9: Worries
Two days later and there’s still no sign of Camilla anywhere. Her friends and their parents are searching for her; Waylen has almost gone mad and Alpha Adan’s worry keeps increasing.
“I’m sorry sir but we still haven’t found her. She’s nowhere in the town,” Lucius says.
“Then search beyond the town. Have you checked the borders?” the alpha asks in a rough tone.
“No sir. We-”
“You said you haven’t found her but you haven’t even exhausted all the possibilities!” the alpha yells.
Lucius is somewhat startled. He always knew that the Gael family holds a precious place in his master’s heart but it never occurred to him that they were this important. Alpha Adan has a son but even he has never been given this kind of importance.
“Sir, you were the one who told us to hold off searching the borders,” says the head guard calmly.
“Oh, I see.” Alpha Adan clears his throat. “Well, in that case, I’m giving you permission to search wherever you like within our territory.”
“Alright sir,” Lucius says and leaves.
The alpha begins to pace his office. “Where could she be?” he wonders out loud. Deciding that something must have really gone amiss, he leaves his office and makes his way to the Gael family’s home.
~~`~
“She’s still not back, isn’t it?” Mrs. Bradford comments when she sees a hopeless Waylen sprawled on one of the armchairs.
Lacking the strength to talk, he shakes his head.
“But this is unlike her. Why would she disappear like this?” Mrs. Bradford says as she takes a seat on the sofa nearest to him.
“And for this length of time too. At most, she should have been back yesterday morning,” says Serah. She lets her back lean flatter on the wall. Kylie is the only other quiet one in the room.
Their mother pats Waylen on the head gently. “It doesn’t seem like you’ve eaten anything,” she says. He shakes his head and she replies, “What’s that?”
Sighing, he forces himself to talk. “I’ve eaten. Thanks.” As if to protest, his stomach rumbles loudly and his cheeks go red as the twins’ mother lets out a laugh.
“Oh, dear. I’m glad we brought you some sandwiches,” she says. Reaching out her hand, she takes the lunch bag they came with and begins to bring out the food. Waylen shakes his head.
“Oh no, you don’t. I know our dear Camilla hasn’t been found but I’m not about to let you starve. You’re already worrying,” Mrs. Bradford says in an authoritative tone.
“I’m not hungry.” His jaw ticks.
“Oh please shut up,” they hear Serah say. “Even an animal can see that you haven’t eaten since the day you found your sister’s room empty. I know you love her but so do we and I doubt she’ll want to come back to a corpse.”
“And I don’t think I want to start explaining how you died,” Kylie chimes.
“Enough, both of you,” their mother says, trying to hide her chuckle. She faces him. “But on a more serious note though, they’re right. You might fall sick if you continue this way and Camilla wouldn’t like that.”
“But what the women are saying is true, Waylen,” Kendrick says.
‘I don’t think I care about anyone’s opinion,’ Waylen snaps.
“Just eat the fucking sandwich and get this over with. Like you and everyone here knows, Camilla will be more annoyed than worried if you fall sick because of your stubbornness.”
Waylen hisses and sits up. Though he has very little appetite, what Kendrick said struck a nerve. Especially since he knows it’s true.
One bite of the chicken sandwich and his stomach flips into happy knots. It feels like his mouth barely remembered what food tastes like. Before long, Waylen devours the entire sandwich.
“Don’t chew too fast so that you don’t choke on it,” Mrs. Bradford says with a smile, happy that he finally has something in his system.
He takes a gulp of water from the water bottle they brought with them.
“When all this is over, don’t forget to thank this woman for saving us from extinction,” Kendrick says.
‘Remind me to do that.’
“Thanks,” he says reluctantly but gratefully.
Now with a full stomach, he can go back to brooding.
The doorbell goes off. All four in the living room exchange glances, wondering who will answer the door.
“I’ll do it,” Serah says in annoyance when she sees no one is ready to move a muscle.
“Love you,” her mother says and blows her a kiss.
She soon comes back with Alpha Adan behind her, walking in long strides.
“Good afternoon, sir,” Mrs. Bradford and Kylie greet in unison, jumping up from their seats.
“Oh, that’s not necessary. Hello ladies. How are you?” he responds with a safe smile.
“We’re doing well, sir. Thank you,” Mrs. Bradford replies and sits down, so does Kylie while Serah goes back to her leaning position on the wall.
“How is he doing?” Alpha Adan asks, giving Waylen a sad look.
“He’s taking everything terribly. He was barely able to eat today,” Mrs. Bradford answers.
Taking a seat on the center table, Alpha Adan stares at Waylen’s sprawled figure. “I came to ask you a few things,” he says to the young man.
“Sure,” Waylen manages to respond.
“The day before your sister went missing, that’s her birthday, did anything out of the ordinary happen?” the alpha asks.
“Anything like what?”
“I mean was there any quarrel? Did she have any visible feelings of nostalgia? Was she sad?”
“None of those, at least not while I was around,” Waylen says.
“Naturally, she must have felt a little sad since Orson and Emily weren’t there,” Mrs. Bradford says.
“Yes, but it wouldn’t have been enough for her to exhibit this kind of behavior again. I had already warned her against it,” Alpha Adan replies.
A memory flashes through his mind, making Waylen sit up hastily. “Something did happen,” he says, and tells them how she ran away when she saw him at his workplace that day.
On hearing that, Alpha Adan abruptly stands up and leaves