UNSPOKEN

Chapter 2

Dedicated to iHeartGoodBooks

              ***24 hours earlier***

I jolt awake to the sound of my name being called. I scramble to organize all my jumbled thoughts. What time is it? What's happening?

"Mr Milan is here to see you. He needs to ask you a couple of questions." My mother says almost urgently. Questions?

I peek outside through my lace curtains but I can't even see a glimmer of light. What time is it? My head is pounding from lack of sleep and my eyelids have that gritty feeling that promise puffy, dark circles. I feel so disoriented.

"Ellie, in the living room! NOW!" My mother's voice distracts me from my misery.

I wince as I place my feet on the cold wooden floor and leave my warm bed. I've had sinusitis ever since I can remember, meaning that any sudden exposure to cold or dust or extreme heat could cause me to have bouts of sneezing and a runny nose consistently for a few minutes to an hour.

I can feel the cold enter me as I grab my robe and a pack of tissues and head into the living room.

The first thing I do is look at the gold coated circle clock on the wall and I can't believe my eyes when it reads 2:57 am.

Mr Milan is seated on the single couch right next to the door and my mother is seated on the long couch adjacent to him.

I stand there long enough to realize that my mother is in a weird kind of mood while Mr Milan is maintaining eye contact with me as if he's trying to figure out if I've robbed a bank or not.

"Have a seat," he has the audacity to tell me in my own house.

I remain standing there like a stooge, "what is happening?" I croak my first words ever since I was so rudely awakened. My throat is dry and I am a bit grumpy because I can feel my nose close up due to the sudden exposure to the cold. "Mom?"

"Sit down Ellie!" she spits the words out as if they're poison.

I obey and sit down on the sofa that is opposite to the both of them. I feel so miserable and my eyelids hurt because I slept at 1 am reading a novel on Wattpad. A brisk of air chills my bones as it washes over and goosebumps trail my skin. By instincts, I rub my arms, warming them up.

"Did you talk to Cali today?" Mr Milan breaks his scrutiny, his voice eerily calm.

What kind of sick game is this? Of course I did. She is one of my best friends. And why would he be asking me this at 3 in the fucking a.m.

"Yes, I did."

"What did you talk about?"

Is this man serious?

I look at my mother hoping to get some kind of clarification as to what is happening but she's not looking towards my direction. "A lot."

His dark eyes narrow, as if trying to see through me, right inside, to examine what's hiding. "Cali's run away and nobody knows where to find her," he finally says.

The words feel like a punch to my gut causing me to look back at him. Wait, what?

"If you have any information about her whereabouts please tell us, she might be in danger," he maintains his steady gaze.

I'm still trying to process everything he's just told me. How could she run away? Where did she go and why didn't she tell me about it? "I..."

"Did she mention anything about running away?" he implores more.

I'm not sure what to feel. I just can't believe she's run away. Where could she be? Is she safe?

"Ellie!," my mother snaps, deciding to be a part of the interrogation once again.

"N-no. I- I mean, we always talk about leaving someday but she-" I trail realizing what I've done.

"You talk about running away?" Mr Milan asks raising an eyebrow.

"No. I mean... Wh- What I meant to say is..."

"Ellie, if you know where she is and you're choosing to withhold information and something horrible happens to her it will all be your fault," my mother speaks up, coldly might I add.

"I don't know where she is!" I raise my voice and start to cry, "she's never told me anything about running away!"

"Nonsense! You've just said that everyone talks about leaving!" she raises her voice too.

"Yes, we joke about it every now and then but it's... It's never meant anything. I don't know about anything!" I didn't think she could actually pull this off. I'm just as surprised as they are.

My mother fixes me with a stern stare.

"Stop fidgeting!" she snaps.

I'm shaking now and it's partly due to the cold effects and the anger I feel inside. One of my best friends might be in danger and they're blaming me for it.

I shift uncomfortably under Mr Milan's and my mother's accusatory gaze.

One thing's for certain though.

Even if I knew where she is, I'd never have told them.