"Are you sure your mom has never mentioned anyone else? Maybe she planned a trip you forgot about?" The female officer had the same condescending tone the officer before her had.

I think I'd know if my mom was planning a trip. "I'm telling you what I know," I said through gritted teeth. "She's missing! Why are you questioning me? Shouldn't you be out there trying to find her?" I was never normally a rude person but all common decency had flown out the window about an hour ago.

"We have a team canvassing the area." The officer remained calm despite my behavior.

Lightning lit up the room suddenly followed by a blast of thunder, adding to the drama of the night. Rain battered the window distracting me.

The officer cleared her throat. "Most people would prefer to not be alone in a time like this. It would probably be safer if you stayed somewhere else until everything is sorted out. Do you have a friend you can stay with? "

"I want to be here in case anything happens."

"You'll be the first to know," the Officer said, meaning she wanted me to leave the house.

"I'm staying here." I said defiantly.

She nodded. "Your neighbor, Mrs.-," she studied a piece of paper.

"Mrs. Hernandez." I responded. She was one of my mom's only friends and our neighbor.

"Mrs. Hernandez has agreed to stay with you while we search for your mom."

I nodded. It's not like I had any other options anyway. The officer finally left and Mrs. Hernandez came in. She had the most pitiful look on her face. Instead of staying and talking I went to my bedroom and closed the door. I couldn't bear to be around any more people. Officers and forensics teams had been in and out of our apartment all day. They all eyed me with the same look Mrs. Hernandez had. I didn't need pity.

I curled up on my bed with the driest eyes I've probably ever had. I had never felt so numb before. I didn't know this feeling was possible. I should probably be in tears, or panicked. But instead I was just empty.

I had come home from a trip to Barnes n' Noble and found the door to our apartment open. Everything inside was perfectly in order. Not a dish out of place. But my mom was missing. No one in the building had seen her all day. I must've called over 30 times before finally giving in and calling the police. That must've been when the numbness set in.

The A/C turned on noisily, sending a blast of cold air at me. I shivered and wrapped my covers around me. I stared around at my small bedroom with all my hand me down furniture. Across my bed was my closet with mirrored doors. I could see my pale face reflecting back at me. I looked like a ghost. My long and tangled auburn hair hung limply around my face. My cobalt eyes looked glassy and unfocused. My lips were white and cracked and my cheeks were still bright pink from being out in the cold. I fell back onto my bed, praying silently that this would all turn out to be a dream.

It wasn't.

I was woken up the next morning by Mrs. Hernandez. She had picked up breakfast from the diner downstairs and brought it up to me. She kept eyeing me and watching me closely while I ate.

I picked around my plate and finally just put everything down. "Any news?"

"You should eat first I think, Scarlett. You haven't eaten since yesterday." Her face looked more lined than usual.

"I'm not all that hungry. What's going on?"

Mrs. Hernandez guiltily handed me over a post card. On the front was a picture of the state of Texas.

"What's this?" I asked, confused.

"Someone dropped it off this morning while I was out getting breakfast. The police are on their way to examine it. I figured you'd want to see it before they came." There was that pitiful look again.

I flipped the card over and saw my mom's handwriting. It was messy and looked like it had been written in a hurry. My heart jolted.

Scarlett,
I love you more than you'll ever understand. But I can't do this anymore. I met someone. He's amazing, Scar. I was so young when I had you, I never had this chance to be care free. I have always envied that you have your whole life ahead of you. I want another chance to start over. I'm so sorry. And I hope you'll forgive me one day.
-Love, Victoria

I reread the letter. The room felt dizzy. I could feel my breath escaping my body faster and faster. I kept shaking my head, not comprehending what was going on. Mrs. Hernandez pulled me close and hugged me tightly. I cried into her shoulder for the first time in years. I didn't think such gut-wrenching pain was possible. My whole life was gone. Everything I knew had been taken out from under me.

My life was never perfect. Far from it actually. My mom—Victoria, as I was now going to be referring to her—worked in a doctor's office as a billing clerk making the bare minimum to afford our life in the city. We actually had a decent sized two-bedroom apartment that Victoria had inherited from her grandfather. But bills, groceries and the private school Victoria insisted I go to, made our budget stretch thin every month. I hated private school with all the rich, stuck up kids. I was always an outsider, I never fit in with any group of people. Victoria was always worried that I wasn't social enough so whenever she got too worried I'd pretend I had some date and spend the day at museums.

Mrs. Hernandez had me go to my room when the officers arrived. It was a quick visit this time with muffled conversation. I lay in bed, curled up with the image of her signed name, Victoria, burned into my mind. I wondered if this pain would ever fade away…