So sorry for my absence! Thank you for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy!
"Matilda, it's getting late. Is she really coming? My mum is going to come pick me up soon," Lavender whined, fumbling around with her fingers while Matilda paced around the room. She paused at her friend's question, trying to think of an answer herself. Matilda truly had no idea of where Miss Honey had run off to in order to kill only thirty minutes, and her lack of an answer only led to self-doubt?
"Oh my gosh, maybe I gave her the wrong information!" Matilda exclaimed, causing all of the children to look at each other with horror. "But I couldn't have, I distinctly remember telling her that she could come home after thirty minutes," she continued, ponding over all of the possibilities of possible miscommunications.
"Uh, Matilda, I've already eaten the cake. I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist," Bruce apologized over his full belly, cake smeared all over his face, hands, and shirt. Matilda wanted to be angry at him, but she was too angry with herself to care. She felt that whole situation was probably her fault anyway, as Miss Honey would have probably already had her share of the cake if there hadn't been a miscommunication.
"It's okay Bruce, don't worry about it." Matilda returned to her pacing, though picked up her speed as well. Her friends glanced at each other with concern, and then headed for the door.
"I think that I'd better go home and do my homework. Wouldn't want to upset my mum! See you tomorrow Matilda!" Lavender excused herself while stuffing a handful of candies into her pockets.
"I-I, uh, have to go home now. Bye Matilda," Bruce said while picking up one last plate of cake on his way out.
"And I think that I should go too. I have to do my chores. See you tomorrow Matilda," Alice quietly said, watching her friend with concern as she exited and gently closed the door behind her. Matilda stared at the door for a moment, filled with utter shock and an underwhelming feeling. This was not how Miss Honey's special day was supposed to go. She was supposed to come home and be surprised, and have a wonderful birthday celebration. Where was she?
She paced around the empty room a few more times, and then the girl decided to call the school. Perhaps she truly had told Miss Honey the wrong information, and perhaps she hadn't even left in the first place.
She picked up the phone, typed in the correct phone number with absolute precision, and then listened for someone to answer. The phone rang, and rang, and rang.
You are calling Crunchem Hall Primary and Secondary School. I'm sorry we cannot get to you at the moment, but if-
Matilda ended the phone call and stared at the wall for a moment, attempting to process the situation. Miss Honey was not home. She was not at school. Where could she have gone off to for so long?
"That's it! The library!"
Determined that her estimate had to be correct, Matilda threw on her coat, fetched her keys to the house, and ran outside with a wide smile on her face. How silly! She must have given Miss Honey the wrong time, and instinctively, she would go to the library to read. Or maybe she had indeed given her the right time, but Miss Honey had gotten so lost in a book that she lost track of time. Both situations could have easily happened.
Within fifteen minutes, Matilda made it to the library. She could practically smell the scent of books as she watched some employees carrying boxes inside, and knew that her teacher had to be there.
"Good evening Mrs. Phelps. How are you doing today?" She asked, causing the librarian to jump in alarm.
"Oh hello Matilda. I didn't even see you there!" Mrs. Phelps caught her breath, adjusted her glasses, and then stared at the child for a moment, and then glanced back at her watch.
"Matilda honey, it's seven thirty at night! The new series you requested won't be coming in until tomorrow… unless you're here with a story?" She asked with hope gleaming in her eyes. Matilda hated to be the one to crush it, but she wasn't sure of what else to say.
"Um, no Mrs. Phelps, I'm sorry. I'm here to find Miss Honey." Matilda half-smiled at the librarian, waiting to find out where Miss Honey was. In the adult section? In the young adult section? She always seemed to want to read everything the same way that Matilda did.
"Well Matilda, I'm afraid that this isn't the right place to find her. I did happen to see her pass by earlier, even waved at her. Why isn't she at home?" Mrs. Phelps asked, and then watched as the young girl's eyes began to water.
"Oh no, don't be upset, child, I'm sure Miss Honey's at home right now and is probably worrying about you like crazy. Go on then, you don't want to be out too late. Unless you have a stor-never mind. Have a nice evening Matilda." She gave the girl a pat on the back and then continued on with her book sorting.
Without wasting any more time, Matilda ran off in the direction of her home, desperately hoping that Mrs. Phelps's words were true.
Although she hadn't found Miss Honey at the library, she had certainly gained valuable information: Miss Honey did leave the school earlier. She did not know how much earlier, but she left nevertheless. Maybe she had gone shopping and was having difficulty choosing which laundry detergent to buy, or maybe she had taken herself out for tea; the possibilities were endless.
After a very long stroll home, Matilda shakily pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, just to find silence awaiting her. A tear streamed down her cheek, and then many more followed. Where could Miss Honey be? It was eight thirty at night, far too late for her to ever stay out. No miscommunication could lead her to come home that late.
