The group was standing at the front of their classroom, staring at all of the students. However, Aysha's parents had despair smeared across their usually cheerful faces. When they spotted Lorena, they immediately called her towards them.
"Hi Lorena, sweetie," Aysha's mom, Dr. Sharma, said. "We need to talk to you."
Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying earlier. Concerned, Lorena nodded.
They led her to a small office nearby her classroom, designated as an extra room for project work. She was sat down on one end of a grey, plastic table, with the man who she thought to be a detective seated across her.
In a gruff voice, he said, "Hello Miss Lorena, I need to ask you some questions. I suggest that you cooperate so that this process is easier for the both of us."
Lorena slowly nodded, dazed with confusion. This is like one of those police movies, she thought.
He then asked, "When was the last time you had any form of contact with Aysha Sharma?"
She was taken aback. What was going on? "Is she missing?!", she questioned, alarm apparent in her voice.
The detective didn't respond, but Dr. Sharma nodded to her from the corner of the room. She was shocked. How could this be possible?
With a mix of bubbling emotions inside her, she decided to answer the detective and "cooperate". She couldn't risk this. This was Aysha they were talking about. "We were messaging on Groogle Chat yesterday. I was asking her why she didn't come to school yesterday and-"
"Hold on," her father, Mr. Sharma, interrupted, looking straight at her, worry in his eyes. "She didn't come to school yesterday?"
"The students in her bus said she didn't board it yesterday... You should talk to them." she said.
"Continue with what you were initially saying," the detective said calmly, but she could see concern emerging in his eyes.
"We chatted for a bit, but she seemed quite... off. I have my laptop today, I can show you the messages, if you want them." she responded.
The detective nods and gestures for her to go and get it. As she left the room, a police officer positioned outside the door accompanied her as she strolled the 20 feet to her classroom and came back with her backpack. She sat back down and tried pulling her laptop out of her bag in the most casual manner possible, trying to ignore the tension in the air.
Once she typed in the password, she handed it over to the detective, who opened Groogle Chat, and opened her and Aysha's messages from their chat. Aysha's parents leaned in and squinted to read them.
"Wait... Why does this say she's typing a message?" her mother inquired.
"It still says that?" she responds.
"Hmmm...." the detective starts. "Lorena, you said she sounded different, unlike herself?"
"Not necessarily, but she kinda seemed to be avoiding telling me why she didn't come to school yesterday. She never skips school." she answers.
"Hmmm... Did she mention anything about meeting somebody, going somewhere, or... maybe... running away?" he asks.
"No," she truthfully responds. "She didn't say anything like that."
"Okay Lorena, you may go now." he announces.
"What?! No!" she exclaims, frowning.
"What, do you want to stay and listen to the questionings?" he teases.
"YEAH! I mean, her parents are staying, and I'm basically family! We spend all of our time together!" she says, defending herself.
"Would you like to be escorted to the principal's office by our officer here?" he says, smirking.
She rolls her eyes at him. Dr. Sharma apologetically mouths the words "I'm sorry" to her, and she nods, forcing an understanding smile. Lorena knows how much Aysha's parents care about their daughter, so she decided they didn't deserve any more trouble, and that she should contribute to being kind to them.
So she grabs her backpack and exits the room.
As she walked a few feet from the door, she saw that the officer who was standing guard had gone to her classroom, possibly getting the next student for questioning. So, she silently skittered back to the office and put her ear to the door, crouching. She heard the detective say, "...and it is probable that her phone was taken from her or she lost it, because it is clear she couldn't finish her message." It was silent after that.
When she walked back to her classroom, all the students were whispering and sharing their theories about what had happened to Aysha with each other. They bombarded her with questions, but she ignored them. She hadn't had a mere second to process what had just happened. Her very best friend, someone who she would gladly call her sister, was missing.
And she would find out why.
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