"We will find her,"

14/07/2023

HELLEN, returns home from work and topples on the couch, releasing a tired sigh. She has been assisting her co-worker, James, who is a neurosurgeon, on a surgery that lasted for eight hours straight.

She couldn't sit down. Better yet, close her eyes. She had to pay close attention—aiding with the tools used during surgery.

Darkness is creeping in and the house is silent. She gets up, rubs her eyes, and walks to Elodie's room. Knocking on the door, she calls her name but opens it regardless because it's her house.

Hellen expected to see her daughter studying but she's not in. She then checks the bathroom—probably she's showering so she places her left ear on the door but there is no noise.

"Elodie, honey? Are you there?" she asks, but no one answers.

"Elodie. Are you okay? You're scaring me," she continues, feeling her heart tightening. She feels that there's something wrong and so she creaks the door open but it's empty as well.

Hellen starts getting worried and rushes to take out her phone to call Elodie's home room teacher. He had told her that Elodie didn't come to school and if everything was alright.

"Hello?" he answers after a few rings.

"Hi, it's Elodie's mother," she introduces herself.

"Oh! How are you Miss Lynn?" he asks.

"I-I'm fine. You said that Elodie missed school today?" she whispers but Mr. Timber manages to hear her.

"Yes. She wasn't in today," he replies. "Is she sick?"

"That's the thing," Hellen says. "Come to think of it, I think she hasn't been home for two days now,"

The line goes quiet and Hellen thinks he has hung up but can hear him breathing. Is her daughter alright? Where can she possibly be? How come she didn't notice that Elodie wasn't home?

Such thoughts disheartens her and her eyesight becomes blurry when she feels tears brimming her waterline. She is a terrible mother. She put her job first instead of her daughter. Her only child.

Elodie is the only one who reminds her of her husband when he sadly passed due to cancer. Hellen wished that she would have seen the signs since she studied medicine but it bypassed her and that resulted in death.

She was supposed to be a doctor but she failed her exams and decided to be a nurse to compensate for the whole seven years she spent in university.

Elodie told her that she wanted to follow in her footsteps to be a nurse as well, but Hellen pushed her to be a doctor instead. She felt guilty because it put so much stress on her daughter, making her sleep late and taking evening classes.

Maybe, just maybe, that's the reason she has disappeared. She can't do it anymore.

"Miss Lynn,"

"Miss Lynn!"

Hellen sniffles and replies—her voice coming out like a whisper.

"Don't worry, miss Lynn. We will find her," Mr Timber reassures her. "We'll go to the police station first thing in the morning, tomorrow. Will you be available?"

Hellen nods then replies. "I'll request permission from my boss,"

"Good. Elodie is somewhere out there, and we will find her,"

~

When Serena and Judy get back to the carriage, the rain becomes heavy and harsh wind blows, making Serena shiver. She isn't wearing warm clothes since the sun was scorching hot, to the point she felt as if she was going to get a major sunburn and turn orange. But, a soft cloth is wrapped around her shoulders and she turns to see a white shawl.

"Here. It's cold," Judy says, and Serena smiles.

"Thank you, Judy," she says, and Judy smiles back.

Judy is such a good person and Serena wishes that she had a good friend like her in her world. But she doesn't have anyone. She's a loner because she is an outcast in her high-school.

Being bullied because you are clever is the worst thing to experience. That's one thing that she doesn't want to get back to. The violence. Assault. Verbal and emotional abuse. It really messed her mentally.

She managed to work as a waitress in a five star restaurant and the pay availed her to get anti-depressants. Of course, you cannot get such medications over the counter so she had to go to a psychiatrist and got some help without her mother's no-

"Oh my gosh!" she gasps in horror, putting a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide when she agonizes that her mother will find her pills. She'll know that she's depressed and probably think that she committed suicide.

"Empress! Are you alright? What is the matter?" Judy exclaims, fear written all over her face.

Serena turns to look at her and laughs nervously while shaking her head. "Nothing. It's nothing. I'm fine,"

I'm having a heart attack.

"Are you sure?" Judy asks, not believing her and Serena nods enthusiastically.

"Affirmative,"

Serena looks out the window, roughly biting the skin of her thumb in anxiousness. She has so many things to worry about.

Missing her final exams. Finding a way to leave Xavier without him knowing. Her mother finding her pills. But, the most important one is how she'll leave this world.

She needs to go back or else she'll have to repeat school and that is not exciting.

Thinking about her worries, she completely forgot about the conversation she should have with Judy.

A boom of thunder is heard and Serena jolts. She adores the rain but prefers to be indoors rather than outdoors.

"I'm not sure if we will make it back, empress,"

Serena turns to Judy. "Why is that?"

"The path leading back to the château is probably flooded by now," Judy explains.

Serena looks outside the window after drawing the curtains open down to the ground. The carriage is still moving on the pavement but Judy is right. They have to go through a forest but due to the soil and grass, it will be muddy and slimy.

"Let's just hope that everything will go smoothly," Serena tries to reassure Judy but it is to comfort her instead.

The ride is quiet except for the sound of rain and as they move, Serena remembers that Peter doesn't have any shade, therefore, getting drenched.

