THREE

The Child

"Her name is Elizabeth and her son has been missing for ten years. We conducted an interview with her and she is a smart lady, Mr. Grey. For a woman in tattered clothes and scavenging food in trash, I find her to be very eloquent," Marie, the middle aged head social worker told me.

It has been exactly a week since I promised to help her out. Elizabeth has been sheltered in the foundation and she's been fed well. I have Ana to make sure that Elizabeth is treated well and that she's helped out despite the extreme stress in missing her son.

Speaking of Ana, we are cold as ice to each other. She's been distant lately and it frustrates me. We were friends in high school but it feels like she's just my substitute assistant and all of our conversations are pretty much transactional. I sigh deeper because I don't want to think about high school again. It brings much . . . regret especially when it comes to her.

"Mr. Grey?"

"H-huh?" I was brought back to my trance. I straightened my sitting posture and cleared my throat. "Sorry, Marie. You were saying?"

"Elizabeth is only thirty-eight years old. She had a son when she was only eighteen. She raised him all on her own. He was only ten when he disappeared. He went to school and he never came home. Elizabeth left her custodian job to find him but since there were no leads and she didn't have any funds, police just concluded that he ran away or he's dead."

"Bullshit," I can't help but curse.

"Precisely. There weren't any leads back then. No one really helped her out, you know? She lost her job and her life just went downhill. She told me that she literally spent ten years everyday by your building. Well, she said it was a vacant lot before your company was built."

"I noticed too. Ever since my company opened four years ago, she was already there. And she's been there six years prior? Do you know why?"

"She told me that her son would pick flowers for her before going home. The vacant lot had these grasses where the daisies were growing and she'd get a daisy from her son each time he comes home from school. So she strongly believes that it was the last place he made a stop to. Police came there and no evidence was found.

He was a sweet child. He would have been twenty years old today."

I shook my head at that. I may not know this mother and child, but my chest just constricted when I learned their story.

"Marie, you take care of her, okay? I already contacted the best investigator there is and he is on the case right now. He's best at handling cold cases so I think we can find the child."

There is this determination inside of me.

"You are such a good man, Mr. Grey. Elizabeth is so lucky."

"She's the unluckiest person I know," I said in a serious note and that made Marie sigh.

Whatever happened, the investigator I hired will know. We will find the child and he will be reunited with his mother.

~ A Kiss in the Wind ~

The days have been so stressful because although I want to admit it or not, I have been invested with Elizabeth's case. I just learned that her son's name is Malcolm. I know it is going to be very difficult to find him and it may take another couple of years, but I have all the power and the resources to do so.

Aside from finding Malcolm, there have been so many conferences and meetings that I have to attend to. In all of them, what bothered me most was Ana's coldness. We just drifted apart when I confronted her about those 'ghostly' stories from high school. Well, she could just admit that none of it is true and the rest will be forgotten.

I would be the one to break the ice then. Looking back at the past, I was the one who destroyed our . . . bond.

Walking into my office, I knew that she's already there. Every morning she arrives first and everything is all set. I planned to apologize about the last time we talked, but she was already speaking to someone when I entered the door.

"What happened then?" She asked.

Silence.

"Do you remember the face of the man? Do you remember his name? W-what did he do?" I was feeling a bit worried because Ana's voice was quivering. I could sense fear in every sentence.

Again, silence.

"Your mother has been looking for you everyday and she never stopped. How could she react to this? When the truth is revealed?"

I ambled my way inside and she didn't even feel my presence. I saw her sitting on my black leather couch and looking at someone to her right. I am not close enough to see who she is talking to, but I am intrigued.

"Have you ever left this building?"

Each step I took felt too heavy.

Ana continued to utter, "I am so sorry for what happened. I don't know how but I will make sure that your mother gets to know the truth."

I finally saw the full view of my office and to my shock, Ana was speaking to … no one. She was literally facing nothing and speaking to thin air. I shook my head at this and my hands curled up to a fist.

"Anastasia," my voice boomed.

She immediately stood up as she got startled from my loud voice. I didn't let her speak.

"Have you lost your mind? What are you doing speaking into thin air? You are literally speaking to nobody in this room! Do you know what could have happened if I wasn't the one who entered the room? Do you know what rumors you may cause?"

"Christian, I—"

"Can we please cut this shit out? Ana, we are not in high school anymore. I don't know why you love to do this but this has to stop. Whatever you're doing is getting you nowhere and is doing you no good at all. Just please stop acting like what they think you are."

Something about that made her snap, "Like what?"

I hesitated.

"Like what, Christian? What do they think I am?"

"Ana—"

"Say it," she commanded.

"No," I didn't like this. Not because she's my assistant and she's yelling at me, but because it brings back all those times that I regret.

"SAY IT!" she screamed.

"The Freak," I whispered.

The silence followed after and it reminded me of that time I really hurt her. She meant a lot to me, but I did her wrong. I stared right into her eyes and her magnetic blues cascaded an ocean of tears. She rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically.

"Ana, I—"

"You know what, Christian? I am The Freak but I have always been telling the truth. When we were in high school, all the rumors were real. They weren't rumors. I can see ghosts."

"Look—"

She interrupted, "School ladies' room, second cubicle, there's a teenager who hanged herself using a belt. She was pregnant. Her mouth gaped open as she hangs by the ceiling and blood drip all over her body.

The farthest bookshelf in the library, there's this nun roaming around. She walks uprightly and there's this self-righteous glow into her. And she's angry, Christian! This nun wrinkled, dark eyes, and angry! So now you understand why our schoolmates never made out twice in that area?

Junior year, the first day Mr. Andrews came back after his bereavement leave. His mother was there the whole time in class. Her skin was grey and she kept on looking at her child. Then when she noticed that I could see her too, she followed me home, Christian. That's why I didn't come to school for a week. She freaking followed me home!"

"Enough, Ana. I have heard enough. Please don't make this worse. All of those are not real, okay? They are not real!"

She shakes her head, "They are real, Christian. It is as real as the little boy sitting on the couch right now."

I looked at the spot in the couch she's pointing out, but of course, there's no one. It's just another bluff!

"Malcolm is sitting there. He is asking for my help. I know where he is. I can lead the police to the place where he was buried."

That really pushed my final button. I raised my voice at her, "I don't know what game you are playing, but we are going to find Malcolm alive. Do you hear me?! We are going to find him alive!"

"He's already dead. He was murdered. He was molested and then murdered!"

"NO!"

"How I wish that it's not real too, but it's the truth. Malcolm can't be at peace because he knows his mother is relentless. If you trust me, Christian—if you only believe me, then I could lead you to where he is."

"Ana, please stop. This is not funny anymore. All of these are in your head. You have to stop doing this, alright? All those things in high school are all inside your head, Anastasia. Please leave Malcolm out of it and let the police do their own work. Damn it!"

I raked my fingers through my hair before I sat on my La-Z-Boy manager's chair. I rested my elbows on the surface of my table and my hands cupped my stressed-out face. While Ana just stood there at the same spot where I left her. She didn't move for a few seconds but when she finally did, it was to wipe her tears away and to shoot me final words that changed . . . yes, changed everything I ever doubted.

Her voice was calm but powerful, "Graduation Day. You turned eighteen. Your parents were there and while you showed them your diploma, I saw her for the first time."

"Who?" I almost shouted at what I thought was nonsense.

"The Bride," those two words were enough to cause me goosebumps.

My eyes were wide, my mouth opened, and my body turning cold.

"And Christian? She is standing right next to you," those were her words before she walked out of my office.

Holy fuck.

I know you all have some questions but I think they'll be answered as the story goes on.

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