Missing

Chapter 13

The note didn't lie. On my way to school, I stop by Michelle's house, hoping the person had just been playing around. Of course, they weren't. The dingy old house has police tapes all around it. I see a man and a woman holding each other and sobbing into the other's shoulder. I assume they are Michelle's parents. Guilt rushes through me. Even though I wasn't the one to kill Michelle, I caused it.

I can't take this anymore. I have to go. So before I get too sick, I drive away from the crime scene.

At school, everyone is buzzing about Michelle's death. I see half of school isn't here. I pressume that most of the absent are being questioned and the other half too scared to come to school today. Ditching feels to be my only option right now. I'm probably going to get sent home for punching someone in the face or doing something stupid in class. And if I'm in this state, who knows what I'll do, I might confront the wrong person again and gets someone else killed. It's just safer if I were to go away.

Home doesn't seem to be an option either. My parents will see me and I don't think they will be too happy even though they know someone is dead; though they don't know why. I can't walk the streets like this, if anyone saw me, they would think that I'm drunk. I decide to go over to Richelle's. I know she will be home.

Yesterday I went to see how her school is doing. She wasn't lying when she said her school is worse than mine. There are cop cars covering every inch of the parking lot and police are in and out. It's infested with detectives and journalists and lawyers. I can't imagine how Richelle is feeling about this.

"Hey." I greet Richelle with a voice filled with grief.

"Hey back." She says. Her back is turned towards me; she is facing her computer.

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

"Police records." Her focus is on her project but she turns it onto me, "And aren't you supposed to be in school? Can't you get suspended for ditching?" It reminds me of how I greeted her.

"In highschool? No." I say.

"Watch out Emily." Why does everyone keep saying that to me.

"I'm not a little child, you don't have to remind me to look both ways before I cross the street." I retort.

"I know. But Michelle is just a scare. She's merely just a pawn in this game. Next will be someone else. Someone that is actually worth fighting for." Richelle adds, "Not that I wouldn't do anything to bring Michelle back from the dead."

I sigh. After that, there is a long moment of silence that is only filled by the typing done by Richelle on her computer.

"What are you doing?" I ask curiously. Her previous answer - saying she is looking at police records - has only now sunk in.

"I'm searching to see who else can be a possible suspect. Michelle is out of the way now." Richelle says. A faint blue light illuminates her face, even though she is only about thirteen, this makes her look like she has been working behind a desk for ten years.

"Have you found anything yet?" I can't stand the silence anymore. I need sounds, and clicks from a computer aren't cutting it.

"Yeah, the police never found the body." Richelle replies. Her focus is still on her research but I can tell she doesn't want me to go.

"How come?" That is a stupid question but I would rather Richelle call me dumb than let her not say anything at all.

"Well, they say that there was a lot of blood found in the house. And pans as well as kitchen knives are missing. They don't know what killed her but they are comfirming murder. She died from either-"