Missing.
1551 Words
A loud classic pop song, Manner by Herbert Gronemeyer boomed from the stereo in the gym room. The song's rapid beats matched the steady movement of Thelia's feet on the treadmill. She panted with each run she took, drawing in deep breaths.
Her legs, long and strong, hoisted her 5"8 body in the air for every fraction of a second that she was suspended. Her hair, bright flaming red and riddled with curls was tied up in a ponytail. A few stubborn strands had however slipped from the hair tie and stuck to her sweaty face.
To anyone who watched she wasn't strongly attractive in a sense that made one have a whiplash. She had an overly angular jaw and a lightly defined straight nose that made her face look less wide and much longer.
But she was beautiful.
Her blue eyes were cerulean and in an oddly attractive way, they complimented her bright coloured hair. One she had inherited from her mother. Her lips were slightly thin and perhaps a little bit pinker than the rest, but they fitted gracefully on her honey tanned skin.
The gym had grown hotter and she slowly reduced the speed of the mill to a walking pace, trying to catch her breath. She was alone if the dumbbells, treadmill and electric bike could not be counted, and she clutched the handrail to steady her jelly-like legs. Her palms curled tighter, flexing powerfully as she leaned on it with all her strength. Her breaths came in short pants and unable to hold her body up anymore, she shut off the mill and collapsed to the ground.
The world swirled around her in a blurry mass of machines, pendant bulbs and white gym walls. In the centre of the room, Thelia lay on the floor, a crumpled mess, gasping for air. She had pushed her body too far, running as far as 10mph. Her bones ached and her muscles craved for the oxygen she gulped in with unsteady breaths.
Shaking her head to clear the dizziness, she tried to locate her water bottle. It sat not quite far from the treadmill, a few metres away. Groaning, she put one hand in front of the other and crawled towards the black stainless steel.
"...Run, Thelia! Runn!..."
An image of a boy, about seventeen years old, falling to the floor in the pool of his blood flashed through her head and her breathing got harsher. The water bottle seemed to move farther and farther away with each crawling step she took.
"...Help me..." A boy cried. He was young, about ten years old dressed in a blue onesie.
"...Lia!..." He cried again and suddenly the blue onesie turned purple with blood.
"Help me..." Thelia gasped, her hands clutching at thin air. Her chest constricted and she felt her strength ebb away.
"Miss Actona?" A voice, familiar but distant, called her. "Miss Actona? Are you in there?"
"...Yes..." She wheezed. But her voice sounded faint even to her. "Help..."
Rapid clicking told her whoever it was had entered the room and would see her in her helpless weak state. It boiled her blood in fury and disappointment. She would never be strong enough.
"...I'll get help.." A little girl cried. She was swaddled in a pink nightdress, clutching a brown teddy bear. "I'll call mom and dad. I'll tell them to stop!"
"No. Thelia. Run... Run and hide." Her brother said. "You cannot stop them. You are not strong-" His blue eyes blanked and rolled in their sockets. He fell to the ground with a heavy thump.
The little girl screamed.
"Miss Actona!" A lady screamed, grabbing the fallen woman by the shoulders.
Thelia, unable to move much and still partially blinded from her lack of air, gestured her cramping the fingers at the black bottle on a stool a few metres away.
"Oh... Water. Sure!" The lady said rather loudly and rushed to grab the bottle. Before Thelia knew what was happening, a cold splash landed on her face, waking her out of the panic attack she suffered.
In a moment, she was wet, her hair plastered to her scalp and her sports bra to her bountiful chest. She glared at the woman who stood beside her, wide-eyed and holding an empty bottle.
"I asked for a drink, not to be doused in it!" She hissed coldly.
The lady blinked rapidly and sighed with slumped shoulders.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I...I had thought,... I saw you on the floor and panicked. You looked quite blue-"
Thelia waved a hand before her face and tried to stand up. Drunk or doused, the water had done its job and had freed her muscles from the mental lock they were in. She sighed and scooted until her back leaned against a bench. She would have to see Dr Monika soon concerning the panic attack she had just experienced.
"Book an appointment with Dr Monika, next Monday." She told the lady who blinked in confusion.
Thelia pinched her nose and looked to her ceiling for mercy. Herbert's voice boomed from the stereo in sync with her thoughts. She either needed to tinker with Gisele's brain or find a new assistant.
"I believe I spoke English, Gisele? Or shall I speak german-"
"Oh no. There's no need ma'am." Gisele stuttered turning a bright red. "It's just that I was quite afraid, seeing you on the floor... Like that. You are strong and brave before everyone. Seeing you so-"
"Weak," Thelia muttered and nodded. "It won't happen again. I had overworked myself and breathed in too much."
"Hyperventilation," Gisele said, showing Thelia the screen of her tablet. "That's what Google says."
Thelia stared at her assistant, wondering how she had come in contact with someone who had lost half her marbles and how she had coped in the past months with her schedule. Gisele was a pretty platinum blonde, with bright grey eyes and incredibly full lips. Thelia felt she would fit in the world more like a model than an assistant, especially when one considered how easily distracted she was.
Feeling the strength return to her legs, she held onto the stool and rose to her legs, groaning as she stretched her limbs. She would not stop, she promised herself, until she became strong enough. Strong enough to deal life the same blows it had dealt her. Strong enough to protect her father.
She walked to the windows and stared out at the dark sky. It was late at night and the stars could barely be seen. What lit up the night was the blinding lights from the famous skyscrapers and tall buildings in Berlin. A thought occurred to her and she turned around, frowning.
"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked Gisele who had bent down to inspect one of her twenty-pound dumbbells.
"Oh," Gisele said, straightening. "Quite the story. Mr Uwe called. He said Mr Actona's nowhere to be found."
Thelia swallowed, taking rapid steps towards the lousy assistant. "What do you mean, nowhere to be found?"
The girl blinked and gave a grating laugh. "I asked the same thing! Like what does he mean nowhere to be found? Mr Actona is a grown man, he doesn't need to be found."
Yeah, Thelia thought wistfully. A grown old man and the CEO of a multi-billionaire company!
"Gisele, " she called placing a hand on her assistant's shoulder. "Please tell me, exactly what Uwe said. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly!" Gisele grinned. "He said, "Tell Miss Actona, that we cannot find her father. He must have wandered off when we stopped to buy flowers, but he took the car, I have no idea where he is. We are currently searching for him, every nook and cranny, but I fear-" Gisele paused rather dramatically. "Things may be worse than we expect. Please contact Mrs Actona and stay safe together until we're sure the coast is clear."
By the time Gisele was done, Thelia was already dashing for the door. Her father was missing! That was terrifying news! Her heart pumped furiously as she recalled the memory flashes she had during the panic attack.
"No." She whispered, pushing through the doors of her house until she got to the exit. "Not my father. Vater!"
The night was cold. Cold and brutal, sending shivers of fear and terror down her spine. What was the point of getting stronger if she could not protect her father? What was the point if she would lose the only family she had left anyway?!
A car swerved into the garage and Thelia watched in distaste as her stepmother got out of it running towards her. She was a rather dour woman, black-haired and small. The only stunning thing about her was her slightly violet eyes.
"Thelia! Oh my God, I just got the news. What do we do?" Her stepmother cried, gripping the girl's sweaty arms, reminding her that she was dressed in a flimsy sports bra and a pair of black leggings.
She tugged her arm away from the woman giving her the stink eye. Whipping out her phone she frantically dialled Uwe's number. He picked on the fourth ring.
"Miss Actona-"
"Uwe, there had better be a tangible explanation for why my Father is 'nowhere' to be found!"
- Writer
