Finding Maisie

Finding Maisie: Chapter 13

Finding Maisie

Chapter 13

Two weeks later:

'Okay, Callum. Be careful getting into the car,' Joshua said.

Callum was finally ready to be taken home. As I didn't think Callum had forgiven me yet, Joshua had come with me to the hospital. I was standing a few feet away from them to avoid getting in an argument with Callum. The fact that Callum was still annoyed at me for causing his very near death experience upset me. Don't get me wrong, I deserved it, but other than my mum, Callum was the closest person to me. I had already lost one best friend; I didn't want to lose another.

After I had escaped the warehouse I eventually found my way to the main road. Knowing that I was far away enough from the warehouse, I made a call. Joshua arrived quickly after I phoned him to pick me up. I asked him to drive us to the hospital but he said that Callum was still unconscious. When he was finally awake Joshua visited him and told me Callum said he was mad at me. After that day I had only visited the hospital a few times. Even then I didn't go into Callum's room if he was awake. I didn't want to cause him any more stress.

'Yes, thanks Joshua. I know,' Callum replied.

He climbed into the passenger seat and, once he was sure Callum was fine, Joshua sat in the driver's seat. I sighed and got into the back. I was here to try and make amends with Callum, but he hadn't said a word to me.

Joshua started the car and we started our tense journey.

'Josh, can I put this on?' Callum asked about ten minutes into the journey. He was holding up one of my CDs that Joshua had borrowed.

Joshua looked quickly and shrugged, 'Its Poppy's, ask her.'

At the mention of my name I looked up. Callum was looking at me through the rear view mirror. His expression wasn't angry; it was hurt. After about five seconds, he looked away.

'Nah, it's alright. I'll put the radio on,' Callum said. Soon enough the car was filled with soft music.

What hurt was that Callum wouldn't ask me a simple question. He didn't want to talk to me. Was Callum that angry and hurt?

After another ten minutes we arrived back at Joshua's house. Callum got out the car first, probably wanting to prove that he was well enough to do things on his own. I ran after him to unlock the front door. Callums keys were inside. I held the door open for him and Callum walked in muttering a quiet "thanks". I left the door open for Josh and followed Callum into the living room.

The day was quiet, awkward and long. It was mostly filled with Joshua and Callum watching tv, and me sitting on the other sofa hoping Callum would talk to me. Although he never did, I could see Callum occasionally glancing in my direction.

It was eight o'clock and the show that was on TV had just finished. Joshua got up saying he would get us all a drink, leaving me and Callum alone. I could already see Callum looking at me from the corner of my eye. I was about to ask him why he kept staring when my phone vibrated.

I picked it up distracted but when I read the name my full attention was on my phone. It was a message from the abductor. I opened it and saw that it was a picture.

At first I was confused as to why he sent me this. It was a picture of a drawer. A small drawer that looked like it was in the side of a desk. I didn't recognise it, first of all. However, as I continued looking at it there were elements that were familiar. There was a sticker of a flower in one of the corners and drawn on pictures of cats and dogs. I remembered doing those things to these drawers, my mother's drawers. The abductor was telling me to go to my mother's desk and look in the drawer. But the thing that scared me was how the abductor had been in my mother's house to take the picture. She wasn't safe in there and that worried me.