Chapter 66
I’m the first to make it to study hall. Sitting at our usual table my leg bounces non stop.
Morella and Rafe walk through the door together and then Archer steps in soon after.
I perk my head up waiting for someone to tell me they’ve heard from her.
Or better yet, for her to walk through the door after them.
Rafe texted the group chat and said he called her and she asked for some time alone but no one said anything after that.
Everyone takes their seats at the table.
All of us watch the door but when the bell rings and she doesn’t show we all look to one another.
“So has anyone heard from her?” I ask, my leg still bouncing furiously.
“Not since I called her.” Rafe replies.
Morella shakes her head and Archer says no. This is ridiculous. Why hasn’t she come back to school? Liv never misses school. She is at the top of the school right there with Rafe. I don’t like this at all.
“She asked for some space, maybe we should just give it to her.” Morella says softly.
“Space?” I nearly shout. “She’s had enough damn space! She’s been gone since lunch!” I stand abruptly, my chair falling over behind me. “Fuck this I’m going to look for her.”
“Mr. St John!”
I slam the door open and walk out into the bright sunlight. I throw my sunglasses on and head for the school parking lot. Behind me I hear fast footsteps approaching.
“I’m not going back to class.” I say over my shoulder.
“Wasn’t going to ask you to.” Rafe jogs up to my left and matches pace with me. “We can take my car.” He tells me.
I nod silently.
We reach Rafe's suv and hop in. I don’t bother buckling my seat belt. I don't want anything in my way when we find her. We drive around school first since we’re right here. Once we make a loop, we pull back up to the parking lot and spot Morella and Archer just about to leave the parking lot.
“Anything?” Morella asks through the window.
“Nothing.” Rafe tells her, his arm resting out on the window. “We’re gonna head towards the cemetery.”
Morella nods. “Ok. We will stop by her house first.”
“Good idea.” He tells her.
My nerves are grating. All this chatting is taking too long. My grip on the door handle tightens and I breathe deeply through my nose.
“Enough chit chat!” I finally snap. My fist slamming down on the center console. "Let's go!” I shout.
I can tell Rafe wants to scold me, but he decides to let it go and pulls away from Morella and Archer.
We drive faster than we should down the long windy road that leads to the cemetery.
We drive down the short road to the parking lot, wait a moment and scan the area then pull back out.
We drive down the other side of the cemetery then pull over.
We’re staring out the windows at the forest behind the old church.
“Do you think she would be out there? Rafe asks, rubbing his hand along his jaw.
I shake my head, leaning on the dash, looking out the front window in the same direction. “No.” I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Archer's number.
“Yeah?” He sounds hopeful.
“She’s not here.” I tell them. “You guys didn’t find her?” I ask but it’s pointless. I already know they didn’t.
“No. We went by her house but Charlie said she hadn’t been home.” He tells us.
I sigh and run one hand through my hair, tugging at it. My head snaps up with a thought. “Has anyone called Evan?”
“He didn’t answer.” Morella says. “So, we’re going to head to the rink and see if she’s there.”
Rafe is already putting the car in drive and turning around. He steps on the gas and gravel is tossed around behind the suv hitting the fence, sending high pitched pings through the air.
“We’re on our way.” I tell them and hang up.
Rafe pulls into the parking lot of the Ice Forum and pulls right up to the front steps. He doesn’t pull into a parking stall. We both jump out and jog up the steps. Morella's car was parked outside but they must already be inside looking around.
Once inside Rita tries to greet us but we bypass her in our rush to get answers. We push through the double doors to the rink and spot Morella and Archer talking to Evan near a back door across one of the rinks. Rafe and I bolt around the rink and run to the group.
“I don’t have my phone on me. I'm sorry. What’s up?” Evan says as we reach them.
“We haven’t seen Liv since lunch.”Archer starts.
“Someone posted a bunch of stuff about Rissa’s death all over campus.” Morella fills in.
Evan flinches, like the words physically hit him.
“Rissa’s death? Why?” He asks.
I can’t believe we are sitting here hashing out details. Where the fuck is my girl?!
“Have you heard from her or not?!” I shout and everyone goes silent.
Evan looks from me to the others and shakes his head. “No, but I’ll go check my phone.” He drops the trash bag he was holding and shoves passed us.
We all turn and follow behind him. He makes his way to the door label “Staff Only”. We all follow inside, not caring about their space right now. Evan goes to a small square locker and opens it, pulling out his phone. He scrolls through his notification. “Nothing.”
He lifts his phone to his ear and waits. His tapping foot makes soft noises every time it hits the thin carpet.
“Damn it.” He pulls the phone away from his ear. “She didn’t answer.” He taps on his screen some more. “She’s at the cemetery.”
“No she’s not. We were just there.” Rafe tells him.
Evan shows us his screen. It shows a map with a small green dot at the cemetery. “Yes, she is.”
“We didn’t see her though.” Rafe says, more like he’s thinking out loud.
“Well this is where her location shows, so that’s where I’m going. You can fuck off for all I care but I’m going to find my best friend.” He slams his locker shut and storms passed us.
“Evan, wait!” Morella calls after him. She’s the first out of the door after him but I’m close behind. Archer and Rafe follow after.
“There’s room in the suv.” Rafe tells him, pulling his keys from his pocket. Evan nods at him and we all pile into the suv.
We race down the street back to the cemetery. Morella has asked Rafe to slow down a little but I’m with him. We need to get to Liv NOW. It’s been too long for anyone to not have heard from her. She didn’t even pick up when Evan called.
