Chapter 10 - Found

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Karen was as I thought she would be, worried beyond belief. I knew she wanted to scold me for disappearing like I had, but she was waiting for when we were alone.

Jordan, Tyler and Madison had followed me home. The light had all but disappeared when we left the cemetery. The car ride home was a silent one. I didn't know what was going through Jordan's mind, and honestly I didn't think I wanted to know. Not many people had seen the tattoos or the branding marks, and I hadn't wanted that list to increase, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

When I walked into my house, my mother almost had a heart attack, not because she was worried, but because three people were trailing behind me. Karen's face gave nothing away when she greeted everyone.

We made our way into the lounge. There were quite a few things that needed to be discussed.

"Would anyone like some refreshments?" My mom asked, following us into the room.

There was a general murmuring of agreement, and my mother brought us all glasses of coke. She must have been in her element. For all intents and purposes, it looked like I had invited friends over.

As soon as she left, the room descended into silence. I was the first one to break it.

"Guys..." I didn't know how to phrase what I wanted to say, but I didn't have to. Jordan spoke up at my words.

"We won't tell anyone, or ask any questions." It didn't sound like a statement; it sounded more like a warning. He looked at Tyler as he said the words.

"Dude, Don't look at me that way. I'm not an idiot."

The atmosphere in the room was tense. And I wasn't the only one feeling it.

"We should try and find out more about that Ashleigh girl." Madison's high pitched voice spoke up.

I nodded. "I can't agree more." As soon as we'd decided on what to do, everyone took out their phones and started typing away. The room was an amalgamation of soft tapping. After about a half hour, the only thing we had found out was that her body had been found covered in tattoos, and they had no leads as to who it could have been. It resounded through my entire body. It was too similar to what had happened to me.

"This is getting us nowhere." Tyler's frustrated voice rang out.

"We need to speak to the police." Madison held Tyler's hand for comfort.

My head swam with all that I had learned. I didn't know how to process the information. I didn't know where all the pieces of this puzzle fit in. I stared blankly into space as the other chatted around me. It took me a while to realize that Madison and Tyler were saying goodbye.

I stood up, to walk them to Tyler's car, but Jordan shook his head at me.

"Go make yourself some tea. With lots of sugar. You don't look too good. Your breathing is shallow, and you look ready to collapse."

I nodded and followed his instruction. I was reverting back to the submissive victim again, but I didn't have the energy to do anything about it.

Karen saw me in the kitchen and came over to talk to me.

"Tali? What's happening?" She pointed me towards a kitchen chair and finished making my tea for me.

"I'm confused Kazi. Too much is happening all at once."

Jordan walked back into the kitchen, and I swore I could see Karen's hackles rising.

"I want you to get out of this house." Her voice was calm, but I could see how angry she was. She was blaming him for the way I was.

I stood up and went to stand in front of Jordan, whose jaw just dropped.

"Karen. This is not his fault. Have a seat. Both of you."

When no one moved, I sighed.

"I'm going to explain everything that has happened these past few days, Kazi. Just sit the frick down."

I didn't want to swear at my sister, but I needed her to see that I was being serious.

Every one sat down, as I started talking. My mind gained back some of its clarity as I spoke.

When I was done, Karen looked perplexed.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" She asked.

"She didn't want you to worry." Jordan spoke on my behalf.

Karen's eyebrow went up at his words. "I still don't know how I feel about you, so shush."

I chuckled. And it surprised me. I didn't think I would have been able to after the events of the day.

Karen sighed and stood up. "I'm making macaroni and cheese." She turned to Jordan. "You staying for dinner?"

He was shocked, but he nodded. "If it's not too much of an imposition."

"The only reason I'm letting you stay is because Talita needs friends who understand. And you don't seem to be pressuring her into things she doesn't want to do, even if she is an emotional wreck right now."

I pursed my lips. "Stop talking like I'm not here Kazi. Regardless of what happened, I'm still able to make my own decisions."

I looked down at my hands, somehow expecting there to be blood, but when I saw that they were clean I was brought back to my present situation.

