Part Three – Parted

“Absence can make the heart grow fonder, the spirit stronger, and the mind wander.”

Chapter Thirty One: Finding and losing

The cold magnolia scent of that world clung to him no matter how many showers he took to wash it off.

Sour sweat, raw metal, and muddied cotton-nylon clothes tried to swarm his senses and failed. No matter how many people he met afterwards, he could only see those who had shaped him into the person he was now. They stood in his peripheral vision like wraiths and usually vanished whenever he turned to confirm if they were really there. But this time –

“Look at you,” purred the beautiful person beside him, their voice lowered intimately. “You look good for someone so far from home.”

“You –” The boy's pale grey eyes snapped from the round framed glasses displayed by Specsavers to the ghost who had managed to reach his side undetected.

He backed away from them at once and, for the first time in years, he lost track of his surroundings. The crowds around them faded in the presence of the person standing in front him. Like a silent tornado that only he could see, they destroyed his fragile contentment and ripped off the blindfold that blocked out the dread he had run from for many years.

“Careful now.” They grabbed his wrist before he could take out his weapon and leaned forward to speak into his ear. “We can't have the police taking you away just because I scared you.”

“Why are –?” His tongue froze and he couldn't force out the rest of the question. Something else he hadn't experienced in a long time.

“I need you.” The person looked up at him through their oddly dark lashes and smiled like the least vulnerable person in the world. “You'll be there for me now, won't you? Just like I was for you.”

<><><><><>

Melissa rolled over and nearly fell off the bed. Her arms and legs ached as she scrambled to right herself on the mattress, though she couldn't remember the last time she tried to workout properly. What the frick –? She grimaced up at the ceiling as memories poked the back of her brain with wasp-like stingers. Why do I feel like a just –?

Warehouse rooftops and guarded faces flashed before her mind's eye. She remembered the smell of too much blood beyond her sight and something effervescent that reminded her of melted Love Heart sweets. Oh my god. Satara! She shot upright on the bed and her reflection's hair was messier than it had been yesterday. The empty space beside her landed like a bucket of cold water on her face but someone had clearly tucked the duvet around her. Did she go to the bathroom? What time is it now?

It was barely eight in the morning but it didn't matter. There was no way she would go to school today, even if their guests let her. She slipped into her lilac slippers and fixed her pale pink night shirt before hobbling to the bathroom. I did climb up and down a couple of buildings. That's make anyone sore. She knocked on the door. I'm not getting old or anything.

“Satara?” No one answered. She tried the handle which twisted down and swung inwards without resistance. Eye lids half lowered expectantly, she crept into the bathroom. “Helloooooo?”

Evidently, Satara wasn't in the bathroom. She probably went down already. I bet Chinese people eat early. She thought about the other girl's soft, relatively clear complexion. That's why they've got such nice skin. She used the bathroom herself and brushed her teeth. Did she let me sleep because she knew I needed to rest after yesterday or because she couldn't be bothered to wake me up? It's not like she'll tell me even if I could ask her.

She changed into a white G-Star Raw T-shirt with a pale blue logo and sky blue Capri jeans and went downstairs. The clink of mugs led her to the dining room, where Judy and her mum were already awake and probably in the middle of making their second cup of tea. Jason's gaze flitted in her direction and away again as he slumped over a bowel of Cheerios. Although someone had turned him onto his side, Spy was still unconscious. His back rested snugly against the cushions behind him. Bet that was Judy's idea.

“Morning, Mella,” said the latter with a tired smile. “Are we having tea or cereal today?”

“I'll have t – cereal.” She picked up a clean bowl from the dish rack first. “What's Satara having?”

“I don't know,” said her mum. “Is she still in the bathroom?”

“Nope. I though she came down already?” Jason's attention shot through her like an bullet.

“We haven't see her yet, have we?” Her mum looked at Judy and Jason who nodded in turn.

Their movements slowed almost simultaneously and they half glanced in Spy's direction as if he were awake.

“Are you sure she's not in the bathroom?” Jason stood up. “Sometimes she stays in there because –”

He fell silent and she seriously considered prompting him to finish the sentence despite her mum and Judy's inevitable disapproval.

“Yeah, unless she was sleeping in the bath while I was using the toilet.” She grinned.

“Mella,” groaned her mum. “He's eating!”

“What? It's not like I told him I was doing a number tw-”

“Maybe she's in the front room instead.” Jason hurried past her without asking if it was okay to walk around their house.

His Cheerios are going to go all soggy now. Ew.

“Does she normally hide from people?” Melissa glanced at the older women who shrugged. As if they'd know. I should ask Jay instead.

