05: Gone Forever

Author’s POV:

Zara and her peers calmed down, and class began.

"Good morning, boys and girls," pleasantly welcomed their professor. Mrs. Roy

"Good morning, Mrs. Roy," they greeted her with equal enthusiasm.

"How are you all today?" She asked them. It was her habit to begin the lesson with some gossip to lighten the mood.

"GOOD!" They answered in unison. She chuckled at their early morning passion.

"Since you are all feeling good, then I think I should tell you about your grades." She stated this while looking at each of them.

"Nooo…Please do not do this, Mrs. Roy." Mrs. Roy was determined to accomplish this, despite the pupils' whining and pouting.

She placed her black purse on the desk and brought out a brown envelope containing our checked papers.

"I must say you guys have improved a lot and performed pretty well. Expect one." Mrs. Roy fixed her focus on a student behind Zara. The pupils did not follow her gaze since the entire class knew who it would be: "ROCKY SILAS," as usual, who was smirking insolently.

She passed down our papers, and Zara noticed that she had received high grades this time, and she was relieved to think that her mother would be pleased to hear about her performance.

"Why do I always fail?" Rocky questioned himself, staring at his exam sheet and palming his face.

"Try focusing on studies rather than on girls." Gina spoke in a harsh and severe tone.

"What about you, Zara?" Nielle inquired in a pleasant tone.

"Babe, why are you asking her?" Nick said.

"Yes, why are you asking her? We all know she's a champion. Number one in studies and sports." Rocky replied with a broad smile on his lovely face and a honeyed tone that he only uses for her.

"Of course…" Ben seconded Rocky's statement.

"Okay, class, let's get started on our lesson for today. With that, Mrs. Roy began her lecture.

Finally, it was afternoon, and everyone was packing their things to travel home.

"Hey, let's go for some coffee." Nielle passionately recommended

"Coffee? I want a drink: a cold, chilled beer." Rocky made Nielle frown, and Gina was disgusted, stating.

"Don't worry, honey, we'll have our delicious coffee." Nick suggested making Nielle feel better.

"You are joining us, Zara," Rocky asked.

"I apologize, people. Next time." It's Charlotte's birthday; I need to make some plans for it." Zara claimed to be checking her phone for messages from her mother.

"Oh, I forgot about it. "Wish Charlotte on my behalf." Ben stated.

"You have her number." Call her and wish. "I did not sign up for Postman." Zara retaliated viciously. Ben did not respond, but his expression indicated that he was agitated.

"If Zara is not coming, then I'm also not coming along." Gina stated:

"If you girls are not there, I shall be alone with these boys. Baby, let us enjoy ourselves at our favorite café." Nielle proposed something, to which Nick agreed.

"Bye guys." Nick remarked, resting his hand on Nielle's waist and walking away.

"Bye, boys," Gina murmured, flipping her hair back, linking her arm with Zara's, and walking away. Rocky opened his lips to say something, possibly to stop Zara, but then shut it again.

"Let's go, Ben; the beer awaits us." Rocky remarked, wrapping his arm around Ben's neck and walking away.

Zara’s POV:

Gina dropped me off at the city convenience shop, where I purchased everything on the list my mother sent me for Charlotte's birthday. Then I walked home.

The lovely baking fragrance infused the entire house from the moment I walked in. I entered the kitchen and placed the shopping bags on the dining table.

"I see the cake is ready." I walked towards the fridge and took out some water to drink.

"It isn't ready yet. I just pulled out of the oven." Mom said she was checking the shopping bags to see if everything she had requested was there.

"Let me freshen up, then I'll decorate the living room." I murmured, stepping beside her.

"Why are you in a hurry? We believe your sister will be late. So, why don't you relax once you've freshened up? It's 2 p.m., and your sister won't be home until 7, so we still have plenty of time." Mother suggested. I consented since I realized I needed to relax, so I walked up to my room, took a shower, and lay down on the bed; shortly, darkness fell.

I was rolling around in bed when my eyes opened, and I realised it was 5:30, which meant I didn't have much to decorate. I sprang out of bed and rushed down the stairs.

"Mom, why didn't you wake me up?" I grumbled as I entered the living room, where all of the party decorations had been set. Mom did not respond since she was occupied making the cake, so I began my duty.

I hung HAPPY BIRTHDAY cards on the living room wall and tied colorful balloons to the sides of the couch. It looked good.

"Sis will love it." I thought. By the time everything was finished, it was 7:30 p.m., and we were excitedly awaiting Charlotte.

Then the clock struck 8:30. Southwold is a little town in the center of the highlands, so it gets dark early, and 8:30 in Southwold means it's pretty dark outdoors.

"Call her." Mother spoke in an anxious tone. I called her, but she did not reply.

Then 7:30 became 8:30, and mom panicked out. She was pacing back and forth, worried. I tried calling her several times, but each time we got no answer. I tried calling Charlotte's boyfriend, with whom she typically practices, but he did not reply either.

"Maybe they are still in the complex practicing." Mom said she was trying to remain calm but failed miserably since 9:30 in Southwold equals midnight; people pack up their businesses and depart for home, and the streets become dark and empty. So you may understand a mother's sentiments in this situation.

"Don't worry, mom, I'll look for her." I said, grabbing up mom's car keys and heading to the door. As soon as I opened the door, Inspector Kenneth, nicknamed Uncle Ken, a top police officer in Southwold and my mother's brother, appeared with a disturbed look. I frowned as I looked at my door.

"Uncle Ken, what are you doing here?" I requested that he push the door wide so he could enter. He did not respond to me and went to the living room.

Mom saw Uncle Ken and halted in her spot.

"What's wrong Ken, why are you here?" Mom questioned in a worried tone.

"Arlette, I need to tell you something?" he asked quietly.

"What is it?" Is everything OK? Is Lisa all right?" Mom questioned, anxious about his wife.

"It's not about Lisa it about Charlotte." Uncle Ken spoke.

"What happened to my Charlotte?" Mom said, frightened.

"She…she…she is dead." Uncle Ken stuttered but told us the awful news.

Mom's eyes widened, and she dropped to the floor as I stood at the living room doorway, pondering Uncle Ken's comments. The world around me appeared to halt and blur. I could not hear anything. I tried not to cry as I hurried to my mother and hugged her.

"What happened? How... my Charlotte?" Mom inquired about Uncle Ken between sobs.

"Charlotte and her boyfriend, Peter Gill, were found dead at the club tonight. The police think it is a murder." Uncle Ken informed us.

Hearing Uncle Ken's remarks made my chest constrict and my heart sink. My grasp on mom tightened, and tears flowed from my eyes. I couldn't believe how quickly the night changed. Her laughter filled this house just a few hours before, and now she is gone for forever.