My two and only

25. Liam: call back

I haven't slept in three days.

Three. Bloody. Days.

The doorbell rang, I opened to see Alanna.

'Liam! Mum and dad are gonna kill you if you don't call back!' She said.

'Hello, Alanna,' I ignored her threat.

She's always been the good girl, obeying everything mum and dad said.

Hell, she even went to study economics just because dad told her to. She belonged to astronomy.

I turned on my phone to see 227 missed calls.

Great.

'Liam! Are you listening to me?' Alanna looked anxious, 'I said mum and dad...'

'Are gonna kill me if I don't call back, I know, Alanna, chill.'

She put a bag of groceries on the dinning table and went to open the windows.

'Liam, when was the last time you went out?'

'The day when I ran out of our family door, haha,' I said proudly.

'And you're laughing about it! You've been in your apartment for three days without any fresh air! Are you even a medic? Do you know you need oxygen for respiration?' She's nagging me again, sometimes I felt like she played the role of mother better than mum did.

'Not if it's anaerobic,' I replied.

'Shut up, Liam!' Alanna glared daggers at me.

I went back to the sofa and continued lying.

Alanna came over and sat on the floor, holding my hands,' hey, I know it's really hard for you that Mariposa's missing, but you really have to get on with your life.'

I tried to ignore her, without Mariposa, I felt like nothing.

'The police are doing everything they can. We reported it, and they will handle it. So don't worry, ok?'

I could feel my body trembling, whether because of the low glucose level in my blood or anger, I didn't know.

'Alanna,' I said, swallowing the tears, 'I'm really scared that I might lose her...'

She wiped the tears off my face and looked at me with sad eyes.

I could only be myself in front of Mariposa and Alanna.

She replied,'aww Liam, I know how it feels.'

She made me sit up and hugged me. She used to do that a lot when I cried when I was a child. I felt very secured in her embrace.

Suddenly, my phone rang and it was a video call.

Mariposa.

I looked at Alanna, she said, 'turn on screen recording, it might be the kidnappers.'

I nodded and complied.

'Liam! Hang up the phone...' Mariposa sounded so nervous, more nervous than when the boys were sick.

A man with a full face of beard took over and slapped her across the face, ' hello Mr Scott, your woman is safe with us... but not for long.'

'Where is she?' I asked him quickly.

'Hang on, let me make clear what I want,' that bastard was taking his sweet time.

'Twenty million quid, in my bank account by Friday, or your woman and her fam die,' he said.

' Wait...' but he already hung up the phone.

Alanna and I looked at each other.

'Where on Earth are we gonna find twenty million pounds?' Alanna asked me.

I could feel a strong migraine, which I winced. 'I don't know.'

We sat in the living room for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

'Fine, I'll call mum.'