Love of a Thousand Colors

Chapter 11

"Help me find my sister!?" I begged Israel. He nodded his head repeatedly and looked at me in the eyes. He promised on his life that he'll find my sister.

Israel took me to the emergency room at a hospital nearby despite my resistance. I insisted that we look for them immediately for every second we don't chase after them, the farther away my sister gets. He said he reported everything to the police and the two guys are also hospitalized, but heavily guarded. I told him they should be questioned and locked up instead, but he said that's how the law works. They'll be interrogated once they've come to, but I still have my apprehensions. I added that Tootch is too sly and sneaky to let the authorities take a whiff of her trail. He said if the authorities can't find them, it's more likely we won't be able to find them any time soon.

I want to argue with him further but the medications are kicking in and it's starting to make me drowsy. I kept on clutching his arm, trying to convince him that we search for them instead. He pressed my hands and told me to recover first and take a rest. He told me Lucky wouldn't like it if she sees me black and blue, so I should take care of myself and let the police handle the case.

Before I doze off, I told him that Tootch and Franny found the winning ticket I kept in my room. They will try to get the winnings from an outlet so the police should be on the lookout and trace them. Israel's eyebrows frowned and made a clicking sound with his mouth. "And you're telling me just now... Never mind, today's a traumatic and stressful day for you. Tell me everything..."

My brain has become fuzzy. In my mind, I asked myself what I'm thinking and what I'm supposed to say. Israel hushed me to sleep, and as I closed my eyes, I saw a girl's face. The one from Jacob's Robe... "You?" I mumbled. She's with an older guy who walked with her as she drags an IV pole with her. The older guy looks stern and businesslike. He kept on talking while the girl listens. I hate to say this but she appears way worse than when I last saw her at the counseling session. The bags under her eyes are darker and her cheeks become slimmer. "Eee - ee -iii" I groaned. Finally, I caught her attention. The girl stared for a moment and continued walking, then she did a double-take.

Her jaw almost dropped on the floor and she studied my face closely. The man beside her told her to keep on going, but his words fell into deaf ears.

"Ah, you look terrible," I said, fighting hard to keep my eyes open. "Who's that?" I asked. But the girl didn't answer my question, the man looked angrier at the girl this time. I can see her subtly putting her index finger to her lips. She is pretty much apprehensive. "Wha--- Wha --at?" I asked. "Are you telling me to keep quiet?" and narrowed my eyes to check if I interpreted correctly. Israel face-palmed himself and copied the girl's gestures.

Her friend, or probably her guardian pushed her forward and she nearly stumbled. Israel stood from his stool, almost wanting to confront the guy. But the troubled look on the girl's face gave him second thoughts. But he spoke up nonetheless, "I think that's not necessary..." 

"Iz, teach that guy a lesson..." I said, trying to make my tone higher and louder. I remember that girl saying she's experiencing emotional and mental problems. She's hospitalized and this sod is extremely inconsiderate. "Here, take my IV pole and hit him on the head. She's already stressed and depressed and this guy is not helping..." I made an extra effort of pushing the metal rod to Israel, I nearly fell down my bed. Good thing, Israel caught me, but I winced in pain. 

"What did you say?" The man asked, in a menacing manner. The girl wanted to speak and pull her father away, but her father shook his arm angrily and paid her no heed.

"I do," I raised my hand. People in the emergency room started giving us looks. "She's suffering..." I said... "She's unhappy but you nag and maltreat her while she's sick?" The people watching us nodded in agreement. They whispered and murmured among themselves. The father's face went beet in embarrassment. "I don't have a father nor a mother. I'm an orphan." Tears flowed from my eyes and I cried wholeheartedly. "I'm an orphan..." I repeated. 

"Sorry, it's the meds," Israel steadied me on my bed and tried so hard to cover his face with his hand. He must be regretting taking care of me now. People were still looking, awaiting my next words. 

