Chapter 1 - Empty Room

  (SAGE’S POV)

  My mother’s voice awakened me as it echoed through the hallway. I anticipated her touch, just as I did every morning, waiting for the gentle stroke of her hand through my hair that always woke me fully. I guess I won't be seeing her face this morning; the argument from last night was pretty bad this time, I mumbled as I heard the sound of the front door shutting. When I was done getting dressed, I headed to the kitchen and saw a plate with two slices of bacon and scrambled eggs.

  "Again?" I mumbled as I walked toward the counter and noticed the note beside the plate. Lately, all she does is leave me a plate of food and a note. “Have a good day, and DON'T forget to wear your contact lenses," she wrote.

  I sighed and placed the note back on the counter.

  Once I was done eating, I hurried to the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror, and put in my contacts. For as long as I can remember, my mother made me wear contact lenses that were a different color from my own. I began to wonder if there was something about me she didn't like or love anymore.

  Beep! Beep! “Shit, I'm going to be late," I mumbled as the alarm on my phone went off. I rushed out of the house and got into my car.

  After arriving at the academy, I walked through the school entrance and noticed a couple of officers in the distance. I paid no mind to it and continued to walk to my class. Upon entering the classroom, my best friend, Rosemary Williams, greeted me.

  "Hey, Sage," she said as I walked toward my desk.

  "Hey, Rosie," I said, flopping into my chair as I sat beside her.

  "What's wrong? You seem down," she whispered. "Did you have another argument with your mother again?" she asked.

  I nodded.

  About six months ago, my mother got angry with me after I returned home without wearing my contacts. “Don't leave this house ever again without wearing your contacts!” It was the first time I ever saw that expression, almost as if she was panicking. I ended up lashing out at her because she wouldn’t explain to me why I must wear them. Ever since then, my mother has been leaving notes.

  "Seriously, you need to work on your temper," Rosie whispered.

  Says the one whose temper is worse than mine, I thought.

  Rosie and I have been best friends since we were four years old. My mother and her father were close friends during their academy days. Rosie and I were always together. We were practically inseparable, so much that people thought we were sisters because we acted so much alike. Even though we looked nothing alike, we had one thing in common: our bad tempers. Our birthdays were also a day apart. Mine is June 15th and hers is June 16th. Rosie had a bit of caramel, an almost fair skin tone, long, curly, reddish hair, and bright green eyes.

  On the other hand, I have caramel skin, long chocolate brown hair that is waist-length, and icy light gray eyes. My thoughts were interrupted when the principal walked into the classroom and said, "Looks like everyone is here today."

  I watched as she walked to the podium. "Good morning, students," she said. "We received some disturbing news this morning. We learned that Mr. Garrett Jones was murdered inside his home alongside his wife last night," she added, as she tried to hold back her tears.

  I could hear the loud gasps throughout the classroom. Some of the students even started to cry. Everyone sat there, appalled at the situation. Mr. Jones was our history teacher, and everyone adored him dearly.

  “I can't believe Mr. Jones is gone,” I heard one of my classmates say.

  “Yeah, right before graduation,” another classmate said.

  The atmosphere in the room became gloomy as the principal continued, saying that classes were canceled for the rest of the day.

  While exiting the classroom, one of my classmates suddenly said, “Even though Mr. Jones was a total ass sometimes, it's still disheartening to know he was murdered.”

  I could hear the rest of my classmates talking amongst themselves as we stood in the hallway.

  Rosie placed her hand on my shoulder, "Hey, do you want to go to the café?" Rosie asked as we walked away from the classroom.

  I nodded in response.

  When we arrived at our favorite café, we ordered our favorite chocolate shake and chicken sandwich. One thing that I loved about the café was the sweet aroma that filled the air.

  “I still can’t believe Mr. Jones was murdered.” I heard Rosie say.

  “Rosie, wasn’t Mr. Jones, a friend of your father?” I asked.

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  Rosie nodded, “Yeah, that’s why he was such a pain in the ass, when it came to my schoolwork.” She scoffed, “Other than that, how are you holding up?" Rosie asked as she sat across from me.

  "I don't know, I just don't know what to do anymore," I said.

  "I'm sure there's a reason why she’s so adamant about you wearing contacts," Rosie said.

  "I feel like she's hiding something from me," I said.

  "Do you think it has something to do with your father, maybe?" Rosie suggested.

  "My father?" I mumbled. I've never met my father, and my mother always avoided my questions whenever I asked her about him.

  "Hmm, speaking of acting weird," Rosie suddenly said, "My dad has been acting weird lately, too; you know how clingy he can be,” Rosie said.

  I nodded my head as I agreed with her.

  "He hasn't been acting like he used to." She continued," he's been extremely busy with work and is barely home nowadays.,” she said.

  I was surprised that not only was my mother acting strange, but Rosie's father was as well.

  "Hmm, maybe they're finally having an affair with each other,” she said as she laughed.

  I laughed as well because, for years, Rosie and I had always assumed that our parents had a thing for each other since they were always together.

  Rosie sighed, “Plus, that woman my father was dating was a total bitch." She added.

  Before I could add my thoughts about that crazy woman, I began to have a weird feeling that someone was staring at me.

  “Hey, Rosie,” I said, getting her attention.

