Chapter Four
Looking for Closure
In an Eastern Down Town Motel, two young men shared a twin room.
One was standing by the window, and another was sitting on one of the beds looking at a laptop playing continuous videos on Youtube clicking from one to the next all speaking about the same subject.
"Good afternoon New York, police searching for a missing 18 year old female student from Wisconsin believed she may have been abducted, she was last seen walking down an alleyway not far from an All Night store in Eastern Down Town she had bought some groceries earlier from. The paper bag containing the groceries was found strewn in the alleyway as well as some footprints in the ground and traces of blood..."
"It's been nearly two months since Monalisa Freeman's disappearance, and her family have made a desperate plea for her safe return..."
"Someone has to have seen something!"
"She can't have just vanished! She's still out there!"
"Please, I'm begging you, if you have my Angel, please release her! Bring her home! We miss her!"
"Please, find it in your heart to return her to those who love her!"
"The police in both New York City and Wisconsin also plead that if anyone has any information or might know of Mona's whereabouts to please get in touch!"
"...And we'll have more on that story later, in other news, New York City police have decided to call off the search for the missing Wisconsin girl Monalisa Freeman, who disappeared six months ago after a late night shopping trip in Eastern Down Town New York, her handbag and ripped dress that she wore on the night she went missing, were found in a burnt out bin near a gangster hide-out police raided for drug dealing in the early hours of this morning. The hideout belonged to the infamous Purple Dragons and police believe Mona was the victim of a Kidnapping Ring of the gang, even though many of the gangsters arrested that night claim to have not known of Mona or were her attackers, some of her possessions were discovered amongst the loot hoarded in the hideout, the police have made it clear said possessions will be returned to the family and the perpetrators will expect long sentences behind bars."
The man on the bed closed the laptop and rested back against the pillow with a heavy sigh before running his hand over his thick dark hair.
He looked across to his companion who continued to stare out of the window with his arms folded and frowning.
"Callum?" he said, yet his companion made no response.
"Hey! Little brother!" he called over again "You okay? You've staring out that window since we arrived here."
Callum didn't take his gaze away, but he spoke softly.
"What else is there to do Jake?" he asked "You're doing no better, just watching those damned news reports over and over."
Jake sighed softly.
"Good point." he said as he studied Callum's demeanour.
He was worried, since their sister's disappearance, Callum had changed dramatically. He had gotten into fights at school, had been suspended and even started smoking and drinking when he got older.
It had seemed Mona's disappearance had affected Callum more than it did Jake.
Jake had felt since he was the older sibling and despite the grief he felt over the loss of Mona, he had to look out for Callum, even cover for him, so as not to worry his parents or their teachers, especially their parents since they were grieving too.
Yet it had been in vain, as the truth would come out, and Jake found himself in hot water along with his brother. He hated it, but he felt he had to stick close to his brother, it was what Mona would have wanted.
Closing his eyes, Jake remembered an incident that took place not long after they returned to school after hearing of Mona's disappearance which made him cringe to this day.
Flashback
(Wisconsin, 11 years earlier)
Jake and Callum walked down the school corridor, almost everyone stopped what they were doing to look at them, people stopped talking and gossiping, couples stopping having secret kisses, and eve the teachers who were also amongst them lowered their voices.
"This is awful." Jake whispered to Callum "It's like walking to the gallows..."
Callum looked at his brother silently before looking down again and they made it to their lockers.
The teachers walked past, almost tempted to talk to the boys, but they resisted the urge and carried on walking, as they did, some of the other students began to whisper softly.
Callum clenched his fists, he could hear they were talking about him and Jake, and about Mona.
Jake saw how agitated Callum was, and placed his hand on his brother's back whilst turning to look at the nearest group of students who stopped talking and looked away awkwardly.
At the same time, Callum looked across to a group of students, three boys and three girls who were smiling and laughing quietly and saw them glance in his direction.
No sooner did that happen that Callum felt something snap, he stood up and marched over to the group, his face deep mauve with rage and his eyes burning.
"You think it's funny huh?!" he barked making the students turn to him in shock and alarm.