Karen was at the stove, stirring a pot of macaroni. It was like I lost a bit of time. I hadn't even seen her fill the pot with water.

"Drink your tea Tali." Karen said to me. "I sent Jordan to the lounge. I think he's watching black books."

I shook my head. "It happened again didn't it?"

"Geraldine did say that it was a coping mechanism. They will happen from time to time kiddo."

I sighed, and rubbed at my eyes. My body was starting to crash.

I went to the lounge and had to snicker when I saw Jordan curled up on my couch, with my mom's cat, watching Bernard Black chuck a whole lot of people out of his bookstore. Black books used to be one of my favourite shows, so I sat on one of the other couches, and got comfortable.

"You know our Essay is due for tomorrow right." Jordan said without looking at me.

"Shit!" I smacked my forehead.

Jordan laughed. "Don't stress. I've already done it. Just need to put your name on it."

I breathed a sigh of relief. With everything that had been going on in my head, I'd completely forgotten about work. I felt relieved that Jordan wasn't angry at me.

Jordan and I sat in silence for the next couple of episodes of Black Books, before Karen told us dinner was ready.

"I owe you big time." I said to Jordan as we went to the kitchen.

"What for?" He asked feigning innocence.

"Don't be stupid."

When he didn't say anything else, I elaborated, "For doing the school work. For not pressuring me with questions. For understanding that I need time and space."

He stopped walking and looked at me. His eyes had a glint of seriousness to them.

"That is exactly what friends are for. And I am here to help in any capacity that I can." He nodded his head once and then walked off again.

My heart fluttered in my chest. I liked him. And it was scaring me. I didn't want to feel like that. But it was happening, and it felt like falling.

*****

The next day at school was quite ordinary compared to the previous day. Jordan met me in the parking lot and walked me to my first class, quoting the characters from Black Books the whole way. It made me laugh, which I appreciated.

"You must tell your sister that she's an amazing cook." Jordan said as I reached my locker.

I had a feeling he was trying to fill the air with nonsense chatter. It seemed like he was nervous for some reason.

"I have another question."

I almost sighed. I was dreading what he wanted to say. The question could be anything. I didn't know if I was ready to handle the types of questions I knew he wanted to ask.

"Can I hold your hand?"

I could feel a blush creep up my cheeks.

I wanted to say yes. But I didn't want to do it at the school. And I told him as much. His face lit up, and he started quoting Black books again, prompting more laughter.

When we reached our English class, Madison ran up to us, looking frantic. Our laughter died out when we saw her.

"That missing girl has been found." She said, a little out of breath.

At first I was confused, but then I remembered hearing on the radio about a girl that had been taken. My heart sank into my stomach.

"Please tell me she is alive?"

My question caught the interest of a few people in the class, so I lowered my voice.

"She needs to be alive." It was like it was happening to me all over again.

Madison shook her head. Sadness etched across her face.

Tyler put his hand on her shoulder, a light brown next to Madison's pale white. "Tell her the rest."

Madison looked hesitant, but finally decided to open her mouth.

"The name Ashleigh was tattooed on her left forearm."

My heart pounded in my chest. My vision blurred, and my ears started ringing. I ran out of the class, not really sure how I was able to move so quickly, and went to find my sister.

When I burst into her office, without knocking, I found that it was already occupied. Mark was there, in a far corner, and two police officers were sitting in front of my sister.

"Tali!" My sister ran over to me. She was careful not to touch me. "Are you okay?"

"It happened again." I noticed the two officers stand up and back away from me. They were giving me my space. "It's true isn't it?"

One of the police officers spoke, "Yes Miss Beckett. It has happened again. And we would like to discuss a few things with you."

Karen turned around in frenzy. "Can't you see what this is doing to her? She doesn't know anything else. Please just let her heal."

She wasn't being a psychologist at that moment; she was being my protective big sister.

I put my hand on her arm, which completely silenced her. She looked at my hand, her eyes wide, and then she looked up at me.

"I'll help Kazi." My vision was becoming clear again, and my hearing was stabilising. My heart still pounded, but there was nothing I could do about that.

I turned to the police officers. "What do you need to know?"

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