In Between

Jira's House There was a loud noise, everyone could hear. All the shop keepers came outside, while the house owners peeped from their rusty windows. They all wanted to know what was going on. Earlier though, the news had gone round that Jira was missing, so the loud noise of the siren wasn't too much a shock, well, except from the fact that the residents of this neighbourhood were all middle class, so the police paying them attention was really not a common phenomenon. Daniel, the police officer incharge of the case. He was having a heated conversation with Jira's mom.There were other police officers there, but they were all just standing around the building. He was taking her statement. He asked "and when was the last time you said you saw Jira ma'am. Please make sure you don't leave out any detail, everything you have to say is very important to this case", Jira's mom, Nessa, obviously distressed replied "I saw her yesterday morning. She was on her way to class. She told me she'd be back early because they only had revisions that day. I haven't seen her since then. I made a complaint earlier, last night. I called everyone I could and they all hadn't heard from her, so I went to a nearby police station. They told me they couldn't register my complaints because it wasn't up to 24 hours and they made some dirty comments saying she probably wondered off with a boy, or went to a party or something. But that's not true. I know my baby, Jira, she's not like that, she'd never do something like that. Till this very evening I've been visiting all the houses I could think of, calling every number but nobody has seen her. Please help me find her officer, please" she starts crying and the officer comforts her "don't cry ma'am. I give you my word that I'll do everything in my power to find your daughter, everything". Right then, Jira's two sisters were pacing up and down, making several phone calls asking if anyone had seen Jira. Sadly all they got was a chorus answer of "no we still don't know where Jira is. We haven't heard from her since school closed and she left to go home". Her brother, on the other hand, was out with his group of friends visiting different houses around the neighborhood and her school, asking if anyone had information on Jira's whereabouts. A bar in vellhills Everyone was devastated looking for sweet little Jira, while there she was. In a bar, doing what seems to be battling with a young man, who seems intoxicated and out of his senses. She stands real close to him trying to lift him and help him stand on his two feets. She places his hand on her shoulders and struggles to get him to walk. She looks really sad and dirty. As they walk past some drunken guys, they mocked them "look, Jeremy's mom came to rescue her baby" they all laughed. Jeremy, the intoxicated young man in Jira's hands replied "no bozo, she's not my mom, she's my girl" they all laughed again. With a lot of struggle, she managed to get him out of the bar. Outside there was a pretty black car. It looked utterly expensive. Behind it was another expensive and pretty looking car. There was a man and woman resting on the car Infront. As Jira came out of the bar with Jeremy, the man and the woman rushed to meet them. The man violently took Jeremy from Jira's arms and the woman opened the door to the car. He placed Jeremy carefully inside and left the door open. Jira made an "ohh" exclamation and the man and woman looked eagerly at her. She said "ohh umm, I forgot umm, his bag inside the bar, on the chair, umm where he was sitting". The man looked at her in utter disgust "leave it, I'll go get it myself, you stay here, got it?". He went into the bar. While he was gone, Jira looked into the car and saw that Jeremy looked to have been convulsing, she panicked and screamed "ohh my word, I think he's convulsing, we have to get him to the hospital right now", the woman was reluctant "what are you saying? we can't do that. His father is still in the bar. We can't just leave him, especially because he wouldn't want you to escape.". Jira was very desperate to get Jeremy to the hospital "if we don't take him, he might die, we have to go now. Look, your guards can stay behind and take him in their own car when he comes out and as for me escaping, you're here, I can't leave without you knowing. Please just get into the car, we have to go now." The woman, without much thinking, agreed to what she said "hey, you two should stay back and get Vladimir, I'll take Jeremy to the hospital ok". She rushed into the car and they drove off. When they reached the hospital, Jira and the woman both came out of the car "ma'am you stay, I'll rush to go get the hospitals attention"... "no, I'm not doing that, I'll go with you ", Jira looked to be in minute confusion "no if you go with me, what if something happens to Jeremy, who will be there to watch him. I'll go, you know I can't just leave Jeremy hanging, trust me. Please just stay here and make sure he's ok, ok?". She agreed and Jira rushed into the hospital. When she got inside she shouted for a nurse. She found one and explained the situation and that she thinks Jeremy might have overdosed on something. A few moments later, a group of doctors and nurses came out with a stroller. They all picked up Jeremy and put him on the stroller. At first, the woman was too overwhelmed to notice but as Jeremy was placed safely on the stroller to be taken in, she realised Jira was no where to be spotted. She asked the nurses about her, they all looked clueless at first but then one of the nurses remembered "the girl that came to inform us about the boy? yes, I saw her. She looked really nervous and concerned. When she told me about the boy, she asked me if there were any other exits apart from the main door, I directed her to one and I saw her running towards the direction I gave" The woman was about running into the hospital when the nurse said "well if you're going for the girl, I think she's long gone. The story I narrated happened even before I informed the doctors and we got the strollers and all. I really don't think you'd find her there anymore ma'am". The woman looked devastated and worried. Just then, Jira was at the hospitals back door, she had called an Uber which had just arrived "what took you so long" "I'm sorry I was stuck in traffic" "ok it's fine, please let's just go quickly, I beg you". They zoomed off and as they passed by the front door of the hospital, Jira saw Jeremy's father arriving in the car with his body guards. She layed down her head in the Uber, in order to avoid being seen by the woman or Jeremy's father. They successfully drove past the hospital and Jira was pestering the driver to go faster "interesting drive but can you please go a lot faster, I beg you". The driver was confused as to why she had been so desperate "are you drunk young lady?" "No! I'm not, I just want to get home quickly please". They arrived at her street. The driver was almost at the gate of her house when she said in desperation "no, please don't take the front door. They're probably waiting for me over there. I beg you, let's take the back." The driver took a turn and drove to the back door of her house. She payed him and first looked suspiciously around the house from inside the car before getting out. One of the shop keepers, brought out of his shop by the police siren spotted her. He spread the gossip to the others, about how Jira, the missing girl, had actually just gone out to party and came back drunk in an Uber. Jira's House Jira's brother had just gotten home, the police were about leaving when Jira's mom got a text message from Jira, "please open the back door" it read. Everyone was shocked and surprised. Immediately, she ran to open the back door. They all stood Infront of it, waiting for what would happen next. Outside the house, after carefully looking that no one was there, Jira rushed to the back door, she gave a sigh of peace and freedom and then, she opened the door...