The Taking of Eleanor Ainsworth

Chapter 16

His face had aged, wrinkles had lined his forehead and bags hung from his eyes. His full red lips upturned into a permanent frown. A frown that made his mother cry every time she saw him.

Mathew had changed, he was not the sweet boy that she gave birth to all those years ago. The little boy with the brightest and biggest eyes and even bigger smile. She missed that boy and wished he would return to her. She was sick and tired of witnessing her son's health and beauty deteriorate, she was tired of his sulking and mood swings, she was sick because he was sick.

"You need to eat Matt." She whispered, walking towards her son, who was hunched over his laptop, fingers typing frantically.

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He said, still typing.

His mother sighed and put a hand on his shoulder squeezing. "This isn't helping Mat, maybe you should take a backseat and let the police do their job honey."

Matthew stopped typing, his fingers hovering above the keys. "Their job ?" He laughed, spinning around to face his mother.

"If the police were doing their job, Eleanor would have been found by now..."

"Yes but -"

"But nothing ! What don't you understand you stupid woman, I am the only person besides her parents who is still looking, everyone else thinks she is dead." He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily.

"You should hear what people are saying." He breathed. " I know she is still alive ! If you think she is dead and I should stop looking then you are just as stupid as the next person. I will not stop until I have found her alive !" He cried, his fingers gripping the sides of chair

"She means too much to me." He whispered as images of Eleanor flashed before his eyes. He closed them and turned back around, turning his back to his world.

"Cant you just stay over ?" He pleaded, holding onto Eleanor's arm. She pulled against it, trying to pry Matthew's fingers off.

"I told you," she laughed, "my mum is weird when it comes to staying over on a school night." She stood up as Matthew let go, pulling her arms through the straps of her rucksack. Her chocolate brown hair covering her face.

Matthew sighed and leaned against his bed post. "Oh come on, i'll ask for you. Just one night. She usually says yes when it comes to me."

Eleanor sighed and grinned back at Matthew, slumping herself back onto the bed. "Fine. Don't say I didn't tell you so when she says no." She said, throwing her phone at Matthew. He caught it and began typing.

A few moments later, her phone buzzed and Matthew dived after it, unlocking it and reading the message.

"Well ?"

He grinned at her, throwing the phone back. She looked at the message and rolled her eyes.

"I don't have a change of clothes." She said, dumping her bag on the floor.

"You can just wear something of mine again, you're only small, i'll find something." He said, getting up and rummaging through his wardrobe. He pulled out a white t-shirt with grey joggings bottoms and threw them at her.

Minutes passed and the two were cuddled up in bed, Matthew stroking Eleanor's hair just the way she likes it. It wasn't long before Eleanor had fallen asleep, leaving Matthew to gather his thoughts. The moon from outside illuminating his room.