Chapter 9: Empty
-Melanie
I arrived home from Cienna's flower shop with a sigh. I leaned against the front door as her sentence echoed in my mind. "But I can't see her anymore because of family reasons." Was this why she disappeared on me 12 years ago?
My thoughts were interrupted with my father in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked down at me with his cold stern eyes. "Where were you," he spat out.
"I was at my friend's house." I hung my coat on the wall and turned to go upstairs. He harshly grabbed my wrist and turned me around.
"Stop lying to me. You have no friends." His breath wafted through my nose. Alcohol. I looked at him with tearful eyes.
"Paul, please. Stop it. She had a long day," my mom speaked up in a small voice. She looked at me with sad eyes. 'Go,' she silently mouthed at me.
I pulled my wrist from him and ran up the stairs. I slammed my door shut and locked it. As my father's screams echoed around the house, I pulled my phone out with shaking hands.
"Ben? It's dad. Can you come here quickly? I'm scared." I pleaded on the phone.
My brother sighed. "I'll be there in a few minutes." Ben was in college but he always had to come home for these reasons. I wished I could do something. I felt so sorry.
…
In the middle of working on homework, there was a soft knock on my door. "It's Ben." I immediately unlocked the door to let him in. He sighed and sat on my bed. "I got dad to calm down. He's passed out on his bed." I glanced at the clock; 3:40 am.
"I was so scared Ben." I hugged my knees while sitting against the door. "What if this gets worse? What will we do then?"
He rubbed his temples. "I-I don't know."
…
The next week, I was listening to the news as I worked on a school assignment. "Yes, there have been many rainy days this season. We're expecting one more tomorrow. It's almost accompanying the sad loss of Cienna Cooper." My eyes widened. I grabbed my phone and looked at the screen. "She was only 36 when she was found dead yesterday by her 15 year old son in the flower shop she owned ." A picture of Her Days flashed on the screen. "The police have investigated the scene and concluded that it was an attempted sucicide. We are deeply sorry for Mrs. Cooper's family and hope all things go better for them. Now, onto the next story,"
My mind went blank. This couldn't be true. I jumped out of my bed and grabbed my purse.
…
All throughout the bus ride I thought to myself. 'This can't be true. This can't be true. This can't be true.' I wiped the tears clouding my vision. 'I just saw her last week. This can't be true.'
As soon as the bus came to a stop I ran out and sprinted towards Her Days. I couldn't care less about what I looked like right now. I turned the corner and saw the flower shop. With the extra key Cienna gave me, I bursted in through the light purple door of the shop. As the familiar aroma of the flowers greeted me, my eyes wandered around the store.
"Cienna? Cienna! This is a joke, right?" My voice echoed through the empty store. I slowly walked through the flowery aisles of the shop towards the back. I separated the crystal bead curtain to see an empty room. The flowers looked almost worn out, no longer cheerful. I dragged my hand across the bookcase Cienna and I organized just a week ago. The news sank in. She was really gone.
I crumpled to the ground, torn apart. I didn't even get to tell her who I really was. I hugged my knees as all her happy smiles replayed in my head. Tears were gliding down my face as I cried.
I saw her as my guardian angel who protected me. Cienna made me so happy. And now, she was gone. She wasn't with me anymore.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
celina_0722
celina_0722 In the past week, I've been getting a lot more support for this story. It motivated me to upload a chapter sooner! Thank you so much for your support! It really means a lot to me :) I just want to say that I'll always upload a chapter either on Saturdays or Sundays and I'll occasionally upload another one during the week. Let me know if you have a preferred day you want me to upload on. Have a great day!
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