Storm 》Clifford A.U

020;

it's been too long, i'm sorry. i haven't written fiction in a bit bc of school so i'm sort of rusty and i hope this doesn't suck gufhgu i'm sorry again for making you wait forever, i love you all.

     "YOU HAVE GOT SOME fucking nerve." Ivy deadpans, blue eyes rolling and a bitter laugh tumbling from her previously pursed lips. She crosses the room and grabs at the letters surrounding my feet, clutching onto them tightly. "I'm going to say it's safe to assume you've read these?"

      "Only one." I mumble, swallowing. "I'm sorry. I just need to know what's going on. I need to know everything that I can and I thought this would be a way-"

      "And what did you discover, huh? That I'm hopelessly in love with your sister? How does that help you at all? Newsflash, it doesn't. It just fucks me over." She yells, throwing her hands up in the air and turning away from me, shaking.

       "You're angry, I get that. But so am I. You need to understand that I'm willing to do absolutely anything to find Darya and I'm sorry that that includes invading your privacy."

       "I don't know anything either. But I wish I did."

        "But you do, though. Like where her boyfriend lives. Like the fact that confronting him would be a really good idea." I am prattling on endlessly, trying to keep her attention. I needed us to be on the same side. I needed to try everything if I wanted a chance at finding my sister. Every clue just left me more confused and I needed to find a way to piece everything together. The more people I had helping me do that, the easier it would all be.

     "Actually, that would be a terrible idea. I promised him and Ivy that I would keep their relationship a secret and just because you found out about him doesn't mean that I'm just going to go off and tell you where he lives. You'll probably blame her disappearance on him without even knowing him or their relationship at all. They would never hurt each other, and she was--she is-- his entire life. He would never dream of doing anything other than loving to her so I recommend you get all of those ideas out of your head right now and start looking at some other options."

    "Okay, say he is innocent. Don't you think it's at least worth talking to him to see what he knows?"

       "I can't deal with this right now. You're drunk and angry and you probably won't remember any of this in the morning anyway. Tomorrow we can meet up and talk. But right now I'm knee deep in feelings and I'm still pissed at you for breaking into my room. So give me a minute to process everything, okay? And let me talk to him and he can decide whether he wants to talk to you or not.Tomorrow morning at ten. I will meet you in the library. He might be with me, but probably not. But right now I need you to go."

      "Why do I need to leave? Is he coming-?" She pauses a second before answering, sighing as she looks defeated

       "Yeah, he is. He's coming so that I can watch him because he's been in a drunken stupor almost every night since Darya went missing and he almost crashed his car tonight and he needs a friend. So you need to leave and let me be there for my friend."

      "But-" I start, feeling my entire body growing warm as I am filled with a crushing desperation.

      "I will see you in the library tomorrow, and that's all I'm going to say. Goodnight, Alina." She finishes, gently nudging me out the door and clicking it shut before I can protest for the millionth time. This wasn't what I wanted but at the very least, it is a start. 

     I walk back to Michael's dorm room and take hold of Darya's journal. With my phone serving as a flashlight, I go to Calum's empty bed and lie down, opening it up to where I left off. I read silently and keep the light low as to not wake Michael up.