“Did you find her?” asked her mum as Jason returned, though the answer was obvious in the slump of his shoulders.

Stolen novel; please report.

He shook his head and his fingers tightened around the door frame above his head. “She didn't sleep in any of the other rooms?”

“I doubt it but we can go check if you want,” said Melissa, gesturing at the floor above.

His urgency trickled into her veins as if their circulatory systems were connected. He nodded and followed her upstairs without a word. I should've woken up earlier. There's no way I would've heard her. She walks like a cat. But I should've at least checked to see if the bed was still warm. How long ago did she leave?

“Does she normally disappear like this?” she asked as they checked each room in turn.

“Sometimes but she's a been a bit more – uh – careful since we left home,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head distractedly as he stared at her laundry basket. I don't think she's in there, Jay. Thankfully none of her underwear were visible. “Maybe she's in the garden?”

“I'll go check.” She raised her eyebrows at his faint yet challenging frown. “Nosy neighbours, remember?”

“Okay.” His brow relaxed and he followed her back downstairs to where Judy and her mum seemed to be on the same wavelength as them.

“It doesn't look like she's outside either,” said the latter.

“I'll just double check,” Melissa slipped on her shoes and opened the back door. “Maybe she went for a smoke in the alley.”

Jason almost looked like he was defend his friend's non-smoking honour. Instead he pressed a palm to his face as if thoroughly disappointed in himself. Melissa bit back a smile and skipped out into the garden. It was just as empty as it had been the day before. Satara clearly hadn't found the alleyway connecting the back garden to the front. She shook her head at Jason as she re-entered the house and her chest tightened as the hope in his eyes died a slow death.

“Why'd she run off like that without telling anyone anyway?” She threw both hands out to either side. “She was so worried about her bro – about Spy yesterday and she even –” Jason flinched under her gaze and she changed her tune. “It just seems weird, doesn't it?”

“She's goin' through a lotta crap right now.” A defensive growl edged his tone. “She wouldn't have gone out without a reason.”

“I know. That's what I'm saying. She's careful, right?” She tried to patch up the hole she had accidentally made in Satara's reputation with a genuinely concerned smile. “What in the world would make her do something that – er – not careful?”

“What're you thinking, Mella?” asked Judy, tilting her head to one side with an analytical stare that always made her feel like she was being x-rayed.

Jason's features slackened and then stiffened as if he had used an ill-omened dictionary interpret her words. “We've gotta go look for her.”

“But you're not supposed to go outside,” said Judy. “Besides, if Spy wakes up –”

“– he'll wanna know if Tara's safe so she needs to be here when he does.” He shook his head as if they were out of options. “I'm gonna go find her.”

“Where would you go though?” asked Melissa before Judy could try to reason with him. “Actually, where would she even go? You're both new here, right? Even if she's gone off to some random place, how're you going to find her there?”

“I know I won't find her by sitting here and doing nothing.” Jason swallowed the razor blades in his tone and grimaced before he nodded at Judy. “You don't mind looking after Si- Spy, right? Just don't change his clothes or anything until I get back, okay? Otherwise Tara'll kill me.”

Their argument from the night before crossed her mind and she wondered if he was remembering it too as he turned to leave the room.

“Jason, I think –” Judy hesitated in the face of his blatant desperation, then switched to her professional in clinic mode. “– I think it'd be better if we all stuck together until Spy wakes up. That way we can all –”

“– I'm sorry.” He backed up into the dining room doorway, shaking his head. “I know that's probably a good idea but if Tara doesn't come back I've got no place being here either.”

Wow. He must reaaaallly like her. Melissa pressed her lips together in a flat smile that settled too comfortably on her face.

“I'm not sure if that's true,” said Judy softly as she approached him. “Spy cares a lot about you too, not just Satara. He'd really worry if you went missing too.”

“Guess he'll have to worry about me then,” said Jason with a taut grin. “It's better than him killing me for not looking after her while he was out.”

“He wouldn't do that.” Judy sighed under her breath as he left the room.

Melissa followed him before her mum could act upon the strict mother expression forming on her face.

“Jay. Hey, Jay!” She knew better than to lay a hand on someone so worked up and paused as he reached the front door. “How the frick are you're going to go anywhere without your shoes?”

She held up his trainers as he glanced in her direction but pulled them out of range when he reached out to grab them.

“'The heck are you playing at?” he muttered. The gratitude in his gaze transformed into frustration. “I'll go without them if I have to.”

“I know you will,” she said. “But hear me out.”

“What?” His shoulders tensed. He was probably thinking about snatching his footwear from her but didn't.

