(Un)confidently Me

Chapter 10

A cold draft made its way into the room and woke me up. My limbs ached and my back stung more than ever.

I got up and stumbled a few times before heading to the bathroom. A clock on the wall read 4:53; it was really early.

I splashed water all over my face to wash off the tear stains. But the sight of how I looked in the mirror and the regret in me brought on another round of sobbing.

You deserved this didn't you? She died because of you...you fat, ugly killer....

I sat on the floor and sobbed, denying myself.

The clock ticked as I cried.

5:00

5:47

6:01

Finally, I got up and washed my face off again. I stepped out into the hall and held my nose; it still smelled like blood.

I wandered around for a while, before spotting a door. It was slightly open. Peering in, I saw nothing but darkness. I pushed it open and flipped on a lamp. The dim glow illuminated the room enough for me to see a desk crammed against the back wall, and many file cabinents. Most were lopsided or had papers sticking out at every angle.

I plucked a random photo from a cabinet and inspected it. It looked old, and had a young auburn-haired boy with a lady who looked similar to him. The back had writing that read:

Dear Leo,

I hope you and your mother are doing well. I found this photo of you when you visited last.

I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Aunt Laura Michelle

I flipped it over and read the letter several times in wonder. Was this a photo of "Al" when he was younger?

I carefully opened the cabinet of which it cames from, and blew off the dust. Coughing from the dust, I flipped through the folders. I found several torn letters, and photos. But before I could look any further, I heard steps in the hall. I quickly jammed the photo in and ran back into the room.

I shut the door behind me and sat on the couch quietly.

I had nothing to do, so I turned on the TV. The first channel that came up was the local news channel.

A worried reporter was wringing her hands. I read the subtitle and didn't know how to react.

Two girls reportedly missing...

I listened intently to the news reporter to see if I had hope.

"Two girls by the names of Rachelle and Tara have been reported missing as of last week."

I sat in shock as my mom appeared on the screen to be interviewed.

Hope was drained from my body when I shut off the TV and Al stepped into the room.

June and Tara sat up and listened to Al.

"Breakfast is downstairs when you want it. I need to leave.", he said bitterly. I was sure that he was not in a good mood. But I wasn't either.

We ate timidly and didn't say a word. June got up and announced that it was time to take showers, and get "dolled up" because "Al wants us to be pretty". It was only another excuse to call him a total creep.

Having little choice, I stepped into the bathroom and cleaned up. In the drawers was a hair straightener, hair curler, makeup, brushes, and anything else used to look good.

Curiously, I curled my hair into loose waves and rimmed my eyes with gold eyeliner. I hoped I looked go enough because I was never good enough in my eyes.

I waited on the couch upstairs after dressing in a purple dress I found in the closet.

June came out of the bathroom looking so gorgeous. Her hair was perfectly straight, and purple eyeshadow brought out her eyes amazingly. I became slightly jealous.

We sat around for Al to come back, but he didn't. 

Hours later the door pounded. My heart skipped a beat and I froze on the couch. 

There was a loud commotion and I heard several people come into the house.  They were yelling, and making a ton of noise. 

We all clambered down stairs and found a large police force. 

I was shocked and dropped to the floor. 

Are we being saved? 

I had hope, but I was perturbed by all the police barging in and having such a commotion. 

All of a sudden, Al came in as well. But the police pinned him against the wall. 

I let everything disappear from around me. I shut my eyes and smiled. Hey, I need some sort of hope.

An arm grabbed me and I felt my feet slam against the stairs. Still, I kept my eyes closed.

My body hit something hard before landing on a cushion. Then, I open my eyes.

I was sitting on the couch next to Tara and June. Al looked disgusted, enraged, and nervous all at the same time. 

"I don't know who call the police, but when I do...", he said before cutting off and clenching his fists.

At that moment, Tara looked a little too frightened. 

So it was Tara?

I didn't know what to think, but it obviously wasn't me. 

All I know was that everything went downhill from there.