CHAPTER 4
HOLIDAY
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"Unforeseen holidays are the best. Three days from today. Apparently, Declan and Desiree Gardiner are missing," Irsia declared. Irsia was in her high-rise, dark blue jeans and a loose-fitted white t-shirt tucked in.
Desiree? That sweet soul. I hoped they'd find her. Little did I know. So very little.
"We're having three days off!" Elec exclaimed. And when I turned to her to give her a stare, Aiden laughed. "Walker, that means you have to stay home."
Well, a nice week starter then. "God! I forgot about that."
"The CONMISDUM facility staffs are here in Ostonn Newvale to take Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. I am so sorry, Margo," Irsia put her hand on my shoulder. "I know you were friends with her."
Desiree was my childhood neighbor. A really sweet girl and I loved her dog so much. Her dog was an adorable Corgidor. Then they had to move to Eastcrest. As the press rushed to the school premises, we were asked by the school staffs to go to our homes. If they knew I used to tutor her, I'd be in front page. They were already charging Desiree's friend -Natalie Eagar with questions. She told the press that she last saw her on Saturday. It was Monday. If at all Natalie was infected, she'd have gone missing by now. I stood there watching Natalie. Blank and stupid. That's when someone from the crowd pointed at me that I was tutoring her. Elec yanked me by my arm to load me in the car. Before my senses could hit me to open the car's door, the camera was on my face. Shit. Nice week.
"I used to tutor her up until last year," I corrected. "Last I saw her was at the school on Friday. I was sick on Saturday and I didn't come to school." I was pretty sure it was Fiona who yelled from the crowd that I tutor her. If my hatred could take a form, it would be Fiona.
"What about Declan Gardiner?" Some lady in red lipstick and a really professional grey blazer matching the weather asked me.
"Ask the boys. Ask Fiona Raddix and Kyle Miller. They are the best pals of him." Elec knew how to give slap-face answers. I didn't like the mention of both of their names.
"Nice one, Elec." Aiden chuckled.
"No one asked for your opinion, Aiden," Elec said, bitingly. She slid into the driver's seat with a flip of her ponytail, while I was already shotgun. We sped off.
We went back home and I spent the entire day in Elec's home watching news channels and movies. The news said that every measure taken by the police and the government had ended up in a several months of nothing but futility. Every news source had their own theory for CONMISDUM. From whom did Declan and Desiree get infected by the CONMISDUM was the question that even the news channels couldn't solve. Seeing my face in the news channel definitely wasn't on my bucket list. After a while, Elec and I ended up watching another video on the internet that the police had no commentary on the theory that an underground mobster is responsible for this. Reasons ranged from organ trafficking to slavery.
It was only Monday and I had to endure my mom's attitude and the phone calls until Thursday. I turned my phone off just so Elec wouldn't find out about the calls. My mom gave me a disgusted stare when she saw my face in the newspaper the next day. Yeah, I offered willingly to tell them that I used to tutor Desiree. The next two days were pure agony. I expended them indoors. My plans to go search Damon were not possible because my mom played the prison guard. I felt insomniac. Nights were the worst.
By Thursday, it was clear that no one else went missing after that and that we were safe. It was the first time that it had happened to someone in my school. I couldn't imagine a sweet girl like Desiree missing. I mean, her brother was a jerk. He kind of deserved it, but not Desiree. I really prayed that they would find her. But then again, no one who went missing had been found till date. I wished for a miracle.
Thursday, as Elec drove me to school, the sky kept roaring and the clouds kept pouring until we reached school. I put my ridiculous raincoat on before stepping out Elec's car, because if I get drenched and catch cold, my mom would blame that on my missing dog, alleging that it was because of CONMISDUM.
As I got out of the car wearing my tortoise-printed turquoise raincoat, I felt stupid. I was thinking of buying a new one.
"You should buy a new one." A voice came from behind me. It was Irsia in her translucent red-and-black checked raincoat.
"What are you talking about? Margo looks cute in it." That was Aiden in his puffy black leather boyish raincoat.
"Thanks, Aiden." I really was thankful for his optimism.
I literally ran while walking toward the building -my specialty. I managed to reach the hallway without falling on my face on the slippery floor that I mentally did a victory dance.
"Oh! My God! You literally are a Walker," said Aiden, reaching me inside the building and I made a funny face at him.
I really wanted to buy an on-sleek raincoat, but I didn't have the heart to ditch my turquoise raincoat. I mean, it had baby tortoises printed on it. Catching my breath, I turned around. I saw Electra running toward us after successfully parallel-parking her car. I thought she would fall and break her leg. God! Could she run any faster on slippery ground with pointy heels! I wondered how she had that kind of balance. Well, Elec had her trench-style raincoat on. Of course, with a waist belt.
"How does she have that kind of balance?" Irsia exclaimed, tilting her head, examining Elec's balance.
"You know, I was literally thinking the same thing."
Fiona Raddix made an unnecessary appearance and a comment. "New Car, Electra. Red! Nice! But I think everyone loves my black car more."