Knowing that there was nothing else to do, Matilda picked up the telephone that she had tossed aside earlier and dialed a number that she had never imagined dialing again.
"Yes, I would like to speak to an officer. I want to file a missing person report."
She cracked open her eyes, bit by bit, squinting at the bright light disorienting her vision. Tears formed as she continued the strenuous effort of forcing open her eyelids, and she tried to wipe them away, but her hands were stuck. She decided to move step by step, beginning with opening her eyes.
1…2…3! Her eyes opened wide, and a pain engulfed her immediately, resulting in more tears down her cheeks. She didn't care about that. What she cared about was her situation: where she was, what was happening, and why she couldn't seem to move her hands.
She blinked over and over again, attempting to adjust her sore eyes to the bright surroundings. With much effort, she managed to get a brief glance of the entire room. It was painted white, though the surface had multiple dirt and grass stains smeared across it. She didn't know why, nor did she care at the moment. All she wanted was to see Matilda again. Where was she?
She made note of the fact that she was on a rough surface, certainly not a bed like she had expected.
She attempted to wiggle her wrists, only to find that she could not. With a tight glance down, she noticed coarse rope was wrapped around them. Her eyes widened, and she tried to wiggle her ankles. The same thing happened. She was immobilized.
Her instinct now was to call for help, but similar to her previous two attempts to get up, she found that she could not speak. Another piece of that rope was in her mouth, serving as a makeshift gag. What had happened?
Despite her failed efforts to move and speak, she continued trying to perform both of the actions, struggling against her restraints and crying out for help as loud as she could, though nothing but a few breathy noises could be heard.
The light shone down on her for a few moments longer, and then it abruptly shut off. Despite this, she did not quit her attempts of escape, hardly even noticing the difference in lighting.
Loud steps echoed suddenly echoed through an air vent, the sound of a whip touching bare skin following along. She paused her movement and began trying to shout, as if it would stop the person approaching the room she was in.
The footsteps then paused, and she caught her breath, her chest moving up and down repeatedly.
A tall, intimidatingly tall from her point of view, person then popped up in front of her, scaring her beyond belief. Her whole figure shook with fear, and she nearly passed out once she glimpsed upon the person's face.
"We have unfinished business. Let's have a chat, shall we?"
"Yes, she's been gone for many hours. A description? Blonde hair, blue eyes, petite figure, I'm not sure what else to describe. What she was wearing last? A floral dress, maybe a pink cardigan. That's all? Thank you very much, I really hope that you can find her soon." Matilda ended the phone call and wiped a few more tears off of her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. It was official, now that she had filed a report. Miss Honey truly was missing.
She pulled at her head of tangled hair, grunts of frustration escaping her lips. If only she had just stuck with a card! Then Miss Honey would be home, and they would both stomachs full of birthday cake, and they would be happy. But the reality was that Miss Honey was not at home, and Matilda's stomach was not full of cake, and she was alone, and she was not happy.
"Miss Honey, where could you be?" She asked out loud, receiving no response but silence. Matilda would certainly be spending the night at home alone, for the first time ever.
Without a smile, she headed upstairs and changed into her pajamas, and brushed her teeth, and pulled out her book, but she could not keep her mind on any of the words. Not when Miss Honey was missing and in possible danger. It was only eight forty-five at night, much earlier than she usually went to sleep, but she decided to do so earlier, for what else was there to do? She still did have school tomorrow, and she would most certainly go if only to spread the word of the missing Miss Honey.
Matilda fluffed her pillow and tucked herself under her blankets, and she turned off the light, but she could not sleep. Not when the person most beloved to her was missing.
She stared up at the dark ceiling, her eyes threatening to spill out more tears. But she did not allow them to, because she needed to be brave. For both herself and Miss Honey.
She shook her head wildly, only for Agatha Trunchbull to grab her chin in a firm grip and force eye contact between them both.
"Jenny, you know how this works. You do as I say, and you do not get hurt. You don't do as I say, and you spend time in the Chokey; yes, I have made a new one, if you were wondering. It is no bigger than the others though, so you should do as I say." Miss Honey stared up at her in horror, her eyes watering with total fear. Her aunt stared back for a moment with a grimace and lifted up a hand. Miss Honey feared the worse and anticipated a blow. Instead, Agatha's hand reached over to her niece's gag and untied the knot, allowing the coarse rope to fall alongside the petite woman.
"It's time to go over what really happened that day."
Once again, thank you so much for the kind reviews! I cannot guarantee when I'll update next, but I'll try to do so as soon as possible! Hope you enjoyed!