Lyla was alive, she knew it.
"Lyle!" she calls, but only the birds and the trees hear her. "Lylan Anderson!"
The leaves rustle, almost in response.
Heeeere I ammmm.
She stopped, mid-stride. She whipped her head back and forth, not minding that her hair slapped against her face every time.
"Lyla?" she asked, softly this time, like she was afraid of the Lyla-ghost.
I'm not deaaaad, don't you worryyyy…..
She couldn't pinpoint where the sound was coming from. The low hiss seemed to echo around the lake, booming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The water rippled and the first raindrops began to fall from the sky. The light drizzle energized her, but in a different way than the anger had. This was different- as if every drop would reveal a clue on where Lylan was, a secret buried deep into the innocent, fragile thing she shared her childhood with.
She had to go.
Quickly dialing the only two numbers she could count on, she leaves.
Sorry, Juliandra is not available right now. Uh, leave your number.
Whatever. Julie wasn't her first choice anyways.
She held her breath as she called William, begging him to pick up.
"Cat? Aren't you supposed to be at the funeral?" he asks, genuinely surprised.
"Aren't you?" she challenged, then instantly regretted it. She could hear the hurt, even though he was probably too stunned to reply. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I need your help."
"Wait, with what?" The hurt was now replaced with concern.
"Trust me, I need to tell you in person. It's a long story."
"Okay. You're at the rock, aren't you? Give me 10 minutes."