From Eliza

From Eliza’s deleted story writing:

         I’m sitting here staring at a blank page. I have no idea what to write about so I’m writing this. All I hear is tapping around me. We are in the computer lab writing our first fiction story of the year. All I can write is the truth right now. Abby went missing a month ago. That’s all I think about these days and every day since the horrid morning. Why hasn’t she come back yet? Did someone take her? Did she run away? Is she already dead? I never get much sleep because of lack of answers to these questions. I wish someone would just tell me…

         “Eliza? Eliza?” the teacher began to whisper, “We need to talk in the hall for a moment.”

         As Eliza stood up to walk out of the room everyone stared at her like she was a freak of nature but she wasn’t, she just dozed off in class on occasion, okay, a lot.

         “Eliza, why does this keep happening? It’s becoming a problem and your grades are dropping.”

         “I’m sorry Mrs. Daniels. I just can’t sleep at night since she went missing. I have so many questions and not enough answers. If only I had answers.”

         “I’m very sorry about Abby, I know you were very close but, as you said you don’t have answers, you need to try to move on. If she comes back, that’s great, but if she doesn’t, nobody will ever have the answers. Now let us go back to class and try our best to stay awake.”

         One of Eliza’s friends from her and Abby’s group of four was Rachel. Rachel moved to town when she was eleven and only knew Abby for three years so they weren’t nearly as tight but friends all the same. As Eliza and Rachel walked to their next class together Rachel asked what the teacher had wanted. Eliza just dismissed it, saying it was nothing, trying not to bring up Abby again.

         Eliza made her way home on the bus that drove through their brown, dull town. Just a miniscule point on a map Abby had always said. All the families were middle class as everyone got paid just about the same. The town was maybe little, but it was by no means poor. Once at her bus stop Eliza ventured on the walk down the street to her house with her neighbor Austin. He was someone she had become close with while Abby was at her side but now he was shy around her and everyone knew why, because if anyone said the wrong thing she would act strange and turn her back to them. Today was different though today he said a simple, “hi,” and she responded. This was the most that had ever been said since the disappearance.

Everyone should have gotten a chance to know Eliza before. She was the most exciting, peaceful, bubbly person people in town claimed one would ever meet. She wore bright colors on her clothes and pink or lime green converse every day. But, that Eliza totally disappeared; now she was morbid and dark on the outside which meant hardly anyone would talk to her. Her long curly auburn hair now hung straight and in a ponytail on a daily basis. Those pink and green pairs of converse got thrown to the very back of the closet and replaced with black and deep red ones. On the other side of the closet in the back was anything else that had a touch of Abby, including pictures and clothes. This wasn’t Eliza anymore, and no one liked who she had become.

         Eliza’s mom asked how school was and as usual she walked past with a straight face said good, and climbed the staircase. Before they would talk for quite some time about what would happen at school. Once in her room she sat down on her bedspread which was a black and white design as opposed to the pink and green circles from before. The walls were still the same purple as she was prohibited from painting. The bulletin board hung above her iHome still blank as it has been. Next to the bed sat a small grey book that she picked up along with a pen and opened her journal, writing day thirty-five. This was how she told how many days it had been. This was all she wrote, just a number every day. Beneath this journal she had a photo album, the one part of Abby that was left in sight. It showed of them together as babies at age one, and then at age five. So on and so forth traveling through all the years. Being friends for so long made it special. Neither of them had real siblings, they were each other’s siblings. Eliza was aware she had many problems and most likely needed help but she didn’t want it. She never wanted to forget the way her best friend smiled or the way she made her feel better. These things were important to her, memories to hold forever.

         About an hour later after she finished her homework she was called to dinner. During dinner since Abby was discovered to be missing they always tried to get her to laugh but she wanted to know how anyone could laugh even now after two months. Her sister was talking about everything she did that day in her spunky little way. How did anyone sleep or laugh or tell jokes when one of the 3,000 people in town had gone missing?

Back in class, Rachel sent what seemed the millionth note back to Eliza.

         Rachel: How are you doing today?

         Eliza: People should stop asking can’t you tell I’m not fine??

Now it had been 3 months, today was day ninety-six.

         At school everyone was still talking about it as they most likely would be for years but, Eliza didn’t like them saying things like she had problems and that she ran away. Why did they think she ran away no one knew. They probably were just gossiping trying to make a better story but, Eliza was sure she had been abducted. So, finally she did something about this at lunch, she stood up.

         “HEY! Everyone SHUT UP!!” the crowd of kids responded with silence, “I know you all like to think that Abby ran away but, I don’t appreciate that kind of talk about my friend and I’m sure she wouldn’t either. She wouldn’t have gone without saying something I’m positive she was taken,” spoke Eliza defiantly. She was going against the crowd for once in her life and she learned how good it felt.

         On the way to their math class Austin came up behind Eliza unnoticed until he said, “What you did today? I admire that.” This was the rekindling of the friendship between the two, because he was the person, other than Rachel, to talk to her first.

         After she and Austin had talked on the way home they go their ways and she trudged up to her bedroom once more to write day ninety-seven. With everyday that passed she knew hope was slipping away from her. She hated this feeling; she wanted everything to be okay again. Everyone pretended to understand but no one ever could.

         When it was time for dinner Eliza sat down but, not as normal today - she greeted everyone. Seeing her mother’s face light up like that was magical for Eliza it sparked something in her making her want to be a part of things again and Austin had opened that door today. So, around the kitchen table they sat just like a family out of a TV show while she told of her speech in the cafeteria and of the conversation between Austin and herself. Again when she told of talking to someone other than Rachel, someone she and Abby were close with, made that light go on and sparked even more inside her. Talking became normal again. She still wasn’t herself and never nearly talked again but this was progress all the same.

         At school she and Austin started to talk more and more every day until he knew exactly what to tell her, she’ll be back, don’t worry. Although Eliza wasn’t sure how many of those words she believed she did start to see it will be okay after all. Her life fell back in to a motion this time when she got home it’s an oh, alright rather than good. All the same up the stairs she went in quiet, today to write a ninety-eight.

Two months later.

         Eliza got home and the same thing happened, nothing new. Day one-fifty-eight, Eliza was still in the same condition except that she hangs out with Austin a lot. He tended to come over after school and sit in the kitchen waiting for her to count the day and come back down. Her mother got excited every time he comes over even though this has been going on for a month and a half. Sometimes they would talk, and every once in awhile they went outside and just sat. That night he stayed for dinner, and as normal her father went to turn on the national news after he finished eating.

         On the TV screen was Abby’s picture, but it wasn’t a good picture. She looked peaceful, but not full of life because she wasn’t full of life just like the other nine they showed after her. The announcer said they were all found this morning and if their parents recognized them to call this number. Her mother jotted the number down and called Abby’s mom in silence as Eliza turned in tears and buried herself in Austin’s shoulder. His mother rushed over after seeing the report and seeing them, she said he could stay as long as he was needed, then left them to their quiet.

         Austin stayed and he held Eliza until the tears stopped coming which took a good amount of time. Neither of them went to school that Thursday but that was okay, except, the same time she had every day before Eliza stood up silently and walked to her bedroom she pulled out the book and wrote, this time two numbers: one-fifty-nine and two.