Filling The Gap...

Katie

It had snowed all night long right into morning when little snow drops fell gracefully to the already cover snowy ground. Cameron had once again picked me up from my house and driven us to school. Grateful that he had texted me late last night not being able to sleep as my mind and eyes don't move from the chair that is sat in the corner where Robbie had told me William was sitting. Still not figuring out how he knew that I struggled to get in the house when coming home from school yesterday. Telling mum I wasn't hungry when she called for food which was mostly true, my appetite going the second Robbie had left my room. Ignoring me the whole morning as I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast whilst waiting for Cameron to arrive.

"Miss Smith did you manage to fill in the papers I gave you yesterday?"

Mr Efferson stands in front of my table looking down at the wildlife picture I had drawn still thinking about going with the whole waterfall idea with my still life course work.

"Yes sir."

Grabbing my bag from the floor, searching through it and handing him the papers I had gone through last night. I knew I maybe taking on to much extra work but if this could help my chances in the career I wanted to pursue then I had to do all that I could to make it happen. Which was why after school I was going to head to the council hall and sign up for the club and competition that Patrick had told me about the other day.

"Thank you. I'll let the office know about the extra classes you will be taking so they can reschedule your timetable."

He smiles at me as Amy nudges me with her elbow.

"What did your mum say when you told her? I'm sorry you found out like that. It was my fault, I should have been more sympathetic towards the whole situation especially the parents of the poor girl. They were so torn apart when I last saw them, her mum had kept going on about not being able to find the girls favorite stuffed pink teddy bear."

Her smile slightly faltering as she stops sketching and turns to a fresh page in her workbook.

"I haven't seen any teddy bear around the house. And mum text me earlier saying that the private security company she hired out to put cameras and light sensors around the house had arrived. She's staying at home today instead of going to work so she can talk to the police and Patrick. Hey, you can tell me to mind my own business, but did you know Elizabeth?"

From the way she was talking about her parents and the way her facial expression had dropped it was as if she knew them or at least had met them.

"Kind of. I mean everyone did. They were a lovely family, when they first moved in, having barbeques nearly every weekend to get to know the whole community. I ended up going to a few with my parents but there was just something off the last time I went there. Elizabeth was different, I can't really explain it. She was, I don't know-sad for some reason."

Mr Efferson draws back the attention of the whole class interrupting mine and Amy's conversation. Not that I think she minded to much as we both look down to her workbook now noticing the shaded drawing of a sweet happy little girl with long braided hair tied hanging partly over her shoulder. A teddy bear held between her arms pressed close to her chest. Her smile wide but her eyes, they hide back the truth. Why was she sad? Part of me wishing I knew.