Found Missing

by Lily Jill

We hear it outside again. Tentative steps. Contemplative. Calculating. It's the sound that tells me it's him. It's the sound that tells me he's found me. Except he doesn't find me dead like I wanted him to a year ago when I left him. It doesn't matter now. I'm no longer missing. I'm found. And now, I'm as good as dead. DRABBLE.

2. Chapter 2

Loving your response to this! We're going to take it back a little bit.

FOUR YEARS EARLIER

"You're beautiful, Bella."

My fingers run down the bodice of the dress, shaking from the pressure of the day and thoughts of life ahead. I try to hide it, so no one sees, even though today, of all days, it would be understandable. Resting my hands against my hips, I stare at the reflection looking back at me through the full-length mirror in front of me.

A perfectly airbrushed face and curled hair beneath a whimsical veil hide a constricting feeling of dread in my chest. A night full of fallen tears is hidden today behind a nervous smile, which again is expected on a wedding day.

All panic or misapprehension can be attributed to nerves. Panic at the thought of standing in front of a crowd. Worry that something that had been planned for months could go awry.

No one will guess the real reason I'm standing in a tiny room in a tiny church, counting and calculating how many steps it will take me to make it to the front door. It's the one thing standing between freedom and this prison I'm minutes away from subjecting myself to. I estimate twenty steps. Another sixteen down to the sidewalk.

And then it stops.

After those actions, I'd have nowhere to go.

I've never had anywhere to go.

More tomorrow! Chapters will be longer the more we move along :) Review and let me know what you think!