Alisha's Trail

Chapter two

The fan's soft humming drones out the teacher's quiet whiny voice as she goes on and on about Shakespearean Quotations or something like that. Of course I'm not paying attention to her. How could I? My mind keeps drifting back to the man that appeared at my door this morning. I close my eyes and try to remember what happened. 

"Ariel" he said.

"How do you know my name?"

He ignored my question and kept talking. "Ariel, I can't talk now. Meet me at the corner store tomorrow night."

"What, Why?" I asked damningly.

He looked around then whispered "I know where Alisha is"

"Tell me!" I pleaded, could it be true?

"Shh, I'll tell you later, meet me at the corner store"

"Wait, how do i know you're telling the truth?"

But the man was gone.

"Ariel!" The teachers voice boomed louder than I thought she was capable of yelling. I jumped, obviously startled. "Can you explain why you decided to stare out the window ?" Then added, "In the middle of my lesson?"

I blushed as twenty pairs of eyes stared at me. A boy in the back snickered and i shot a glare at him.

"Umm well you see... I was just thinking about things and.." I stammered before the teacher cut me off.

"What were you thinking about? It didn't look like you were thinking about Shakespeare, were you?" She said with a scrunched up nose.

"No, I was just thinking.."

"Well then miss, You may daydream, in the office! Detention, now."

I pushed back my chair blushing and with my shoulders slouched, went out the door. But I was thinking abut something else then, something I hadn't noticed before. I remember four years ago, Alisha had come to school with a bracelet on. It had a bird on it and I and a couple of other girls were commenting on how unique it looked. She wore that bracelet always. I had never seen one like it, until recently. The man who had came to the door this morning, had that same bracelet.

"We have no other choice!" Alisha hissed. "She may not be ready but its now or never! We will not get another chance!"

The man nodded. " I just think you should wait a little after meeting with her. Wait about a week before actually telling her. You were best Friends."

" I can't wait, it might be too late by then." Alisha said.

"I know," The man said tugging at his tie."But you have been missing for almost four years!"

"I haven't been missing! I was here."

The man looked at her "Alisha, to her you have been missing."

Alisha sighed. "I know and I do miss talking to her, but Hawkings already talked to her a little and she's meeting with him tomorrow!"

"You're right, but can't we just get rid of Hawkings?And Hawkings didn't talk to her, one of our old workers did."

"I know but Hawkings sent him and he's been working for hawkings for a year. And we can't get rid of Hawkings, we already tried." Alisha mumbled.

"Well what If she doesn't listen to him?" The man argued.

"Trust me." Alisha said. "I know Ariel, she woud listen to him because he got a hold of my braclet."

"And I know the man very well." He said "He at the last minute will change his mind."

They were hushed by the doorbell ringing. It was an eerie sound in the sudden stillness, but then again, eveything sounds eerie in a basement. Alisha tiptoed to the door and creaked it open, then gasped. She whirled around and said "You're right. He came back." and opened the door as the man tumbled in. 

"I'm sorry" he mumbled. "Is there anything I could do?" His face had a long scar on it now and his bruised head has hidden by his hoodie.

"why did you come back?"

"I made a mistake. I'm so so sorry." The man whimpered childlike.

Alisha said "You can start by meeting ariel tomorrow and telling her the truth."  Alisha pressed her lips together and waited for a response. She knew he would say yes.

"Alright," he said reluctantly.

But secretly,she knew he wuld be fired the day after he spilled the secret, there was just no safe way of making sure he wouldn't quit again.

Alisha stared at the man and began to actually get excited. Maybe, after he set the record straight, Hawkings would quit, they wouldn't have to teach Ariel and they could be friends again.

But of course Alisha had gotten her hopes up too high. Because hawkings was listening to their whole conversation. Listening to their plans. Watching them. Hawkings had even been in the room.