Sometimes Silence is enough
Diana sat at her desk, staring at the old message on her phone. The words glowed faintly, even though she had read them countless times over the years:
"Don't look for me. Forget I existed."
– Emma
At the time, she hadn't understood. She was young, furious and heartbroken. She thought Emma was abandoning her. She had cried, thrown the phone across the room, and promised herself she'd never forgive her.
But now… now, after the rumors she'd uncovered, the whispers about the Elarat house, the stories of that night—Diana's chest ached.
Her mind drifted back to elementary school.
Emma had always been quiet, serious, her eyes sharper than most kids their age. And because of that, the other kids had picked on her. Teasing her for her silence, for her strange intensity. Diana, reckless and loud, had been the one to step in—punching boys twice her size, shouting down girls who mocked Emma.
Emma never asked for help. She'd just stand there, her dark eyes unreadable. But after, when the crowd scattered, Emma would mutter in that low voice:
Emma (child): "…Thanks."
That tiny, almost embarrassed word had been enough to make Diana puff her chest with pride every time.
But then—one day, Emma just stopped coming.
Diana remembered the empty seat beside her in class, the teacher's awkward explanation: "Emma won't be attending anymore."
Nobody said why. Nobody told Diana anything.
Only later did Diana piece it together—the hushed voices of parents, the newspaper headlines, and the chilling truth: Emma had killed her own parents.
The same day she disappeared.
Diana squeezed her phone so hard her knuckles turned white.
Diana (whispering): "…Emma… you weren't running from me. You were being taken."
Her heart sank as she realized that message wasn't rejection. It was protection. Emma hadn't wanted Diana to follow her into that nightmare.
Tears welled, but Diana forced them back, biting down on her lip.
Diana: "…You thought I'd forget you? No way in hell."
She shut the phone off and stood, her expression hardening.
The girl she had defended once on the playground… she'd defend again now, even if it meant tearing apart the whole world to reach her.
------
Diana spent weeks chasing dead ends.
Every lead dissolved into nothing—prison records mysteriously erased, police officers refusing to talk, names of "witnesses" that didn't exist. It was like Emma had been erased from the world itself.
She stormed out of yet another government office, the clerk's polite lie still ringing in her ears:
"Sorry, miss, there's no record of an Emma Elarat in our system."
Diana punched the wall outside until her knuckles bled.
Diana (breathing hard): "…Lies. All of it. Someone's burying her."
And every time she hit another wall, another memory pulled her back.
---
Flashback — Elementary School
It was recess. A group of older kids had cornered Emma near the swings. They sneered, mocking her for her silence, calling her "creepy" because she never smiled.
Diana barged in, fists up.
Diana (kid): "Pick on someone who can actually hit back!"
She swung wild punches—messy, uncoordinated, but fueled with fire. She took a hit to the cheek, but didn't stop until the bullies scattered.
Emma stood there, brushing the dirt off her skirt, not saying a word.
Diana grinned through her split lip.
Diana (kid): "See? Stick with me and nobody touches you."
For the first time, Emma's eyes softened. She didn't smile, but she whispered—so quietly Diana almost didn't catch it:
Emma (kid): "…Idiot."
But her voice carried warmth.
---
Present
Diana sat in her dark room, scrolling through old yearbook photos. Emma's face stared back at her—serious, detached, almost haunting compared to the smiling kids around her.
Diana (to herself): "…You always looked like you were carrying something heavy. And I was too dumb to see it."
She closed the book with trembling hands.
---
Flashback — 6th Grade
Diana remembered the time Emma had actually helped her.
She'd failed a math test, as usual, and was sulking under a tree. Emma, with her sharp, calculating eyes, had sat beside her.
Emma (kid): "…You keep rushing. Look."
Emma took Diana's pencil and solved the hardest problem in seconds, explaining every step with a calm, patient tone.
Diana (kid, amazed): "You're… like a genius!"
Emma just shrugged.
Emma (kid): "It's not hard. You just… don't think before acting."
Diana laughed and tackled her in a hug, ignoring Emma's stiff resistance.
Diana (kid): "Then I'll be your fists, and you'll be my brain!"
For a brief second, Emma let the hug happen.
---
Present
Diana wiped her eyes angrily.
Diana: "…You were my brain, Em. And now the world's trying to erase you. But I don't care how many walls I hit—I'll tear them all down."
But deep down, she knew—every trail ended cold. Emma was gone. Taken somewhere Diana couldn't reach.
Yet the more she failed, the harder she clung to those memories. Because they were all she had left.
Chapter End