" Mila blurts out, looking around us.

"No, Rosie must be here" I take out my phone and get a picture of the tree. "Evidence" I say, then follow the path deeper into the forest.

It's darker here because of the thick trees but also because of fading light. I decide to use my phone torch. Mila follows suit but I tell her to switch it off, conserve battery.

"Have you ever even watched a horror film? We need to save our phone battery and not split up so we can avoid getting chopped up by some wild axe murder"

"A-axe murderer?" Mila shudders, huddling to my side. I sigh, she doesn't understand.

We continue down the path and something else catches my eye. Glinting in the light of my torch is a ring... Rosie's ring!

"Mila look!" I bend down to pick it up.

"Oh my God, that's Rosie's! Why is it so far into the forest?"

"I knew she'd be out there. Rosie!" I call out into the darkness.

"Wait Izz, we should call the police or something then they can help us search for her"

"They won't help us Mila. Remember they called off the search?" Just then a branch snaps behind us.

"What was that?" whispers Mila, her voice trembling. I hush her and shine my torch in the direction of the noise.

Nothing.

"Probably just a fox or something" I say more to my self than her. "Come on, we have to keep going" I tug her arm and we delve further than we should into the unknown.