The drive from the motel to the police station was a silent one. Silas had always been careful of my feelings and mindful of what I needed, even after my parents went missing. He was always there. The small dose of tension was obvious but did not seem to detour us from getting the answers we needed. Meeting Zander seemed to upset him and I was not going to push the issue of what transpired when I left the room. Clenching the steering wheel, I glanced at him; her mind wandering the thoughts and feelings of a stranger. His vivacious baby blue eyes masked the pain of a drifting soul and the body structure of a strong man who could make any woman drop to her knees. His aura was something she had never seen before, the arrogance that surrounded him would be something the naked eye wouldn't find appealing. Smiling at my best friend, I pondered what he could be thinking, his headphones over his ears, staring at the window passing by trees and small houses along the road. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me as my smile dimmed. He was always there for me, never wavered once when my parents went missing and even before. He was always at my house playing games with me, making sure I was okay, and helping me in ways nobody had before. With that, I also knew something had been on his mind for a while now and intended to get to the bottom of what he was feeling, but wanted to save that for another time. Pulling into the lot of the Silvergrove police station, I put the car in park and suddenly felt a sharp pain barge through the left side of my temple. I screamed out in pain, cringing as I saw the silhouettes of my parents again. I shook my head to make it disappear but seemed to come in multiple flashes in spurts as if a movie was playing inside my head. I placed both of my hands on my head and rocked back and forth, screaming in agony again as I couldn't make It stop.
Silas turned to me, shaking my shoulders. "June! June, look at me. You're okay, you're safe, look at me," He said with a concerned tone.
I pulled my hands down and took a deep breath, the flashes gone. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know why this is going on, it's just getting worse now." I wiped a tear from my eye, removing my seatbelt and hugging my best friend. I held him tightly and he did the same, moving his headphones down to his neck he rubbed my back.
"It's okay, June. I'm not going anywhere." He pulled away and wiped a tear from my eye. "You got this. We got this. You're fine", he said as he put a hand on my leg. I squeezed for a moment before taking another breath of relief and his eyes expressed concern. "I don't know what's going on with me, for days now I have been experiencing such terrible headaches, night terrors, flashes of what could have happened to my parents and they come in spurts at random times of the day and I cannot seem to put the pieces together."
Mission Accomplished….
He frowned. "Are you sure it's not a psychological thing? It may just all be in your head, June. That happens sometimes, especially with the trauma you have experienced with your parents gone missing."
I stared blankly at him, ripping my hand away. "Are you joking?" I snapped. I was angry and confused.
He shrugged and took off his seatbelt, reaching into his bag to grab my favorite flavored tea, "I'm just giving you my opinion. You have been through so much in the last year that you're confused and you may be having these flashbacks as a way to cope with what happened. It happens all the time with people who experience PTSD and who have been through serious trauma." He smiled at me and put the drink in my hand.
"Drink up, let's get this over with." I nodded and took a large swig of the beverage as Silas continued to smile at me.
I smiled back, taking the keys out of the ignition, and took a deep breath as my eyes shifted to the front doors of the police station, then became queasy again. I adjusted my position on the seat, glancing at Silas, "Let's get this over with."
Silas and I sat in a dimming lit and chilly interrogation room. My hands were pressed firmly on the table, reminiscing about the moment I sat in similar chairs, being questioned by strangers on what happened, where I was, who I think could have done this, and the confusion that came with it. I was a nervous wreck, but held my best friend's hand firmly, taking another breath as my legs began to shake in anticipation. They had been stringing me and my other family members and friends who knew them way too long. A year later and they had no answers for me or what could have happened to them.
You'll never find them. Oh Juniper, you're pathetic for trying….
I wiped a tear from my eye as I took another drink of my tea to calm my nerves. My legs continued to bob up and down as my anxiousness began to take over. My suspicions grew more that we were in this room. They wouldn't randomly take off on their only child and nobody seemed to be taking me seriously because I am grieving and wanted answers. A few moments passed before the large steel door opened. I looked up to see a man and a woman standing there. The woman was at about average height and platinum blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun in a navy blue pantsuit and simple flats. The man standing beside her curled a cigar on the side of his mouth, clenching a massive size folder on his side and a styrofoam cup on the other. A stain from his cup showed on his white dress shirt that was lifted by suspenders. He moved his body into the chair, pushing the table back with his large stomach, and stuck out his hand to me.
"Miss Haven. It's nice to see you again. As you know, I am Lieutenant Cooper and this is my Partner Sanchez. She is a new detective." I shook his hand in respect, keeping a firm eye on him.
"I remember you. Thank you for meeting me, I know you're probably busy."
He shook his head, opening the folder and placing a recorder on the table. He took out his notepad and flipped threw the paperwork as if to refresh his memory and turned to look up at my best friend. His eyes widened as he frantically wrote things down on his pad and continued to flip through notes and pictures. "Who is this gentleman?"
Silas spoke up and stuck out his hand, "Silas Pendragon. I am her best friend."
Lieutenant Cooper took a sip from his cup, "So, your parents disappeared a year ago. This case was closed months ago since we had no leads, no witnesses, and nothing to go off of. All we had was what you accounted for from that day and a few interviews with neighbors and friends of your parents. Why are you still asking questions? It may be time to let this go, Miss Haven. We have nothing to go off of here and our department has bigger cases going on that we have to account for as well."
I could not believe what I was hearing. "For the longest time, you and your department did not do your job. I told you what I saw when I went into my home that afternoon, but I do not think they're missing. There is no way that they could disappear without a trace like that, knowing they had everything they could ever want and they had me. I do not think this is an accidental thing and if you just listened-", he cut me off immediately.
"What are you suggesting?", he asked as he continued to take notes on his pad.
I rubbed my temple, "I don't think they're missing. I think they're dead." Like word vomit, they came out as he gave me a questioning look, continuing to take notes.
They're not going to listen to you, give it up, Juniper…
"You think they're deceased?"
I nodded. "Yes, I do. Something is not adding up here, they wouldn't just up and disappear like that. It makes no sense to me and nobody is looking for them anymore. Where would they be, if they went missing and have been for over a year now?" He continued to scrabble notes down as I laid my head into my hands, sighing in frustration. "Please, just help me. Re-open the case, please help me find out what happened to my parents. Do your damn job and figure it out or I am going to sue this entire organization you have here."
Lieutenant Cooper down the remainder of his coffee, placing the pen down and closing the folder with a slam before standing up to gather the papers. "That won't be necessary. We will keep in touch. Please do not leave town. Thank you for stopping by." Without a word he walked out, leaving my mouth open in disgust and shutting the door behind them. I could hear some words made out on the other side as I stood up to walk out the door. I pressed my ears against it and listened intently.
Detective Sanchez poured her partner another cup of coffee before handing it over. "Do you believe her?", she asked handing his cup over.
He took a sip and took a small puff of his cigar, laughing a bit. "Not a chance in hell. She is now our prime suspect and with how much time has passed, we need to do whatever we can do to pin this on her. No matter what it takes."
"How do you plan to do that", she asked tilting her head.
He chuckled. "Get a search warrant. Time to go digging."
She smiled and took the folder from him, leaving two broken hearts on the other side of the steel door.