Chapter Text
Day 0
It was genuinely beautiful outside. Early spring, flowers blooming and trees coming back from the dead. The sky was full of fluffy white clouds, and animals ran around the courtyard.
Clementine Everett was considering putting her own head through the pane of glass beside her.
Anything to get out of this classroom.
How many presentations about the french revolution written by seventeen-year-old’s could a girl listen to before going insane? Clementine was going to find out.
The only thing that could make it worse, and it was worse, was the girl presenting. Violet Aldon.
The girl was tall and thin. Pin straight platinum hair that she wore in a shaggy like mullet, sharp cheekbones and forest green eyes. She spoke in a monotone voice, obvious about how much she didn’t care.
That was how Violet was. She spent classes playing on her phone or talking in hushed conversations with her friends. She doodled on her worksheets and she listened to music during lectures. She visibly could not give a shit about school, so why did she have the highest grade in their entire senior class? Why did she pick at and tease Clementine for being second?
Violet’s eyes met Clementine’s own. Her lips curved into a small smile, full of mirth, but she didn’t let up. Violet spoke on about aristocracy, and the clock couldn’t tick by fast enough.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
Watching the clock would make it go by slower, that’s what everyone said at least. ‘The watched pot never boils’ her dad would say, but time was just time. What changed was perception.
Their teacher, Ms. Junot, held up a green card. A signal for Violet to know that she had hit the time requirement.
The blonde wrapped up her speech and found her seat, finally. Ms. Junot stood from her own chair and looked around at the class around her.
“Nice work you guys. I’ve liked everything I have heard so far. Monday we will finish presenting, and then have a bit of free time to study for the test Tuesday. Any questions?” she asked, scanning faces and expressions. Was she as bored as the rest of them? “Alright, see you all then”
The change was swift. People who had been acting like zombies moments ago were now shoveling packets of course work into their bookbags, and slinging bags around their shoulders. It was always a race to get out, unless it was a race to stop and chat with friends.
Violet was pulled into the arms of her friend Brody, while her friend Louis pat her shoulder and went on about how well she had done.
“I feel like I learned more from you than I have the entire rest of the semester in this class!” he said.
“That’s because you play on your phone” Ms. Junot interjected. Louis at least had the decency to look embarrassed.
“Clem” Marianna said “Dude, you coming?”
“Yeah, sorry” Clementine amended as she grabbed her bag and followed the other girl out of the classroom and down the hall.
They walked together down the winding halls, past classrooms and out of the school. “It would be easier if you just asked her out” Marianna said.
Clementine's eyes snapped over to her friend, the girl was grinning and already looking at her. “Shhhh!” she shushed, checking her surroundings and praying that nobody heard.
“Clem, you know it takes them like fifteen minutes every day to get outside. You know that because you are obsessed with her”
“I am not obsessed”
“Obsessed with what?” their friend asked as he snuck up behind them. Marianna reeled back to punch him in the arm, and Clementine just glared as Duck laughed.
“Violet Aldon” Marianna supplied as if not just assaulting the boy.
“Ohhhh” he said, and then turned to Clementine “You are”
“Yup. You can’t go a single class without staring at her. Can’t have a conversation without mentioning her. You’re obsessed, I would even go as far as to say in love”
“I am not in love with her! She drives me insane!”
“Exactly” Duck grinned, earning a middle finger from one friend and a smile from the other.
“I just don’t get how she can have such perfect grades when she can’t even be bothered to pay attention in class or pick up a book. It’s infuriating. If she gets picked for that scholarship because of her grades when I am over here working my ass off I will flip out”
“Are you sure that’s all?” Marianna asked, her voice teasing.
“Do you want to walk home?” Clementine asked, keys in hand and only unlocking her own door.
“You wouldn’t” she said.
Duck though, had fear in his eyes. “She would” They met each other’s eyes for a moment, a silent conversation playing out while Clementine waited impatiently.
“I’m sorry” Marianna said “I’ll drop it”
“Mhm” mumbled Clementine, although finally unlocking the other car doors. Duck pulled the door open and dove in, as if expecting her to change her mind.
