Missing ↝ ÉLITE ²

SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Boredom

          ARLO DREAMED SHE was once again running through the forest in the dark. Her hearing narrowed down to the beating of her heart as it thumped against her chest. She tripped over tree roots and logs as she pushed her legs to run faster than she had ever done before.

She then tripped over something that was definitely not a tree root. She fell to the ground with a grunt as pain spread through her stomach.

"Oh my god." She groaned in pain. Pushing herself off the ground, she looked back to see what she had tripped over and the breath caught in her throat.

Under the mess of leaves and soil, Arlo spotted the familiar mop of red, curly hair spread out. Arlo suppressed a scream as she stared down at Marina's dead body. She was in the exact same position Arlo found her in by the pool. She was even wearing the same outfit.

"Marina, I'm sorry." Arlo cried as she arched her knees up to her chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm trying. I'm really trying. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve this. I'm so sorry."

Arlo woke up with a gasp to find herself in the room she had been sleeping in for a few days. She glanced over at the mattress in the corner of the room where Samuel slept to see it empty. Yes, there were many rooms in the house. But after being chased in the forest in the middle of the night, Arlo was freaked out and scared they would come back so Samuel being the person he was, offered to sleep in the same room if it eased her mind. It did.

Arlo then slipped on Guzmán's jumper and exited the room. Just as she was going to make her way downstairs, she spotted one of the bedroom doors wide open. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her and Samuel had explored the house a couple of days prior, but they intentionally steered clear from one room. Marina's.

Inhaling a shaky breath, Arlo padded towards it, hesitantly walking inside. Like the rest of the house, the furniture inside was covered in tarps and plastic to keep the dust and dirt away. She looked over to see Samuel sat on the bed with his back to her as he looked down at something.

Arlo spotted a few belongings of Marina's around the room and on the dresser and she shook her head before forcing herself to look away. She made her way to Samuel and sat down next to him. He didn't move away, nor was he surprised at her entrance.

Arlo then saw what had caught his gaze. He was holding a framed photo of Marina. She was a couple of years younger than when she died. She was out in the forest, doing the splits and smiling at the camera. Arlo recognised the photo. Marina had sent it to her shortly after it was taken to ask if it was cute enough to post.

"It's been months, but feels like years." Samuel whispered.

"I know." Arlo said gently.

Samuel swallowed. "I wanted to hate her, I tried to."

"But despite everything, you still loved her. I know the feeling."

"I really thought you could stop her from running away, you know?"

Arlo exhaled. "I thought you were the one who could stop her. She just didn't believe in herself or anyone else enough to forgive her."

The boy shook his head. "Now she'll never get that chance. I miss her."

"Me too."

"Do you think we're doing the right thing for her?"

The girl paused for a second. "I don't know. I really don't until we see how it ends. But I hope we are or this all will be for nothing."