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I’d closed the living room’s blackout curtain after getting a glass of water last night, so Mom must have left her door open, letting in the light.
I stretched over and checked the time on my phone. 8:15am. Mom was hardly ever up this early. I sat up, asking though half-open eyes, “Mom?”
No answer. I rubbed my face, yawning and stretching. I ambled to her bedroom door, knocking on the edge gently. “Mom? Did you sleep okay? You’re up early.”
I walked in. “Mom, are—”
She wasn’t there. Bathroom was empty too. Strange. She’d barely ventured out of the apartment since we’d moved in, especially in the early morning.
Her phone was on the dresser. Leaving it behind wasn’t unusual though. She complained all the time about how much cells disrupted society. Walking into the room, I picked it up, tapped the screen—the battery was dead. Testimony to how often she used it.
Where had she gone? I wasn’t desperately worried, she was my mom not my child, but I did wish she’d woken me to let me know. I’d take a slight detour on my way to the library this morning, past the nearest café,Marco’s, on the off chance she’d wanted an early morning Americano. Coffee was one of the few things she still enjoyed daily, and the instant stuff I’d bought from the supermarket was crap, so it was possible she’d gone there.
I showered, dabbed on a little makeup, and tugged on some jeans that were tearing around my knees—they hadn’t been when I’d bought them—and a fresh blouse. My cardigan’s cotton sleeves were fraying around the cuffs, so I plucked a few stray threads as I sipped a quick cup of cloying, cheap coffee. If my mom had gone to Marco’s, she’d be enjoying hers a lot more than me.
My phone chimed, a text arriving. It was my gentle bear.
Hey beautiful, how’s your morning going so far? I’m so sorry for having to go away this weekend. Can’t be helped. I’d rather be near you…
He ended his message with a sad emoji.
I almost responded back with one too.
I wished Aaron hadn’t had to go to the conference in Omaha this weekend. But he was aspiring to full professorship, so he needed to be constantly increasing his knowledge, networking with other academics, and making a name for himself.
It’s totally fine, you have to go to these things. I miss you too though.
His reply came back in less than a minute.
If you need anything, or anybody makes you feel unsafe, like you see that vamp creep hanging around, please contact me immediately. I’ll send a reliable friend to help.
I looked out the window. Thankfully, with it being Saturday, the streets were already starting to get busy, despite the early hour. The sunlight and steadily increasing bustle made outside seem like another world from the shadowy, deserted place I’d experienced the night before.
I sent Aaron back a thumbs up emoji and quickly followed it with a heart.
Pouring the half-full coffee out and placing the cup in the sink, I brushed my teeth and hurried out the door. I was looking forward to studying in the tranquil refuge of the library, but I knew my focus would be off until I saw my mom again, especially if she wasn’t at Marco’s.
And she wasn’t. I even popped inside and asked the barista. Nobody matching her description had been in.
I reminded myself she was an adult and entitled to go out on a Saturday morning without announcing it to the world.
I just wished she’d left me a note.
Sirens screamed past me as I drew near to the central heart of the university. Three cruisers and a white van, all emblazoned in NLPD lettering and insignias. Their wails and flashing lights jarred my already fraying nerves.
Walking onto the campus’ main quad, I was met by a swollen crowd of professors, staff and students, all mumbling, peering, taking videos and pictures with phones and upstretched arms. They were focused on the break in buildings between the library and science building. The alleyway, for lack of a better word.
Those same emergency vehicles that had flown by me were now parked in the quad, with the cops hurriedly yanking and affixing yellow and black tape, across the alleyway’s entrance, ordering people to get back. It was like something out of a movie.
Campus security moved people along, shoving, and arguing with students, telling them there was nothing to see. But clearly there was.
An elemental student towards the front began levitating, obviously hoping for a better view. He floated too far forward, knocking into the police tape. His friends mocked his careless flying. A police officer grabbed him by the legs, dragged him from the air, and threatened to arrest him for obstruction if he didn’t get lost, causing a whole bunch of his buddies to shout curses at the police in protest.
I decided I should go.
But the library’s large oak outer doors were closed. I wondered if the librarian had locked them, or just wanted to keep out the crowd’s noise. With all eyes fixed on the elementals, and their confrontation with the angry police officers, I moseyed up the steps and tried the iron ring handle, clasping and tugging on its rough, rippled surface, hoping my journey from home hadn’t been wasted.
It hadn’t. The latch clunked, the door creaked open, and I discreetly sidled inside. I walked through the outer hallway and into the library’s main section. There were some muffled sounds of commotion coming through the windows, but my eardrums sighed relief after the racket outside.
