Page 50 of Did You See Evie

I could hear stomping coming down the hall. My father, who I’d thought would be asleep in his recliner by now, was coming into my room. “Cass?”

“Hide,” I hissed at Nadia, even though my room was so small, there weren’t many places.

Nadia jumped off the bed, searching for a place to go. She only had time to stand behind my bedroom door. As she got into position, she grabbed one of my basketball trophies from my dresser. I couldn’t figure out why.

Dad opened the door, and I could almost feel Nadia holding her breath, trying to be quiet.

“Are you talking to someone in here?” Dad asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Only studying,” I said, lifting some of the papers on my bed. “I have a test this week.”

I tried to keep my voice as calm and level as possible. My eyes watched Nadia. She was still behind the door, the trophy tight in her hands. She watched my father as closely as I did, ready to pounce if her location was found out.

Dad’s eyes surveyed the room, lingering on the open bedroom window, before looking back at me. Finally, he said, “Keep it down, okay? I’m trying to take a nap.”

“Sure thing,” I said, still holding my breath until he shut the door completely.

Nadia waited another beat before climbing back on the bed, the trophy still in her hands. “That was a close one.”

“What were you planning on doing with that thing?”

Nadia looked down at the sculpture and shrugged. “I don’t know. I was ready to defend myself.”

“You can’t hit my dad over the head with a trophy!”

“Why not?” she asked, plainly. “He hits you.”

“Yeah, but… he’s my dad,” I said, unsure what else to say. “And you better get out of here before things get worse. My punishment is almost over, then things can go back to normal.”

Nadia stood and slammed the trophy on my nightstand. She was angry. Before she climbed out of the window, she said, “Sooner or later you’re going to have to stand up for yourself.”

By the end of the week, Nadia and I had made up. We always worked that way, our moods ebbing and flowing, but sometimes I’d think back to the way she held that trophy in her hands, and shiver. Nadia was a good friend to have, but only when she remained on my good side.

TWENTY-SIX

Monday morning hits harder than usual.

There’s the same excruciating realization that another week of work is ahead, but it takes a harder toll due to the lack of sleep, and the fact that Evie is still missing makes everything worse.

I’m not prepared to encounter the other students. I can only imagine the fear and anxiety they must be going through. Middle school is a difficult age as it is. The conflicting purgatory between childhood and the teenage years. Our students want to feel grown, and yet there’s still an innocence there, a longing to know everything will be okay.

With one of their classmates missing, I’m afraid that innocence is gone, and there’s nothing their pampered upbringing or overprotective parents can do to restore it.

When I arrive in the school parking lot, I’m dreading entering the building.

“You look about as miserable as I feel,” Kyle says, when I finally exit my car. He’s parked beside me.

“This entire weekend has felt like a nightmare,” I say.

“Tell me about it. I wasn’t able to sleep at all after last night’s prayer circle.”

“Me neither.”

I recall the drama last night between Nadia, Josh and Crystal. I’d gone to Evie’s house hoping to find answers, but now I worry there’s only more mysteries to unfold. Who were all those people in and out of Evie’s life, and could any of them have something to do with her disappearance?

“Have you heard any updates?” Kyle asks me as we walk inside the building.

“Unfortunately, no,” I say. “I’ve been in contact with the police, but they don’t seem to have any leads.”

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