❝ I'm not scared of you .❞
❝ You should be.❞
Malaina Hill was done playing by the rules. Forced to behave like the perfect daughter by her upper class parents, she's sick and tired of being told what to do. Her mother's words haunt her, making her...
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Malaina "HER NAME IS ELIANA Alvarez ," Mateo said for the hundredth time. His voice was filled with disappointment and frustration as he chewed his lip, looking at me for a second.
On the bed, to the left of me, sat Aisha, who was busy crossing off another name from the guest list. It had been four days since Ellie's disappearance, and Mateo, Aisha, Devonte, Henry, and I were busy calling every person who had attended the Christmas party in hopes that one of them had seen her.
"Eliana Alvarez," Mateo repeated again, this time slower and more impatient. Mateo was a mess, not just physically but mentally.
His hair was sticking out in every direction, a faint trace of stubble starting to grow on his face. The circles around his eyes were beginning to look darker than usual, and his jaw never seemed to unclench. His mood was forever brooding, and his voice was hoarse and raspy from the lack of sleep. The only thing keeping him from crashing was caffeine from the coffee I had brought him from Candlewood Cafe every day for the past four days.
"Fuck." Mateo cursed in frustration as he hung up the call. Everyone turned to look at him. He exhaled loudly as his fingers ran through his hair frantically as if he was looking for something to hold on to. I put my hand on his shoulder, feeling his body tremble beneath my touch.
"We'll find her, I promise." I tried to reassure him, and everyone nodded. I felt like I was starting to lose hope, but I couldn't let Mateo see that. I had to be strong for him. I tried everything I could to make him happy; I even surprised him by ordering breakfast that morning and eating it, a small step, but one nonetheless.
Sure, the happiness had been apparent when he had realized I was eating, but the emotion came as quickly as it had left, and that dark expression had reclaimed his face once again. Calling hundreds of strangers on a Saturday afternoon was far from my idea of fun, but we were all managing.
We had spent the last few days cooped up in Mateo's room. We had alerted the police of Ellie's disappearance, and they had assured us that they would do everything they could.
"Yeah, don't worry, Mateo, I'm sure with all the fliers we're putting up, someone will find her," Devonte said, patting his friend on the shoulder. Mateo nodded absentmindedly, but I could tell his heart wasn't into it.
"I think we're doing something wrong here," Aisha suddenly said, putting down her pen and clasping her hands together as she watched me intently. I cocked my head to the side slightly. "Why's that?" Henry asked.
Aisha stood up and began pacing back and forth, trying to jog her thoughts. "Mateo's father is a very powerful man; we all know that." I nodded slowly, trying to understand where this was going. Mateo's father had friends in high places, and he certainly wasn't going broke anytime soon.
"A man that powerful has many connections, some bad, some good. Now Mateo, can you think of anyone who would be seen as a threat to anyone in your family?"