"Stop the carriage," she says, and Judy looks at her weirdly.

"Empress. What's wrong?" she asks.

Fear is written all over her face when Serena looks at Judy. "Peter," she starts. "He's getting rained on!"

Judy laughs and shakes her head. "Do not worry, empress. The carriage is designed to provide some shade for Peter,"

"While, what about the horses?!"

Judy keeps quiet when she starts feeling sorry for the poor animals. They need shelter as well. After all, they are breathing living organisms.

"I guess, we can stop by somewhere," she suggests, and Serena agrees with haste.

Judy knocks on the small opening that is in front of them that will enable her to talk to Peter.

"Peter, is there a place we can stay? The empress is requesting for it,"

"I'll have to go and take a look!" he yells so that they could hear him.

"Okay. Thank you!" Judy replies and shuts the opening then turns to Serena. "He'll take a look and come back,"

Serena nods. "Okay,"

It doesn't take long when Peter rushes back and goes over to the window where Serena is sitting by. His clothes are drenched and his boots are slightly covered with mud. Seeing this, Serena feels guilty. Of course, she had no idea it would have rained but she can't help but feel this way.

"There's a farmhouse not too far," he tells them. "We will have to ride the horses there,"

"What about the carriage?" Judy asks.

Peter shakes his head. "The carriage will slow us down. When the rain stops, we'll come back for it,"

"But that means that the empress will be rained on. Is there something that can we use to cover her?" Judy asks, worriedly.

"It's okay," Serena smiles. "It's just rain,"

Judy looks reluctant but eventually agrees and they get out of the carriage. Serena shrieks at the cold liquid pouring down from the clouds but covers it with a cough. They walk to the front, holding up her dress from the ground as her heels click every time she walks.

Peter releases the harnesses from the carriage and releases the horses. He holds up one of them over to Serena and she looks at them, her mouth open trying to refuse because she has no idea on how to ride a horse but Judy comes to her rescue.

"We'll ride together," she tells him, and drags Serena to the horse.

Peter nods and swiftly gets on the horse and waits for the two women to follow suit. Judy explains to Serena how to do so by first placing her left leg on the stirrup and at the same time tightly grasping the horn of the saddle and harness then swinging her right leg over to the other side.

Serena struggles to do so and wants to give up but remembers that they are wasting time and gets on with it. Thankfully, both Judy and Peter are patient but she knows deep down that they are irritated.

"Sorry," she apologizes, feeling embarrassed.

"No worries, empress," Peter tries to make her feel better.

"Hold tight, empress," Judy tells her. "Or you will fall over,"

Serena nods and does so, sniffling when she feels the cold getting through her chest. She hopes that they arrive fast or there's a probability that her asthma has followed her here.

~

"You looked at her as she left!" Xavier snaps at the guards that stood outside the home.

"We sincerely apologize, your highness," one of them says, their voice wavering.

"I don't want your apologies," he sneers. "I want you to bring her back here!"

"Sir," his right hand man, George—his childhood friend, interrupts by placing a hand on his shoulder but Xavier rudely shrugs it away.

"Don't touch me," he tells him, and George's mouth is formed into a straight line.

"Sir," he tries again. "No one knew that she would run away,"

Xavier angrily sighs and sits down on the sofa that is placed in the middle of the two huge windows in his office and pulls his hair, stretching his scalp in the process. "I knew it. I knew she would leave me," he whispers.

George sends the rest of the guards away and when they shut the door, leaving the bath of them alone, he sits next to him and holds his shoulder. "We'll find her, Xavier," he tells him.

He usually calls him by his name when they are alone, unlike in the public eye.

Xavier drops his arms and focuses his sight on the brown carpet. "I need to find her," he says, then turns to look at George. His eyes are red—not because he was crying, but because he was tired and angry. He hasn't slept well because of all the work that he has to do and the frequent meetings he has to attend or hold almost every day. And now, since his wife has gone missing, worsens the situation even more.

"I need to find her, George. I have to," he continues, and George sadly smiles then nods.

"We will. Even if it means looking for her all over the country,"

Xavier sighs and looks away. "I don't understand why I am so angry. She's the reason why my mother is dead and I should hate her for it. But...lately, I have been having these...feelings,"

George listens carefully, not interrupting him which Xavier is grateful for. He needs to air it out. He needs to tell someone.

"I...I just...I-

"Want her back," George finishes, and Xavier slowly nods.

"I feel like I'm betraying my mother," he says, but George shakes his head.

"You're not. It's normal to have feelings, Xavier. You're not a machine,"

Xavier stands up and paces then stops by the window, staring hard at the rain. "If it wasn't for this damn rain," he hisses.

George laughs and Xavier glares at him. "Is there something funny about this situation?"

"Once the rain stops-

"Reduces," Xavier corrects him, and George laughs again.

"Okay, okay. Once the rain reduces, we'll go and look for her. Alright?"

Xavier nods, agreeing to the idea.

"For now, you should get some sleep. You wouldn't want to faint when you find her," he jokes, and Xavier grabs the nearest thing and throws it to him.

A pillow.

But George dodges it, laughing heartily.