Hunting for Shadows (JaThea Fanfic)

Cipher

Althea's House. 5:55 a.m.  December 3. 

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"You're the one who will take me to THEM... You're the one who will take me to THEM..."

Althea was left speechless. 

"How could Jade accuse me of such a thing?.. Is it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?.. or a prophesy?... How can I help you Jade?"  

Jade's words kept ringing inside Althea's head and it deeply distured her. She massaged her temples and closed her eyes.

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"Althea, are you listening to me? "  The girl asked with a worried expression on her face.

"Huh?.." Althea's mind drifted back to the present.

 "Yes.. uhm..yes, that's sugar. Thanks for stopping by Ate Linda."  She smiled.

The nurse finally made it to her asssistant's house after they decided to put the search for Jade on hold. The rain was too heavy and the wind too strong to look for the missing patient so the search party went indoors for their own safety in the meantime.

After the rain stopped, Jade was still nowhere to be found. Ate Linda was worried about Althea so she left the search to her colleagues and decided to visit her assistant instead. Althea was like family to her, not just because they're  both connected to Aunt Esther and they're collegues but because they really looked out for each other like sisters. That's why she got really nervous when it took a while before Althea opened the door to let her in. She thought something bad happened to her asssitant and would've blamed herself for not dropping by Althea's house right away when she called.

They were at the dining room, drinking coffee. Ate Linda took a sip of hot coffee from a blue mug sitting on top of an old unvarnished wooden table. Althea on the other hand, haven't touched her cup of coffee which was out of character for the caffeine loving girl. She was thinking of her family. And as usual, Jade. It was impossible for her not think of the mysterious patient, not after what they talked about earlier. Not to mention, the girl is still in her house hiding somewhere from her latest guest.

Ate Linda let out a sigh. "Thea, I understand you're going through a tough time right now but you need to take care of yourself. "

"Don't worry about me, I'm just tired.  Any news about Tatay or Migoy?"  True enough, Althea sounded tired.

"No, but I have news about Jade."  The nurse responded which caught Althea's attention.

"Little Mia saw her with someone before she went missing."  Ate Linda confided.

Althea raised an eyebrow.  "And?.."

The nurse, with her flair for drama paused for a moment and took another sip of coffee.

"Before Jade went missing, the kid said she saw a lady sitting at Jade's bedside, humming a tune while Jade slept. Then, the wind blew the cubicle curtains, blocking Mia's view. But she saw a glimpse of the lady helping Jade sit. The lady even saw her and smiled, but Mia couldn't describe the face.. then they were gone."

"So who was it then? Another nurse or an aide maybe?" Althea asked curiously. 

"Mia said the lady was wearing white. But I don't think she's a nurse or a doctor, not one of ours at least. We don't wear long white lacey dresses in the hospital." 

" A lady in a white dress? " Goosebumps were rising all over Althea's arms as she tried to picture the stranger in her head, like in one of those horror movies.