Rafe skids into the parking lot and I jump out. My door left wide open. Evan barrels out after me and we start scanning the grounds.
“LIV!” Evan shouts. I look at him for a moment and do the same.
I cup my hands around my mouth and shout her name. “LIV!”
“OLIVIA!” Morella shouts.
We start to fan out, scouring the grounds. I’m looking for anything. Broken branches she may have walked on. A glimpse of her beautiful auburn hair peeking out from behind a gravestone that she may be hiding behind. Anything.
“Come on Princess, where are you?” I mumble to myself. I stop and look around. At my friends searching for her. At the empty grounds of the cemetery. At the emptiness her absence is causing. Where is she? And then a thought strikes. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call her.
I pull the phone from my ear once I hear the call connect on the other end and I listen.
I listen to every little noise around me for the sound of her ringtone.
I walk slowly, doing my best to not make a sound.
The call goes to voicemail so I hang up and call again.
I keep walking slowly, listening and finally I hear something.
I stop and listen, my eyes closed, concentrating on the sound.
Her ringtone. I hear it. My eyes shoot open and my head snaps up.
My gaze lands on the doors of the abandoned church.
The ring is coming from inside. I end the call and call again and rush to the door.
Once inside the ring is louder. There is a light at the back of the church, near one of the broken windows.
It’s coming from the opening to the catacombs. Her ringer echoing out of the archway.
I rush over and look into the stairwell. Her ringtone is louder now and the light is much brighter. I shut the call off and turn on my flashlight on my phone. I hurry down the steps until I stumble over something.
I kneel down and inspect the mass more closely.
I find auburn hair spilling over the floor and my heart leaps into my throat.
I reach out and gently rotate the body so I can see the face.
It’s Liv. My stomach falls. My throat constricts as I scan down her body and see she is unconscious.
My eyes keep trailing until they land on her wrist. It’s leaking blood.
“No, no no.” I set my phone down and I fall completely to my knees. “Princess?” I pull her into my lap and look for signs of breathing but it’s hard to tell in the dark. My eyes are starting to sting. “Please stay with me baby.”
I’m rocking her back and forth, pulling her into me.
“No, no no. You’re ok. You’re ok.” Tears spill down my cheeks as I look her over more and I find her other wrist sliced open.
“Noooo!” My voice breaks and chokes on the wail.
“You can’t leave me.” I cry into her hair.
I hold her to me so tight, as if I could get her to wake up if she just hears me. If she just feels me here, holding her.
I take a raggedy, deep breath and look around me.
I just see darkness. My whole body shakes as I cling to Liv.
“Raaafe!” I shout. “Princess please, please don’t do this to me.
” I’m pleading with her as her hair clings to my tear stained cheeks.
I pull one of her wrists to my lips and kiss it.
My hand now covered in blood. “RAFE!” I shout again.
“Help me..” I whisper into the darkness. I kiss her again. “ARCHER! MORELLA!” I’m screaming. For anyone. I shake her, I pull at her shirt as I bring her closer into me. I’ve fallen back into a sitting position now, Liv still to my chest as I rock her back and forth.
I finally hear footsteps pounding down the steps towards me and then a scream. Morella falls to her knees in front of us. She tries to pull Liv away from my chest but I scream out, tears crashing down my face. “Help me!” I yell.
“What happened?” someone whispers.
“Is she ok?” Morella asks through tears of her own, a trembling hand reaching out to us.
“We need to call an ambulance,” someone else says.
“No. It’ll be too slow.” Someone reaches down and tries to take her from me. I scream out and pull away.
“Silas! SILAS!” I open my eyes to see Rafe in front of me, his hands on Liv. “She needs to go to a hospital. Either give her to me or carry her out of here. Either way we need to go now.”
Through broken sobs I somehow find the will to stand. No one is taking her from me. I climb the stairs and head straight for the suv. Rafe and the other guys run past me to open doors and start the car. Morella stays with me, her cries wrapping around me like a vice.
“Is she breathing?” She whispers.
I don’t know how to tell her that she might not be. I don’t know how to tell her that her wrists are slit. I don’t know if she saw them.
“Silas, why are you bleeding?” She asks.
“I’m not.” The words come out broken and strained.
When I reach the car Archer offers to take Liv but I just brush past him and climb in.
Evan is already in the very back, Archer climbs in after me and Morella sits up front but she doesn’t face forward.
Rafe pulls out of the parking lot before the doors are even closed.
Morella calls the hospital on the way and explains what’s happening.
She asks me what happened, so she can tell the person on the other end but all I can do is show her Liv's wrist. Morella chokes on a cry and finally turns around.
She does her best to tell them and then she goes quiet.
We reach the emergency room and my door is yanked open. Medical staff reach in to pull Liv from my arms and I fight them. “No!” I pull away from them, holding on to her for dear life. “You can’t!” I yell.
“Silas stop!” Archer has a hold of one arm. “Theyre going to help her! You need to let go!”
Arms wrap around my shoulders from behind. “Let her go, she needs help.” Evan tells me as he holds me down.
I still fight. I bury my face in her neck and cry. I can’t lose her.
“Silas, you have to let them help.” Morella's voice is so small and broken. I look up and see her blood shot, red rimmed eyes staring back at me.
My face crumples, lips pulling inward as they quiver, the muscles in my cheeks flutter with every broken breath.
I release my grip, slowly at first. Then I finally let them take her.
I watch as they put her lifeless body on a stretcher and wheel her inside.
As the doors close my heart finally shatters.