Runaways

The Disappearance of Lara Romez (Revised)

In the mountains of northern California, there is a small town in constant cover of a canopy of green.

The name of the painting like town is, Crestline.

Arabella Romez. Little miss perfect, always put together, always flaunting some new designer. Arabella lived in a large lake house right next to Lake Crescent. She would often host huge parties there with most of Cresent high attending. People talked about her like she was some kind of goddess. She had everything, until one morning when her life began to crumble.

Arabella walked into the house after spending the night elsewhere only to find her mother's room empty. Not a trace of Lara Romez remained in that house. Except for a box. With a note and a small compass. Arabella was confused and broken, she screamed for her father to come. He ran to her room and Arabella looked at his eyes, expecting them to be heartbroken. Instead she was faced with a hint of malice.

She kept her head high but her heart sank lower than it ever had before. The next day the news of the tragic disappearance hit the front page of the local newspaper and shortly after hit county news stations. The headlines of every story had a picture of Lara, and every time Arabella saw a picture of her she had to excuse herself from class. Though nobody was ready to admit it, the Romez family made this town whole. Losing Lara changed the town.

A week passed and no news of Lara came. Arabella walked down the halls and stopped at her locker. She opened it grabbed out a binder and closed it. She stood there looking at the cover of the binder as a tear rolled down her face.

"Hey, are you okay Arabella?" a girl asked, already knowing arabella's name.

"I'm fine Melody. Thanks for asking," She sniffled.

She walked away and as the clicking of her heels became less and less apparent Melody became more heavy-hearted. She grabbed her french binder and walked to class. During class, all Melody could think about is the way poor Arabella's eyes looked. She looked so broken it hurt to even look at them. She didn't let it slip her mind until the bell rang. Melody grabbed her things and rushed to lunch.

There Arabella was, at the table Melody usually sit at. She heard her soft little sob. Melody tried her best to comfort her,

"Arabella. Seriously, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to say yes, but no. I'm not, my life is falling apart and there's nothing I can do to stop it. My mom's missing and probably dead, my dad has begun drinking again and my older brother won't respond to my emails, calls, or texts," Arabella ranted as she began to break down. This gained a few stares from nearby tables.

Melody sighed trying to think of what she could say but she had nothing. She placed her hand on the small of her back, trying her best to be comforting. What felt like an hour later Arabella hugged her.

"Thank you Melody, And please, call me Bella," She said with a smile, pulling away to reveal a shocked Melody.

"No problem Bella," Melody smiled back.

Melody got out of her lunch and ate while Bella texted somebody. A few minutes later she turned and asked, "Hey, Do you wanna come to a party I'm having? You helped me when not even my so-called friends did."

"Of course I'll go, Bella, I'll be there," Melody chirped with a smile.

The bell rang and they both smiled and waved goodbye. Melody walked to her locker to put away her things. She closed her locker, put on her backpack, and walked to the parking lot where her uncle's car was.

she got in and sighed,

"What is it,?" My uncle asked.

"I talked to Arabella Romez today and the way she cried so quietly as to make sure nobody could hear her. It broke my heart, that poor girl has to live with the thought that her mother probably won't ever come back," Melody ranted almost immediately after he asked.

"I know. I can't imagine what it's like for her family,''he replied, already sounding bored.

"I got invited to one of her parties. Can I please go?" Melody begged.

"Of course you can. Make sure you're safe and call me if you need anything," He replied as they pulled into the driveway. The car beeped after the keys were removed. "Don't talk to her dad." My uncle added. She wondered what that meant but shook it off and got her backpack and went inside.she ran upstairs to my room to decide what to wear.

When she decided she got her phone to take a picture but she saw a text from an unknown number,It read: 'Hey, It's Bella. I got your number from a girl named Leilani. The party starts in an hour so make sure to be here!'

She replied quickly then put on her outfit. She sat at her vanity and started applying primer, she played music and sang along while she rubbed it in. Then she did her makeup completely and put on setting spray.

She got her shoes, and slipped them on. I grabbed my purse and went downstairs.

Melody ran downstairs with her bag and told her uncle she'd be back at 11:30.

She rushed out the door and got on her skateboard. The ride wasn't too long. But when she arrived at the house her jaw dropped. It was the prettiest house she had ever laid eyes on. It had a perfect roof with two balconies next to the wooden door, it had to have been two stories high. She opened the door and walked into a big room with two rounded staircases heading into the upstairs. I looked up and saw the perfect chandelier. I walked into the kitchen which had marble counters and wooden cabinets. I was trying to look at every small detail as to not miss anything until I heard Bella,

"Hey, Ronny!" She shouted from across the room. She was sitting with a girl who Melody had never seen around, her hair was up and she was sitting against a chair lined with cushions. The other girl had silky hair with nude lipstick. She had the prettiest eyes.

"I see you're admiring The cabin! Anyway, This is Eliza," She said as she pointed to a girl who was sitting across the chair.

"Eliza, this is Bella. And this is Lana!" She said while pointing to the silk-haired girl.

"Hi, My name's Melody, also can I just say you 3 look stunning!" Melody squealed.

Both girls laughed and thanked me as Bella went over to get me a drink.

"What's this?" Melody asked, the wrong idea settling in her head.

"Chill, it's just cherry Coke," Lana laughed. Melody laughed with them and they talked for a while until somehow we got up and started walking outside. She went along with it and kept walking and talking with the girls. They led me outside near the lake where we all sat down next to a bonfire. After a few hours, the lake house became less crowded until it was just Melody and the 3 girls.

"Hey, do you want to stay over?" Eliza asked.

"Sure let me ask my dad," Melody replied. A few minutes later she got a text back.

"Yeah, I can stay. I'll help you pick up the mess those idiots left if you want," She replied rolling her eyes looking at the trash.

"Of course you can help! I'll get the living room with Lana, you can take the kitchen with Eliza," Replied Arabella.

An hour later they all went up to Arabella's room. Eliza, Cheryl, and Melody talked for a little while until melody looked over at the window and saw Arabella crying while holding a compass.

"Arabella..?" She asked while walking over to her. She opened the compass and a small piece of paper fell out.

"What's that?" Melody asked. She opened the note and her head perked up.

"This note is written on: 7/13

San Francisco 3 PM, 10/30

Come find me, teacup."

They all looked at eachother, an eerie monotone feel came to the room and they all got goosebumps.

Laura Romez, was very much alive.