Flawless

Flawless [4]

4.

At first I was reluctant to tell Poet, I thought it was just paranoia, even though my gut instinct was telling me that it was something much worse. Poet however just waved it off and said that she agreed with the paranoia option. “More likely” I do believe her exact words were.

We were shuffling through the papers on my desk looking for the USB, we had already covered the kitchen, the lounge room, the dining room and the bathroom. After my room we would be made to inspect Luka’s room, something that should never happen to a girl that she should be made to look inside her brother’s room.

“I’m telling you, he didn’t take it.” Poet said for the 100th time, trying to console me. “He’s a teenage boy all he cares about is that ridiculous war game that’s name after a fish! Girls, and that stupid garage band of his.”

“They actually have a gig on this weekend.” I informed her “At The Lazy Oyster in Olympia I was going to ask if you wanted to come. “

“You know I’m there!” she exclaimed in recovery, “not just for you, but for you brother, whose also a little bit like my brother. And for the bass guitarist, who is a mega babe. And you know what they say about guitarists?!”

“What?” I prompted her pulling the sheet back on my bed to try my luck.

“That they’re good with their hands!” she giggled, Poet was that one friend you had that had to make everything about sex, and was still a virgin. Not like I’m one to talk, but I don’t think about it at every second of the day.

“And by the way, the war game, named after a fish…is C.O.D and you might want to bring that up in conversation when you’re talking to the bass guitarist.”

“Oh” she said, “thanks!”

My searching skills proved to do me injustice, but as I remade my bed, I heard the drawer to my desk slide open. And a huff of breath made by Poet. “Well it appears that your eye sight isn’t as good as you’ve claimed it to be. Better start eating more carrots.” She said as I turned around to see the USB sitting in her palm.

I could feel my lunch churning in my stomach and I thought I might have thrown up.

Slowly, I reached out and picked up the USB, it wasn’t there this morning. I was convinced that it had been taken. I’ve never really lost anything in my life. I was a foreign concept to me. I could even tell you the order in which the paper stack on my desk is in.

A cold chill ran up the length of my spine as I held onto the USB “I don’t believe this.” My voice barley came out as a whisper. “This wasn’t here this morning.”

“Relax, okay , I told you that you just misplaced it.” Poet said patting me on the back as she moved  through my room, but I managed to reach out and grab her forearm before she was out of reach.

“Poet.” I said sharply “I’m telling you this wasn’t here this morning.” I held the USB up at eye height.

My facial expression must have said it all because after a while hers began to change to that of concern.

“It was really gone?”

The sound of the key turning in the lock of the front door alerted me and I stood up straight my ears spiking to see if I could pick up on who it was. Poet may have been making jokes about my sight but there was no denying that my hearing wasn’t impaired.

“What’s up?” Poet asked noticing the rigidness of my back.

Then I heard it, the scuffing of shoes on the rug in the entrance “Luka’s home.” I said, picking up on the distinct sound of his sneakers as he moved across the floor. Mom always told him that scuffing his feet was a bad habit but it was something that he hadn’t put much effort into changing.