Missing

The Funeral and Trouble?

The week dragged on and on but Saturday eventually came. It was the day of the funeral, it was a grim day and the weather reflected it. Everyone that attended the funeral wore black and more than half the town came to show their respects. Camren, Maple, Lauren, Kayla, and Jay all sat in the front row. They were seated by Lia's parents. It was a nice funeral. The speaker said very nice things about Lia and most of the people that attended got to say their piece about their friend. They mainly said that she would be dearly missed.

When the funeral was finished and Lia was buried the four girls met in front of the church doors. It was then they got their final text of the day and the same text was sent to all of them. They read the message at the same time.

"It's not over. I'm still here bitches and I know everything."-L

Sunday came quickly and by evening Maple was in her room working on some homework when suddenly the doorbell rings. Maple headed out of her room to answer it and at the door was a man in a police officer uniform. She says hello, "What do you want?"

"Are you Miss Maple de Nile?" the man said.

"Yes," she answered.

"Get your parents please."

"Dad!" she hollers out into the hallway, "Come in here please."

Her father, the mummy, and her sister Nora come to the door standing behind Maple. He asks the man what is going on. The man says that he's taking his daughter into custody. Nora smirks and her father demands to know why as the man turns Maple around and handcuffs her.

"Your daughter has stolen a pair of sunglasses and bangles from the Mall a few days ago. More will be explained down at the station."

Outside the policeman forces her into the back of his squad car.

"Hey! Watch the hair!" Maple says.

Nora and her father follow the squad car all the way to the police station. The station was dingy and had dim lighting. In the corner by the front desk was a broken soda machine and a broken snack machine. Maple was taken immediately into the interrogation room and unhandcuffed. She crosses her arms across her chest and pouts. Her father joins his daughter and the officer in the room soon. He moans angrily at Maple(How could you steal sunglasses and stupid bangles? I raised you better than that!)

"Oh my Ra! It's my life! I'm royalty, I deserved them!" Maple insisted, "It was no big deal!"

The mummy asks what will happen to Maple.

"Well since it's her first offense I might be able to let her off with a warning. But she won't be allowed back at that kiosk or surrounding stores though," the police officer said, "If you want sir, we can keep your daughter here overnight."

Her father moans again and says that it won't be necessary, that Maple is in serious trouble and grounded for a month. The officer says that he'll release her to his care then and that she's now allowed to go home.

"Listen, young lady," the officer warns, "Any more funny business and you will be locked here in a cell for three days."

"Fine," Maple says, "Just let me leave."

The long car ride home was unbearable. Nora kept making snide remarks toward Maple, and her father said that she wasn't allowed to do anything for the next year. Maple knew though that her father didn't really mean a year, he probably just meant a month or six weeks at the most. At home, though Maple was ordered to her room, she changed into her pajamas and crashed onto her bed. Her phone began to ring again and she hoped it was Lauren. It was a text though, it read:

"Be careful Maple. I heard prison food makes you fat."-L

This got on Maple's nerves and she was almost about to slam her phone against her bedroom wall when the phone rang again, this time it was Lauren.

"I'm fine Lauren, just got back from the police station though...Don't say I told you so! I'm already getting that from my sister and dad...Leave me alone!" and Maple hangs up her phone.

Nora enters her little sister's room and leans against the doorway.

"What do you want Nora?"

"I just thought you want to know how you're going to pay off your debt to society," she smirks.

"How?"

"Dad wants you to work in the school's cafeteria until you earn money for what you stole. And what you're going to do for me is to be my slave for the next week."

"I'll never be your slave!"

"You don't have a choice, little sis. You will be," and Nora walks out laughing to herself.

Maple keeps up and slams her door closed. Her cell phone rings one last time that night. It's from L again, saying that if Maple doesn't watch it she will lose all her friends. She then turns on her nightlight and turns out the bedroom light and tries to get a good night's sleep.

The next day Maple got up and got dressed for school. Nora had already left and her father was in the kitchen. He asks her when Mark is coming to pick her up, Maple says that Mark will be there in any minute. Maple gives her father a big hug and looks at him with wide puppy-dog monster eyes.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. Am I still in trouble?"

He mutters yes but that he is not as mad as her today as he was last night. He asks if Maple wants to go to school since the news of Lia's death is still making headline news. He says that if she wants she can stay home for today and have some peace. Maple hears Mark honk his car horn.

"It's alright," she gives him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll go to school. I can't be late for fearleading tryouts. The school's depending on me."

So Maple grabs her things and heads out to her boyfriend's car and they head off to school.