Invisible

3. Carlotta

My name is Carlotta. This is my diary. Why do I write this? - because my mum said it would help me. Well she actually said that years ago but I've only just started. You'll understand in a bit... or maybe a while.

I mean, I've always fancied myself as an author, or maybe an astronaut. Well, that would be hard. I'm not fit and hate running. Yeah, screw the astronaut idea. Maybe a computer scientist working for NASA? I've always been quite good at ICT and I like computers.

Well I'm Carlotta and the point of writing here? There is no point. It's not like it's for anything. Just for me to cry about later whilst I read it. I'm going to start my diary on some strange day. The craziest day ever. And I don't mean that my mum surprised me with DisneyLand tickets and a new pet hamster, (I've always wanted to go to DisneyLand but my mum couldn't afford that. She has hinted stuff about the hamster though) I mean crazy as in 'horrible'. Me and Marie walked out of the school's gate with Alex (Marie's younger brother) and waited on the pavement for my mum. Marie normally walks home or goes on the bus since she lives quite close to school. Around 10 minutes later, my mum drove past and stopped. I grabbed my bag and hugged Marie and said bye. I opened the scratched gray door to my car.

It was second hand, a present from my grandmother. My mum couldn't afford a new one, let alone an old one. She cant really afford anything lately, but it's not her fault. She can't seem to find any good paying jobs and just works at the shopping centre nearby in the evenings.

We drove past the small cafe near school and my mum just quickly parked in front to go and get a snack for me. As I shoved down my copy of Narnia inside my backpack, I glanced outside my window and saw a coal - black van turn around the corner and stop extremely quickly. I opened the car window and listened to everything happening. I noticed the noise of a huge door closing (probably the van's huge side door) and then screaming. It was Marie. I heard sobbing. It was her little brother Alex. I jumped out of the car and ran to the cafe. Everyone looked worried and some were filming on their phone.

"What's wrong?"

"Who's kids are those?"

"They almost got taken!"

I heard people hustling about. The cafe manager called the police. My mum was chalk-white - she knew it was Marie and Alex.

"Carlotta! Are you alright?" she gasped as she saw my face.

I ran into her open arms and for some reason just started crying. I don't know why I was crying. It was Marie who was in all the trouble, not me. I guess I was just scared. Worried. My mum phoned Marie's mum.

We got home and I texted Marie but didn't get a response. I started gnawing at my nails - my most infuriating habit. I'm surprised there is still a nail to bite at. I tried to forget about it and just do my homework. I couldn't though. The image of Alex and Marie screaming. Running for their lives kept flashing in my head. Then my imagination took the best of me. I kept seeing images of the person in the van (whoever he was) stabbing Marie. Her brother, helpless. Screaming. People shouting and rushing over.

Marie... well Marie - dead.

I heard my phone 'bing' and saw it light up. I muttered the notification out loud for whatever reason,

"Hey Lotta. Everything's okay dokey. My mum and I have just left the station. She needed me to tell them about it. I'm fine, don't worry."

I knew she wasn't fine though.

I carried on with my homework but I just couldn't concentrate. All the numbers seemed like another language. I just stopped and fell onto my bed and read.

Why can't that be homework? I think we would learn much more.

I then went onto my computer to search up the case. There were already surprising amounts of news reports on it but nothing had happened and nobody said what really happened. None of them had interviewed Marie about it. I don't get it. Nothing has been done.

At dinner, I asked mum about it. She just nodded so it was obvious she was thinking about something else. I twirled my noodles around my fork and quickly slurped everything up as my mum was scrolling through her phone whilst sipping some coffee by the counters.

I finished and went back to my room and searched up more stuff about Marie's almost-kidnapping. After like an hour of searching (and I knew it was exactly an hour because my playlist went back to the first song), I just stared out of my window and then decided to call Marie again. She didn't answer and it just went to voicemail.

I continued searching the internet and tapped into one newspaper website. Finally, it was one with some sort of article -

"Today, at Evergreen Secondary School, Tingsham by Sea, a student and her younger brother were almost kidnapped. It is not known what the kidnapper looks like, but if anyone knows any more information, please come forward. He drives a black Volkswagen van. The 12 year old girl stated the following: 'He first snatched my brother and I then I grabbed my brother's arm and tugged it back to me. The man then grabbed me and pushed me over and I fell on the road. I felt the whole world just flash past me'. Police have gotten to the area near the school and are now interviewing the family and witnesses. The police have stated that no suspects have been found."

Yeah right. Marie definitely said that... Did she? It sounded too dramatic for her. Too.... well I don't know. I continued searching but nothing else was to be found. I sent her the link to the article. I saw that Marie was online, but hadn't responded. I hate it when she does this.