Chapter 62
Maple
@RubyRoccsVox, TikTok
Me, I love that tattoo, but Selena Hart would have hated it, don’t you think? Tainting her sweet little girl with black ink like that? Maybe that’s what they were fighting about on the night she left #findElla
I stare into the mirror of my vanity and wonder about going back to bed.
But I’m not sure I even have the energy to do that.
Since that video call with Coco two days ago, I’ve barely done anything.
I make food I can’t eat, spend hours in bed but can’t sleep.
I scroll through my phone without even noticing the content.
All I can think about is Coco’s words. And how her sympathy somehow made it all worse.
I found your image on some of those sites, Maple. I’m so sorry.
When this was about Ella, I felt sick. Now that it’s about me, I want to die.
I drop my eyeline, catch my forehead in the heels of my hands. My phone is glowing beneath me, never far away, like a conscience, always judging. And even though I hate it right now, I pick it up.
There are thousands of comments, and hundreds of messages.
But they’re not about Ella now; people want to talk about me instead.
How I’m a liar, aura farming, a heartless bitch for exposing Ella’s shameful secret.
And the thing is, they’re right. I deserve their hate.
Because now I know that I’ve been abused in the same way Ella has, I can’t bear the thought of a single person knowing.
Still on autopilot, I scan my message requests from people I don’t follow. It’s more of the same, but then one handle catches my eye. Brandoninthesky.
The guy who said he knows where Ella is.
I open the message, expecting something equally cryptic and unhelpful. But this one is different.
Hello Maple, I’m sorry it’s been a while since my YouTube comment.
I had started to question whether the girl I see at my favorite bar is the same one you’re looking for.
But I had a eureka moment during your most recent show, because I recognized her tattoo.
I seem to have caught the sleuth bug too, because the next time I saw her, I followed her home. So now I have her address as well.
However, that’s the good news. The bad news is that your friend is not in a good way. I don’t want to say too much – this is Ella’s story to tell, not mine – but I believe she is being mistreated by an abusive man. And I’m worried that, as a man, she would not trust me if I tried to help her.
Sadly, the police won’t get involved because she’s an adult.
And it’s clear that her parents are lying to protect themselves, so I wouldn’t advise you contacting them.
My suggestion therefore is that you come here.
I will take you to Ella, and you can tell her about your show, and how much everyone wants to see her safe.
I think you might be the only person who can persuade Ella that she deserves better.
Ella is living in Las Vegas, in a rough neighborhood close to downtown.
There are direct buses from Provo into Vegas, and the journey takes approximately seven hours.
If you let me know which bus you get on, I can pick you up from Bonneville Transit Center – it’s the downtown stop.
Meet me at the circular seating area underneath the clock.
I think what you’re doing for Ella is amazing. She’s lucky to have you looking out for her.
See you soon, Brandon
Wow. I blink. Read the message again. Take a photo, then delete it from TikTok – I don’t want Mom seeing this. A man suggesting I cross the state border.
But Ella is in Vegas – the same place I modeled. While I was dreaming about being rich and famous, she was alone and desperate.
Brandon sounds so certain that I will come, so efficient with his bus timetable and pick-up plans.
But isn’t it a crazy idea? I rub my eyes.
Shit, I’m so tired. I want to help Ella, and I owe her now, for sure.
But going to Vegas by myself, meeting up with a guy I don’t know?
Brandon could be a psycho, a pedo. This whole story could be pure fantasy, just a way to lure me to Vegas so he can do whatever he wants with me.
I look down at my phone again. I should tell Dylan.
We’re a team; that’s what he said. But he’ll insist on coming to Vegas with me, to look out for me.
And Dylan is a man, or almost one, and Brandon thinks a guy would scare Ella off.
If we lost our chance to save her, then it would be my fault for not being brave enough to go it alone.
Brandon is right that the police won’t care. And Ella’s parents are willing to lie about their daughter rather than see her safe.
I think you might be the only person who can persuade Ella that she deserves better.
Maybe Brandon’s right.
And more than that, maybe Ella is the only person who can save me.