CAL:
“I’m tired Cal!” Emma complains loudly.
I take a deep breath to prevent myself from saying something I may regret. I understand that she’s only eight and probably doesn’t understand the magnitude of seriousness around her; but she should be able to comprehend that her older sister is missing!
“Cal!” she whines when I don’t answer.
“Emma! Shut up!” Sean spits, voicing out what is on everyone’s mind.
Emma immediately shuts up, but looks downcast, her big, doe eyes fill up with tears and after a moment, the tears roll down her chubby cheeks.
Sighing to myself, I kneel down to pick her up. I carry her and let her rest her head against my shoulder as I continue looking for Kayla. Her phone signal just died suddenly and now, we’re completely at a loss as to where to find her.
“Well, where was the last place her phone was at?” I finally ask.
“Should be about two blocks up. But I don’t like the look of this place Cal...it’s way too seedy for Kayla to be here. She isn’t stupid. She wouldn’t have come here,” Ivan murmurs confidently.
“I got jumped around this area. If Kay’s going to the place my phone is, she’d probably be here,” I reason, shifting Emma a little. She’s quiet. She must be asleep.
“I don’t get why Emma had to come with us! Why couldn’t mum and dad have taken her?!” Sean huffs, throwing a withering look at his littlest sister.
“She refused. Made a huge scene at the police station. She insisted on being with Cal,” Ivan mutters.
“Cal...maybe you should take a break? You look really knackered and you have Emma to look after,” Sean hints.
“She’s your sister,” I remind him bluntly. “And I’m not going to go off to some hotel and sleep until I find out that Kayla is fine and I have her in my arms.”
“You could try staying at a cheap motel then,” Ivan murmurs, his attempt at a joke.
Wow...how can we joke at a time like this?
“Hey! Hang on a sec! There’s someone over there!” Ivan suddenly exclaims.
I strain my eyes to try and figure out whether it’s Kayla, but I can’t. I can’t even tell whether it’s a guy or girl!
And then the person turns around, and I catch a glimpse of brown hair and pale skin. It’s not exactly defining, but I’m immediately sure it’s Kayla.
“Kay!” I shout, running towards her. Sean and Ivan chase after me.
She turns back and I see fear on her face before it is replaced by relief. She runs towards me, closing the distance between us. And in the next instant, I have my arm wrapped securely around her as she buries her face into my shirt, crying her eyes out.
“Baby?” I ask softly, worried again.
“Kayla?!” Sean exclaims, wrenching her away from me, pulling her into his arms.
I stop myself from hissing at him. I have to remember that I’m second to her family.
Sean and Ivan, envelop her in their arms and soon she’s leaning against them, her face blank, but the fear is radiating off her in waves. I yearn to hold her close, but it’ll have to wait till her family is satisfied.
“Come on, let’s get off the streets,” I mumble, catching sight of a group of unsavoury guys.
***
“I’m so glad you’re okay Kayla,” Mrs Thomas murmurs for the umpteenth time in an hour. She has Kayla leaning against her shoulder, as she strokes Kay’s long, brown hair.
Mr Thomas sits on Kayla’s other side, resting his hand on her legs. Sean and Ivan are on the floor opposite her, their eyes never leaving her face. And little Emma is on her father’s lap. She pats her older sister’s back sympathetically.
But I understand her family’s reaction. What I don’t understand is Kayla’s. She just sits there, listlessly. Something is definitely up, but she doesn’t want to speak about it. Perhaps it has something to do with Evan? Maybe she’s learnt something.
The alarm clock on the mantel piece shows half past eight in the morning. All of us have been sitting here like this since about 4 in the morning, after finding Kayla and booking the hotel room.
As I watch the Thomas’ lovingly sit together, I can’t help but envy them. That’s what family is supposed to be, where somebody cares. And sure they seem to care about me too, but it could never match up with what a family’s love should be.
“It’s been a really long day. Everyone should get some rest,” Kayla finally croaks.
And just like that, her family gets up and retires to their respective beds. The room only has one double bed and two pull out beds. So Mr and Mrs Thomas are sharing the double with Emma. The twins are taking the pull out’s and Kay and I are left with the couches.
Not that I’m complaining. I don’t honestly plan to sleep. I just want to be as close to Kayla as possible.
***
“I’m so sorry,” Kayla whispers softly.
She lying down on the couch with her head on my lap while I play with her hair. We’ve been sitting like this for almost half an hour now.
“I was so worried,” I murmur back.
“I should have listened to you,” she breathes, her voice thick.
“I wish you did. You have to realise Kay, that I can take care of myself. I can’t even bear the thought of you getting hurt because of me,” I whisper, running my hands gently over her bandaged arms.
“Baby, you have to tell me what happened,” I finally plead.
She looks up at me with her beautiful green eyes, blinking back the tears. My poor, poor darling.
“Cal, I think I found Evan,” she whispers.
And immediately my body stiffens. “What? How?! Where?!” I demand.
“I was cornered in a street by a group of guys. And while I was trying to find my way out...I chanced upon a little window like thing that led to a basement of sorts. I jumped in and that’s how I got all the cuts,” she explains slowly.
“Did you see Evan? Did he hurt you?!” I hiss.
