"If you knew what the blue birds sang, you would never sing along." -Fall Out Boy, Novocaine
THE POLICE SEARCH STARTS UP AGAIN almost instantaneously. Within days, the police are going through security tapes, interrogations and background checks, and just as before, they come up with nothing. Luke, however, is pulled in for another round of questioning, and when he's not back in forty-two hours, people begin to assume the worst.
Rumors spread like wildfire, and I only begin to actually believe them when Jas, who doesn't talk made up bullshit from anyone, sits down beside me at lunch and says, "They've arrested Luke."
I choke on my orange juice. "What?"
Jas nods quickly. Her face looks oddly pale. "The security tapes for the school were erased; someone tampered with them. They found some of Luke's stuff up there, I don't know exactly what, and made the connection."
I take a moment to absorb the information. "How do they know it's Luke's?"
"Fingerprints," Jas says. "Victoria is a mess. I guess it sort of makes sense, in a way. Luke hated Ford."
"So what exactly do they think he did?" I ask. "Killed him? Or just wrote the message?"
"I don't know," Jas admits, finally beginning to eat her food. She sips on her milk slowly. "I really don't know." We fall silent for a bit before James joins us, sliding in beside Jas.
"Hey," he says, kissing her cheek and stealing her banana. "What's up?"
"Did you hear about Luke?" Jas asks.
James sighs, his mood deflating. "Yeah, yeah, I did. It seriously sucks; I know that Luke's always been angry, but I never thought he was that angry."
"Sucks is a nice way of putting it," I say.
James smiles crookedly. "That's why I said it seriously sucks."
I roll my eyes at him, and go back to eating my food. Well, more like pushing my food around. It'sbeen three days, but the image of those gruesome words won't get out of my head. I don't know how I'll ever forget them; home is where Ford's dead heart lies. I think it irks me so much because of my message, where by the end, I had talked about home being better than anywhere Ford is right now. Had that person read my message? I shake my head; not 'that person', I have to remind myself. Luke. He was the one.
Anger builds up in the pit of my stomach at the thought of him doing something like that. Is this all he had done? Or maybe he has something to do with the bloody jewellery box? James must notice how deep in thought I am because he reaches over and shakes me out of it.
"Ava, don't worry about it so much, okay? The police are taking care of it, right? It isn't your job to try and figure this out."
I furrow my eyebrows. I never said anything about trying to figure it out. "I don't know. I just feel like... everyone's missing something. I mean, think about it; how did Ford even get the jewellery box?"
Jas cocks an eyebrow. "He made it?"
"Yeah, but Mr. Stevens had it the day Ford went missing. He needed to mark it. Either Ford went back and got it, or someone stole it."
James and Jas are quiet for a moment. Then, Jas says, "You think someone put it there?"
James scoffs. "That's ridiculous."
"Or maybe Ford took it," I offer. "Either way, I think it's important to find out. Maybe we can check the security tapes?"
"I doubt they would have security tapes from a month ago," James says. "But you can try, I suppose. What're you going to tell the school?"
"Nothing," Jas says. "We'll sneak up tonight. This school practically never closes, anyway; it'll be easy. Plus, if the cameras catch us, we can tell teachers that we just forgot our homework."
James clicks his tongue. "Have fun."
Jas narrows her eyes. "Nice try. You're coming, too; you're the only one here who is actually technology smart."
James snorts. "You wish."
"Babe," Jas whines. "Come on, we need your help. Please?"
James sighs. "Fine."
x
When we get to the school, James is already waiting outside the doors.
"Let's go," he says as we approach. "We need to be quick. I have things to do."
I roll my eyes, because James always has things to do, and walk into the school. It's just as dark and eerie as the day when I stayed after school with Ford- which seems like only yesterday, when in reality, was more than a month ago. I clench my teeth. The more time that goes by that we don't find Ford, the closer we get to him being missing for two months. And I refuse to see that day come.
