MISSING: THE LAST FOSTER

Chapter 3

"

Baby, are you okay?" Raixen tried to draw attention from Shekinah, who had suddenly become weird and quiet, which was not her usual self.

Shekinah held her fork, looking straight at the burger she had in her saucer, and suddenly impaled the burger with the fork. All of them looked curiously at Shekinah-she seemed to be thinking deeply or negatively.

"Babe, baby, hey!" Once again, Raixen tried putting his hands on Shekinah's shoulders. She startled and almost fell from her chair. "Why? You seem lost. Are you okay?" he asked, worrying.

Shekinah shook her head and covered her face with her palms, laughing a little bit.

"What happened to you? We're calling you nonstop and getting your attention, but your mind seems occupied," Lizle said.

"I don't know, I just feel something weird. I'm getting nervous and I don't know why," she explained.

It was a sudden feeling that covered her mind and body. She seemed to be shaking and her heart beat so fast. She had no idea what it meant; well, she had a few ideas in mind, but she wouldn't want to think about them. That was a bad thing.

"What? Why? Are you drinking coffee again?" Hedeliza was trying to make a joke. She knew Shekinah would never drink coffee again; the last time she did, she struggled with her stomach, so she wouldn't dare do it again.

"I won't dare drink that goddamn coffee, your favorite, Felix. The hell with that!" she said, hissing at Felix and trying to force a smile.

They all chuckled, but she really felt so uneasy. She had a very bad thing in mind that she wanted to divert to something else, but it kept coming back to her head. She groaned, picking up her bottled water and drinking it.

"Sheki, you really don't seem okay," Lizle said with concerned eyes.

"I don't know, but I really felt a sudden uneasiness. Babe, I don't know, but I'm nervous. Maybe because I'm having the last major exam today?" She talked to Raixen.

Raixen nodded, trying to absorb Shekinah's feelings. He held her hands, squeezing them to make her feel okay-that she had nothing to worry about, she was always doing great, and a major exam was just a piece of cake for Shekinah.

Raixen, on the other hand, was feeling nervous as well; he also felt a sudden uneasiness for something he did not know and wouldn't understand. He couldn't say it; between him and Shekinah, it was he who had to stay strong.

The bell rang, and that signaled Shekinah's exam was about to start. An accident happened before, and that was the reason why she was taking a summer class; they came just to show support for Shekinah and to bond with her. Well, they always had this bond that a group of friends always does, except going to places like bars, of course.

The fact that she could do whatever she wanted also had limitations. Yes, she could do whatever she wanted, but that would also reflect on her father's image, and she wouldn't taint her father's name.

Her dad, her parents, brought their name to the top without a negative side to it-all clean activities and all clean projects, with no hidden agendas around.

The group walked down with Shekinah toward the examination hall.

"Good luck, Sheki. We know you can do it. Whatever you have in mind, forget that first; forget Rex first," Hedeliza said, lightening up the atmosphere she was feeling, also receiving Raixen's fist lightly.

"You're polluting Shekinah's mind, Ms. Tejares," Raixen said to make sure he could piss off Hedeliza. She didn't want to be called Ms.; according to her, that sounded so girly, since that was how she called the girls she was interested in.

Shekinah bid goodbye to her group before stepping inside the examination hall. The silence was deafening, and that was weird. Everyone looked at her with worry or something similar in their eyes.

They hadn't seemed silent earlier, but now they became so quiet when she entered the hall.

"What's wrong?" she nervously asked. One of her classmates she knew stood up from her seat and came closer to her. She looked at her, confused.

"Sheki, are you okay?" the girl asked, making her even more nervous and confused.

Why the hell did these people look at her with pity? Why the hell were they asking her if she was okay? She looked at their professor and waited for her to speak up.

"I would understand if you couldn't make it to today's exam; you can tell me when you want to take it," her professor said.

Her eyes narrowed and her forehead knotted in confusion. She had never, ever asked nor moved her examination date. That was being a VIP, and her dad told her not to be one, because she was not a VIP.

"Why would I ask to move the exam date? I'm already here. Can't I take the exam now?" she asked. She was getting pissed off now. What the hell were these people trying to show and tell her?

She gave a glance to the girl who stood by her side. "Sheki, we heard the news," the girl said, biting her lower lip while trying to sound sensitive.

"What news?"

She heard everyone gasp in surprise. They were all glancing at her like she had two heads. She was now catching her breath, being so nervous-ten times the nervousness she felt earlier. What did this mean?

"Sheki-"

"Could you please stop calling my name? Why are you all looking at me like that? What news are you guys talking about? What the hell?" she said, shouting. She couldn't hold her emotions anymore.

The professor's tears came out of her eyes; Shekinah saw how the professor wiped them quickly. She walked toward the professor's table, stopping when the door opened harshly, revealing her crying friends.

"Shekinah," Lizle called her, covering her mouth in the midst of her sobs.

"Why are you crying? Are you okay, Lizle?" Her words quivered.

Lizle hugged her tightly, followed by the crying Hedeliza. She couldn't understand. She did not know what was happening, but tears also went down from her eyes. She could feel a heaviness in her chest for some reason.

She looked at Raixen, who clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, as well as Felix, both crying.

"I-I don't understand," she said, getting away from the girls' arms.

Raixen held her hand and guided her outside of the examination hall. She glanced at her professor, who gave her a sad smile, as well as her classmates, letting her go out of the hall.

No words wanted to come out of her mouth, but she was waiting to hear something to clear her mind. Felix and Raixen led the way fast, while Hedeliza and Lizle held both of her arms like they were trying to balance her.

She was confused, very confused, until they reached the parking area, and all of them went inside Felix's car and left the school.

The moment they passed by the school gates, her chest felt like it was getting hammered. Raixen didn't say a word but held her hand, seeming to assure her he was just there.

She gave a little glance to Felix and Lizle, who were sitting in the driver's seat and the shotgun seat; she could hear the little sobs of Lizle, while Felix was so serious, looking at the highway, busy driving his car to somewhere she did not know.

Hedeliza, who was looking out the window, had a reflection that was also crying in silence. The scenes were breaking her heart. She could feel that something horrible had happened.

Raixen was trying to think of words to say that could make Shekinah okay when they reached the destination they were going to. But he couldn't find any words. He was lost. He did not know what to say; he did not know if he could make her feel okay.

Now that they were seeing the lined ambulances and police, now that Felix started to drive very slowly, now that they were getting closer to that place, Shekinah's breath was getting heavier.

She looked at everyone with her when Felix pulled over near the ambulances-four ambulances here-and she was confused about why Felix stopped the car.

"Sheki," Hedeliza's voice was shaking, making her eyes water.

"Babe," finally she heard Raixen's voice. She looked at him, but she lost her words.

She heard a commotion outside that got her attention. Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth opened, her lips quivering in horror. Her heart stopped the moment her eyes landed on the thing she knew very well. She quickly opened the door and went outside. Raixen and her friends followed.

"Aaaahhh, what happened? That's, that's our family van," she said, crying hard.

Police and rescuers were pulling the van up from the thirty-five-foot water. The bridge's side was broken. Shekinah ran fast to get close to the van, but Raixen stopped her. The girls were crying while looking at Shekinah, who tried to get Raixen's arms off her.

"Daddy! Mommy! Gio! Jasmien!" she cried their names, her entire family's names.

That van was the van her family used for their vacations. She had seen it in their garage right before leaving her home.

Shekinah broke down when the rescuer announced that the President and his family were there inside the van.