“I donno,” she whispers timidly. “The basement was dark...and then I started looking around and I found newspaper clippings on the little girl who was murdered by Evan...” she trails off hesitantly.
“And...?” I prod.
“And a sketch book...he drew lines. Just lines...but it was so creepy somehow...there was another book...and everything was drawn with a crimson liquid...I think it was blood,” she stammers, her body trembling.
“Shhh,” I whisper, stroking her hair.
“At the back of the book...he wrote ‘I hate you’....and he had the initials ‘A.C’ written everywhere,” she continues, gulping loudly.
“A.C? But...maybe it wasn’t Evan? If it was, wouldn’t the initials have been EC? Or if he actually wanted to harm me or whatever, wouldn’t it have been my initials?” I rationalise.
“Cal...I think Aiden is Evan. Evan Aiden Cafferty,” she squeaks, grabbing onto my hand and holding it close to her chest. She’s trembling so hard that I have to grab both of her shoulders to calm her down.
Aiden...as in the one from school?
Why would he be in the same school as me? And if he hates me so much...why hasn’t he done anything yet?
Maybe he’s bidding his time? He did threaten you already. He also called you brother, a little voice in head reminds me.
“It’s okay Kay. I’m here now. Just go to sleep baby,” I whisper, stroking her face.
She keeps her green eyed trained on me, as if trying to memorise my face. She’s terrified.
“You need your rest, baby. Just close your eyes,” I plead.
She assesses me for the longest time before finally nodding her head. She closes her eyes and shifts a little so she’s lying on her side. She wraps her hand along the back of my knee, holding me in place, as if worried I’d leave the moment she fell asleep.
How could she have known that is exactly what I was planning?
It’s crazy and dangerous and all...but what if Evan is here? The whole point of coming was to meet him. I can’t run away now.
***
I pull on my coat and take a look around the room quickly, making sure everyone is still fast asleep.
It was tough disengaging from Kayla without waking her up, but I managed to do it.
The way I see it, everyone here will wake up at the very earliest in about two and a half hours? That’s enough time for me to find the little basement Kay mentioned. She didn’t tell me exactly where it is, but....I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to find it. I’ll start looking on the street where we found Kayla early this morning.
***
“Evan?” an unfamiliar voice calls. I whirl around and end up face to face with a dirty looking man. He studies me for a moment, taking in my every feature.
“You aren’t Evan,” he finally announces.
“I’m not,” I ascertain. “You don’t happen to mean Evan Cafferty do you?”
“That’s the one. What’s it to you?” he asks rudely.
“I’m his brother. Callum. Do you have any idea where I may find him?” I try.
“Ah, so you’re Cal! The mysterious brother!” the guy smirks. “Evan isn’t around,” he mutters cryptically.
“That’s helpful,” I mutter sarcastically. “Where is he?”
“Went across the pond. Said he was going to find his family,” the guys murmurs, smirking.
I nod my head and back off slowly. Creepy friends? Check.
“I’d be careful if I was you,” the guy calls, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Yeah, thanks,” I mumble, pulling my coat on tighter. Right.
And then I see it...a little window opening on the bottom of a wall in a dingy alley. This must be it! I can feel the adrenaline pumping.
I whip out my cell and dial Keith. “Dude, is Aiden in school?” I demand.
“What? Cal? What’s going on? Where are you?” Keith fires back.
“I’ll explain later! Is Aiden in school?” I repeat.
“Yeah, he is,” Keith answers hesitantly.
I disconnect the call. Well...if Aiden is actually Evan, at least he isn’t here!
I assess the location of the little window and decide to try the front door first. I walk over to the next alleyway where the front door is and knock the door.
After ten minutes, the door swings open and a sickly looking man stands before me.
“Yes?” he asks suspiciously.
“I’m...looking for Evan? Evan Aiden?” I mumble.
“What do you want with him?” the man asks loudly.
“Nothing...I just...heard that he would be able to help me with a little family problem I’m having,” I lie.
“You heard wrong!” the man snaps, looking deranged.
Seriously?! Where did Evan find all the crazies?
“Look...I’m a bastard. My dad has a family in the UK. I have a...sister. She’s my age...I...hear that Evan may be able to help me out?” I try again.
What am I lying for?
But a little voice in my head keeps telling me not to mention who I really am.
“He may be able to help you. Come in,” the guy finally murmurs, studying me closely.
With my heart in my throat, I walk past him into the filthy little house. He gestures for me to head to the living room and I comply.
The man heads to a different room and I can make out his faint murmurs. He must be on the phone.
I walk around the living room and pick up a shattered photo frame. The picture in the photo frame sets my blood cold. It’s a family portrait. Of my family. It was taken before Donovan died...and a rough hole replaces where my face should be.
I walk around the room and realise that every photo is a picture of me.
I need to get the hell out of here!
The next thing I know, a small handkerchief is being pressed against my nose. A sickeningly sweet smell overpowers me, and I immediately realise how stupid I was. Chloroform!
“I told Aiden he should just wait here. I told him you would come to him,” the guy mumbles, huffing as he drags my almost limp body down the hallway.
I vaguely register a door opening, and the next thing I know, I’m falling down a flight of steps into a dank, dark room. I hear the pattering of feet around me, but I can’t move.
This must be the basement...I see the little window, the only thing casting light into this room. And then my vision fades.