Of the Twisted and the Lost

Chapter 33:

"You don't give up too easily, do you?" Jared folds his arms, eyes narrowing in what seems like irritation. 

In return, Junjie shoots back, "Of course I won't give up on her. One, she's my friend. Two, I care about her. Those two combined, I'm sure you wouldn't allow your pride to get in your way now, would you?" 

Jared is the head officer in this white building and has taken a huge disliking to Junjie, making his hostility obvious. 

"She's been gone for six months," grunts Jared, though he reluctantly moves to the side, letting Junjie in. "Just give up, man." 

Breathe, Junjie. Breathe. 

"I don't think you understand," Junjie says. "Sera is the one person I won't give up on. I don't give a freak if she's been missing for six months. I want her found and I won't sleep until we find her." 

Jared scoffs, unaffected by Junjie's whole speech. "Spoken like a true love-sick detective," Jared drawls. 

Junjie doesn't deny anything, instead turning to glance at the wall that's filled with posters of "missing" people. 

His heart squeezes at the sight of Sera amongst all those missing children and adults, her eyes wide with innocence. 

Please, her eyes beg. Save me. 

"But where?" Junjie asks, glaring at the seventeen-year-old photo of her. "Where are you hiding?" 

"It's unhealthy to talk to people who aren't living, you know," yawns Jared. 

"So what, you think she's dead?" Junjie challenges, landing his daggered look on Jared. "Have you ever waited for a person, each night haunted by them, as they desperately wait, most likely in danger?" 

Jared's gaze darts to the side. 

"In other words, you have," Junjie continues. "I think I make it perfectly clear. I'm staying and I'm not going to leave." 

The man grunts again, which Junjie takes as a gesture of understanding. 

"So do we have any leads?" he asks. 

Jared's shoes click against the marble floor, as he turns to the reception lady sitting at the desk. "Any clues, Beth?" Jared questions quietly. 

Beth looks at the computer, before shaking her head. Junjie's heart plummets to the ground, as he tries to hide his disappointment. 

The more days that pass, the worse it looks. 

"She's not dead," Junjie insists, seeing the exchanged looks Jared and Beth give each other. "She's not." 

"We didn't say she is," Beth says kindly. "It's just—" 

"Junjie, you keep pushing us harder to find Sera," Jared sighs. "I mean, since you're such a famous detective, why don't you just try finding her yourself? It's impossible. She's almost like a ghost. Just quit, man, because you ain't gonna find her here—" 

Junjie slams the man against the wall, anger pulsing through his veins. 

"I can't find anything if I don't have a single lead!" he roars, as Jared struggles to break free. 

Meanwhile, Beth's eyes are widening as she calls security. 

"That's the point of being a detective," Junjie hisses, his words laced with pure venom. "Finding evidence and then solving. You think it's that easy? You think that — oh, look, sorry but we don't have evidence here — and then I'll know where the hell Sera Chang is?" 

Jared is trembling under the heat now. 

"Okay, Jesus, I didn't mean anything by that," Jared pants, wrestling to free his shirt from Junjie's grip. 

Junjie scowls, before shoving the man away. 

Six months ago, Junjie would've never allowed anger to get in the upper hand, never would've shoved a man up against a wall. 

But now, with worry needling at him every single day, every single hour, every single minute, every single second. . . 

It's hard. 

Junjie lets out a disgusted sound, as he mumbles, "Just text me if you have more info." 

That's how all his goodbyes happen: "Text me if you have more info" or "if you have evidence, text me" or "any clue, any freaking clue that Sera might be alive, you text me, got it?" 

It always ends like that: defeat. 

A weary sigh escapes Junjie. 

Good God, even though Sera isn't here physically, she still manages to drive him crazy. 

"I don't want you to breathe a single word about Sera being dead," Junjie mutters. "You understand?" 

Security enforcements enter the premises, taking in the sight of Junjie scowling at Jared, who's cowardly hunched down. 

Once Jared sees security, he feels safe again. A smirk makes its way on his lips, as he says, "Sure, man. Whatever. See you later." 

Jared knows for a fact that Junjie won't try anything. Because he's still looking for Sera. 

If he's in jail, how would he be able to find any leads on her? 

Under the watchful eye of security, Junjie mumbles a soft swear — soft enough that those men don't hear, loud enough for Jared to hear — before slowly backing out of the building. 

That went well, Junjie thinks. Really well. 

Junjie glances down, kicking at the pile of snow that's littered around the ground, the urge of punching something big. 

He narrowly avoids the picture of two kissing couples — though they're two cheating kissing couples, evidence based on the small guilt dancing through their eyes — to shun away the thoughts of what he's missing out on. 

It's almost Valentine's Day, he remembers, noting how the red and pink hearts are decorated on café overhangs, the red roses neatly placed inside a glass vase and put out for display. And I have no one. 

It's not the thought of having "no one" for Valentine's Day. In all honesty, if he just asked his classmates, they would all wholeheartedly agree. It's the thought of not having Sera that hurts the most. 

She's gone, and it's all your fault.