Chapter Seventy
Fiona’s POV:
I had been skipping work since Monday, waiting for Alex to come home and meet me. The office called at home twice and I had picked it up and then hung up once I realized it was them. They had been trying his cellphone and work without success, just like me.
I was at a loss for what to do. I couldn’t possibly report him missing, he had told me, obviously where he was going.
What would I say to the cops? Amber couldn’t do anything but reassure me constantly that he would show up.
Eleanor and James had given up on convincing me to come back to work after all their efforts had proved abortive. All they could do now was to bring me notes and videos I couldn’t even bear to finish.
I had also started watching TV obsessively, abandoning my phone and all the notifications on it.
I didn’t want to joke about Mr. Robert’s excessively large pants with my friends or about Disney’s new error on the latest cartoon with my nerd-o-toon Quora forum. I had become a kind of closeted spinster, mourning Alex’s disappearance.
I found myself looking at the pictures from when I came to live with Alex. He loved his pictures a lot, even getting phone camera photographs printed.
Currently, in his room, he had a life-size picture of me hanging opposite his bed. With a smile, I look at the picture frame by his bed, remembering the day I had come to live with him.
I didn’t love him, and I’ve always known this. My close friends do, too, but no stranger would be able to guess, with the way I take care of him.
He had never told me, and I had everything I wanted anyway so I never cared.
Until now, I’ve been feeling that my recent experiences are linked to my original life before I came to him, so I was hoping that he would be able to tell me some things and help me understand and cope with the changes, but now, he was nowhere to be found.
The reality of this sinks on once more and I turn my face into his bed, feeling small and lonely, like I’m 8 again.
Tristan’s POV:
I never knew silence could be miserable, until now, that is. I apologize in my mind to Molly for every time I mocked her or got irritated by her attempts to break the silence.
I already gave Mrs. Johnson the rundown of everything that had happened since I had met Fiona. She has been silent since then.
She suddenly speaks up “You have to tell her, you know?”
I sigh and run my palm over my face.
“Yeah, but how? How to do it without shocking her? I’ve watched her for a while and it’s very obvious that she doesn’t know a thing.”
Veronica gives me a look “I’ve watched her since she was twelve.”
Turns out I didn’t need to worry about her reaction, Veronica had known about Fiona for a long time now. She was keeping it a secret from Mr. Harrington, but the inner council knew all about it. She was some sort of low-key spy.
We have to find the time and place, then tell her; that she can make the decision herself.
I nod at this, and then I watch in dismay as Veronica’s face crumbles, and she starts to sob. I’m at a loss for actions so I stand up and just stand there awkwardly. I’ve never had to console a crying lady.
Molly would rather die than cry openly and I’ve never had a sister or stable girlfriend. I decided to just wait for the tears to come out. I hope she’ll stop soon enough.
My hope is confirmed later when she stops sobbing and starts to look around for something to wipe her face with.
I grab the pack of tissues on the table on the center table in the room and hand it to her. A quiet thank you and she busiest herself with wiping her face and nose clean.
“To be honest, I need help too. I can’t find my son. ”
I had noticed that the boy in the apron was nowhere around, Veronica had shut down the snack store and led me into the conjoined building so we could talk privately.
However, we had been talking about serious issues, so I didn’t have a chance to ask about him.
She tells me about how she woke up to find her son missing, all the efforts she had made, and how hopeless she felt about not being able to find him.
The problem is “I don’t know where to look, I don’t know if she ran away because she was mad or maybe something bad has happened to her.”
The last part of her statement is accompanied by a tremulous voice, evidence of her fear for her son’s welfare.
We decided to go to Fiona’s place together. She knows Veronica as her mother, so she’ll at least listen to her.
I called Molly as promised and asked her to update everyone about the recent updates of activities. Then Veronica gets ready, and we head out for the princess’ house, with my pulse drumming with excitement.
Fiona’s POV
There’s a thud at the front door. I know without checking that it’s Eleanor with that sound. She decided to announce her entrance that day every time now since mum left.
Sometimes, she slides off the ice, sometimes she just jumps at the door. I’m not sure what she hopes to achieve by that, but I’ve been telling her she’ll probably break something soon.
I lumber down l, shrugging on my jacket simultaneously. I snag a hair band off a stool near the door and throw my hair in a loop.
As I do this, the thought hits me that my roots will soon start to show. That reminds me of mum too much though, so I swerve over the thought and go to get the door.
Eleanor looks at my face searchingly, then finds whatever it is she is looking for, she pouts and hooks her arm in mine while looking around.
Ever since that Tristan incident, she has become increasingly paranoid, I’m not sure if she’s hoping he’ll show up or the opposite.
I disengage from her temporarily and lock the door then I turn, only to be knocked to the floor by a heavy force that then proceeds to overshadow me. “Hello, old friend I think,” resignedly, spitting bits of dirt from my mouth.
À hand pulls me upright, still shadowing me. Then I hear Tristan’s voice, low and urgent. “Stay behind me and don’t let yourself show, no matter what.”
I’m nodding before I realize he can’t even see me with his back to me. There’s a loud screech and something big and ugly rises into the sky.
Veronica then shows up. Her face is pretty serious.
“You need to come with us, Fiona.”
I nod, and then Eleanor says, standing from where she had also been knocked down by the flying creature “Then I’m going.”
Tristan immediately begins to shake his head. Eleanor’s face twists in annoyance and turns to me” Fiona?”
I wince and shake my head. I feel her hurt and disappointment before I see it on her face.
“Make sure to call me.”
I nod repeatedly at this, and she gives me a quick hug before heading back the way she had come before.