Chapter Eight: Voices

I think this is the fastest I ever written a chapter. You can thank Impossible for that. :] Ha enjoy! Oh and the italicized words are thoughts, sorry if it's confusing. -Aurelia Mirella

 

Chapter Eight: Voices

 

“It can’t be true…”

 

I held my breath as I quickly entered in the ten-digit number, her number. I hadn’t forgotten it even after two years of relentless hammering from my friends and family to forget her and everything that went along with her, I couldn’t  didn’t want to forget.

 

“God please let her answer the phone.”

 

I ran a tanned hand through my pitch black hair out of nervous habit and took a step outside onto my bedroom balcony. Making sure that I had closed the glass doors behind me, I took another large breath. “Here goes everything…”

 

 I pushed the talk button and shakily brought the phone up to my ear. At first there was complete silence. My heart sank, slowly beginning to eat itself away.

 

Then it rang.

 

My head began to swirl, and my thoughts flooded with hope. There was still a chance. She might still be alive. The thought of hearing her voice on the other end drove my body crazy. Oh how my body ached to hear that silky smooth voice, a voice fit for an angel, and a voice that would forever be planted in my mind, never able to escape.

 

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I jumped when a series of noises erupted from my phone.

 

“—ut up! Give me the phone! Sto—ouch! That hurt! Leave me, alone!!!”

 

I bit my lip. None of those voices were hers and they didn’t sound familiar. Did she find new friends? Did she find a new…I couldn’t bring myself to say the word.

 

“Hello? Hello. Helloooo-ah? Is anyone there?” a single voice sang into the phone. It was incredibly high-pitched and very excited.

 

I cleared my throat. “Erm yes, hello. May I speak to Azzurra please?”

 

A loud yelp came from the other end, and then the phone went dead. They hung up.

 

I redialed. I wasn’t going to stop until I heard her voice. She couldn’t be…she wouldn’t.The phone rang and this time, I was prepared. No more fooling around. I was going to get answers.

 

“Stop kidding yourself. She’s obviously not ali--”

 

I growled at myself. She wasn’t…my sister had to have lied. I didn’t believe her.

 

“Excuse me? Are you okay?” a new voice said. This voice was a bit less excited but still too perky and high-pitched to be hers.

 

“Where’s Azzurra?” I demanded fiercely. I wanted to scare the living hell out of the person on the phone. They were preventing me from hearing her.

 

Without the slightest bit of agitation, the person answered me. “She’s not here right now,” the voice said airily. The voice was strange and it worried me. My heart began to beat faster, and my palms were beginning to sweat. I ran another hand through my hair.

 

“No she’s not. I’m sure she’s just fine. She must’ve left her phone, Amerigo. Calm yourself.”

 

“When will she be back?” I demanded again.

 

There was a long pause.

 

“I said, ‘When will she be back?’!”  I yelled into the phone this time.

 

“If nobody answers me in--”

 

“I’m so sorry that I have to be the one to tell you the news,” the airy voice said briskly, “she passed away about two months ago. It was a very unfortunate event. Hit by a semi, poor thing. Just before her sixteenth birthday too. Oh and the poor family! What an awful thing it was.”

 

My body went completely numb. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. My hands were shaking beyond my control. The blood had drained from my face leaving it pale and white unlike its usual bronze shade. My eyes were stinging, and before I knew it hot tears began making their way down my cheeks.

 

The phone line went dead and I no longer heard the airy voice that passed on the news that had haunted my dreams for weeks. My mind began to work again, and soon I started to loathe that voice. That voice didn’t care. That voice didn’t mind passing on the information at all.

 

“You let her go, and now she’s gone. You’ll never see her face again…”

 

“CHIUDERE SU! CHIUDERE SU! CHIUDERE SU!” I yelled at myself.

 

The doors of my balcony burst open.

 

“Padrone! Padrone! Tutto sta bene?” my butler, Alfonso, asked in utmost distraught.

 

I clenched both of my fists on the railing, preventing myself from picking up the nearest object and smashing it into a hundred pieces. My whole body shook, but I managed to keep my voice strong and definite.

 

“Get the jet ready as quick as you can. I’m leaving.”

 

Since I was too proud to turn around, I didn’t see Alfonso nod in response, but I knew he wouldn’t object. He had taken care of me long enough to realize that once I made a decision, I would follow it through.

 

“Anything else Amerigo?”

 

“I go alone.”

 

 

 

 

Kindall sighed dramatically and handed back my phone.

 

“Problem solved. I doubt he’ll call again.”

 

I smiled gratefully and took my phone placing it back in my pocket.

 

“Stupid prank callers,” Madi muttered. “It was so creepy when he used your name though. That’s why I hung up, because remember in that one movie? When the girl’s phone keeps like going off and then some psycho guy starts talking to her and--”

 

“Madison, seriously?”

 

“Oops! Sorry Az, I forgot.”

 

A loud mixture of gurgling and rumbles emerged from my stomach. Until then, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. The morning went by so fast. So much happened within a four and a half hour time period, some good and some I rather not remember, at least not in the presence of my friends.

 

“Hey Azzy! You coming?” Madi yelled.

 

I looked up and saw the both of them mid-way through the lunchroom entrance. Madi was getting a little impatient, probably starving, and tapped her foot waiting for me. Kindall just stood there, not wanting to enter the cafeteria full of people on her own. She wasn’t very keen about being by herself in public, especially in school.

