The Sister // Bennny.r

Chapter 39 - PHASE 2: part 4

Aliza.

This last week had been such a horror story I couldn't take it anymore. I had collapsed of pure exausthion on Flash's living room floor and hadn't found the energy to get back up again. When Flash had finally gotten home from running his various errands he had had to drag me onto the sofa. "What the hell are you doing to yourself?" He asked shaking his head, "I mean this is just idiotic Aliza." 

"I'm almost done." I mumbled probably incoherantly, "and then it will all be over." 

"Well you're certainly not getting anything done today." He muttered rolling his eyes, "you stupid, stupid girl. Has anyone ever told you it's okay to take a break." 

I frowned, "isn't your motto resting is for losers?"

He snorted, "the day you hear those words come out of my mouth is the day you can commit me to the nearest loony bin." 

I shrugged closing my eyes, "must have been someone else then."

Benny. 

I paced around my living room slapping my bat angrily against my palms, Aliza had better hope today was not the day we finally found her because right now I wanted to kill her. "Stop doing that." Phillips muttered scowling at me, "it's fucking annoying." 

"It helps me to think. At least I'm doing something which is more than I can say for you reading that stupid book." I muttered angrily, "because-." 

He cut me off rolling his eyes, "yeah, yeah, yeah, 'because resting is for losers'. I'd be a rich man if I had a nickle for every time I've heard that phrase since Lize disappeared, not to mention every time I've heard it in the last hour."

The two of us were spending far too much time together than was good for us, Lippa sat down on the sofa next to Phillips, "have we tried calling Lily and the others yet? I mean in know it's a long, long, long shot but who knows they might want to help?" 

I nodded, "ages ago. They were as unhelpful as they always are." 

Phillips nodded, "I believe Jess's exact words were, if Ali doesn't want to be found then you won't find her until she's finished so you might as well give up now." 

"They're such a pain honestly." I added shaking my head. 

Philippa scoffed, "oh please, the two of you are just jealous that they know where Lizzy is and you don't. And they're right for the record." 

"First of all," I started shooting her a whithering look, "stop defending them. And second of all don't tell me you've given up."

"Of course I haven't given up, I'm just saying it's worth taking into consideration. Aliza is crazy smart as we all know, plus this isn't exactly her first time doing this. She definitely has the advantage here. And second, no I won't stop defending them, they're really good friends to Aliza. I mean, they barely know us too, why the hell would they betray her to us." 

"Because as usual she's behaving like a total psycho and needs help." Phillips offered looking up from his book blandly. 

"Because Willis is going to kill her?" I continued. 

She shared a knowing look with Wendy across the room, "god, this is exactly what she was always complaining about with you," Wendy started, "you have no faith in her. If you don't think she can do this alone then screw your head on right, did we not all look at the same Willis the other day. He looked awful." 

What was wrong with those two? Not even a couple days ago they had been fully on board and now they were actling like this? "Don't you think she needs help? Don't you want us to find her and help her?" I asked incredulously. 

"I want her to want us to help her." Wendy replied coolly, "I have full faith that Lizzy can ruin his life perfectly on her own now that the playing field between the two of them has been levelled a bit more. She shouldn't have to ask for help, she should want to." 

I shot them both a glare, "I think it's time you all left, your level headedness is pissing me off and I don't particulalry feel like dealing with it right now." I told them crossing my arms. 

Both girls shrugged, "alright then. We'll see you tomorrow I guess." 

Sometimes they had a little too much faith in Aliza, I knew that she was very capable, but I also knew that even she had her limits. At the end of the day, Aliza was still a fifteen-year-old girl with bucketloads of unpacked trauma handing over her head. Even she would get burnt out from time to time. 

And that was what worried me the most, because who was going to be there to get her going again if she had cut all of us out. I wasn't sure if she had Flash because of how persistantly adamant he had been that he didn't know where Aliza was, but even if she did I didn't exactly know if he had any idea what to do. 

I grabbed my baseball cap and pulled on my PF flyers before getting on my bike, "where are you going?" Phillips called over his shoulder. Still comfortably positioned on my couch, he had not considered himself as one of the people I wanted to leave and therefore hadn't moved an inch. 

"I'll be back!" I told him, "just need to do a couple of things."

My stop was the grocery store, I grabbed her favourite ice cream (strawberry) and some cookies before walking to the magazine and booksisle where I found some true crime and trashy gossip magazines for her and an agatha christie book. I also picked up a couple of hair ties because I knew how easily she lost them. 

Flash arched his eyebrow as I walked into his office, "you realy don't give up do you? I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this again." 

I rolled my eyes sighing, "I'm not here about that, not in the way I usually am anyways." 

He gestured for me to continue, I dumped the white shopping bag on his desk, "I don't expect you to answer me or whatever but at least hear me out. On the off chance that you do know where Lize is you'll know that she's nearing point of depletion if she hasn't over worked herself to collapsing already. So I brought you some things that you can give her to help her recharge." 

I left before he could give me an answer because I knew that would just make things tricky, but I could only hope I was right about this.

Aliza.

I stared at the white plastic bag that Flash had left for me, it had a bunch of of my favourite things in it. I had no idea where he had gotten it from, and I couldn't ask since I was here but I could only assume he had called the girls and asked. 

I rummaged around in the bag trying to get a better grip on the tub of strawberry icecram when i felt something thin and made of paper. I pulled it out frowning to see a letter adressed to me in it. Curiously I opened it shoving my finger under the envelope flap and ripping it upwards. There was a little square of folded paper inside, I smoothed it out and red what it said:

I don't know if you're going to get this or not. But on the mircale occasion that you do, I need you to hear me out. 

I sighed, I was in no state to read this letter but I wanted to know what it said more than I cared how it would affect me. 

Where ever you are right now, and whaever your doing, please - for my sanity if not for yours - take a break and rest before you end up crashing and burnng. I brought you some of the stuff you like so I hope that helps. We all miss you tons and we just want you back Lize. Please stop icing us out. All we want to do is help you...

Yours, 

Benny. 

I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill from my face grabbing a spoon and digging into the icing. I was even more depressed than when I had collapsed this morning, which defintely wasn't a good thing, but at least I had some cheerups to catch me before I fell do deep down the spiral. Jusdging by the things I had found in the bag, he knew me far better than I thought, whoch made it even worse.