Guns and Roses

Eleven ~ Quinn

I wake up to unfamiliar surroundings. The wall I face is white when I can clearly remember painting mine blue at the start of the week.

"Coffee?" A voice says and it takes me a few seconds to place it because it is most definitely not my grandfather. "I've just brewed some so I can pour you a cup if you want"

I sit up and run a hand through my messy hair. Ellie sits herself at the end of the bed, her hair thrown up in a ponytail and her face clean of makeup. She's still really pretty.

"Morning" I say to her. My voice gruff. I'm still in my jeans but my shirt is missing and my arm is dead. I prop myself up against the headboard to try and place myself. "I don't really drink coffee"

She smiles and stands up. "I've got to head to work but if you lock up when you leave that would be great"

I nod, still not entirely sure what's going on. As she leaves I spot a purple mark just below her collar bone. Did I do that? Oh god I did.

The door closes and I jump up to find my shirt. It's on the floor beside me but I can't find my phone.

Ellie's apartment is small but well furnished. Her walls are all white as this is a new complex and she hasn't painted but it goes well with her slate grey furniture.

I run my hands between the couch cushions but my phone is nowhere to be found. There's a clock on a cabinet and it reads 14:54. Shit. I told Grandpa I'd be home last night. I also never sleep in this long.

I'm sure Ellie will bring my phone to me when she finds it. I need to get home quickly.

Oh god he's going to kill me.

I run down the stairs and out into the street. I remember from last night that her apartment was just down the street from the shop, we had to walk past the shop to get to hers.

As I make my way down the street, I remember that I also left my jacket at Ellies. Something else she'll have to return for me. Idiot Quinn.

I walk up to the shop and then I remember that my keys are in my jacket pocket. I'm being so slow today.

But the door's open.

Just a crack, it's not only unlocked but ajar. I push it and hear the bell chime above my head. What I see breaks my heart.

Flower petals and broken stems cover the floor and every shelf and display is trashed. My grandfather's life's work all gone.

"Grandpa!" I shout. He'll be devastated. He doesn't answer so I shout again.

I look around. It doesn't look like the robbers were looking for anything. They just seemed to break anything that could be broken. I really should check the till though.

I walk over but stop before I get there. There's a knife sticking out of the counter. It's large, a hunting knife I think with an intricate black handle.

There's a note pinned to the table beneath it with only one word scrawled across it.

Rya

****

Her name wasn't exactly popular, not in this area anyway. It had to be talking about her. I had snatched the note from the counter and shoved it into my pocket just as the first police officer arrived.

He took my name and then told me that I should find a place to stay for a bit, that I wouldn't be allowed back into the shop or apartment for a while. I had waited outside for nearly three hours as they searched for any clue as to who carried out the attack or why they did it.

There was also no trace of my grandfather.

At about half past six, I decide to confront Rya. And that brings us to the present of me sitting outside the gates of her house - her actual house - and waiting for something to happen.

Her house is guarded better than most banks and although I see no movement on the grounds, I feel like someone is watching me so I move further down the road so I can still see if she leaves but I can't be seen from the house.

I don't have my jacket, or my phone so I just sit there, waiting. I try not to think about Grandpa. Try not to think about where he is.

But it's not like I've got anything else to do.

At 7, I hear the car engine and watch her Jeep leave the house and drive towards me. I dive into a bush and watch her through the window as she drives past.

She looks pissed.

She's going pretty quickly down the road so I have to run to keep her in sight. But, I tire quickly and eventually lose her. This is hopeless, I don't even know why I thought this would work.

Throwing myself down in the grass by the side of the road, a piece of paper catches my eye. I pick it up.

Gala Hotel
8pm

It says nothing else but the paper is warm as if it's been in someone's pocket. There's been no other cars pass here other than Rya. This has to be hers.

I check my watch. I have 23 minutes to make it to the Gala Hotel.

The town isn't actually that far away and I manage to flag down a taxi and convince the driver to take me to the Gala Hotel even though I only have £3.47 in my pocket.

We make it there at 20:04 and I run inside, duck past a waiter and dash towards the stairs up to the toilets. At the top is a balcony that overlooks the entire restaurant.

If this was any other situation, I would take a minute to admire the beauty of this exclusive dining experience that I shouldn't be seeing but then I see her.

She's as dressed up as the other guests and sitting with Matthew Stone but there's an empty chair beside them. Her face has softened and she no longer looks angry. If anything, she looks a little bit distressed.

An older man walks over to them and they talk briefly. That's when the first gunshot rings out.

****

Happy International Women's Day!