Elec plonked her heels, scuffing, and graciously bit back, "oh! I don't want everyone to love my car. My car and I aren't that needy. Besides, I love red." Fiona started to sashay her way through the crowd. Probably because she couldn't come up with a smart comeback. Elec had to yell the rest of the sentence through the crowd "And being original." She turned her attention toward me and said, "that and I also wanted to rip off my rich, so-called dad." I gave Elec a high-five on that one through my laughter.
Irsia could become a fitness guru in the future. Elec had the gene lottery. She doesn't have to go for a run or diet. Irsia the perfectionist, went for a run every day, wouldn't even eat a cup cake. You get the picture, they both were the runway models. I, on the other hand, I was the curvy friend. I had been elusive of curves and looked like a stick man diagram until about three months ago. So I had to ditch most of my old clothes and had to buy new ones. Electra was the tall one. Irsia was nearly as tall as Elec but the record was broken by Aiden. And I was the short one. Again, you get the picture. How could I describe Aiden? I have to rephrase -tall, dark and handsome to tall, slightly russet and handsome.
Elec's phone rang. She ignored the call and threw the phone back in her bag. I eyed Irsia, eyeing me with a knowing look.
"Was that Miles Harmon?" Aiden asked.
"None of your business." Elec stared.
"Oh! Come on! Elec," Irsia chirped.
The reason Elec hated Aiden was that she's possessive of Irsia and I. If anyone tried to separate us or steal us from each other, Electra would just choke them to death. We had known Aiden for like a year now and still she thought of him as a threat. The funny thing was, Aiden didn't care about Electra hating him. He was a great friend and he loved to spend time with us. Though it could be difficult to handle us, he did it well.
"Why are you avoiding Miles?" I asked.
"You do realize that he loves you, right?" Irsia hit her.
"Do you hear yourself when you talk, Irsia? When he moves to Glasscoast University, he would dump me for some new girl."
"You know, I'd never do that to you, Irsia," came the voice of Theodore Braddy from behind us. He sprinted and stood in front of Irsia, blocking her way. Irsia was just too nice to stare at him.
Theodore's been obsessed with Irsia since... I don't even remember. Just since forever. Irsia was just not interested in him.
"Keep it moving, Theo," we said in unison. That was a trio thing.
"Do you want me to call Edric, Theo?" I warned.
"God! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss Edric." Irsia muttered under her breath.
"Theo, she is not interested." Elec gestured a shoo.
"Well, I am not going anywhere." Theo said. "I can wait..." His voice was already fading as he walked away.
"Ugh... do you have to bring him into this conversation?" Elec gave a slight stare.
"Okay, it is only five minutes to the bell, lets walk to the class," announced Irsia, the punctuality police.
"Oh! God!" Elec rolled her eyes.
Right then Mason Campbell gave me a stare as he crossed me by. He always did that and yet I was not afraid of that... of him... ugh... I didn't have enough words in my vocabulary to insult him. I didn't stare back at him. I didn't even see him as a potential threat.
"Is he bothering you?" Irsia asked, noticing the tiny fraction of tension between us.
"If he is, you can tell me." Aiden offered, his eyes distant and fixed on Mason, I assumed.
Before I could reply anything to Aiden, Elec jumped in. "If at all he's really getting on Margo's nerves, I'd take care of him. You stay in your corner."
"Elec..." Irsia and I hissed. "Stop being mean to him," Irsia shrieked, chirpily.
"Don't change the subject." I pointed out.
Aiden added, "you know, Irsia is right. Miles does love you."
"There is no such thing as love, Aiden. Should I remind you of the time when Margo's heart was broken by Kyle Miller?"
As we walked, I tried not to run into anyone in the crowded hallway and yet somehow I yelled at Elec, "uh... do you have to bring that up this early in the morning. That is a mood dampener."
"Oh honey! Your mood was dampened the minute you woke up to the grey sky." Elec made a dramatic expression.
Yeah, Elec was right. I hated grey weather. But I had to tell her this. Miles was a good person who loved Elec with all his heart. She just didn't want him to wait for her and she also thought there was no such thing as a long-distance relationship. I finally told her. "You know what, Elec, you are hurting him. We feel sorry for him. You should at least go see him before he leaves for college."
"Uhhh... God! Stop it. I can't. I can't with the guilt." Her pace picked up involuntarily at the mention of the word love.
The bell rang the exact moment we stepped into class and found that our French teacher was absent. Meaning -Mrs. Sandra Lin would take over French and start with chemistry class. Nightmare after nightmare.
"Could this day get any worse?" I asked, taking my seat between Irsia on the right, Aiden on the left and Elec was behind me. Truancy wasn't my thing but today it crossed my mind.
"Yes, it could. If Mrs. Lin pairs you with Fiona for the experiments." Aiden knew how much I hated Fiona Raddix. He just enjoyed pointing that out.
"Thanks for the optimism." I pulsed my head, sucking my lower lip, not in the mood to laugh.
"Hey, I'm just telling you to enjoy the moment. I'll be happy to teach you to sleep with your eyes open. You can be my protégé." Yeah! That was classic Aiden.
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