“Satara said the police were after you guys.” She nodded at his suspicious frown. “So that means they'll probably have your pictures at the station by now.”

“Obviously,” he growled, sounding entirely too much like his dark haired friend.

“So wouldn't it be a good idea to make sure you don't look like those photos first before you go out?” She pointed upstairs. “Remember how smart I am?”

<><><><><>

“I can't believe you put make up on me” groaned Jason, lifting both hands to his face. “And why the hell did I let you?”

“Don't touch it!” Melissa grabbed his arm and pulled it back down. “You look good.”

“I'm a guy!” He tried to hide his anxiety behind indignation. “I'm not supposed to look good with make up.”

“Where the frick have you been for the last ten years? All the hottest actors wear make up these days,” she said. “People just don't point it out as much when it's a guy, that's all.”

“Yeah but I'm not a celebrity, am I?”

“If the police catch you, you might be.” She muffled a giggle. His expression tightened. “Sorry. Was that too soon?”

“Having all this stuff on my face feels weird,” he complained. “Like I'm a clown or something.”

“Now you know how girls feel all the time.” She grinned, softening the edge of her sentiments. “Don't worry, it'll wash off. I'll help you take it all off as soon as we get back, okay?”

“You should at least buy me a Coke first. Jeez,” he muttered like someone reading from a script written by his past. He blinked. “Crap. That was a weird thing to say.”

“Er, it's fine.” She appreciated her own layer of foundation as her face warmed pleasantly. “I'll keep that in mind next time.”

“Now I know why Tara never bothered with all this stuff.” He didn't have to say anything else out loud.

His thoughts were crystal clear in his phantom smile. I bet you think she doesn't need it. Lucky her. Melissa tried to picture Satara with light make up. Perhaps some winged eyeliner over silver to black smoky eyeshadow coupled with volumising mascara and pale red lip gloss … Pheeeeew! She looked away as she closed the front door behind them and suddenly wished she had applied a thicker layer of concealer across her cheekbones. You went that hard for what reason, brain? Looks like someone's forgotten we're straight.

“Anyway, they'll be looking for a red head with white skin,” she said once they were out of earshot of her neighbours. “Not some mixed race guy with black hair and piercings.”

“Back at school, the girls used to watch these Chinese boy bands.” He adjusted his white sleeveless shirt beneath his black short sleeved one, then hooked both thumbs in the pockets of his deep blue jeans. “Actually, I think Tara said they were Korean. Anyway, I bet they would've loved to see all this.”

“The lip ring was definitely a good idea.” It curled around the right side of his lower lip, silver yet fake, and suited him better than her. Though he had only agreed to wear it after she washed it several times with hot water. “It looks better than the eyebrow ring would've.”

She had pencilled two fake piercings above and below his eyebrow and, along with the temporary black hair dye she sprayed on his hair, they also didn't looked pretty good. Should I work in a studio when I'm older? But what if it's not the make up? What if it's actually just him –?

“We're here, right?” He stopped outside a house not far from her own and nodded at the front door. “I'll wait here.”

As she opened the gate and walked down the path towards her friend's house, she hoped Lizzie had gone for her habitual morning jog and wouldn't let her down.

<><><><><>

Lizzie let her down.

As did Sarah, and Janice, and Indira. Adele did even worse, coming out to meet Melissa's new cousin and giving her a thumbs up with a solemn “I approve of your romantic choices” expression. Right in front of Jason. They mutually decided to check the local mall after that.

“It makes more sense for her to be here with no money than anywhere your friends would be,” he mumbled.

She couldn't disagree. As the minutes ticked past, his neutral expression darkened and he stopped talking as if he were channelling his inner Satara to work out where she might have disappeared to. By the time they reached the first shops where more of her school acquaintances often hung out, she tried not to say more than she needed to in case he decided to adopt the other girl's murderous stare. Her phone went off in her pocket.

“Is that your mum?” He turned fast enough to give himself whiplash.

“One sec.” She tapped the notification. “Yeah, it's her.”

“What did she say?” His unspoken question flattened the first.

“Nothing mu-” Someone with no concept of personal space walked past and knocked the mobile from her hands. “Oh crap!”

They both dashed after it as it slid across the floor and came up against someone's boot. Double crap. Please don't step on it. Mum'll kill me if I break another phone. Jason was half a step faster than her but not as quick as the owner of the boots. They crouched and rose back up swiftly, glancing at the pink, glittery flower sticker on the back of her phone before holding it out to Jason.

“Thanks, ma-” The other boy spoke before Jason could finish his sentence.

“You certainly don't match your preferences.” His pale grey eyes roved Jason's face. “On second thoughts, maybe you do. Is that make up?”