Pacing back and forth in the room, April kept looking at the clock. Hoping for the time to pass sonner. Yet, time tords on by its pace.
"Mom, Matthew's fine. Stop worrying about it." From the living room a young girls spoke out. She was watching her favorite singer perofm, but muted the sound. She too however kept glancing at the clock sneakily.
As the vintage clock hit 10 pm, April spoke with determination.
"I should go look for him."
"Maybe he forgot to call?" from the living room Ann tried to calm her mother down. Like April, she too was nervous but still decided to be the voice of reason.
Futile attempt as April took her coat and moved for the door,
"But he has never been this late. Lock the house after me. Your father should be home soon..."
Matthew wasn't her biological son but she loved him like one nonetheless. Putting on her shoe she moved for the door when,
*click*
The door unlocked with a click as a man entered the house. His blonde hair was filled with white strands along. His tired blue eyes and the wrinkles around them made him look much older than he is.
"I'm home...Why are you standing in front of the door?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.
He put the briefcase down and started untying his shoes.
"Did Matthew call you?" She asked with worry.
"Why would he call me? You know he hates me." Oliver replied as he took off his shoes.
"He's not home yet." April ignored the last sentence as she spoke.
Oliver looked up with a frown and asked,
"When did he go out?"
"7 am. I called his friends to see if they know something but he haven't been with them for a while..." Replied April anxiously. She took out her phone and showed the screen to Oliver and continued,
"When I tried to call him, it kept showing out of reach."
Oliver frown deepens. Although he had a faint idea what Matthew might be doing.
"I'll go look for him. Stay here with Ann. In case he comes back." Oliver puts on the shoes again and stood up preparing to leave. And hust as he was about to reach for the handle, the door swings opened.
Matthew entered the home. Covered in dirt and soil. Even from a distance, April could smell how stinky he was.
"Matthew? What happened?" Oliver asked with worry. Matthew didn't even acknowledged him as April rush past Oliver and reached him.
She ignored the smell and inspected Matthew.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" She asked him as she looked for all the injuries.
Matthew takes her hands and gives her a small smile,
"I'm fine, April."
April looks at his eyes. He looks tired but still gave her a reassuring smile and tried to walk off but April holds him down.
"You have scratches on you neck." April points out small scratches around his neck and some minor injuries. No
Oliver comes to the front and asks,
"Where were you?"
Matthew looks up meeting his fathers gaze. He could hear the seriousness in his voice and the sharpness in his eyes. Despite the calm, tension boils down between them.
April looked back and gave Oliver a look. Pleading to just let it go. And leave it for tomorrow.
Oliver however ignored it. It's 10 pm. Their son comes home looking like a homeless man. He has every reason to question him. So he stared down Matthew demanding an answer.
Silence between shattered by Matthew as he answered,
"In the forest," Clearly trying to end the conversation.
"What were you doing In the forest?" Oliver however immidately followed up with another question.
'Matthew doesn't speak, chosing to blankly stare at him.
"I will ask again. What were you doing in the forest?" Oliver sounded tired. He knows the answer of course, but he wants to hear it from Matthew.
April stands up and speaks up,
"Oliver..."
But a simple look from Oliver shut her up. She sighs as Oliver stands before Matthew as he waited for an answer.
Matthew however doesn't speak. Simply chosing to looking at his father wordlessly.
"You're trying to look for her again, aren't you?" Oliver resigns and spills it out.
"Yes. I am." Matthew replied.
"She's dead Matthew." Oliver saw Matthew physically flinch at the sentence. It took him years accepting that. Yet Matthew still clinged to the faintest hope that Elaine survived.
For Matthew, that was a line he have heard hundreds of times. He told himself thousands of times. Forced himself to believe it for six years. But not anymore.
Clenching his teeth hard in an attempt to repress all the bubbling emotions, Matthew spoke carefully,
"Maybe to you....But I know she's alive."
"No one can survive an Apogee..." Oliver said the same thing he said to Matthew over and over again. No one can survive an Apogee. Oliver tried to continue,
"What you saw that day..."
"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" Matthew screamed with his lungs. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself. Trying to repress the anger that burned through his body and clawing at his heart.
April flinched slightly but didn't moved away from Matthew. She even stepped closer to Matthew.
"She died in the Third Apogee, Matthew."
Oliver cut off Matthew's outburst with one single sentence. He could see Matthew grinding his teeth. April tried to comfort Matthew but Oliver gazed at her and shook his head.
"Far more competent people have investigated her death, Matthew. There isn't any evidence of her survival. Not even a trace."
Oliver continued,
"Elaine died protecting you. She gave up her life to keep you safe. So..."
"My mother is alive." Matthew cut him off. He took a deep breath, trying to keep the emotions at bay.
"I will keep looking for her. No matter what!" He walked past Oliver. April reached out to him but Oliver stopped her again.
"Let him go." Olive watches his son walking away. He feels something clawing at his heart. Digging deeper. But his expression didn't change.
Ann wanted to call out to him but Matthew stormed past her without even sparing her a glance.
Matthew slammed the door behind him. Taking deep breaths he tried to keep himself calm but the silent fury overtook his senses.
Turning around in a frezy, he hit the wall with everybit of anger he can muster.
But one wasn't enough. So he punched again. And again.
Punch after punch.
Until his hand went numb from pain. He kept punching. Finally his fury subside as he moves back. Despite the furious punches, all he managed to do is simply bruise his knuckles while leaving a cracked wall.
His mother was alive. There was no other alternative to Matthew. She has to be alive. And he will find her.
...
Oliver clenched his fist as each punch feels like a stab in his heart. There are many things he wants say. But he doesn't know how.
April looks at Oliver with worry as the sound of punching ended with a final one.
She wanted to console Oliver but couldn't find the proper words. April knows she can never replace Elaine.
"Reach out to him Oliver." April took Oliver's hand as she speaks.
"Sooner or later he will look for the truth. He will stop at nothing to find what truly happened that day. And..."
Her voice quivered as she tried to force the words out of there,
"He will tear himself apart before he finds out the truth. So please-" she pleaded.
Oliver simply squeezed her hand as he kept staring at the door. There are many things Oliver wants to say.
April lowered her head as tears welled up in her eyes. She had tried to convince Oliver many times. But he never wanted to divulge what happened that day. Not even to her.
All she knows that Elaine died trying to protect Matthew but her body was never recovered. Not even a single trace.
Oliver wanted to reach out to Matthew. But every time he looks at him, he is reminded of the truth.
In the end, all Oliver could do was just stare at the door.