The Veiled Love {Wattys 2016}

CHAPTER 29 - AWFULNESS

CHAPTER 29

AWFULNESS

MIA COLLINS

It's early morning and I woke up at the strike of the alarm.

I'm too eager to meet him today.

I get myself ready in an hour and text him.

From: Mia

To: James

Hey! I hope you remember that I'm supposed to come to your place today.

Wow! I'm so happy. I wait for a reply but there's none. I guess it's too early for him to have woken up.

So I head downstairs and get myself some cereal. I put on some music on my i-pod and listen to them as I eat.

"Morning, Mia!" my mother pats me from the back.

"Morning mom!"

"Looks like someone's in a hurry to leave home today." She says and I smile sheepishly.

I get back to my room and look if I've got a reply from him but there's none.

I'm disappointed now.

I take my mom's car and drive towards his house.

Wow! I'm too eager.

I'm finally outside his house. I try to open the gate but it's locked.

"James?" I call out but there's no reply. I call James' phone. I can hear a faint tone on the other side. I peep inside and I can see his phone on the grass inside the gate.

Why has he left his phone here?

Has the phone dropped from his pocket last night?

Maybe.

I call out his name again but there's no reply. There's a girl coming out from the next house.

She's approaching me.

"Hello!" she says.

"Hello!"

"Whom are you waiting for?" she asks.

"I'm waiting for James to open the gate for me. I was asked to meet him today. So, I just came here looking out for him but there's no reply." I say her.

"There's no one inside here." She says making me gape.

"umm.. what?"

"Yes, they left the house a week ago. Maybe last Friday."

"But why?" I ask her in surprise.

"I don't know. They were in a hurry to leave."

Now this is impossible. James has shifted?

"But wait! This phone here! It's James'. It has been dropped here. Can you help me get it?" I ask her.

"Sure." She says.

We got the phone and I thanked her for helping me get it.

"You're welcome."

"Bye." I say her and get into the car.

I examine his phone. This phone has James' fingerprints and fragrance. Wow!

It feels great to have his possession. It's a sleek Apple I-phone.

I wonder what made his family to shift as soon as our progress reports were out. What made James just forsake his phone like this? What kept him from even contacting me and letting me know that he's shifting?

I'm disappointed. Has he really shifted? Maybe he's just moved to his aunt's place or something. Maybe he'll be back to school.

But he could've texted me about this through Messenger or some other means. Social media is always to there to keep us connected but I don't understand why he hasn't contacted me.

I guess he might have told his friends about it. So, I immediately text David.

From: Mia

To: David

Hey David! Do you know where James is? I mean he has moved somewhere right?

Gosh! I just hope they're safe. I guess they are but what was the urgency that they moved without giving a message to their friends?

From: David

To: Mia

Hey Mia!
I'm not sure. I'm in Paris right now and I haven't talked to James after receiving the report card. Did you try calling him?

Oh my God!

So he has left without informing anyone. Now, that his phone is here there's no way of him contacting anyone except through social media.

I call David right away.

"Hey David!"

"Hey Mia! Is everything alright?"

"Umm I'm not sure. I had to meet James today but I found his gate locked and his neighbor told me that the family moved somewhere last Friday. And ..... I found his phone in the lawn so I just picked it up."

"Oh my God! Let's try to get him connected through social media. Maybe that's the only option left. But wait, I have his parents numbers. I'll contact them and let you know. Okay?"

"Sure! Thanks!"

"Yeah. Bye."

And then we hang up. I drive all the way back. I stop in front of a park.

My phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Mia, sad news. His parents aren't attending the calls."

"Shit! I hope everything's okay."

"Yeah. I pray."

"Did James hint you about him moving somewhere?"

"No, not once"

"Strange, right?"

"Yeah. Okay Mia, I've got some work now. I'll call you back later sometime. Bye."

"Bye."

Strange Strange Strange

I just need to calm down I guess.

Things might be alright but I'm the one making it an issue.

But why isn't anyone picking up the phone calls? Is everything alright?

Something's fishy here.

I don't have any idea where to search.

Let me text him on Messenger.

Hey James!

Where are you?

I wait for half an hour but there's no reply from the other side.

I quit.

Maybe I'm just being too scared. Everything's alright. There's nothing to worry about.

A/N:

Poor Mia.

She's worrying about James' absence.

Are you?

By the way, where could have James probably gone?

-Sindhu