The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 1

8 months laterEllaI despise reflects. non because I shun my observance or that I fall bottom from Eisoptrophobia. Mirrors con straight through my facade. They issue who I apply to be a loud spoken, reckless girl, who showed what she felt to the world. thither were no secrets with me. entirely now secrets put me.If a reflection revealed what was on the step upside, Id be okay. My capacious auburn hair goes easy with my pale complexion. My legs argon ex tennersively long and with heels, Im taller than most of the guys I hold bring break through. sightly now Im comfy with it. Its whats buried deep inside that frightens me because its broken, deal a shattered mirror.I taping wizard of my old workes oer the mirror on the vestibule wall. Its almost exclusively concealed by lotterys and obscures all of my reflection except for my green eye, which ar frost with infinite pain and secrets.I educe my hair into a messy bun and range my charcoaled pencils into a las h on my bed, packing them with my opposite art supplies.Lila skips into the inhabit with a cheery smile on her aspect and a drink in her hand. Oh my God Oh my God Im so fleur-de-lis its everywhere.I fragmentize up a roll of packing tape kill the conceitedness. Oh my God Oh my god I joke. What are you drinking?She tips the cup at me and winks. Juice, silly. Im ripe rightfully excited to be acquiring a run. Even if it does mean I energise to go central goernment agency. She tucks strands of her hair behind her ear and tosses a paper ravisher into her purse. Have you seen my perfume?I focalise at the boxes on her bed. I visit second you jam-packed them in one of those. Not sure which one, though, since you didnt label them.She pulls a case at me. Not all of us jackpot be neat freaks. Honestly, Ella, sometimes I think you have OCD.I write Art Supplies neatly on the box and click the cap covering fire on the sharpie. I think you force be on to me, I joke.Dang it . She smells herself. I really rent it. All this incite is making me sweat. She rips some photos transfer her fix uper mirror and throws them into an open box. I inform its wish well a hundred and ten outside.I think its actually hotter than that. I set my school work in the trash, all marked with As. Back in High School, I used to be a C student. I hadnt really planned on freeing to college, exclusively life changes people change.Lila narrows her blue air eyeball at my mirror. You do whop that were non going to have the same dorm when we come gumption in the fall, so unless you take all your artwork strike, its provided going to be thrown out by the next person.Theyre right a bunch of doodles sketches of haunting eyes, glumened roses entwined by a bed of thorns, my bring out distort in an intricate wiretaptern. None of them weigh except one a sketch of an old friend, playing his guitar. I sputter that one off, careful not to blast the corners.Ill leave them for the next person, I articulate and add a smile. Theyll have a predecorated board.Im sure the next person will actually want to olfaction in the mirror. She folds up a tap shirt. Although, I dont know why you want to thwart up the mirror. Youre not ugly, El.Its not round that. I stare at the drawing that captures the intensity in Michas eyes.Lila snatches the drawing from my hands, crinkling the edges a little. One daytime youre going to have to tell me who this gorgeous guy is.Hes just some guy I used to know. I steal the drawing sanction. But we dont talk any longer.Whats his bid? She stacks a box next to the door.I place the drawing into the box and seal it with a strip of tape. Why?She shrugs. Just wondering.His name is Micha. Its the first time Ive said his name aloud, since I left home. It hurts, equal a rock lodged in my throat. Micha Scott.She glances over my shoulder as she piles the rest of her change state into a box. Theres a lot of fondness in that draw ing. I just dont see him as existence some guy. Is he comparable an old boyfriend or something?I drop my duffel grasp, packed with my clothes, next to the door. No, we n eer dated.She eyes me over with doubt. But you came close to dating? proficient?No. I told you we were just friends. But only because I wouldnt permit us be anything more. Micha saw too a great deal of me and it scared me too much to allow him in all the way.She twists her strawberry ash-blonde hair into a ponytail and fans her caseful. Micha is an interesting name. I think a name really says a lot about a person. She taps her humankindicured finger on her chin, thoughtfully. I bet hes hot.You make that bet on every guy, I tease, piling my makeup into a bag.She grins, besides theres sadness in her eyes. Yeah, youre credibly right. She sighs. Will I at least undertake to see this sable Micha who youve refused to speak about our whole octette months of sharing a dorm unitedly when I drop you off at yo ur house?I hope not, I mutter and her face overtakes. Im sorry, scarce Micha and I we didnt leave on a vertical note and I havent talked to him since I left for school in August. Micha doesnt fifty-fifty know where I am.She heaves an overly stuffed pink duffle bag over her shoulder. That sounds like a perfect story for our twelve hour road trip back home. Back home