Chapter 3
906 Words
Elara’s POV
The apartment was really quiet.
I was sitting on the couch in the living room all curled up under a blanket. The lamp in the room was making shadows on the walls.
Ravencroft City was already dark outside. The city lights were shining through our windows.
My Mum was not home yet.
I looked at the clock. It was 8:47 PM. I was holding my phone really tight.
My Mum should have been home before now. Although, she sometimes works late especially when the Blackthorne Empire has events or meetings but she always called me.
Always. Even if it is for a few seconds. She says things like "I will be late" or "do not wait up for me" or "eat something" but tonight I had not heard from her at all.
I called her again. The phone just kept ringing. Then it went to voicemail. I heard her recorded voice saying "Hi this is Lila Voss. I am not available now….."
I stopped the call. My chest was hurting. This was the time I had called her in the last two hours. No answer, no text, no nothing.
I moved a little on the couch. It hurt my stomach. I had cramps. I curled forward. Pressed my hand on my stomach. I was breathing slowly trying to deal with the pain.
My Mum usually makes me tea when I have cramps. She heats up one of those lavender bags that she says helps with the pain but she was not here till this time.
I was trying not to think about it. I could not help it. I looked at the kitchen and everything looked normal. Her coffee mug was in the sink and her scarf was on the chair.
I could still smell her perfume. It all felt wrong. The silence was really scary. I grabbed my phone and called her again. It went to voicemail again then I angrily threw my phone on the couch.
"What is going on Mum?" I said, my voice shaking.
The city lights were blurry. I blinked. I did not want to cry, not yet. Maybe her phone battery died, maybe she stopped somewhere after work or maybe the traffic was bad.
Then I thought about the Blackthorne Estate and my stomach hurt more.
Did she have to go?? She looked really nervous that morning. She kept checking her phone and she had an expression on her face.
She said it was just work stress but it felt like something more. Then I got really scared. The Blackthornes are scary.
Not in a way. They are just really unsettling, especially Vivian Blackthorne.
She is elegant and beautiful and powerful. She is also really cold. I never feel comfortable around her. It feels like she is always studying people. Like every smile she gives is hiding something.
Damon...My chest felt weird when I thought about him.
I had not seen him in Years. He is just really confident and quiet. He has sharp eyes. He is controlled,. You can tell there is violence underneath.
All the girls in the Blackthorne Estate love him. I can see why.
He is part of a world that is too dark for me. A world my Mum always protected me from. So why was I thinking about him?
Another cramp hit me and I bent forward holding the couch. The pain was bad.
I was exhausted. I was emotional. I was getting really anxious. I reached for the heating pad. Pressed it on my stomach.
I stared at the city skyline. It was 9:26 PM. Still no word from my Mum and the silence was killing me.
Every little sound made me jump. The fridge was humming. Cars were passing outside. The elevator was moving.
I hated this feeling. I hated not knowing what was going on.
So I grabbed the remote. Turned on the TV. The noise filled the room.
There were news anchors and commercials and debates.
I was not really paying attention because my mind was somewhere else. I was casually scrolling through channels, then I saw a breaking news banner. My thumb stopped moving.
It said "Fatal Highway Collision on East Ravencroft Expressway".
Something cold went down my spine. They showed footage of a car crash and the car was on fire.
There were police cars and ambulances. Then they showed the license plate. It was my Mum’s car.
I stopped breathing. “No. This is not happening!!. I muttered.
The remote fell from my hand. I stared at the screen. The reporter was talking but I couldn’t hear what she was saying anymore.
I felt numb. I whispered "no". Tears blurred my vision.
I quickly grabbed my phone and called my Mum’s line again. It rang. Then a police officer answered, "Hello?"
I felt like something broke inside me. I was crying uncontrollably. "M-Mum?" I said.
The officer paused. Then he spoke softly. "Miss, who is this?"
I could not breathe. My chest hurt. "That is my Mum’s phone..." I mumbled. There was silence. Then the officer spoke again. The silence before he spoke told me everything.
The cramps in my stomach got worse. I was panicking. Grief was exploding inside me. "Oh God..." I was crying uncontrollably.
The apartment felt empty. "She can not be dead " I whispered.
Deep down I knew, somewhere, somehow, someone had just taken away the only person I loved.
- Writer
