Downfall | ✔️

Chapter 44.

I stir slightly at the persistent ringing sound that fills my ears, my head is fuzzy and my thoughts scrambled—it takes me a moment to realise that my phone is ringing under my pillow, and that the noise wasn't coming from the strange dream I was having.

"Hello?" I groan, my eyes still squeezed closed and my head buried in my pillow.

"Hey sweetheart, did I wake you?" Carols voice makes my eyes flutter open.

"Aunt Carol, hey—it's okay, I should've been up anyway." I reassure her as I look at the time on the clock, it's 11am.

"Okay, good, I didn't want to disturb you." she mumbles, although it isn't the same voice I expected to hear when her name flashes on my phone. It's not the chipper, happy-go-lucky tone that usually cheers me up in an instant, she sounds distant.

"Is everything okay?" I ask nervously as I sit upright.

"Everything's fine, I just wanted to check in—hear your voice." she tells me vacantly. My worry grows the more I listen to her.

"What's wrong? Something sounds.. wrong." I say lowly.

"It's silly, really—Steve is off on a business trip for the weekend and I just feel a little lonely, that's all," she admits, before I can conjure a reply she speaks again, "Can I maybe come down there for the weekend? Just until Sunday."

I find myself all the more nervous at her question, Carol is the epitome of independence. She argues with me any time I even raise the idea of taking care of her for the day—her asking to spend time here is odd.

"Of course," I begin, already putting our call on speaker phone so I can throw on some clothes. "I'll come and pick you up, okay? You can't drive, you're almost full term."

"No, no! Don't be silly, I'll drive," she argues before taking a deep breath, "In fact.. it's a silly idea, I don't need to come down there, I'm just very hormonal right now." she chuckles, but I still feel wrong.

"Carol, it's no problem really.. I can-"

"Amara," she cuts me off, "It's fine, really—I was just having a moment. Thank you for offering though, I love you, my darling girl." she says in her usually sweet tone making my heart warm.

"If you need anything, you'll call?"

"Promise." she whispers, the noise of her tapping her pinky on the phone making me laugh.

As we end the call I sit back onto my bed, I may as well get an extra hour sleep if I don't have to go anywhere. I curl myself up under the warm duvet and attempt to clear my mind.

Almost half an hour passes as I toss and turn, my mind circling back to Carol each time—something just doesn't seem right, I can't help but worry. I throw my covers off, grabbing the first outfit I can find along with my car keys and heading to my car.

————

As I arrive outside of her house it feels strange not seeing Steve's car in the drive; I know Carol is going to have some arguments about this, but who cares. It's rare that my gut is wrong, and it's telling me to help. I decide against knocking and walk inside, straight to the living room where Carol is sitting with a bag of chips.

"Get your things, you're coming with me." I shrug, crossing my arms against my chest as I watch her go wide-eyed. I'm startled slightly by how she looks, perfectly dressed as always—but her eyes are low and tired, her hair is scooped up and she looks lost.

"Amara? You drove here?" she mumbles through her full mouth. I shake myself and search for words in an attempt to not show how taken back I am at her appearance.