 

“Yea yea, sorry. I was just thinking…” I trailed off.

 

“About Johnny no doubt,” Madi snorted as we got in line for lunch.

 

“Who’s Johnny?” Kindall enjoined.

 

“No one,” I said quickly.

 

Madi jabbed me with her elbow. “That’s a lie. Johnny is a boy Azzurra met today while we were on our little gift hunting adventure.”

 

“That was hardly an adventure.”

 

“Azzurra, you have GOT to be kidding me! He took you by the wrist and led you into the back of the store! Hardly an adventure my BUTT.”

 

Kindall raised her eyebrows, looking between me and Madi. I sighed, slightly annoyed that Madi was making such a big deal of some boy I just met. Refraining from saying highly uneducated words, I busied myself with putting a bottle of water, a green apple, and a tossed house salad onto my tray.

 

I cut in front of Madi and Kindall to purchase my food, and didn’t even bother to wait for the two of them to purchase their own lunches. I made my way to our table. It was in the far back corner of the lunchroom, furthest from where the teachers sat and under the video camera. I could already see Erin there waiting for us along with her boyfriend, Steven. They were an odd couple, but cute nonetheless. Erin and I never really got along on some issues. She was overly-mature and adult when she should be acting her age or somewhere close to it. But Kindall liked her, so I settled only to keep the peace.

 

“Hey Erin, hey Steven,” I said simply as I sat down.

 

Erin nodded and gave me a quick smile.

 

“Hello Azzurra,” Steven said warmly. His amber eyes glittered from behind his thick rimmed glasses. I couldn’t help but notice Erin shift in her seat to regain his attention, not that she had to worry. I could never like Steven like that.

 

Madi and Kindall joined us not to long after I sat down. Before settling herself in her chair, Kindall searched the cafeteria as if she were looking for someone. She frowned.

 

“Are the guys sitting with us today?”

 

I shook my head. “Nope”

 

“Oh, where are they then?”

 

I raised my eyebrows wondering why she would be so interested. It wasn’t normal for her. I watched her reactions as I spoke, choosing my words carefully.

 

“Chris said that he asked this one girl out, and she wanted him to eat lunch with her, at her school. So he conned Matt, James, and Brian into going with him. Something about cheerleaders or something, I don’t know. I stopped listening after awhile.”

 

Kindall’s face fell the instant I used Chris and girl in the same sentence. She attempted to cover up her disappointment by looking down at her food and nodding instead of giving a verbal reply.

 

Madi sensed her quiet grief and quickly changed the subject.

 

“So everyone,” she started cheerfully, “Azzurra met someone today.”

 

Erin and Steven turned from their little side conversation, shocked by this apparently alarming news. Kindall looked up relieved that the topic was changed from her to me.

 

“His name is Johnny, and he works at Pac Sun! Isn’t that just so cute! He and Azzy are like sooo perfect for each other.”

 

Kindall sucked in a large amount of air, but she had been chewing prior to that. Her brown eyes grew big and her face turned blue. She tried to cover her mouth so that no one would notice her small attempts to cover up her choking noise but that just made things worse.

 

“You have to breathe!” Madi yelled and started patting her back, not even thinking about the scene she was causing. Kindall noticed though and she started to blush while she was still choking, turning her face a brilliant shade of purple.

 

I glared at the other tables as they turned from all angles to witness what was going on. When they saw me, they quickly turned away embarrassed and continued on with their own conversations.

 

Erin shoved a cup of water into Kindall’s hand and demanded that she take a sip. Kindall did as she was told. She took two big gulps and leaned back in her chair. Her face staring at the ceiling.

 

“Today is just not my day, is it?” she croaked, more to herself than anyone.

 

Everyone looked at one another with questioning looks, except for me. I continued to watch Kindall as she sat back up. Her eyes were moist, but not from nearly choking to death.

 

These tears were different.

Author's Note

Riesaminare per favore! ♥ ♥

Reviews

[Anna Writes]

oooh, it's all spiced up!
Is that her ex bf? im really curious what's the story behind him and Azzy...^^

"Get the jet ready as quick as you can. I'm leaving."--he got a jet??! o.0

i'm also intrigued with Kindall... i want to know what made her react like that.
the descriptions in this is pretty good, i can almost visualize it and it felt
like i'm sitting next to your characters. very good..^^

great chap, Aurelia, i love it! :)

[Mitji]

Oh my word this is getting umm awesome and as impossible said spicy

[Dalaina Renee]

Anything with a boy involed is an adventure,I think! Lol

[Adeline]

I am in a hurry to read the next chapter so this will be quick: Nice job, keep writing! :))

[iMoNTou422]

this is getting juicy!>>>> i noticed something though from chap 2 you mentioned a girl named sabrina but she hasnt come up again...just curious...

[An owl on the moon]

Brilliant imagery... Powerful insight... Your story grows with such an amazing snese of depth and honesty!

[nostal]

Mi piace la storia finora

[Lena M. P.]

I love the twists and turns that you take in this story. You characters are realistic, very attuned to their age group, enjoyable and believable. You are very good at conversation. This is growing into a very good story with several avenues to build from.

[Anna Writes]

why oh why only 92%? when i comment on this it's supposed to be 94 so im gonna post again to rate...

[Jacquelene Vanessa More..]

a twist in the story i like it azzura's ex comes back into the story i can't wait to see what happens next