Missing

Chapter 11: Meeting the Brickshaws

It was a Saturday morning when Dad and I went to the market.

"How much for the zucchini?" Dad asked as my eyes wandered around the market. There were so many different kinds of stands. They had all kinda of fruits, veggies, and pastries. Some of them I've never even heard before. I could smell almost every single kind of food.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a woman saying something to me.

"Excuse me, are you Olivia Minter?" A woman said to me. She had a long face with dark brown, short, curled locks of hair.

"Umm, yeah." I said looking around to see my dad buying some apples.

"I'm Marlene Brickshaw, Liliana's mother. I was wondering what to do with some of Liliana's stuff, and since you were one of her good friends, I thought you might want some of it. With Liliana gone, I thought that I could get rid of some of the useless things."

"Uh, sure." I can't believe her mom would use the time when Liliana's gone as a benefit to get rid of stuff she hoards. And how was I supposed to say no if I didn't know much about her? Maybe this could help me.

"Great. I live on 666, April Avenue. It shouldn't be that hard to remember." She said strictly. "You can pick them up later this afternoon whenever you wish."

"Uhh, okay." I muttered. Wait, how did she know I was Liliana's friend? I had never seen her before. It was kind of weird, but I figured she's might have seen pictures or something simple like that.

I walked over to dad just has he finished putting the fruits in a plastic bag.

"Hey Dad, I'm going to walk to Liliana's house this evening. Apparently her mom is giving away some stuff Liliana didn't need anymore."

"Okay. But it's kind of silly that she's giving away her stuff when she's-" he paused and thought over his choice of words. "You know, gone." He noted.

A lump in my throat formed and I swallowed hard. I couldn't stand the thought if her being... gone.

"I know, Liliana probably just refused to give away simple little things." I informed him.

"Probably. Well I'm done shopping so why don't you hop in the car." Dad said. When we got home, I helped him put the goods he bought away into the refrigerator and pantry. To kill time, I practiced gymnastics in the backyard since I wasn't very good at it. Then I did my geometry homework. Once I was done, I was ready to go to pick up the stuff.

I walked to Liliana's house, which wasn't that far. It was a big house, nearly as big as a mansion, that was tan with a large dark brown roof and a dark brown garage. Mr. Brickshaw, I assumed, was retrieving the mail when I entered the driveway. He was mostly bald, with a little golden colored hair on the sides. He looked friendly, unlike Marlene.

"Hello there, you must be Olivia. I'm Stanley Brickshaw." He said holding out his hand. I shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"You too!" I smiled.

"The box is in the garage. I'll be right back." He hurried. When he came out of the garage, he held small cardboard box and handed it to me.

"Well, there's mostly little knick-knacks in here, but I hope you can put some of the things to use." He told me. I could tell his eyes started to water while he was smiling.

"Okay, thanks. And just to let you know, Liliana is okay. I'm sure of it." I tried to comfort him.

"I really hope so. She's our little girl." He said, wiping a tear that escaped his from below his eye. "See you around."

"You too, Mr. Brickshaw."

"Please, call me Stanley."

"Okay." I smiled. But on the inside, I was crying. I wasn't sure if Liliana was okay. She had been gone for over a week.

I carried the small box home. I shook it a few times and tried to guess what was inside. When I got home, I went to my bedroom and opened up the box, eager to see what was inside. I could finally learn a few things about my best friend.

There were mostly jacks, dice, marbles, and playing cards. I was drawn to the conclusion she liked games. I was hoping to find a diary, because in the movies, that always ends up to be a big deal. Sadly, I didn't find one. I dug to the bottom, and felt something moderately small, but larger than everything else in the box.

"What in the world?" I said out loud.

It was my parents wedding picture.

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Thanks so much for reading! Comment on what you think might happen! (But Syerra, if you're reading this, don't comment on what you think will happen because I think I told you my plans for the story!) Anyways, 35 votes for a new chapter.