~Deception~

Chapter 11

The sunrise turned the sky to red gold, and the warm steamy air smelled of magnolias and jasmines. Rays of sunlight filtered through the lace curtains bathing Renee's room with light. Renee was snuggled in her blanket snoring lightly. Downstairs her mother had just turned on the vacuum, creating a loud buzzing sound which was impossible to ignore. Groaning Renee opened her eyes and lay still for long minutes. She glanced at the clock on the dresser. It was 7.15 am. Agh a very early time to wake up during holidays. It had been 2 days since Thalia had left... or at least said that she was leaving. Renee had been trying to call her since yesterday, but she wouldn't pick up.
She sat up slowly and twisted her long choppy hair back on her shoulders. Even though she exercised regularly, her slender body felt stiff and achy. She slid her feet to the floor, stretched, and stood up, then walked over to the window and began to close it as she absorbed the early morning view of the Malaysian city.
Looking around Renee found her phone and looked for any missed calls or messages from Thalia, but.. none. She had millions of unanswered questions, but it didn't seem like she would get the answers any time soon,
Precisely 18 minutes later Renee emerged from the bathroom. She got dressed and was just going to get breakfast when her phone suddenly started vibrating. Excited, she grabbed it. It was THALIA!!
Even more excited she answered. "Hello?.. Thalia?"  "Hey Renee" Thalia replied, but it was different. No, it was very different. Her voice was very low and sounded weak.
"Why the heck haven't you been answering my calls?"  "Sorry Renee I was just kinda busy since I came back, and tired not to mention." "Wait so..so your in.. your in Spain!? "Yeah, where else would I be?"
"Okayy.. so since the time  I dropped you in the airport nothing went wrong? Like nothing? Everything went exactly as it was supposed to? Like you weren't stressed about anything? Or like u knowww..."
I needed to know the answer but I couldn't ask it directly. I pressed the phone to my ear harder keen to identify if her voice would change or not.
"Renee why are you asking me these questions?" Her voice was starting to get a little edgy and shrill. "Well..well yes ever.. everything went as it..it was supposed to" Thalia stuttered, "Why did you think it hadn't?" "No..no I was just asking, was just worried, well I gotta go but I will call you tomorrow so please answer the damn phone!!" I told her in frustration. An idea had just struck me. I decided to ask my mom if she had talked to Thalia's mom and by doing that I might be able to find if Thalia had really gone back to Spain. "Renee I don't know about that, I might not be able to.."
"Thalia please I.. I need your help for.. for something..." I lied. But I had to make sure she answered the phone tomorrow.
"Well okay then I suppose...".
"Great, well I'll talk to you tomorrow, bye" I cut the call and ran downstairs to my mother who had finally turned the vacuum off.
"Mom? Mom!" "Yes what is it?? Stop screaming in the morning will you? Have your breakfast."
"Yeah okay." Taking the milk out of the refrigerator and trying to keep my voice casual and cool as possible I asked, "Have you talked to Thalia's mom lately?" "What? no, no I didn't... I tried to call her the other day.. but no answer".
"Ohh well can you try calling her now?" "Why do you want me to call her all of a sudden?" My mother asked suspiciously.
"Mooomm, she's my friend's mother soo just call her and check on how Thalia is! I mean like come on mom!"
"Ok.. ok fine! I'll call her.. maybe in the evening"
"But mooomm, call her now!" I whined like a small child begging her parents for a piece of candy.
"Oh.. darn fine! I'll call her after I finishing cleaning this place"

-After an hour-

"Renee!!" My mom screeched from downstairs.
"Coming mom!!" I shouted in response.
"Renee, I spoke to her" "Oh my gosh really? Well what did she say?" I asked expectantly. "Well.. it was sorta confusing for me too... because.. uh.."
"What did she say mom?"
"U see honey... Thalia's mom didn't answer the phone... Luan did actually.."
"Luan? Who's Luan?"
"The house Servant? Can't you remember her??"
"Oh yeahh Luan! What did she say?"
"U see.. she told that Thalia's Mom had gone somewhere 2 weeks back and .. she also t.. told me that Thalia never left Spain.. instead she had gone over to bunk in Miranda's apartment in the other part of the city, to help Miranda in her story...."
"HUH?! THALIA NEVER LEFT SPAIN?!"
"Yeah.. but when I told her that Thalia had, she thought I was going nuts." I stared at mother unbelievingly.
"Thalia is hiding something and that something is big, very big and I have to find out, Mom are you sure you didn't hear it mistakenly?" I asked, a knot of panic rising in my chest.
"That's what she told me Renee.. that's what she told me......"