Whatever happened to Sylvia Sykes?

chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Kyle’s POV:

She sat there, at the back, by the window.

She never sat at the back. The wind from the window was blowing onto her face, making her black hair fall onto her face. She looked more beautiful than ever, except that she doesn’t smile anymore.

God knows how I’m stopping myself from going there and tucking that one strand of hair away. She sat there, deep in thought. What I would give away to know what she was thinking about.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I walked up to her and said, trying to get her to talk.

She blankly stared at me with an expressionless face, and turned away, looking outside the window.

I sighed, and took a seat beside her, which seemed to startle her.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” I asked her, all concerned.

She simply looked away.

“You know you have to talk at some point of time?”

“Not if I can help it” she said.

Her voice was coarse, like had been crying all night.

“Have you been crying?” I asked her

“I...I din’t...i have n’t...” she stuttered.

“Look Kyle, I appreciate you trying to talk to me, but you don’t have to do that. I ‘m ok.  I’ll be ok.” She said.

It sounded like she was saying it to herself, rather than me.

“I know”, I simply said.

By that time, the teacher entered the class and began the routine.

I could not understand a bit of what she was rambling in the name of teaching.

People like Sylvia, don’t change overnight. The last time I saw her, was on the last day of school before summer and she was fine then, her usual bubbly self. The last time I heard of her in summer was when I found out that she was going off to the Europe on a holiday with her family. After that I never spoke to her or heard of her. Now I see her, and I don’t even recognize her.

I was so deep in thought, thinking about Sylvia, I did not hear the bell go off.

I just realized it when I saw her, standing beside me, packing her back.

She left the room in a hurry, looking down, not seeing anybody eye to eye.

I was about to leave the class, when I saw a white sheet fallen in the place, where Sylvie was sitting.

I picked it up to return it to her. When I turned it over, it was a photograph.

I could recognize Sylvia immediately. She must have been about five when this picture was taken. Her black hair with blue eyes is hard to miss.

The picture was torn, cutting a person off completely. It was just her with another lady, which I assumed was her mom because they looked so similar. They were both smiling brightly hugging each other.

Sylvia was a replica of the woman in that picture.

Now the question is who was the third person in the picture? And why was that part torn out?