"The subscriber you've dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later." The phone disconnected, and she frowned. "Why isn't he picking up? Is he okay?" To be honest, she had been quite worried the night it all went down. Clary almost didn't expect him to show up the next day, but he did. He normally worked and talked for two days, as if nothing had happened. This scared her, but there wasn't much she could do. So she assumed that he was healing, that he was alright.
Suddenly, he didn't show up on the third day. Then the fourth. Today was the fifth day of his absence as she clutched the phone in dilemma, doubting her judgment. Edward wasn't anywhere to be seen either. It's like both of them vanished off the earth, no trace left. Was he really too dazed, just confused those two days? Maybe it never sunk in then, still felt like a dream to him. Maybe he wasn't alright; rather, he was hurt so much that his mind and heart were rejecting this reality, refusing to even accept it.
Abandoning her task at the moment, she got up and headed straight for Professor Meredith's office. Once, while she was delivering some documents, she had overheard her talking with a lady, apparently August's mom. Their conversation was informal and normal, like two old friends. Since he wasn't picking up, this was the only option she had. She didn't have his address or any other information, and Edward was unreachable right now too. Miss Meredith was the best bet she had to make sure he's alright.
"Professor? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
The older woman was working on a presentation. She glanced at Clary and nodded. "Yes, miss...?"
"Clarence."
"Okay, miss Clarence." The professor was in her 40s, middle-aged and friendly-looking. She smiled, "If my memory serves me right, I don't believe you take any of my classes, right?"
Clary shook her head, denying, "No, professor, I don't. I'm here...for something else."
Miss Meredith crossed her arms and asked curiously, "And what is that?"
Clary took a deep breath to calm her anxious heart. She was still very much worried and spoke hastily, "August. August Castellan, you know him, right?"
"...and if I do?"
"He...he's my friend. You must be aware of his personality and behavior too. A few days ago," Clary was vague as she continued, "he went through an emotional ordeal. It was okay for two days, but since the day before yesterday, he's not coming to even classes. He isn't picking up either, no matter how many times I tried to call him. I'm afraid..." she trailed off, anxiously fidgeting with her hands.
It seemed that her guess was right. Miss Meredith also became alarmed and questioned, "Are you really sure he shut himself in and has not taken leave?"
"No, professor. He never takes leaves. And he was normal for two days, so I assumed he was recovering, but...that wasn't the case, apparently."
The professor took out her phone and dialed a number, but not before ushering Clary out. "Thank you for the information, miss Clarence. You can go; I'll handle it from here."
Clary was reluctant, but still nodded under her stern gaze. "O-okay, professor."
She went out, closing the door behind her.
"Hello, Ava?"
The person on the other end picked up, and Meredith continued, "Ava, listen. Your son's friend came up to me just now. He hasn't shown up for classes for three days straight without any notice, and you know it has never happened before. She said something happened with him a few days ago, and maybe it's because of that. Check on him, okay?"
The woman on the other end got in her car, signaling the driver to drive. "Alright. Thanks for the heads up, Meredith."
"No problem." She asked, "You'll send Ivy?"
"No." Ava looked down, her expression solemn. "I'm in the city; I'll go myself."
Meredith was shocked. "You...you'll go?"
Ava sighed, "Yes. I can't hide forever, and you know it, Meredith. I'll face him, face all the mistakes I did. I'll mend our relationship and finally be a responsible mother, whatever it takes."
"I know he'll hate me for some time, and honestly, I can't really blame him. But I'll keep trying, Meredith. Running away doesn't solve anything, and I've understood it."
Meredith's eyes shone with pride. "You finally came around, Ava. It's late, but you finally understood."
She too smiled a little and nodded. "Yes. And I'm glad I did."