Take A Deep Breath And Count To Ten

• Olivia Edwards, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2021

One way or another, deep down, I knew she wasn't coming home. I always suppressed the thought or attempted to twist it into hope. It didn't work.
Today, my fear became my reality, I was right.
When I got the call, I dropped my piping hot cup of tea on the ground. Motionless, I watched it smash to bits on the floor. Hot brown liquid slowly spread out across the floor.
It felt like forever hit me in a second, thoughts flew through my mind at lightning speed as a wave of emotions began to drown me. My legs buckled below me, I collapsed, and all I could do was scream.
All I wanted was for her to be alive, to come home safe. I dreamt of the day I would see her again.
Now I knew it would never come.
She was gone.
They had been searching for six weeks. Six torturous weeks full of making posters, sleepless nights, and incessantly fearing the worst. Trying to grasp and desperately hang on to any sign of hope that came my way.
The last time I saw her was when we got slushies at Seven Eleven. If only I knew that would be the last time I saw her. The attack happened just after I dropped her off. If only I didn't leave her there. She might still be here.
That night was when I got the call that she was missing. The phone call that resulted in the one I was currently on. The ring that changed my life forever.
When we were together, when we could hang out, we felt as if we had all the time in the world. Little did we know it was so limited.
I continued to scream on my kitchen floor while the voice on the other end of the phone spoke. "Miss, Miss everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. Take a deep breath and count to ten."