  Rosie looked up at me as she bit into her sandwich.

  “Your mother.,” I was interrupted as Rosie held her hand up.

  “Sage, I think we should go to my house,” Rosie whispered.

  I noticed Rosie started to glance around.

  After getting up from our seats, Rosie and I walked towards the door.

  “Is that her? “I heard someone say as we passed by multiple people.

  Thirty minutes later, we arrived at Rosie's house. My phone began to ring before we could get out of the car.

  “It's my mom,” I said and answered the phone.

  “Hey, where are you right now?” she asked.

  “Rosie's house,” I replied.

  “Come home; I'm going to cook dinner,” she said.

  I looked at Rosie as she heard my mother's voice on the speaker. She made gestures while whispering to me, telling me to go home.

  Since Rosie's house wasn't that far away, it only took me about ten minutes to get home. While I was approaching my house, I noticed a vehicle that I'd never seen before leaving the house.

  I parked in my usual spot and got out of the car.

  Upon entering the house, I could hear something dragging, and a few seconds later, I noticed my mother had a large amount of clothes in a medium-sized basket.

  "Mom, what are you doing?" I asked and noticed three different baskets of clothes sitting in the hallway.

  "Spring cleaning," she said, dragging the basket across the floor. "My closet is full of stuff I'll never wear, so I decided to donate some clothes," she continued.

  Oh, okay, I said, with a confused expression.

  “How was school?” she asked as I began to walk away. I turned my head slightly towards her.

  “It was fine, although our classes were canceled due to the death of our teacher, Mr. Jones,” I said.

  Wha...? My mother paused momentarily, and I noticed her eyes widened a little.

  I turned around and walked up the stairs to my room. I grabbed a pair of clothes and went to take a bath. I thought about how weird my mother has been; recently, she's been downsizing a lot—first, her shoes, purses, now her clothes.

  "Maybe it's a phase." I thought while walking to my room. I flopped down on the bed and instantly went to sleep shortly afterward.

  The next day, it was finally time to graduate from the Tahin Academy. Rosie and I hugged our classmates before parting ways with them.

  While walking out of the academy, I noticed the exact unfamiliar vehicle I saw leaving my house a few days prior.

  "Hey, that's the vehicle I was telling you about," I told Rosie.

  "Hmm, maybe your mom is dating," she replied.

  Dating who, I wondered to myself. Now that I think about it, I've never seen my mother with anyone besides Rosie's father.

  "Anyways, what are you doing later today?" I asked Rosie.

  "Well, my dad seemed to be downsizing; for some reason, he's been giving away a lot of his stuff." She said, "I have to go home and help," she added.

  "My mom's been doing the same thing; her room is practically empty.,” I said as I turned my head toward Rosie.

  Rosie shrugs her shoulders and places her phone into the air.

  "Enough about them; let's celebrate, for tomorrow will be our first step into adulthood!" She yelled, with her arms stretched out in the air. I couldn't help but giggle at her.

  After parting ways with Rosie, I finally made it home and noticed my mother's car was there. A few seconds later, I exited the car and walked towards the front door.

  I can't wait to lie in my bed, I thought as I unlocked the door. I walked up the stairs to my room and threw everything on the bed.

  A moment later, I decided to go to the kitchen to see if there was something to eat.

  "I'm starving," I grumbled.

  Suddenly, my phone began to ring, and I saw that it was Rosie calling.

  “Hey, Rosie,” I said.

  "Sage, is your mother home?!" Rosie yelled in a frantic tone.

  "Rosie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I questioned as I could hear sniffing.

  “My dad left me a letter!” Rosie yelled again. “. “He said he's not my real father," She continued yelling. "And something about me being found outside of an orphanage."

  "Wait! What?!” I said, “Hold on, I'll bring the phone to my mother,” as I ran towards the stairs.

  “Mom!” I yelled as I ran towards her room.

  “Mom,” I said as I opened the door, only to see the empty room: no mom, no bed, no clothes. The only thing that remained was the wooden nightstand. The room looked as if it had never been used before.

  What? I mumbled as I dropped the phone and stood there in total dismay.

  “Sage!” I heard Rosie yell again but was too shocked to respond.

  "An envelope?" I mumbled as I noticed the white envelope that sat on the nightstand.

  She always leaves a letter; I thought as I balled my fists up. I walked towards the nightstand and picked up the envelope.

  I opened the envelope and began to read the letter.

  “Dear my love, I'm sorry that I had to leave you behind due to an unforeseen circumstance,” I read.

  An unforeseen circumstance, I mumbled as I gripped the letter tightly.

  “Sage, I know you will be angry with me. You may even end up hating me altogether. But I believe it's time to tell you the truth now that you are older and have graduated. I'm not your biological mother. You were found outside of an orphanage wrapped in a blanket. I decided to raise you until you become an adult.”

  The letter began to tremble as I held onto it.

  “You, not my mother? “What the fuck do you mean you're not my mother,” I muttered.

  “Sage, what I am about to say is important, and I hope you take my words very seriously. Many things will begin to happen around you and to you…”

  BANG! The sound of my fist hitting the wall echoed as I balled up the letter. I could feel the anger brewing inside of me. I held my head as I slumped down onto the floor.