Ethereal

Chapter 23

"I've never heard of that centre... isn't Gainston a drop-in centre, not a hospital?" He replied, confused.

"Well... I... I don't know. I'd never heard of it, it wasn't me that took her there..." I frowned, feeling as though my chest was tightening uncomfortably. "I'm sorry Charlie, I have to go."

I turned away from him, rushing back to the door. The centre had to exist, it had to! The hospital called me and told me themselves...

"Emilia, wait! We need to talk... about what happened with the van." Charlie grabbed my hand to pull me back, but he couldn't move me. I was stronger than him now.

Right, the last time I saw Charlie he had seen me walk away uninjured after being hit with a van. I had no explanation to give him, so the only option was for me to leave.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I have to go." I broke free of his grip easily, "I'm sorry."

"Emilia- "

But I ignored him, pushing the door open, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to escape my eyes.

"Emilia! What's happened?"

"Jasmine." I turned to face her, ignoring Noah's question. "Jasmine, where did you take my mother?"

She froze. "The... the hospital. Like I said."

"Which one?" I spoke quickly, starting to walk away, the two of them followed behind me.

"G-Gainston." She stammered.

"They called me and said they transferred her to Carter rehabilitation centre." I told her. "My boss reported me and my mother as missing, the police checked out all the local hospitals, and not one of them had a record of my mother being there."

"Did they check the centre?" Noah asked.

"I think so, I want to go home and call back the number of the hospital." I told them. "She can't just be gone. They called me... they called me and told me where she was."

"Okay. Okay we'll get you home. We'll go quick." He nodded at Jasmine, though she had the strangest expression on her face.

Noah put his arms around me and picked me up so that he was holding me bridal-style, and true to his world, quickly ran me home with Jasmine hot on his heels.

We were there within seconds, I could have ran on my own, but I was a little slower than Noah and Jasmine.

The moment Noah let me go, I scrambled across the room, reaching for the phone. We didn't have caller ID on the house phone, so I picked up the phonebook off the floor (it was old but hopefully the hospital was in it). Flipping through the pages for 'G', eventually I came across Gainston.

Gainston... drop-in centre.

Scanning the pages again, there was no result for Gainston hospital. Okay so... maybe it had become a hospital in recent years? I typed the number into the phone – they answered in a couple of rings.

"Hello, um, is this Gainston hospital?" I asked, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear (had it always felt that soft?).

"This is Gainston drop-in centre." The man on the other end told me. "Can I help you?"

"Do you have the number for Gainston hospital?" I asked.

"There is no Gainston hospital, just a drop-in centre. Do you need to make an appointment?" He asked.

"No, no, um. I got a call a few weeks ago from Gainston... saying my mother had been transferred to Carter rehabilitation centre?" There was a pause on the other end.