I See You

I hadn’t seen Alice in over a week and I was starting to worry. I didn’t know exactly where she lived and if I did I would’ve gone there a few days back. I saw her brother around for a few days but he disappeared three days ago. He hadn’t been to school since and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. I had been so scattered since she left my house in a huge rush to get back to, her horrible life. I walk into the office ready to ask them about it.

“Hello, I have a report to file about someone I know in the school that is having family issues and is too scared to come forward.” I smile at the school secretary who is an older Asian woman. She looks at me and her slit eyes widen slightly.

“Go back and talk to your counselor right away.” I smile and walk back further into the office and toward my counselor’s room. I knock lightly and Mrs. Cinemas opens the door smiling.

“Hello Josh, how can I help you?” She walks away and I sit down across from her closing the door behind me.

“I have a friend that hasn’t showed up to school in the last few days and I know for a fact that her family doesn’t treat her the way she should be treated.” I look down at my hands, I feel sort of like I’m betraying Alice but what else should I do. I am worried about her and I just wanted to know she was ok.

“You know that her family doesn’t treat her right? Meaning what exactly?” She leans forward on her desk.

“Meaning that she was at my house the other week with possibly broken ribs from her family, she didn’t want me to tell anyone but now I’m worried.” My voice falters slightly and I shake my head looking up at Mrs. Cinemas.

“And what is this student’s name?” She pulls out a pen and paper ready to write it down. I take a deep breath feeling like I shouldn’t be doing this but I’m more worried.

“Alice ‘Feather’ Johnson.” I say her nick name just in case it helps at all. She writes it down and writes what I said about her family before walking out and telling me to stay where I was. She comes back a few minutes later with the principle and the school cop.

“Please tell them what you told me about Alice.” I nod my head and start telling them what Alice had told me and what I had recently told the lady standing right behind me. Both the principle and cop tell me that they will look into it. I leave feeling slightly bad but more relieved than anything.

A week later and I had found out what happened to Alice Johnson. She was a shot and killed but before she was apparently beaten violently. I immediately blame her family regardless of if it was someone else. Her brother disappeared right after they guessed her time of death was. The cops were after her family and they school was holding a memorial service for her today. I sat in the bleaches with the other kids that looked like they were only there to get out of class. I felt like I was the only one that cared and the only one that knew her. I was the only one that saw her.