Street Signs

Chapter 9

BRIELLE

While driving the car, my anxiety came as an electrical storm in my brain that was indeed painful. It was different from a headache and it felt the same as intense sorrow, perhaps as a sort of frozen panic with nowhere to go.

"Aunt Yadora," I mouthed as soon as she answered the call, "there came a piece of early news to me about Zayden's remnant. What happened?"

"Brielle, it's m-missing..." Aunt cried.

"But it was locked in the sepulcher, right? How did it happen that it was missing? How could someone enter there, Aunt?"

"We are not actually sure if there was someone who entered the sepulcher," Aunt Yadora said. "There are no signs that someone forced to open it."

I let out a deep sigh. "I don't understand. Wait for me there, Aunt, I'm coming." I ended the call and drove as fast as I could.

Even my feet were clenching because of great madness. If I was worried a while ago, I was angrier now knowing that this case would seem to be unknown as well.

Why did someone keep on sabotaging us, especially Zayden? When will that person let my boyfriend rest in quietness?

The air was so brittle it could snap, and if it didn't, I might. I let out a slow controlled breath and attempted to loosen my body movements and rampant actions because if not, I might meet death as well. In the next ten minutes, I was at the sepulcher already. I hugged Aunt Yadora who was there with Uncle Hernan and the polices.

"How is it going here, Aunt, Uncle?" I asked them, and while waiting for them to respond, my entire body had shaken staring at their uncertain looks.

"They are now taking actions on it, Brielle," Uncle Hernan answered. "If your Aunt Yadora didn't convince me to visit here today, we wouldn't be able to know that the remnant of Zayden is now missing."

Tears in my soul became tears in my eyes, coming as if my pain had at last condensed into a deluge of rain. I could not hold them back anymore. However, I took a deep breath and wiped them immediately, trying to control myself.

Aunt Yadora continued sobbing while her husband was explaining to me. In her eyes was an ocean of tears that were raining down through her shallow cheeks. Amidst the silence inside the sepulcher between us and the polices, her deep sighs were taking over, synchronous to the languorous voice of her mate.

Even Uncle Hernan was looking lethargic. His eyes were so deep as if he had not taken enough sleep perhaps thinking of his son. His pale skin was the silk of white rose petals. He must be really taking a hard time coping with the happenings, especially since his heart was so close to his son.

"Where is the padlock, Uncle?" I asked him after he told me everything I needed to know.

"Here, Ma'am," police handed me the padlock. "We've checked it, there's really no sign it was forced to open because it isn't even damaged."

I puckered my eyebrows as I took the padlock. Looking at it thoroughly, I could also say the same thing because it had no scratches or damages. With my brow still creased, I turned my gaze to the polices and asked them their conclusion about this matter. And as I had expected, they answered me the awful thing I didn't want to hear.

"How come?" I asked them. "Have you checked it on the CCTV?"

"We did it already, ma'am, but nothing mysterious was caught on the camera."

I rubbed my face with my palm in deep confusion. My brain stuttered most of the time, thinking what was wrong. What was happening could not even allow me to have the chance to regain my poise, my calm, and my tranquil air. Instead, I was thinking even more, but I couldn't find answers despite the million thoughts running inside my head.

Focusing back to the last thing that the police uttered to me, I moved my gaze at them and asked, "Can I sight the whole footage?" While waiting for their response, I barely turned around Uncle Hernan and Aunt Yadora to also ask for their permission.

The two nodded at me, giving me the way to wait for the polices' last response of coming with me in the footage room so I could actually see the entire record. The police also nodded, fortunately.

While arriving at the footage room, my appetite reduced, knowing that I should expect the expected. My hands were shaking, revealing the stench of fear in me. I wouldn't know what to do anymore if this case was also in a stage of uncertainty.

As soon as we arrived at the footage room, the one who managed there showed us the record.

I looked thoroughly at the screen, waiting for something to happen; however, until the end of the video, nothing had happened. I knew the jar was still there, but how come that it wasn't in the sepulcher if it wasn't recorded to be stolen by someone? I didn't even see the jar fly or got out of the place itself; nothing really had happened.

In that shiver was a moment of truth, a story of the emotions that no mask could ever hide.

I looked at the police and said, "In the video, the jar remained there, but in the sepulcher, it was missing. How?" My face couldn't be painted. "I don't understand."

"Like you, Ma'am, we also don't know how did it happen. Nonetheless, we are working on it," the police answered. "We are doing our best to solve this case."

My deep sigh aroused in the quiet room. "What's happening in here isn't even believable. Sir, don't you have any thought about this?"

"Actually, Ma'am, there is something processing in our minds, but we can't say it's a valid idea, a myth perhaps. We are professionals and we don't believe in paranormal, but what just happened convinces us to look on the other side."

"So, what do you mean, Sir?"

"We can't say it, Ma'am. We know you know what we mean about it, but we suggest you disregard it. All in all, we really don't have a concrete idea yet."

I remained silent, thinking of what the police had said. If it could be true, I wasn't sure or how would I going to comprehend it. I must not be living in a fantasy world.