One Who Flees - A Modern Cinderella Story

Chapter 7 - My First Confession

Chapter 7 – My First Confession

 

                The following Sunday, almost a week since the Facebook debacle, I found myself once again in the middle of a big family Sunday at Mel and John’s house. After just a few minutes of being there Logan and Dylan were bickering about some thing or other while Max and Madison were watching in an amused fashion from the corner. Maia and Kara hadn’t arrived yet and Mel, John and Karen had gone off to talk business so that just left me and Ethan watching from the outside. With my mouth slightly open, I shook my head.

“I know,” Ethan agreed. “Want to get out of here?”

“ You know I’m not just going to leave.” I frowned at him.

“I only mean to the other room.” Ethan slung an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the kitchen, “I’m not going completely steal you away Mysti. If I did I think Madison would track me down and murder me.” I sniggered at the image of Madison chasing Ethan wielding a knife or weapon of some kind that came into my head as he said this. I wasn’t really thinking about where we were going so Ethan led me back to the small lounge I had discovered him in the last time. I was happy to be in the quiet but the silence between me and Ethan was a little awkward. We both sat down and after a few moments he reached out and grabbed the remote to turn on the television. I wasn’t really paying attention to the images on the screen until one flashed up that I recognised. I instantly snapped to attention and saw that while flicking through the channels Ethan had stopped on a national news channel. I rubbed my hands together nervously. I knew this was bound to happen at some point but why did it have to be while I was with Ethan.

“In Los Angeles the search for a missing teenage girl is continuing.” The anchor read. In the corner of the screen they showed a photo the girl. Her hair was a deep shade of red and she was smiling brightly at the camera. My palms were getting clammy. I clenched my jaw and glanced anxiously over at Ethan who was watching with an expression I couldn’t quite name. “19 year old River Kennedy went missing from her family home on the outskirts of the city 3 months ago. Her step-father returned home after an evening out to find the front door forced open and her gone. He along with many volunteers have been searching the area around the house and combing the city streets looking for any trace of her but so far they have found nothing. ” The picture switched from the anchor to an interview with the step-father.

“I just want her home.” He sounded choked up and I resisted the urge to scoff at it. “I don’t even know if she’s alive or not.” Tears rolled down his stubbly cheeks and I pursed my lips. Katie really hadn’t been kidding. “I just want some kind of closure. But until I get that I’m just going to keep searching.” After that it went back to the anchor in the studio.                

“If anyone has any information, there is a number to call at the bottom of the screen.” After that she moved on to the next story.

“That’s so awful.” I said carefully, trying to keep any trace of expression from my voice. I expected Ethan to say something similar but instead he muted the television, and turned to look at me. I shrunk back into my seat and clenched my jaw tighter.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” The expression I couldn’t name was back on his face. He shook his head a little.

“Never mind.” He muttered, “It’s nothing.” It clearly wasn’t nothing but I wasn’t going to say anything about it if he wasn’t. Ethan soon picked up the remote once more and continued to channel hop.

By dinner time the weirdness between me and Ethan still hadn’t lifted.  It was lucky that I was sat between Madison and Maia while Ethan was sat between Logan and Dylan who were obviously still fighting. I was eating and keeping quiet when Madison nudged my elbow.