Whispers In The Wind

Chapter 6

The girls are starting to notice the changes on Camila's attitude towards them. Sometimes, they would ask themselves if they did somethings to anger or offend her. Nothing feels the same anymore, and they all feel sad about it.

Everyday that they come to school, they would look for Camila. She's not hanging out with new friends. In fact, she's nowhere to be seen. They will only see her in classes or in the library. Each one of them offered to help her if she's having difficulties in any of their subjects, but all she did was refuse their help.

"Excuse me, Principal Johnson. Uhm, can we talk to you for a minute?"

It was Gaia's idea to talk to their principal. She realized that if Camila won't tell them anything, it's their job to find out the truth. They have to help their friend in any way possible.

"Sure, girl. Let's go to my office." Principal Johnson said.

"Uhm, our friend, Camila Randall? We've been noticing some changes in her, and we're not sure if that is a good thing or not. It's just that we can see that she's going through something. Is—is she doing good when it come to her grades? Is she failing?" Gaia's asked their principal.

"Failing? Who said she's failing? Camila is one of our best students. She always gives her best when it comes to her academics." Principal Johnson responded.

"Oh, Uhm, that's—that's good. Thank you, Principal Johnson."

They were all confused with how Camila has been acting. She's not failing, and there's no reason for her to avoid them. Their worries only increased because of it. If school is not her problem, then it could be something worst.

"What do you guys think? Should we corner Camila now?" Lina asked.

"Are we sure that wanting to know her problem would help? Wouldn't it better if we respect her privacy?" Keisha suggested. She honestly think that if Camila wants their help she would have told them.

"Of course, we have to know. We have to help her in any way we can. Why are we friends if we can't help each other?" Antoinette insisted.

"She's right, Kei. It's our responsibility to help each other. That's what friends are for." Gaia agreed.

"What's the plan then?" Keisha then asked.

"Final period. We will not let her leave without telling us what is happening to her. We will grill her until she fess up." Keisha winced with their plan. She wanted to laugh with the intensity that Bethany used. It's as if Camila is a criminal that they will interrogate and they are the police.

All of them agreed with the plan, except for Keisha. She may not know what Camila's problem is, she strongly feels that she has to handle it alone. But then, she realized that she could be wrong. Maybe, she's just manifesting her own troubles with Camila's issues.

When they entered their next class, they were all prepared to put up a fight if they have do. They will do everything to get Camila talking. But, their next class ended with no Camila. They looked for her everywhere, but she's nowhere to be found.

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None of them was able to get any answers from Camila. No one even saw her leave the school. They were all worried, at the same time confused. She was the nicest in the group, and the most attached to everyone. That's why they don't understand why she changed all of a sudden.

Gaia went home after they check Camila's house. Her parents seemed oblivious of her situation. They even had to lie just to cover for her. Once they ran of places to look for her, that's when they decided to go home as well.

"Good night, Mom, Dad." She kissed both her parents before coming to her room.

"Good night, sweetheart." Her parents responded.

Gaia's family is not that rich, but they are happy. She's an only daughter, but her parents did everything they can to ensure that she grew up happily. But, her happiness was cut short when she saw her father with another woman. Everyday, she smiles at her parents and act as if she doesn't know anything.

"Wow! This place is so beautiful!" She exclaimed. Her way of helping herself sleep is by scrolling the feeds on her f*******: account using her laptop. This time, she wanted to find a place where she and her friends could unwind. Somewhere far away from the drama of their everyday life.

"Silent mountain. Sounds interesting. I think this is going to the perfect get away for us. Semester is already over, and we all need to have a nice vacation. Besides, this getaway will be perfect to ease Camila back to the group." She said to herself when she saw the f*******: post about Silent Mountain hiking package.

"Let's see, how much is—seriously? This is so affordable!" She exclaimed when she saw the price for friendship packs.

"Far from here, close to nature, secluded. Perfect! This is exactly what we need." Gaia picked up her phone and dialed the number provided on the post.

"Hi! I'd like to reserve for a friendship package, please." She immediately said over the phone.

"There's fifteen of us."

"Uh-huh? No, we're not. This will be our first time."

"Sure we will take a guide."

"You take off another 20% as a first-timer discount? That is so nice! Thank you!"

"Yes, my card number is 5555-4876-9020-2210, in full. Oh, my God! I'm so excited. Thank you!"

But, all of that was just in her dreams. Gaia quickly fall asleep when she lay her head on her pillow. Maybe, it's because of the exhaustion. The semester is about to end, and they have a lot of school requirements to fulfill. Or maybe, it's because of thinking too much.

Why did Gaia dreamed about booking a hiking package? What is in the Silent Mountain that she would dream about wanting to take her friends in that place? In the upcoming days, she would never realize that she never paid for anything on this night.