Whispers In The Wind

Chapter 13

Vien Hudson's death became a town-wide news. People's opinions vary from those who knows him personally, and those who only know his name. One popular opinion is about his addiction. That he just got so addicted with drugs that he lost his mind.

But, no one truly knows the reason why he started using drugs in the first place. Vien is a good looking boy with a bright future. Not just because his family owns the most successful pizza-chain in the region, but also because his smart.

"Mrs. Hudson, my condolences." Braeden said in a sad tone. He's the last person to see Vien alive, and the memory of him jumping off the bridge has been engraved in his mind since then.

"Braeden..." Mrs. Hudson's voice is too weak, and her eyes are swollen from crying for days.

Vien's dad is always beside his son's coffin. He barely leave him for any reason at all. Braeden can't bare to look at his parents, especially when he remembers how he almost blamed him. He became too focused on his relationship with Keisha.

He felt like an irresponsible friend for neglecting Vien when he needed him the most. Something could have been done, and he might still be alive. Braeden wanted to talk to Keisha, but she still haven't replied back to any of his messages.

"Braeden Scott, I'm Det. Fowler. I just need to verify some information with you about Vien Hudson's death." A large looking man approached Braeden on his way to the water station inside the funeral home.

"Uh—"

"Excuse me, my son already gave his statement to the sheriff. I don't see the need to do this all over again." His mother interrupted them.

"I understand that, Mrs. Scott. But, I'm not from the sheriff's department." The detective insisted.

"Mom, it's okay. Just go talk to Mrs. Hudson for a while." Braeden said to his mom.

"No, I—"

"Mom, I'm gonna be fine. Go."

After his mother left them, Braeden turned to Det. Fowler. He smiled, and took some deep breaths before nodding. There's no reason to refuse the detective. He didn't do anything wrong, and if it will help Vien's family to get some closure, he would happily go through it again.

"Walk me through the whole thing. Since you wake up, until you found him at the bridge." Det. Fowler instructed.

"Am I suspected of something, Det. Fowler?"

"I don't know kid. You tell me. Should we suspect you of something?"

"I think I want my lawyer. Next time that you want to harass me, talk to my parents and my lawyer."

Braeden turned around and went back to his mom before his tears fall from his eyes. Vien is a close friend, and he will never do anything to hurt him. If there's that he could have done to save that day, he would have done it. He would give anything to have Vien alive today.

"Where's the detective?" His mom asked.

"We're done talking, mom."

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Nothing is more important than life. It should be treasured, lived well, and without regret. But in Camila's case, she thought that getting rid of the life that was growing inside of her was the right thing. While his mind and body enjoys their hiking vacation in Silent City, her heart is breaking into pieces.

There's something inside of her that's making her feel an emotion that she thought she doesn't have. Camila didn't think that she wanted to be a mother, or maybe because she didn't give herself the chance to think about it? Maybe, it's because her own father didn't even want her to be a mother.

"This place is so great! I feel like I don't want to go back home. I want to stay here!" Fiona exclaimed happily.

"But, you're family will miss you." Keisha said. Fiona is the kind of daughter who would rather stay at home than go out with friends on normal occasion. If not for Sarah's birthday, Fiona wouldn't have come with them, and now, she's saying that she doesn't want to go home anymore.

Camila watched Fiona, and even her heart felt confused about what her friend said, instead, she smiled like a girl roofied at a party. She can see that Keisha is wondering about how they are acting, but her friend can't say anything. All that Camila can do is to smile at her friends.

"Are you girls ready to go?" Brandon asked. Naturally, Antoinette is clinging in his arm like a snake.

"We should have left two hours ago." Keisha said in an irritated tone. They still have a lot of ground to cover, and they are losing sunlight.

"Why don't you ease up, Keisha. We will make it to the mountain. There's no need to hurry." Antoinette commented.

"I'm just saying, okay. There's no need to make a scene out of it." She responded.

"Girls, take it easy. Keisha's right. We're losing light, but there's no need to worry. There's a cottage at the foot of the mountain. We can stay there for the night, then we can proceed the hike by tomorrow." Brandon stated.

"See? There's no problem at all." Antoinette said cheerfully.

After gathering everyone, they all proceed to the foot of the mountain where the hike is suppose to begin. Everyone's happy about the pictures they took from the beautiful spots that Brandon showed them. Even Keisha can't deny that she was able to take many beautiful pictures.

As they approach the Silent Mountain, Camila felt like all her worries are being stripped away. Like she no longer worry if anyone found out that she had an abortion. Her heart's heavy burnen is getting lighter in each step she takes.

On the other hand, Keisha is getting more anxious as they get closer to the mountain. Her heart is beating so loud that she's finding it difficult for her to focus on her friends' conversation. Ever since they arrived in Silent City, she no longer hear the whispers. It's like all of a sudden, everything became so quiet, and instead of feeling relieved, she felt scared more than ever.