“Can I say one more thing? I promise that I won’t bring it up again afterwards” she asked, Clementine didn’t respond, but she waited for Marianna to continue. “In all seriousness, it is okay if you like her. She is pretty and very obviously smart, and I know you value that sort of thing. You’re allowed to like her, she probably likes you back”
Something hung in the silence that was left. Clementine remembered green eyes and a soft voice whispering to her in the dead of night.
“If you’re not in the car within the next five seconds i’m leaving without you” Clementine said, opening her own door and climbing in. Marianna was in the passenger seat beside her just as quickly.
“Okay” Marianna said. “I get it”
“Hey, what happened to you trying to set her up with Gabe?” Duck asked, in reference to Marianna’s previous attempts at matchmaking between her older brother and Clementine.
“I mean yeah, I wanna be sisters but I want her to be happy more than that” Marianna explained.
“We already are sisters” Clementine sighed. Marianna was lucky she still loved her after all of that.
Day 3
Clementine was having an odd morning. She woke up with a feeling in her gut, the feeling that something was horribly wrong. She checked her phone to see if she had received any calls or messages only to see that her phone hadn’t been charging overnight but had in fact died, the charger had somehow been unplugged from the wall. She ran downstairs to check the stove clock, 8:31 it read. She was meant to have been at school over half an hour ago. Oh shit.
Laying on the counter was a pile of cold pancakes and a note from her father. It was to inform her that he had left early for work because he had meetings, and reminding her to take her little brother to school. He had asked her about it Wednesday night and she had agreed, before it completely slipped her mind. And that meant waking Aj up and helping him get ready.
She ran upstairs to get herself ready, before attempting to wake the beast.
“I don’t wanna” the six year old boy groaned.
“Come on buddy, we already slept in a lot. We’re running late”
“I’m sleeping” he argued.
“AJJJJ” she sung “If you don’t get out of bed the tickle monster is going to get you”
“The tickle monster is just you, Clem. Monsters aren't real”
“Fine, if you don’t get out of bed I’m gonna get you”
“Clemmmm” he whined.
“Come on goofball, we gotta get going. You know I can't miss class”
“Can we have breakfast first?”
“Yup. Lee made pancakes”
“Pancakes?” he asked, finally popping up to look at her his hair was messy and flat in the back, and dried drool was decorating his face “With bananas?”
“Yup” she repeated. “Can you start getting ready while I go heat them up?”
“I'm a big kid, Clem”
“I know sweetie, but even big kids need help sometimes”
“Okay”
“Alright, come find me downstairs once you get dressed”
He did, with his shirt on backwards and his pants unbuttoned. Clementine helped him out, and tied his shoes before sitting him down on the bar stool and sliding a stack of pancakes toward him.
He ate quickly, the little boy always had a huge appetite. When he finished he was a big syrupy mess, she wiped him down with a warm rag while he complained.
“Clemmmm!”
“Come on, go wash your hands and brush your teeth” she followed him into the bathroom where they brushed their teeth side by side, his electric Disco Broccoli toothbrush that sang while you brushed, and her Beat Nick one that he had picked out for her.
It took them a while to get ready and on their way, Clementine had to drop AJ off at his kindergarten. She walked him in and signed him in late, receiving a judgmental glare from the receptionist.
By the time Clementine finally arrived at her own school she was nearly two hours late.
She raced down the parking lot and up the stairs. Pushing blue doors open and sprinting in. The halls were full as she entered the building, a passing period. She immediately sought out her friends. As she passed she heard groups of people gossiping, people whispering and conspiring. Eyes met her as she walked through. She could feel people staring. She was filled with a sense of unease.
She found her friends and quickly Marianna attached herself to Clementine. Arms wrapped around her back and holding her tight.
“What’s going on?” Clementine asked. Her heart was in her throat. She knew something awful had happened.
“You haven’t heard?” someone replied, a flyer was subsequently placed in her hand.
“Hey” Marianna said “Look, i'm sure it’s nothing, she is going to be okay”
“Who? What is going on?” Clementine asked, looking at the paper she was holding. Printed in the middle was a photo of Violet Aldon. Smiling and standing in the mirror, a green flannel and a black beanie. Clementine had seen the photo before on the girl's instagram, Violet’s friend’s Louis and Ruby had been cropped out. Above the photo in big bold letters was one word in red.
MISSING
Violet Aldon had been missing since late Friday night.