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Missing

Chapter 1: Beatrice

The air feels stale. The sky gray. As if the absence of Amelia affected the weather.

No one believed that Amelia ran away. She had no motive.

Her life is as perfect as Barbie. Where the dinner table is filled with laughs and discussions from school; a society which appreciates her personality and appearance; a loving boyfriend and parents…

No.

Not even her own boyfriend believes it.

As drops of rain slowly falls onto the ground, Carter’s BMW stops in front of me. I quickly toss the cigarette away and pop some breath mints into my mouth before entering the car.

“Didn’t know you smoked, Bea.” He smirks at me, though, it seemed hard for him to raise a smile with the puffs around his eyes.

“We’ve all got secrets, Carter.”

He scoffs as he begins to drive. “Then my girlfriend has more than with you and me combined.”

I sink lower in the seat, the seat where Amelia belongs, and I on the back. It has been days since Amelia… Disappeared… And the police could not care for more evidence that she didn’t run away.

We let Amelia’s voicemails playback in the car speakers. Some other evidence to come out of it. Even through countless playbacks, I still swallow the guilt. The tone of anger; her voice cracking from the lump forming in her throat as she sniffles.

Around the end of the voicemail, a faint pling of a notification sound is heard before she says, “I got to go.”

Through the speaker of my phone, it was hard to hear, but now…

I glance at Carter who has his eyebrows knotted while biting his lower lip.

“That didn’t sound like any of the social media apps that we use.” I say.

“I used to hear it often from my dad…”

It’s my turn to knot my brows. “But your dad—”

“Had an affair, yes.”

A deep breath exhales through Carter’s nose, his fingers turning white from the tight grip on the steering wheel.

“What are you suggesting..?” I ask.

“I don’t know yet, but I hope I’m wrong.”