Colby
It has been five agonizing days since Sally vanished into thin air. I’m still reeling from the shock of her disappearance. She was last seen leaving my room, and neither her roommate nor I have seen her since. I’ve scoured every corner of the campus, searched her room, and even questioned her roommate thoroughly, but there’s no sign of her.
Her roommate’s words still echo in my mind: “She came in, grabbed a bag, and left without saying a word.” I’m consumed by worry, and the uncertainty is suffocating.
Allison’s tears have become a daily ritual, while Yvonne’s silence is a ticking time bomb. Although she hasn’t posted the video yet, her anger and resentment towards Sally are obvious.
I was torn between feelings of guilt and anger. Why did Sally keep her secret from us? Why did she feel the need to hide her true self? The fact that everyone now knows she can talk seems irrelevant; what matters is that she’s gone, and we have no idea if she’s safe.
Even her mom, Stella, is frantic with worry. The silence from Sally’s end is deafening, and it’s as if she’s ceased to exist. I’m desperate to find her, to know that she’s okay, but the days are ticking by, and the silence is only growing louder.
That Saturday morning, our household was shrouded in an atmosphere of despair. Stella stood before us, tears streaming down her face like a lamentation.
“It’s my fault,” she sobbed, her voice cracking with anguish. “I shouldn’t have come. If only I hadn’t… maybe she wouldn’t be gone.” Her words trailed off, lost in a sea of regret.
My dad’s gentle tone cut through the silence. “Stella, you haven’t told us anything yet. Did you know Sally could talk? Why did you let us believe she was mute? Aren’t you her birth mother? The real reason why she left in the first place is because of this secret!”
Stella’s eyes dropped, her shoulders sagging under the weight of unspoken secrets.
Allison’s voice trembled as she wiped away tears. “This is not the time for all these, please. We need to find her. How do we do that, Jerry?”
Jayden’s soft sigh was a poignant counterpoint to Allison’s distress. He wrapped his arms around Allison, offering a comforting presence.
I stepped forward, a sense of determination coursing through me. “We should file a missing person’s report. Let’s go to the police and- Gosh! What if she never returns like my mom! That darn woman.”
“Your mom left because she was diagnosed with cancer,” Dad said abruptly, his voice laced with a mix of sadness and regret. “She left because she couldn’t bear the thought of you kids watching her die. She thought it was better for you to remember her alive, rather than witness her succumb to the disease.”
My eyes widened in shock, my mind reeling from the revelation. Yvonne’s eyes were fixed on our father, her expression a mask of stunned silence.
But then, without warning, Yvonne’s face crumpled, and she burst into loud, racking sobs. My gaze remained fixed on his father, my mouth agape in shock.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded, his voice shaking with emotion. “Why did you keep this from me all these years? I thought she was alive… I thought she had abandoned us.”
My Dad’s eyes filled with tears as he apologized.
“I’m so sorry, Colby. I thought it was better if you kids forgot about her. I didn’t want you to spend your lives thinking about her death.”
My eyes blazed with anger and hurt. “But you made us think about why she left!”
“Where is she buried?” Yvonne asked, her voice cracking with emotion.
Dad hesitated before answering.
Just then, Allison’s mom intervened, her voice firm but gentle. “I think we’ve heard enough for today. Let’s leave you all to process this.”
She quickly ushered Allison and Jayden out of the room, leaving us, the family, to grapple with the weight of their emotions.
As I stood there, my dad asked, “If you could see your mom, would you want to?”
I looked down, my voice barely above a whisper. “No, I don’t think I can.” My words faltered, my emotions overwhelming me.
Dad tried to comfort me, saying, “Everything is alright, son.”
But my pain was too raw. I pulled out a ring, my eyes welling up with tears, and stood up abruptly. “I need to leave. I can’t stay here any longer.”
Dad tried to reach out to me, but I pushed him away, shutting the door behind me.
I walked down the road, my feet carrying me forward without purpose or direction. My mind was a jumbled mess of emotions – sadness, worry, and frustration swirling together in a toxic storm.
As the rain began to fall, I didn’t flinch. I stood in the downpour, letting the water wash over me, wishing it could cleanse me of my pain. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with the rain. My frustration boiled over, and I screamed, “Fuck it! Fuck it all!” my voice echoing through the empty streets.
As I stood there, drenched in the rain, I felt a sudden jolt. Someone had come up behind me and wrapped their arms around my waist, holding me in a tight grip. I was taken aback, but as I looked down at the hands holding me, I felt a spark of recognition.
The touch, the feel of their skin against mine, it all reminded me of Sally. I whispered her name, my voice barely audible over the sound of the rain.
The person released their grip, and I spun around, my heart racing. That’s when I saw her Sally, standing in front of me, a soft smile on her face.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice trembling with emotion. “We… We have been looking everywhere for you. I should I actually. I have been looking for you everywhere!”
Sally’s smile faltered for a moment, but then she stepped closer, her eyes locked on mine. She rose onto her tiptoes, and I felt her lips brush against mine. I was caught off guard, but I didn’t care. I kissed her back, deeply, passionately, losing myself in the moment.
For a fleeting instant, I wondered if this was all just a dream or my hallucination, but I didn’t care. I was too busy savoring the feel of Sally’s lips on mine, the taste of her, the warmth of her body against mine.