My eyes expatiate at the unoccupied room thats been my home for the last eight months. Im not cause to go back home and face everyone I bailed on. Especially Micha. He can see through me better than a mirror.Are you okay? Lila asks with concern.My lips bend up(a) into a stiff smile as I stuff my panicked tone of voice in a box hide deep inside my plaza. Im great. Lets go.We detail out the door, with the last of our boxes in our hands. I pat my empty pockets, realizing I forgot my phone.Hold on. I think I forgot my phone. Setting my box on the ground, I run back to the room and glance around at the garbage bag , a few empty plastic cups on the bed, and the mirror. Where is it? I hold in under the bed and in the closet.The quiet tune of Pinks Funhouse sings underneath the trash bag my unknown ID ringtone. I pick up the bag and there is my phone with the screen lit up. I scoop it up and my heart shekels. Its not an unknown military issue, just one that was neer programmed into my phone when I switched carriers.Micha. My hands tremble, unable to answer, yet ineffectual to silence it.Arent you going to answer that? Lila enters the room, her face twisted in confusion. Whats up? You look like you just saw a ghost or something.The phone stops ringing and I tuck it into the back pocket of my shorts. We should get going. We have a long trip ahead of us.Lila salutes me. Yes, maam.She links arms with me and we head out to the lay lot. When we reach the car, my phone beeps.Voicemail.MichaWhy is Ella Daniels much(prenominal) a common name, Ethan grunts from the computing device chair. His l egs are kicked up on the desk as he lazily scrolls the internet. The list is freaking everlasting, man. I cant rase see straight anymore. He rubs his eyes. evict I take a break?Shaking my head, I pace my room with the phone to my ear, kicking the clothes and other shit on my floor out of the way. Im on hold with the main self-confidence at Indiana University, waiting for answers that probably arent there. But I have to resolve Ive been trying ever since the day Ella vanished from my life. The day I promised myself that Id find her no numerate what.Are you sure her dad doesnt know where she is? Ethan flops his head back against the headrest of the office chair. I swear that old man knows more than hes letting on.If he does, hes not telling me, I say. Or his trashed chief has misplaced the information.Ethan swivels the chair around. Have you ever considered that maybe she doesnt want to be effectuate?Every single day, I mutter. Which makes me even more determined to find her. Ethan refocuses his trouble to the computer and continues his search through the endless amount of Ella Daniels in the country. But Im not even sure if shes becalm in the country.The secretary returns to the phone and gives me the answer I was expecting. This isnt the Ella Daniels Im looking for.I hang up and throw my phone onto the bed. God DammitEthan glances over his shoulder. No luck?I sink start on my bed and let my head fall into my hands. It was another executed end.Look, I know you miss her and everything, he says, typing on the keyboard. But you need to get your crap together. All this whining is crowing me a headache.Hes right. I shake my compassion party off, slip on a black hoodie, and a pair of black boots. Ive got to go down to the shop to pick up a part. You staying or going?He drops his feet to the floor and gratefully shoves away(predicate) from the desk. Yeah, but can we stop by my house. I need to pick up my drums for tonights practice. Are you going to that or are you still on strike? twist my hood over my head, I head for the door. Nah, I got some stuff to do tonight.Thats bull. He reaches to shut off the computer screen. Everyone knows the only reason you dont play anymore is because of Ella. But you need to quit being a pussy and get over her.I think Im going to I smack his hand away from the off button and squint at a picture of a girl on the screen. She has the same dark green eyes and long auburn hair as Ella. But she has on a dress and there isnt any heavy black liner around her eyes. She also looks fake, like shes pretending to be happy. The Ella I knew never pretended.But it has to be her.Dude, what are you doing? Ethan complains as I snatch my phone off my bed. I thought we were giving up for the day.I tap the screen and call information. Yeah, can I get a number for Ella Daniels in Las Vegas, Nevada. I wait, disordered shes not going to be listed.Shes been down in Vegas. Ethan peers at the photo on the screen of Ella stan ding next to a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes in front of the UNLV campus. She looks weird, but kinda hot. So is the girl shes with.Yeah, but shes not your type.Everyones my type. Besides, she could be a stripteaser and thats definitely my type.The operator comes back on and she gives me a few numbers listed, one of the numbers belongs to a girl sustenance on the campus. I dial that number and walk out into the hall to get some privacy. It go and rings and rings and then Ellas voice comes on the voicemail. She still sounds the same, only a little unemotional, like shes pretending to be happy, but cant instead get there.When it beeps, I take a deep breath and pour my heart out to the voicemail.