NaNoWriMo Day 16: 13,433 of 50,000
Theo takes it to a whole new level in this short chapter.
To read the previous chapters head HERE!
Chapter Eleven
Theo’s recovery was long and he hated every minute of it. He was confined to his bedroom all day, everyday for about a month. During one his final check-ups with his doctor he was happy to hear the words ‘you’re mostly healed.’ He was told to still take it easy, but for the most part he could resume his normal activities. This thrilled him not because he wanted to get back to work or hanging out with people outside of his bedroom, but because he wanted to know what was going on with Stanley.
Theo hadn’t used his journal in over a month because he only saw Stanley once from his bedroom window. There were still no updates on the missing woman and Ophelia was still incognito. Tyler still wasn’t concerned, but that may have had more to do with his relationship heating up than his actual concern for Ophelia’s well-being. Theo was concerned because the more and more he sat in his bedroom 0ver the past month, the more and more he was convinced that Stanley had something to do with it.
So, the first thing he did was go straight to her apartment in Capitol Hill with Alice in town. During his recovery, Alice had become a very prominent part of his day-to-day activities. His older sister, Chloe, was only able to come down on the weekends because of her job. As a school teacher her time was already limited, but even more so when one considered it took her nearly an hour to get from her home in the small town of Mill Creek to his home in the heart of Seattle. So, Alice took on really everything that Theo couldn’t do: laundry, food, sometimes reaching for his phone when it was halfway across the room somehow. Theo wasn’t worried at the progression of their friendship because each day since the accident he’d been consistently obsessed with Stanley’s whereabouts.
“Hey Theo,” Riley, Ophelia’s roommate, answered the door to their apartment.
“Hey, is Ophelia here?” he asked peering over her shoulder.
“No, afraid not.”
“Do you know where she is?” he pushed because it seemed like Riley could care less where Ophelia was.
“Nope. No idea. I’m barely here as it is,” she laughed then looked at Alice. “Who are you.”
Ah yes, Theo forgot how rude Riley could be sometimes. “Riley, this is my friend Alice. Alice,” Theo said turning to Alice, “is Riley.”
“Hi,” Alice said smiling timidly.
Riley just nodded in acknowledgment. “Look I can mention you were here whenever she returns.”
“Yeah that’d be great. Thanks.” Theo had barely gotten out the thanks before the door closed in their faces.
“Quite the charmer that one is,” Alice commented.
“I know, but once you get to know her story you get it. She went through a lot. Was kidnapped only five or so years ago. Barely made it out alive,” he shared knowing Riley really wouldn’t have cared.
“Oh my gosh,” Alice added, “really? I feel so bad now.”
“Don’t worry. Riley could care less about people’s sympathy or thoughts about her.”
“Still. What a horrific thing to endure.” Theo just nodded his head as he and Alice left the apartment building. “So, now what?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Theo said looking up and down the street. His eyes fell on many street signs and coffee shops, but the thing that got his attention was a sign with the letter P on it and an arrow. “Follow me.”
“Sure, but where to?” Alice asked as they headed south on Pine Street.
Alice stayed on Theo’s left as they walked slowly along the sidewalk. While according to Theo’s doctor he was considered healed that didn’t mean Theo wasn’t still hurting. His leg was taking the longest to get back to normal which meant Theo had a bit of a limp as he walked along Pine Street. When they stopped in front of the building Alice huffed.
“Why are we here Theo?” she asked putting her hands on her hips.
“Three women have disappeared in the past six months and it feels like no one is doing anything about it.”
“You don’t know that Theo and doing this,” she said placing her hand dramatically in the direction of the building in front of them, “isn’t going to help either.”
“How do you really know that though Alice?” he asked beginning to walk up the steps to the entrance.
“I don’t but Theo,” she said rushing to keep up with him, “Theo stop!”
Theo did, but only to allow the person walking out some room to pass by on the narrow steps.
“Theo think this through for a minute would you?” Alice continued. “I mean no sane, rational human being would do this.”
For the first time since this whole journey had begun Theo decided it was no better time for honesty than now. “Maybe I’m not sane or rational.” With that he turned and opened the door making his way into the building that was labeled as one of the precincts for the Seattle Police Department.
Follow along with me this month at Jenna Pratt!
