More Than Meets The Eye

More Than Meets The Eye -3-

The tabloids couldn’t know.

They just couldn’t.

Autumn had failed to follow the man and was miserable when she realised she only knew what he wore, and what the back of him looked like.

But one thing marked him different; a tattoo on the nape of his neck in the shape of a cobra – or at least some sort of snake. Despite the fact that Autumn had been watching him from afar when she chased after him, her eyesight was unusually sharp and the tattoo was easily spotted as his hair was short.

By the time Autumn had returned, nobody had taken much notice of her absence except for Will who knew better than to add to the panic of the situation.

“Autumn!” Will cried out, scrambling up to the bedraggled actress whose face was red beyond belief. “What happened?! Where the hell did you go?”

Autumn stared up into those crystal blue eyes of his and let out a breathless sigh. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

Will frowned at the brief answer but nonetheless took it as a hint that Autumn didn’t want to talk about it. He also noticed she didn’t have her dress on. “Where’s your dress . . . ?”

“I ditched it,” Autumn said plainly. “Can you come with me to get it?”

Will shook his head disbelievingly. “Come on – where is it?”

“Back of the school,” she whispered fearfully. Taking his hand, she ran on wobbly legs until they were alone in the corridors at the back of the school.

The violet dress was in a messy heap but still intact when she picked it up.

“Well, ask me what you want to know,” she said timidly, seriously acting like her shy character of Hailey.

“Where did you go?” he demanded. “Why?” He blanched, remembering Autumn’s uncanny prediction before the gunshot rang out. “How?” Autumn’s jaw trembled and soon she had broken down with Will desperately trying to calm her down. “Autumn . . .”

“I don’t know,” she blubbered. “I felt light-headed and I felt nervous. Then the gunshot and then Jenna and then I saw someone so I had to go after them! I think it was him but I’m not so sure and now – and now Jenna’s dead!”

“You don’t know that,” Will said in a trembling voice. “Autumn –”

“And she gave me . . . this,” Autumn choked out, uncurling her tight fist. The paper crumpled in her hand lay there motionlessly. “And her last words . . .” She shook her head miserably. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“In this twisted world, nothing ever does,” he said soothingly and rubbed her back. “Come on, let’s get you back and eat something – Opal’s going through Hell without you.”

Autumn squeezed her eyes shut and clung onto Will desperately. Never in her life had she ever needed to face such drama!

Such real, pure, heart-wrenching drama . . .

Will tightened his arms around the small frame of the actress and rested his chin atop of her head. He too, cared for Jenna deeply as a friend and it was devastating to find that she had been shot.

But the message she had given Autumn . . . perhaps they could give it to the police and see if they can do anything about it? Will still didn’t know what it said but was afraid to push Autumn’s limits.

After a few more minutes, the sirens had ceased yet the tension had started to build and reached the pair in the abandoned, empty corridor.

Autumn sniffled and pulled away with a bleary smile. “Thanks Will.” She reluctantly picked herself up and bunched the dress under one arm. She crumpled the letter up in her hand, unwilling to read it just yet.