In Another Life

Chapter :2

Carl used to Park his bike around the the Corner park, plug in his earphones and listen to 'Scientist'. Coldplay was his favorite. Early In The morning, he had a habit of running. No doubt he was so well maintained. Amy used to go as well. She was crazy about Carl, she had always been.
When I had first introduced Carl to Amy, in grade 3, She said "His eyes seem pretty cool". "Well, who's best friend is he?" I teased.
Everyone in Mount high knew that she had a crush on him. Carl knew it as well but He just took her to be a good friend.
After about an hour of run, Carl used to go back and get dressed for school. He used to head on the lane 1 taking him strait to his house. It was a 5 minutes drive on bike.
He carried the same routine In Yales as well, a run from hostel before attending classes was his routine
But that day Carl did not return back. He did not return to the hostel. He was nowhere.
•
It had been one month since Ethan behaved like himself. He had stopped attending classes, stopped coming to hostel, and even I had not seen him in quite some days. The last I know, he was Seen climbing up and down a hill. He came to My room all scratched up, blood oozed out of his right arm just around his wrist. I had wrapped his wounds and got him cleaned. "It's just a scratch god dammit, Why do you have to be overdramatic all the time" he said Angrily, when he saw me worried about him.
Anger, as we talk of, had become his best friend, I suppose. He remained sulky all the time, depressed maybe. He had stopped hiding behind shadows, instead he created one around him, One through which nobody could see him, One through which I could not see him.
•
I was not overdramatic, I was just trying to be with him in his hour of need.
I knew he was sad, "getting out of your parents death can never be easy", People said, "Even If They are Old and diseased".
But Decloures, they were neither diseased, nor old. They had been good citizens of Alexandria. People around town loved them. Their bakery served the best cheesecakes and Ethan used to get hold of some for me , every other day. I loved them. Kiwi, Oreo, pineapple there was nothing Decloures could not make. Their soft bun and sweet cream filled citizens with a smile every Time they ate there.
But nothing was left of it. Just the building where no one went. The Monstrous silence grabbed the bakery and people had not seen anyone there. Stories had started building up, Only few said they saw Ethan.
•
Emily's eyes remained swollen these days, it was probably because of the lack of sleep, as she spent nights driving around the cities, looking for her son. She had searched every corner, pamphlets had been put up both in Alexandria and Yales, with Carl's picture and A reward of $4000 for whoever found Carl.
She became more regular for her Sunday church. I visited her everyday for 3 weeks. She would remain strong in front of me but I knew she cried when I was not around.
Her Lab manager had called me few times telling me to make sure that she was ok. I wonder where he got my number from. Maybe Emily gave it as her emergency contact as she never had any Friends except My Family.
Even though she put up the hardest mask, I knew she was not ok. She could not have been.
•
Amy Jonson had called me asking about Carl, almost everyday since he was lost. She said she misses him, she missed taking to him and merely looking at him during the field. She had missed him while he shifted to Yale, but never like this time. Knowing Carl was not fine, knowing Carl was missing, she could not think straight.
•
They had seen Ethan in the bakery, this was enough for me to look for him. With Ethan missing and Carl gone, I lost my boyfriend and my best friend at the same time. I had to find both and this clue was enough for me to start looking for at least for one of them.
I drove all the way from Yale to Alexandria and after 5 hours I stood right in front of 'Decloure bakers'. The board did not look same. Filled with Dust, lights off and door locked, Decloure bakers did not look like itself. No cheers of children running inside out, catching each other. No sound of youngsters in love surprising each other. No engaged couples, tasting cakes for their Wedding. It was ghostly.
I tried to unlock the door but failed even after several attempts. Ethan was not here.
As I looked down the the pavement something shiny grabbed my eyes. I bent to pick it up only to realise that it was a Thumb band.
Ethan was not here, but he had had been here. I knew that for sure now.