SIX
1750 Words
Brandy Mandy
Riley is my good friend; I always laugh when I recall the first time we met. She was walking down the road, just close to my apartment, and I was coming back from my morning run as usual. She looked lost and in her world, and that is when my instincts kicked in.
God knows I hate talking to strangers, but she was an exception. I saw her, and I saw a friend in her; we chatted for a few minutes, then exchanged numbers. We met a couple of times; I would sometimes force her to get out of the house just to hang out with her and make her feel loved and valued.
Riley is a good person; I don’t know why her wicked mother would even think of harming her. I mean, when she narrated to me about her mom’s death and how she ended up being a slave in her father’s house, I pitied her. I worked as hard as I could so I could help. As I worked double shifts, I had only one thing on my mind: to make her 25th birthday memorable.
That was before she told me about the pregnancy news, and knowing her so well, I knew she was keeping the baby, so I started my journey of looking for Alessandro Ricco. It is not an easy mission, but anything for my best friend.
It has been two days since we last spoke, and the only thing I have managed to find is his number. A good thing for starters: I tried calling her phone, but it was not going through. I do it again and again, but you keep sending me straight to voicemail.
I promise to go to her home after work to check on her, and I swear my head is in turmoil; I can’t think straight, and I can’t fathom anything having happened to her. If Amber has plans to harm her, then she will have to face me.
"I am leaving early; please sign out for me and tell the boss that I have a family emergency; my friend is missing, and I am going to look for her," I tell Jim, a workmate, and he nods.
"Okay, I hope you find her, and just know you owe me that date after I do this." He insists, and I chuckle softly.
"Okay, Jim, just finish the task first, and we will talk about this date once we are done. Can you do that for me?" I inquire, and he nods.
Jim and I have been colleagues for almost two years now; he is the one who took me through orientation, showed me around, and made me feel comfortable. We became friends instantly, but that became strained when he confessed his feelings for me. It felt weird because I considered him my brother, a good friend, and he had been pressuring me into going on a date with him for starters. Then he would leave me alone, and I guess he just got his date.
I get into my car and drive off to her place with hopes I find her or meet that she-devil in the name of her mother.
As soon as I park the car in front of her house, I get out and walk to her door. I ring the doorbell, and one of the mini-devils shows up.
"And who are you?" she asks while squinting her eyes at me.
Chuckling softly, I size her up, rolling my eyes in the process before I clear my throat. "I am looking for Riley; stop acting like I am new to you, Mylee, or is it Stacy the mean one?" I ask a question, and she smiles.
"Oh, you are the famous w***e friend to Riley; she is not here. She thinks she is seeking sanctuary at your place, isn’t she?"
"Mylee, I am not here to play jokes with you, and I don’t have time for your stupid mind games. Where is Riley?" Tell her Brandy is here." I urge, and she scoffs.
"Well, it is clear you don’t listen; Riley is not here. We woke up, and she was gone, as were her clothes. We thought she was at your place, but it is now evident that she doesn’t want to be with either of us." She admits, and I shake my head.
I am in denial; Riley couldn’t have left without informing me; maybe Mylee is just playing this game on me so I could leave without checking on her.
Angrily, I push her out of the doorway and head into the house. "Where is she?" I ask as I stomp on the stairs to her room, and when I open the door, my fears are confirmed.
"I know you guys are hiding her somewhere in this house, but I promise you, when I come back, you will know Riley has friends who care about her." I threaten as I walk down the stairs, and I almost bump into Amber.
"Watch your steps, and don’t you dare speak to my daughter like that. I understand you are looking for your friend, but as Mylee said, Riley is gone. It has been two days since we last heard from her. "I am happy and relieved that she finally decided to give us the peace that we deserve in this house. Amber boasts, and I shake my head.
What kind of human being would be happy about someone’s misfortunes?
"It is okay; I will find her because I know you don’t even care if she is safe or not." "Have a good day, Lucifer’s wife." I insist on the name, and she shrugs.
"Thank you, whore."
"b***h!" I spit and walk out of the house.
This is unlike Riley; she would never leave town without informing me, and if she did leave, then she must have a plan for calling me once she is settled. I know I am consoling myself right now, but I need hope to keep going.
"Riley, I hope you are safe wherever you are, and call me as soon as you are settled," I mumble before I start the car and speed off.
Riley Anderson
"Mommy, where do people go when they die?" I ask my mom.
"Honey, who has been feeding lies to you? "What do you know about death?" She fires back, and I shrug.
"I don’t know; the other day one of our classmates lost her mom, and the teacher told us that her mom had gone to heaven and she would always be watching over her.
"Yes, that is true; when someone dies, they go to heaven and watch over their loved ones, protecting them and making sure nothing harms them.
"Is that where you will go when you die too?" I ask innocently, and she pulls up a seat next to me.
"Mommy is not going to die anytime soon; I will stay with you until you are all grown into a big girl, go to college, find a good job, and have babies."
"Oh really? I don’t want to be a big girl. "I want to be a baby girl forever."
"Ha-ha, you will grow up one day, and you will be a mother just like me for some years to come. "Now go to your room and get changed; food will be ready in five." She urges me, and I run upstairs happily.
After changing into some comfortable clothes, I ran downstairs only to meet an empty kitchen. My mother is nowhere to be seen.
"Mom! Mom! Mommy! "Where are you?" I call as I search for her around the house.
"Riley, you have to leave right now. You don’t belong here." Her voice startles me, and I stop in my tracks.
"Mom, stop playing mind games on me; you are scaring me! "Where are you?" I was completely scared. I can’t be alone in this house; it is too big. What if someone breaks in?
"Riley, I am afraid I have to leave you for now, and you have to go back and take care of your child; he needs you now more than ever. Can you do that for me?"
"I don’t understand, mom. Which baby are you talking about? And why are you leaving me now? "Please don’t go; I need you right now, Mom," I beg as I look around for her, but I can’t hear her.
"Riley Anderson, if you can hear me, you need to fight hard and come back. "I know we don’t know each other to that extent, but I can’t let you give up right now. Come back, please." Another voice pleads with me, but it leaves me even more confused.
I try recalling whose voice it is, but I can’t grasp my brain on it. "Riley, I need you to fight hard and come back; don’t give up!" The voice comes again, and I run outside.
The sky is getting dark, and so is everything around me. Suddenly, a strong wind starts, and it is blowing at a high speed, carrying with it everything it finds on its way. I ran to my mom’s car, but then I remembered I left the keys in the house.
"Riley, you need to get out of that car and run as fast as you can." The male voice, which is now more audible, says, and my jaw drops.
"Alessandro?" I mumble softly, trying to get out of the car, but my feet are stuck. "Can you please help me?" My feet are stuck! I can’t feel my legs." I cry out for help.
"Just close your eyes, try to imagine something memorable, and assume this is not happening. Try and relax; don’t panic; everything is going to be okay." His soothing voice comes again, and I close my eyes as instructed, and then all the events start replaying in my mind.
I remember everything that happened: "I am not supposed to be here!" I mumble softly before opening my eyes, and the first person I notice is Alessandro.
"Where’m I?" I ask as I try to sit up, but he is quick to hold me back. He pushes me back gently, and I close my eyes.
"You are safe now; that is all that matters." The nurse will check on you to make sure that everything is okay, and then we can talk about what happened. Is that okay?" he asks
"Okay," I mumble.
- Writer
