Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
"What? What happened to Magnolia?"
"She's dead," I say bluntly.
For the first time since mom died, I see Sissy get a warmth across her face that is so very rare it almost looks unnatural. She tried not to like my mom, but over the years, she grew on her, and Sissy ended up getting close with her. When she died, she wasn't living in the area, but she didn't take it well. The only time I've ever seen Sissy cry is at my mother's funeral.
She still seems to adore hating me, though.
"What....what happened?" Sissy whispers.
"We're tryin' to figure that out," Alarick tells her, his voice a little kinder now. "We don't know, but she got wrapped up in some bad shit and got herself into trouble."
"I know a few of her friends. We were hanging with the same group for a while. Do you want me to ask some of them if they know anything?"
"It can't hurt."
I can't fault Sissy for trying to help. Any extra information right now is something.
"She was staying with a friend for a few weeks in between finding a new place and staying with that guy she was seeing. I think some of her stuff is still there. Do you want me to take you there?"
I look to Alarick. "I'll go and have a look. I'm more likely to know what's Magnolia's and what isn't."
Sissy stares at me like she's about to protest, but I put my hand up. "I know you don't like me, Sissy, and I don't care if I'm honest, but I just lost the only person I had left. I'd appreciate if you can at least try to bite your tongue while we do this. You don't have to like me, but I know you liked Mag's, and I know you're not completely dead inside."
She scowls at me but doesn't say anything, which tells me that even though she wants to speak, she knows I'm right and is smart enough to keep her mouth closed.
"Let's go then," she finally says.
I glance at Alarick and smile at him. He steps forward, taking my cheek in his big hand and kissing my forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," I say softly. "Feeling perfectly normal."
"If you have any pain..."
"It's okay. I'm okay. I'll see you soon, okay?"
He nods and steps back, and I turn and follow Sissy out to her car. We get inside, and the entire drive to her friend's house is silent. What is there to say? We hate each other and have never had a decent conversation in our lives. It's not about to start now.
We arrive at the house, and Sissy goes right in as if she owns the place. There is a girl there, young, pretty, working on a laptop. She looks up when Sissy comes in and smiles, "Sissy! Hey! I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing here?"
"We were wondering if any of Magnolia's stuff is still here, I'm sure you heard the news. We're trying to find out what happened."
The girl shakes her head, confused. "What news?"
Sissy makes her a face a little less tight when she tells the girl, "Magnolia is dead."
"What?" The girl gasps. "What happened?"
"That's what we're trying to find out. This is Magnolia's sister Briella. Can we look at her stuff?"
The girl stands, nodding. "Of course, right this way."
We follow her down the hall and into the room where there are a few boxes packed up in the corner. "She packed all of this up when she was leaving, I'm not sure what's in there, she said she was coming to get it but never did so I just kept it here."
"Thank you," I say, smiling at her. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name?"
"I'm Sheridan. You can call me Sherry. I'm so sorry to hear about Magnolia. So sorry."
I smile weakly at her. "If you don't mind, I might be here a while looking through this stuff if that's okay?"
"Sure, take your time. Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Sure, thank you so much."
Sherry disappears, and I walk into the room, my heart aching knowing that once, Magnolia had been in here, probably happy, living her best life. I swallow back my tears and glance down at the box in front of me. Sissy walks in behind me, surprising me when she takes a box and sits on the floor, opening the tape with her fingernail.
I do the same.
I'm not sure what I'm hoping to find here, I'm just hoping something might give me an idea of what was going on in her life before she went missing. Was she in some sort of danger? Was she seeing someone? The last guy I spoke to claimed they didn't see each other anymore, so was there someone else? There are so many unanswered questions.