Chapter 7: The Past Won’t Hunt Me!

The next day, Carmela went to work as usual.

She tried to focus on her job, but she couldn't stop thinking about the shadow she had seen the night before. Had it really been there, or was she just imagining things? And if it had been real, what did it mean? Was someone watching her? She shivered again.

Just then, her boss, Pedro, walked into her office. "Hey Carm," he said. "How's it going?"

"Fine," she said, forcing a smile. "How's it going for you?"

"Pretty good," he said.

Pedro hesitated for a moment, then said, "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me this weekend. I know a great little Italian place, and I think you'd really like it."

Carmela's heart skipped a beat. She knew she should say no because Pedro has always been nice to her, since she entered this firm and decided to work with him on several works here and there.

She didn't want to lead him on, and she didn't feel that way about him. But at the same time, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. "That's really sweet," she said. "I'm not sure if I can make it, though.”

"That's okay," Pedro said. "Just let me know if you change your mind. No pressure." He hesitated again, then added, "I really enjoy working with you, Carm. You're a great colleague."

Carmela couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She liked Pedro too, but only as a friend and colleague. Still, she appreciated his kindness. "Thanks, Pedro. I really enjoy working with you too. And thanks for being understanding."

Pedro nodded and left her office. Carmela let out a breath, grateful that the moment was over.

Just then, Carmela's phone rang. She saw the school's number on the display and answered it, a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Hello?" she said.

"Hi, Mrs. Martins," the voice on the other end said. It was Ms. Wilson, the kindergarten teacher. "I'm afraid I have some bad news.”

Carmela's heart pounded as she listened to Ms. Wilson's words.

“I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but neither Noah and Hannah didn’t come to school today. I tried calling the house, but no one answered. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"I-I don't know, what do you mean?” Carmela was utterly confused. She had taken them to the bus station today and watched them head over to school, how is it that they weren’t present at school?

"I'm not sure, On how to say this, but you children weren’t present in school today." Ms. Wilson said. "That's why I'm calling you. I know you dropped them off at the bus stop, but the bus driver said they never got on the bus. He said he didn't see them at all. I'm not sure where they are. Is it possible that they went somewhere else, or got a ride with someone else?"

Carmela felt sick to her stomach. She tried to think of any possibilities, but she couldn't think of anything. "I-I don't know," she said, her voice shaking.

Ms. Wilson's voice was calm and reassuring. "I know this is very upsetting, Mrs. Harris. Let's try to stay calm. We'll find them, I'm sure of it. Why don't we try calling their friends, or other family members? Maybe someone knows something."

"I know you're probably very worried right now, but it's important that you stay calm and take care of yourself," Ms. Wilson said. "You're not going to be able to help the twins if you're not safe and healthy. Are you somewhere safe? Do you need to sit down? Do you need a glass of water?"

Carmela took a deep breath. She realized that Ms. Wilson was right. Panicking wouldn't help anyone. She sat down on a nearby bench. "I'm fine, Ms. Wilson," she said. "Let's start calling their friends."

Carmela nodded, even though Ms. Wilson couldn't see her. "Y-yes, that's a good idea," she managed to say. "Let's start calling their friends."

"All right," Ms. Wilson said. "But first, let's make sure you're safe.

Carmela cuts the phone from her other end, soon after, Ms. Wilson began calling the numbers on her list, Carmela found herself thinking back to the last few weeks.

There had been a few times when she'd noticed someone watching her. It was just a feeling, a sense that someone was staring at her, but she couldn't prove it.

Now, she wondered if it was possible that the person who had been watching her was the same person who had taken the twins. But how could she know for sure? And even if she did know, what could she do about it?

Carmela called her friend Sarah, and Sarah answered on the second ring. "Hey, Carm! What's up?" Sarah sounded cheerful, and Carmela felt a pang of guilt for ruining her friend's good mood.

"Sarah, I need to tell you something," Carmela said, her voice shaking. "It's about my kids."

"What is it, Carm?" Sarah asked, her tone changing immediately. "Are you okay? Are the kids okay?"

"I-I don't know," Carmela said. "The twins didn't show up to school today.

"Oh my God," Sarah said. "Carmela, I'm so sorry. Is there any chance they're just sick and couldn't make it to school today?"

"I thought of that, but I called the doctor's office and they said they haven't seen them. If they were home, they would have told me. Something is wrong." Carmela said. "I'm so worried, Sarah. I don't know what to do, I’m scared the worst might have happened to my kids."

"Calm down. Have you called the police?" Sarah asked. "This is definitely something they need to know about. What about their dad, have you reached out to him?"

"I don't want to talk to Max," Carmela said, a tone of annoyance creeping into her voice. "I don't want him anywhere near this. Besides, I doubt he'd even care. He's too busy with his new wife and his new life."

Sarah paused. "Okay…, but the police need to know about this," she said. "Even if they can't file a report yet, they can at least start looking into it."

"I know," Carmela said. "I'll call them as soon as we're off the phone.”