with quizzical looks on their faces.
I couldn’t see her. Not the flick of her auburn hair or the black crop top and ripped black skinny jeans she had been wearing. Nothing. She was gone.
She must have slipped into one of the many side streets that angled off from this main road. But which one?
I grabbed a man walking past, a man I didn’t recognise. “Sir, please, did you see a girl? She looked just like me but she was dressed in all black. She was just here.”
He shook his head, grumbling, yanking his arm away from me before he hurried away, glancing back at me with wide eyes as if I were mad.
I’m not mad. She was here. I saw her.
But now she’s gone. Salem’s gone.
I almost had her. But she’s gone.
What if I never find her again?
“Aria!” The bell jangled again as Clay came running out after me, stopping at my side. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I might as well have.
I’d only seen glimpses of Salem since she ran away. But it’s been enough to let me know that she was still alive. And enough of a trail of breadcrumbs to know when she’d moved on.
That’s why my trail had stopped cold here. Salem was still here in Mirage Falls.
She knew I was here.
She knew I was looking for her.
Why hasn’t she let me find her?
She saw me in that store, I know she did. So why had she disappeared instead of coming in?
Because you failed her…
I shut my eyes as the familiar feelings of guilt rose up to lash open the scars that lined my insides. I could make it up to her. I could. If she’d just let me find her. If she’d just come back to me. The hole in my soul, the one shaped and looking exactly like me, throbbed without her presence, like a phantom limb.
“Aria?” Flick joined us both on the sidewalk. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you see her?”
“See who?”
Clay was just staring at me, the furrow between his brows the only sign of emotion on his face.
Neither of them knew that I was trying to find Salem. Nobody did. I never talked about her to anyone. Firstly, because why bother trusting anyone if I was just going to move away? Secondly, and more importantly, I couldn’t risk anyone talking to the police.
Except yesterday I had told Clay about our punch buggie game…
“No one. It was nothing.”
Flick gave me a clear look of disbelief. “Don’t give me that. You ran outta there like the place was on fire. Didn’t she, Clay?”
Clay remained silent. Just watching me.
I had to diffuse this situation before they started asking too many questions. “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw someone I knew. But it was no one.” Before Flick or Clay could ask anything more, I brushed past them towards the store. “I’ll fix up those hangers.”
In the reflection of the store glass window I saw them glance at each other.
* * *
After my shift ended Clay and I walked along the sidewalk towards my apartment. It was mid-November in Queensland, which meant perfect blue skies and the coming of long summer days, our shadows long and skinny in front of us.
Our footsteps always fell into a comfortable pace, side by side, like we’d been walking beside each other for years, walking so close that our arms would sometimes brush.
As close as Salem and I used to walk.
As much as I had tried to push her to the back of my head, there she was. So near I felt like she was right behind me. Salem was in Mirage Falls. I had been right. After three months of nothing she had reappeared. Why now?
Did it matter? She was back.
Why didn’t she come inside the store? Why did she run away?
Maybe she’s still mad at you?
I’d apologise. I’d make it right. I just had to find her. It’s a small town. I’d find a way. Besides, she had to eat, live somewhere and work. Now that I knew I was in the right place, all these things gave me avenues to start hunting again.
“Earth to Aria.”
I shook my head of Salem-shaped thoughts and glanced over to Clay. “Sorry.
I couldn’t see her. Not the flick of her auburn hair or the black crop top and ripped black skinny jeans she had been wearing. Nothing. She was gone.
She must have slipped into one of the many side streets that angled off from this main road. But which one?
I grabbed a man walking past, a man I didn’t recognise. “Sir, please, did you see a girl? She looked just like me but she was dressed in all black. She was just here.”
He shook his head, grumbling, yanking his arm away from me before he hurried away, glancing back at me with wide eyes as if I were mad.
I’m not mad. She was here. I saw her.
But now she’s gone. Salem’s gone.
I almost had her. But she’s gone.
What if I never find her again?
“Aria!” The bell jangled again as Clay came running out after me, stopping at my side. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I might as well have.
I’d only seen glimpses of Salem since she ran away. But it’s been enough to let me know that she was still alive. And enough of a trail of breadcrumbs to know when she’d moved on.
That’s why my trail had stopped cold here. Salem was still here in Mirage Falls.
She knew I was here.
She knew I was looking for her.
Why hasn’t she let me find her?
She saw me in that store, I know she did. So why had she disappeared instead of coming in?
Because you failed her…
I shut my eyes as the familiar feelings of guilt rose up to lash open the scars that lined my insides. I could make it up to her. I could. If she’d just let me find her. If she’d just come back to me. The hole in my soul, the one shaped and looking exactly like me, throbbed without her presence, like a phantom limb.
“Aria?” Flick joined us both on the sidewalk. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you see her?”
“See who?”
Clay was just staring at me, the furrow between his brows the only sign of emotion on his face.
Neither of them knew that I was trying to find Salem. Nobody did. I never talked about her to anyone. Firstly, because why bother trusting anyone if I was just going to move away? Secondly, and more importantly, I couldn’t risk anyone talking to the police.
Except yesterday I had told Clay about our punch buggie game…
“No one. It was nothing.”
Flick gave me a clear look of disbelief. “Don’t give me that. You ran outta there like the place was on fire. Didn’t she, Clay?”
Clay remained silent. Just watching me.
I had to diffuse this situation before they started asking too many questions. “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw someone I knew. But it was no one.” Before Flick or Clay could ask anything more, I brushed past them towards the store. “I’ll fix up those hangers.”
In the reflection of the store glass window I saw them glance at each other.
* * *
After my shift ended Clay and I walked along the sidewalk towards my apartment. It was mid-November in Queensland, which meant perfect blue skies and the coming of long summer days, our shadows long and skinny in front of us.
Our footsteps always fell into a comfortable pace, side by side, like we’d been walking beside each other for years, walking so close that our arms would sometimes brush.
As close as Salem and I used to walk.
As much as I had tried to push her to the back of my head, there she was. So near I felt like she was right behind me. Salem was in Mirage Falls. I had been right. After three months of nothing she had reappeared. Why now?
Did it matter? She was back.
Why didn’t she come inside the store? Why did she run away?
Maybe she’s still mad at you?
I’d apologise. I’d make it right. I just had to find her. It’s a small town. I’d find a way. Besides, she had to eat, live somewhere and work. Now that I knew I was in the right place, all these things gave me avenues to start hunting again.
“Earth to Aria.”
I shook my head of Salem-shaped thoughts and glanced over to Clay. “Sorry.
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