Unknown Beauty | ✔️

Chapter Sixteen: Hospital

[Good looks fade but a good heart keeps you beautiful forever]
-Unknown

Shocked and anchored to the spot like a ship to the dock, Fallon felt her heart plummet down a tall cliff into forgiving waters. Shaking off the sinking feeling in her chest, she forced herself out the chair and hurried to Calbee's room, practically sprinting.

Her heartbeat resounded in her mind, plaguing her mind and vision with the pulsing rhythm of it as Fallon desperately pounded on her distant friend's door, hoping that the commotion was simply her hairdryer clumsily falling off her dresser, "Please be okay, Calbee," she muttered to herself, growing impatient as no-one answered the door.

"Calbee!" she called, limbs shaking with anticipation as she struggled to keep still.

Abruptly, Asher nudged her aside and tried the doorknob, shaking it vigorously as if it would magically open. His mind, too, was burdened with horrid thoughts of what Calbee could have foolishly done to herself in her depressed state. He could only wish none of them would actually happen.

Patience disintegrated like sugar in scalding coffee, Asher banged his fist against the door one final time before moving back one step and kicking the door.

It budged slightly, the hinges complaining and weakening as he struck the door again. On the fourth time, the door's upper hinge collapsed as Asher applied pressure on it to get rid of the second one.

Once both were off, Asher and Fallon rushed into the room, entering the door using the side that was knocked out. The room was silent, only disturbed by the heavy breathing of Asher as he anxiously glanced around the room, desparately trying to find Calbee.

"Callie?!" he exclaimed, pacing the room with tense muscles.

It was at that precise moment that Fallon noticed the shut bathroom door. Calbee never shut that door, even when she showered. It was prone to locking itself or getting stuck even without a lock.

"Asher," she breathed, shaking as she gesticulated to the bathroom.

Instantly, Asher stopped his mindless walking and following the direction of her finger to the door, "Fuck!" he cursed loudly, pulling at his hair in frustration as he realised the cruel reality that had dawned upon Fallon.

The two of them ran to the door, banging on it repeteadly until their fists were raw and a bright red.

"Calbee, open the door! Please!" Fallon yelled, throat scratchy as she felt a demanding pressure at the back of her eyes.

Both of them knew his was more than a harmless mistake. Something serious was taking place in the bathroom. And they couldn't do anything about it.

Half an hour of banging later, Fallon let herself drop back, succumbing to the ache in her limbs and her sore hand. Not a sound had been uttered since they had begun calling for Calbee; Asher had realised the cold truth ten minutes ago and had sat down on the bed wordlessly.

A traitorous tear threatened to spill over, but Fallon held it back. Surely they were overreacting. Calbee was a deep sleeper, perhaps she had fallen asleep in the bath and not noticed as the door swung shut. Of course, that was a perfectly plausible explanation...

But both of them knew it was something more.

~~~

"Y-Yeah," Asher cleared his throat, answering shakily to the doctor as Fallon practically shook at his side, "That's me."

The pungent medicinal smell and bleached floors and walls irritated him. White symbolised purity, and hospitals screamed disappointment. Death loomed past every corner and worried workers rushed from room to room. The dense atmosphere was slowly suffocating him as he half-heartedly followed the doctor to Calbee's room, skeptical.