THE DAY WHEN LAUREL HAD RETURNED TO THE MILLER STATE.
I was sitting with Cassian, my best friend as I was discussing about how Laurel had went missing, the time when she left the house, where her phone was found.
"There must've been some other clue, like how can one vanish like that all of a sudden, let's go with the search team there today, Moreover where the detectives found her phone, there is a village at a certain distance, and one of my man lives there, I'll try contacting him, if he or anyone else in the village saw her, cool okay? We have the best men on our go, your sister will be okay!" Cassian discussed, keeping some pictures in front of him on the table, the pictures that were captured during investigation.
The pictures of Laurel's phone, her one shoe, her watch, the ring I had given her on her birthday... All of them.
"I don't know, but I'm not feeling right, she has never stepped outside of these four walls without a driver or at least her own car, not only did she not had taken a car with her, her phone was also switched off the entire time and was only switched on for a few seconds to call someone, the police are trying to track the number she had called, but so far they have got nothing!"
"I feel like this all done by that woman, I don't know what's her problem with us, since I was a kid she tried picking on me but I never let her get over me but Laurel, she was just a baby and she has suffered a lot by her, she has lived her whole life as a puppet to her." I murmured massaging my temples as a maid came and kept two cups of coffee on the table in front of us as I told her to leave.
"Are you sure she sent her away?" Cassian asked, picking up the cup of coffee and handed it out to me.
"And even if she did, we can get her arrested, if not you, then I will, your father won't do anything to me, and she will spill it out where she has sent Laurel, but first at least eat some thing, drink your coffee I will ask the maids to bring you some food. You haven't eaten anything since she went missing ."
His voice was filled with concern as I slowly nodded and took the cup from him and he asked the maids to prepare something for me.
But how could? How could I eat something? When I don't even know if she has eaten something? How can I, when I don't even know is she is okay? How can I when I don't even know if she is even alive.
I sat on my place, where could she be? She is just a little girl, what if, what if something bad has happened to her what if she got lost and needs me.
My anxiety reached to the peak and I was lot in my thoughts when Cassian shook me.
"Kalix! Kalix! What happened? Where are you lost now I told you don't worry about Laurel... she will be fine."
He spoke while his other hand had the cup of coffe in it when the main gate was opened, at first I thought it would Katherine and Dad but as I turned my head, I frozed on my place, and my breath hitched
It was her...it was Laurel! She was home.
She was drenched from head to toe as I quickly removed the coat off my body and made her wear it, she was trembling very badly.
And I quickly hugged her, asking her questions, geeting crazy when she wasn't replying until I heard her soft voice.
My heart dropped at her stuttering my name, but I let it aside, she just came home, I don't even know what happened to her.
I sent her to her room as I turned to Cassian.
"Leave now, she is here, and I don't want you around her." I muttered.
"Kalix, I didn't mean any harm, why can't you-" Cassian tried explaining things but I cut him off in middle.
"Leave Cassian, she is my sister! I won't let anything harm her, and with you, she will only be hurt."
And he left.
Later that afternoon when Dad and Katherine were back home, I had called for a docter too, because ever since Laurel had gotten jaundice, her body had weakened and she used to get sick like it was something very normal.
I was furious when Katherine was shedding crocodile tears in front of the doctor, but I couldn't say anything Infront of an outsider, soon as the doctor left I was ready to talk Laurel away from her, when I heard her, apologizing to Laurel— for sending her off, somewhere.
My tightened my fist in a punch and bursted all out on her, and took Laurel out of that hellhole.
The slap I had received on my cheeks wasn't the very first I had gotten, but I was very sure that it was going to the be the last, because Laurek looked, really scared at the scene before me.
Shit–
I ruffled her hair, as soon as I started the engine of the car.
"I'm sorry..." I said apologetically, I hadn't intended to get all angry, I just wanted to protect Laurel and ended up forgetting how much traumatized she would be, after going missing for a day.
The remaining day I had spent with Laurel, talking, badmouthing Katherine, while I treated her with ice cream and then a fancy dinner a restaurant.
A couple of days had passed since Laurel had came back after going missing, and I had been noticing many weird changes in her, never in at least 10 years I had seen Laurel eating bread and jam in breakfast, ever since Katherine began taking her along in tea parties, she was taught to only eat using a knife and fork to avoid using her hands, but here she was, using her hands to eat bread jam, while sitting beside me, that too after a failed attempt for not being able to eat a simple omelette with a fork and knife.
There were things that Laurel had mastered doing but, right now ever since she had came back, it's as if she doesn't even remember what she used to be like.
Even after noticing everything she was doing, I remained quiet.
But the bomb dropped on me when she all of a sudden, kept the wish of living alone Infront of me and I lost it.
First of all, she left home without telling me anything, then I found out that she left because Katherine told her to do so!
Like she could've told me, and I would have protected her like I have been doing so ever since mom left,
She didn't even care how I would've had felt if she goes away, she was someone who wouldn't be able to live with me,
It was as if she had changed or...as if it was someone else.
Whoever she is, I am damn sure that she is not my sister, she is not my Laurie who I saw growing up. It's someone else with same face and same voice, just not Laurel.
At the apartment I had made one thing clear, that my friend is keeping an eye on her, and my Laurel would've reacted to it weirdly, making faces at me, telling me that I wouldn't have any need to do that, because she would tell me everything happening in her life anyway, but that wasn't how she reacted.
She replied to it, like someone else, and my suspicion was confirmed, she is not my sister, or even if she is... She has changed and I have to know it.
And that's why I tricked her, asking her since when did she started eating her French fries with ketchup and mayonnaise together, even though she had liked the combo with fries.simce she was five.
And that's when I asked her the question.
"Laurel are you okay? I don't know why...but I feel like you are hiding something from me?"
And my question had really taken her off guard, I could see right through her face.
After eating together, instead of going back to Miller estate, I decided to go to the road where the Investigators had found her phone and an unspecified car.
I drove their, checked around the area but I found nothing suspicious, so I decided to pay a visit to the nearby village, where I got to know about quite some things, that a couple weeks ago , the farmer Fabian Bernard had found a girl passed out near the lake they go for fishing at, and I went to their house.
I was greeted by a middle aged couple, and their two sons.
Unlike the rest of the family, Their eldest son, was quite the opposite, reserved, quiet, I got the full details how, where and when did they had found Laurel, and the way she had behaved after waking up.
And in between our conversation the eldest son got up and left their house.
I didn't think much about it, until the lady of the house spoke.
"Excuse him, Franklin doesn't talk much with strangers, he rather avoids people, he is mostly busy with work, and that's also one of the reason how he had found your sister and who knew that you are also Frank's boss's best friend, to be honest I felt so much at ease knowing that the lady belonged to a prominent house, and she was not some run away bride or something, many girls often come here after running away from their weddings, and then their family get the villagers arrested for no reason!"
I was shocked hearing the woman's words.
"What did you said?" I was flabbergasted, the hell did that mean!
"Pardon?" The lady looked confused upon my question as I excused myself and left the house in search for that boy, when I found him standing near the Fields talking on a phone.
"Yes, Mr. Valor, don't worry I will make sure no one tells him about you, yes, you can be at ease! You are doubting my professionalism, I don't talk bad behind my employers back."
It was Franklin, the boy who was barely an adult, talking on a phone with a strange maturity in his voice.
"Who were you talking to?" I called him out and he turned around looking at me, nonchalantly.