"I'm an orphan..." I said, then the whole room fell silent. Israel suddenly became interested in the health campaign poster about hemorrhoids pasted on the wall. 

The father sticks his chest out, "Then my daughter should be thankful that there's still someone looking after her. Not everyone is as lucky as her," He spoke with pride but his daughter's face contradicts his words.

"Lucky..." I mumbled, I sobbed. "My sister! My sister!" Now the people's approval is swapped with concern and confusion. 

"She has a sister named Lucky. She's not referring to your daughter." Israel did his best to explain. He calmed me down and the nurses rushed to my bed and injected something through the IV. "Sleep first Trina,"

I woke up, blinded by the light inside the hospital room. I'm still somewhat dazed as my brain tried to give me a rerun of what happened hours ago. I tried my best to sit up but my body feels numb.  Instead of Israel, it was the redhead who was sitting next to my bed, gazing upon me like a hawk. 

We stared at each other for a while and I blinked first, the redhead smiled in victory. "I'm always victorious," He said, then asked, "How are you feeling?"

I smiled and licked the gum in my mouth with the missing tooth, "Terrific," I'm tempted to ask for Israel, but I might give an impression that I dislike his presence and I'd rather have Israel with me. A moment of silence has passed, he didn't ask any more questions. 

He took out one of his books and read. I forgot that the exam week is coming up and I only reviewed a few times. Maybe, I'll be excused since I'd been beaten up. The redhead asked if I want to review for the exams with him. I politely declined. My mind's been reeling for my sister. I hope the authorities have a lead on them soon. 

A tap is heard from the glass window to my room, it's the girl from Jacob's Robe. She asked if she can come in and the redhead asked what her business is. She said she has something to discuss with me and she's not going to cause any trouble. The girl addressed the redhead to his name and boy, was he surprised. Turns out she attends the same school and she's a fan of the team. She even showed him her library card with her ID.

Now that her identity is clear, Redhead pulled a chair and sat outside, beside the room door. Still an overly cautious man. 

The girl approached me with a serious facade, "Please forget you saw me that night," She started... Ah, I know what she means, but I wonder why she wants to keep it a secret so bad. "I'm in a very difficult situation, so please pretend you don't know me," 

I c****d an eyebrow, "Is your father... Is he hurting you?" I asked, treading on the topic carefully.

She sighed, "It's none of your business. Clearly, you should channel your energy elsewhere," referring to my undesirable state. 

I nodded, not wanting to push it any further. This exchange made me tired already. 'Offer help, it's your choice,' remembering the masked man's words. I didn't offer anyway, I just did what I thought was right. And she refused, I shake the dust from my feet on this one.

"And, anyway that counseling group is a sham. Instead of getting better, our lives just turned into worse," She continued. I pondered for a moment, sure I'm in front of her, lying on the bed with injuries. However, the days after I went to Jacob's Robe have been the most eventful and happiest days of my life (till my sister and Tootch ruined it).

She left, I didn't give her any attention until I noticed the marks on her arms, right to her hands. I felt sorry for her again. She thanked Redhead and left, he returned to the side next to my bed. Redhead waited till she's out of earshot, "That girl needs serious help. I kinda' remember her now. She's a class genius and a highly competitive student leader. But she's somehow failing her classes and experiencing financial problems at home." 

'So that's why,' I thought. Money has always been the root of problems. But what families miss is that they should be there for one another and the only way to solve familial issues is to drag each other up, not the other way around. 

Israel arrived at the door, with a somber look on his face, "Someone tried to cash in the prize, they caught the person, but it's not your sister nor Tootch." I gulped, "They sold the ticket to someone else and he bought it at a price a little lower than the payout. He said he knew it's genuine and he thought it's just a regular transaction since Tootch and Franny are very careful in covering their tracks."

I bit my lip fighting another urge to cry, it won't help the situation if I get emotional every time.

"But their jeep is found," 

That gave me hope! "Where?" I asked.

"It's 5 states away from here and the vehicle was already empty."