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With one last glance around the room, to make certain everything was the way she’d found it, she slipped out quietly. Oddly enough, she felt a mix of emotions: pride at accomplishing her mother’s task, but also guilt over what she’d done.
***
“I’ll take a shower,” Olivia said, pushing her chair back. “The water will do me some good. I won’t be long,” she said just as Alina walked in. Alina seemed a little out of breath, her face flushed. She probably got lost in the endless hallways that all look alike.
“Are you all right, Alina?” Olivia asked.
“She’s fine,” Elena answered. “Sometimes the food she eats doesn’t agree with her. Her stomach has always been sensitive, isn’t that so?”
Alina nodded and rubbed her forehead as she took a seat next to her mother.
“I’m sure I have some pills to help your stomach,” Olivia said. “Do you want to come with me?”
“How kind. Alina, go with her.”
Alina rose from her chair again. “Yes. Thanks.”
***
Followed by Alina, Olivia entered her bedroom and drew in a sharp breath.It still smells like him, she thought with a smile. Walking over to her bag, she pictured his pretty face and the feel of his lips on hers. But, once again, worry gripped her as she wondered what he was doing now and how his mother was.
It’ll be fine, she tried to tell herself while she riffled through her pack in search of her pills. She frowned when she felt nothing. She went through her bag once more. It took a few moments, but she found the pills at the bottom of the bag, wrapped inside one of her shirts.
“Weird.” She stared at the bottle. She always kept her pills in the left corner pocket of her bag to make them easier to find; but then again, last night had been unusual. She walked over to hand Alina the pills.
“I’ll hop in the shower real quick. You can wait here if you want,” Olivia said and gathered her things. Shampoo, towel, fresh clothes, and her necklace to put on after the shower, which she thought was on the nightstand. Maybe in the covers of the bed.
Olivia lifted every pillow—twice—and shook the sheets three times each.
“What are you looking for?” Alina asked.
“My necklace.”
“The one you showed my mother?” Alina asked. Olivia nodded.
Together they searched around for it, frantically looking through each piece of clothing, furniture, even under the bed. Minutes passed and still nothing. Olivia began to panic as she paced in front of the bed, then stopped to think.
“Where did I put it?”
She searched the drawers once more—nothing. The bed creaked when she climbed on it and pushed aside the blankets and pillows again, running her hand down the edge of the mattress and bedframe to see if it had somehow fallen in. The pillows fell off to the floor when she crouched down to check under the bed for the third time.
Still nothing.
“What is it, dear?” Elena’s voice came from behind her. Olivia turned around, breathing heavily.
“She can’t find it,” Alina explained with a frown.
“Find what?”
“It’s missing. My . . . my necklace.” Olivia’s voice shook as she touched the bare space on her neck. “I can’t . . .” Her words were broken by an exasperated gasp as she tossed a pillow and once again went through her bag. “I can’t find it.”
“Can you describe it to me?” Elena asked. Alina remained silent as Elena drew closer and joined in the search.
“It’s the silver locket I showed you. It’s the only thing of my mother I have left. I always have it with me. I don’t”—she sighed and lowered her voice—“I don’t go anywhere without it.”
“Then it must be here. Come, we’ll find it,” Elena offered, and even though Olivia politely expressed her skepticism, they still continued.
After a while Elena looked up, arching her back and rubbing her waist. Olivia noticed.