At the same time, the other students went silent as they watched Callum stride over to the group of students.
"Well? You think it's amusing huh?" Callum yelled "That my sister is missing!?"
"Callum!" Jake cried in shock "Hey steady on!"
"What are you on about?" asked one of the girls in the group "We weren't talking about you!"
"Don't fucking lie!" Callum shouted "I saw you laughing!"
"Hey man!" said one of the boys "Chill out will you? We weren't talking about you or your sister! We were talking about something else!"
"Yeah! And it's none of your business!" added the second boy.
The other students in the group nodded in agreement.
"Don't go poking your nose in something that's none of your business!" said one of the other girls "And don't assume things!"
Callum glared.
"Too right!" the last boy said "Just because your sisters missing doesn't mean everyone's gonna be giving you attention for it! If that's what you're craving!"
Jake went pale as he knew that last boy said the wrong choice of words, and before he could stop him, Callum dived straight for the third boy and tackled him by the shirt before raining hard punches and slaps to him.
"Callum!" Jake shouted in shock and the other students jumped back at Callum's sudden attack.
Jake tried to grab his brother to pull him off, but Callum was like a wild animal as he continued to beat the boy senseless.
It didn't help when the other students started to crowd around the scuffle and some started inappropriate comments and chants.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Callum! Stop!" Jake screamed "Stop it! Leave him alone!"
But Callum could not be stopped as he continued to scream and beat up the boy below him who could only shield himself from the attacks with his arms, his nose was bleeding and he was showing signs of bruising.
Just then, a couple of teachers appeared, pushing the students aside, who quickly dived out of the way, one included the soccer coach who grabbed Callum and yanked him off as if he was a ragdoll and the second teacher, a female in formal clothes knelt beside the boy and checked him.
"To the Principle's office with you Freeman!" the coach barked dragging the still cursing and yelling Callum by the arms to the Principle's office whilst the female teacher with the help of the other students took the injured boy to the school nurse.
As the coach dragged Callum off, Jake stood watching in shock and tears fell from his eyes seeing how his little brother had just snapped like that.
Hours later...
The rest of the day dragged by for Jake, and before long, he was standing outside the principle's
office hearing the voices of the principle and his father who had been called to discuss Callum's outburst.
He felt so embarrassed, it had turned out the group of students were innocently talking about something else, and not about Mona, yet Callum refused to believe that and still insisted that they were laughing at him and Jake.
Throughout the day, almost all the students avoided him and their friends either joined in, or asked what was going to happen to Callum.
He could barely hear what was going on, but he could tell that Callum was in big trouble and he began to fidget slightly.
Finally the doors opened and his dad appeared with Callum.
Caledon was looking exhausted as well as angry, and Callum just glared at the floor, obviously still not sorry for what he did.
Jake sighed and gazed curiously at Caledon who just looked at him silently and walked ahead to take them both home.
End Flashback
That was only the first of Callum's outbursts, and such one had left him suspended from school for a week.
Since then, things changed dramatically, everyone seemed to avoid the brothers like the plague, even the bullies steered clear after realising what Callum had done to the innocent boy.
But worst of all, their friends didn't know what to say to them, and gradually stopped coming around, or inviting them to their gatherings, outings and birthday parties.
Things were really never the same.
Jake stood up from the bed and walked over to Callum where they both stared out the window.
The sun was starting to set and the city was slowly lighting up against the pink and golden sky.
Jake tried to meet his brothers gaze, but he had no luck.
As he was thinking about what to say, his stomach growled loudly making him jump.
"Was that your stomach?" Callum asked, making his older brother jump again.
"Yeah!" Jake chuckled trying to make light of the situation "Well I am pretty hungry, starving actually, you wanna get pizza?"
It was then Callum looked up and away from the window for the first time in a while.
"Yeah, sure." he said "Usual toppings?"
"Yeah." Jake agreed "Come on."
And so we meet Jake and Callum Freeman, come to New York for closure, such darkness has fallen over them since the loss of their big sister. But now they're in the city, what will they come across as they search for answers to their questions?
