AMACon Book 2 Extension

Runaway - The Day Prior

My room was in complete silence in comparison to the first floor of our residence. But there was something about that ambience that I loved—I loved how the cheers and the laughs and the subtle music from downstairs resounded as faint echoes to my ears the moment it reached my room while the wind entering the window was heard clearer as it could ever be. I was still me. My room was still my room. And my city was still my city. It was still the stereotypical city I loathed, but with a twist—it was still buzzing about an unprecedented murder of a charming cheerleader.

I talked about it with Mom (since Dad won't talk to me, or maybe because I tried not talking to him); I asked if it really was a good idea to push through something like this in spite of all the ruckus going on but she insisted that it was the most crucial part of my escape. And that she didn't want to postpone it because Dad has been planning to throw the party for the past couple of months. And since I didn't have a clue on what to do next, when I could leave and what Mom was plotting, I just went with the flow. Her flow, though.

I stood up from my bed with a sigh and fixed the tie on my neck since it was a little too tight. I took my phone and slid it inside my chest pocket before leaving my room. I started hearing the sounds coming from below clearly.

I walked past my parents' open bedroom door and was frozen in my tracks when I saw Mom adjusting the tie on Dad's neck ever so ardently. She was smiling and he was smiling. They seemed to be talking about something but I wasn't able to hear what it was. I didn't care. They just looked very much in love that it made me feel something constricting my chest. Mom slapped Dad's belly after finishing adjusting his tie and it made his smile reach his eyes and me, chuckle out loud.

The two of them turned to me at once. Mom was smiling. "Oh, baby. Since when have you been standing there?"

"I just happened to pass by, Mom." I looked at Dad and expected to see his smile but all he showed me was an icy glance. He still hasn't been talking to me since the police came to our house and that was the definitive moment I came to the conclusion that he knows of the truth behind Lauren's death. He eyed me. He said nothing. His pupils were like looking into the void and from it I heard him screaming that he was disowning me.

Mom noticed Dad's loveless gazes on me and slapped him in a joking manner, chuckling, "Honey, quit scaring the kid." Dad didn't say anything but just rubbed the pinkish area on his cheek. "Go downstairs ahead of us sweetie." She told me. "Accommodate the guests while you're at it too."

I wanted to tell her that what she just asked me to do was Celestine's job. But I didn't bother talking back. "Okay.", I replied obediently as I bowed slightly in front of the two of them. "Anything else?"

"Oh, make sure Basty doesn't take a—not even a single—cupcake from the kitchen. You know him right? Once he takes one, he won't stop till he finishes every last one." Avoiding my father's eyes, I just nodded and left for the flight of stairs.

The first thing that caught my eye was the number of people chatting while holding either a glass or a cup. With my Dad being one of the city's busiest businessmen and my Mom being our city paper's Editor-in-Chief, I knew that our family had lots and lots of friends. I just didn't expect it to be that many. Heads were seen from the long corridor all the way up to our doorstep and people in fine suits and elegant dresses were moving freely around our house as they chatted and chortled. I had to admit it, it was a sight that was pleasurable to the eyes.

I made my way through the crowd, greeting them as I went past them, to the living room and saw Celestine tending to the newer guests who entered the premises of our home. She was wearing a simple but eye-catching dress that made her look very lady-like (which means that it didn't suit her in my eyes.) I was in search for Basty to figure out how many cupcakes or any sweets Mom had baked has he eaten but instead kept on bumping into the wrong people at the wrong time.