We walk in a way to stay out of sight of the few cameras set around the school. James leads us to the school basement with ease, the door or the security room open. I listen for the sound of any janitors, and when I hear nothing, all three of us slip in.
James gets to work right away. Jas leans over him as he fast forwards through a whole month of footage. Just as it seems we get the time we're looking for, James furrow his eyebrows. "Ava, when did he go missing?"
"April fourth, around one."
Jame nods, seeming absent. "Yeah... this isn't good."
"What?" I lean forward, trying to figure out what James is doing.
James ignores me and instead asks, "And when did you find the jewellery box?"
"April ninth."
James shakes his head, pulling away from the computer screen and leaning back in the chair. "Shit."
I look from the blank screen, to James, and then back to the screen. "What James? What is it?"
James exhales heavily. "Any footage from the morning of April fourth to the night of April ninth has been erased."
x
James spends the next half hour trying to retrieve the footage, but to no avail. I leave the school with a weird feeling in my stomach. A paranoia settles- once James and Jas leave to go home, I find myself constantly checking behind my shoulder, fearing that something's going to sneak up on me.
The next day at school, I'm still feeling a little numb. Like I'm disconnected, or that whatever happened is still sinking in. I should be scared out of my mind, a small part in the back of my brain is telling me, but it's hidden and blocked out by so much more, that I just feel neutral. For some reason, I feel like that's something I shoudn't be feeling.
Jas must feel the same way. She stays silent all day, and even wears a giant sweater, ditching her heels and normally... open style. James looks a little worn down, as well. At lunch, he doesn't even go to buy something, and chooses to just sip at some water.
Jas is the first one to speak. "We need to tell the police."
"Yeah, and get suspended for sneaking into the security room," James says.
"This is serious, James!" Jas counters. "Someone... someone deleted the tapes, because they have something to hide. Just think about what that could mean! A murderer could be on the loose."
"Last I checked, there already was one," James says evenly. "The person who killed Ford's mom."
"That was ten years ago," I say.
"And they were never caught!" James practically exclaims. "Maybe it runs in the family."
That gets me angry. "What does? Getting murdered? Do you hear yourself, James?"
"Says you!" James shouts back. "You're obsessed! You didn't even know Ford! Stop acting like you were best friends!"
"Stop it," Jas commands. "Both of you. You're acting like little kids. Yelling at each other isn't going to help anything. You and I learned that the hard way, right, Ava?"
I sigh, nodding. After the fight Jas and I had over almost the same thing James and I had been yelling at each other, we didn't talk for three days, before agreeing we were both being stupid. I lean back in my seat, trying to somehow get everything sorted out. Nothing is making sense, though.
"The only person who I can think of to delete the tapes would be Luke," I finally say. "But he's locked away."
"Maybe none of this was ever Luke," Jas says.
I sigh, "Then who was it?"
That's the question we finish lunch left, the one that sticks in our heads for the rest of our classes, and eventually go home with. As I lay in bed, going over last night's events over and over again, I find my eyes drifting to my copy of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. From Ford's knowledge of the book, I know he's read it. I wonder what he thinks of it and its unfinished ending.
I can't help but feel that's what Ford is, though. And unfinished ending.
Because even if he's dead, he's unfinished. His story- the one where he was supposed to get into the best University in the country, and go on to be the next worldwide known billionaire- isn't finished.
My phone beeps. I sigh, rolling over to grab it from my night side, thinking that it might be Jas with some new information.
The loading is a painful process; my phone has never been the fastest. When the text finally does load, though, my heart stops. Literally stops.
Ford: Oh, hi. Sorry for not replying. Got a little sidetracked.
x
OH MY GOD BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SCENE FOREVER. This story is just getting started, don't worry, but this story isn't exactly your typical missing person story; it's a lot different :) If you enjoyed this chapter PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND VOTE BELOW because comments make me update faster c: Love you all! xoxo