BEYOND US

Beginning II

If she sat up, her eyes would fall directly to the garden that was close to the house but far from it also. Her mom's final resting place, she had never been there once doctor McCray had wanted her to go but the darkness had swallowed her even before they got to the front door, it hadn't been suggested again.

She knew that she had been very close to surprising her dad this evening, very close to verbally refuting his decision but the fire of her resentment hadn't gotten close to her throat before it petered and died.

Leaving would then become the only way to show her resentment.

She knew her dad had a zillion ways to get her on that plane even if she lost her mind as she sometimes did, it wouldn't stop him.

Unless she could go away...She thought in desperation, she had to go away, she could hide and when the day of departure had passed she could come back and remain here with her mom.

All through the narrow brained planning her expression didn't change one bit. It became even blanker

The next morning

"Mr Rhea" Cindy's voice could be heard all the way from the stairs to his room, it woke the usual deep sleeper Mr Rhea, he heard her knock on his door, respectful but impatient. He got up slowly, sleepiness still in his eyes, his brain working very slowly.

The knock came in again

"come in" he said, giving up on the idea of walking to the door.

Cindy's entrance stopped short of being called barging in, she started talking before he had time to realize he was annoyed at the way she entered

"Rina is missing" but he just looked at her as if he didn't believe her, his lack of response to her words stumped her.

She didn't wait for him to be sure he heard her before she chimed in again, more urgently "Mr Rhea, Rina isn't at home" this time he got it but he wasn't still as worked up as she thought he should be, his response was doubtful instead

"What nonsense.......did you search for her at the....." before he finished, she rattled off every room in his house, every nook and cranny even those he didn't know or remember, it was a show of how worried she was at that moment "She's not here, Mr Rhea"

Only then did he get down from his bed, his whole form starting to rage.

The sudden burst of energy stumped Cindy even more. "Get me the security right now" his voice stopped short of being roar.

Rina had walked out of her house with nothing more than the shirt on her back, she had gotten out of the house when it was just light she hadn't changed out of her clothes, they looked like pyjamas but not really, that stopped her from sticking out if not for the fluffy slippers on her feet.

She had walked for sometime before coming to the gate of the estate. The security didn't stop her, they couldn't anyway. It was a nightmare that had gotten her out of bed and into the streets, she had practically walked out of the gate because the security wasn't paying attention.

She hadn't had a desire to go out since her mom died much less actually think of running away, so they weren't alert.

She knew in her that this was a bare faced plan and that she didn't know where she was going to but she couldn't stay at home

That nightmare had been vivid and real, the darkness was trying to chase her in it but she couldn't let it, she had to run away from it. Far away if it was possible