The Missing Daughter (Part 1)

"JUST GET OUT! OUT OF MY HOUSE, OUT OF MY LIFE, AND OUT OF MY FUTURE!" I yelled, tears streaming down my cheeks. Who I thought was the love of my life walked out, holding my ex-best friend's hand in his. I slammed the door behind them and ran to my room, yanking all of the pictures hung on my wall that contained Rick or Sally in it. I smashed them on the floor, destroying the memories to push away the hurt of betrayal, yelling threats.

"You jerk!" A picture of us at our first date, smashed on the floor. "You stupid idiot!" Our first trip together. "You cheater!" Us eating ice cream together. "I loved you!... And you!" I picked up a picture of me and Sally from the 5th grade, arms wrapped around each other, chocolate circling our lips. "You threw away a lifetime of friendship! I trusted you!" I smashed it against the floor, watching as the glass shattered into a million pieces.

I grabbed the souvenirs from when we all went to Disneyland together... apparently the moment when they fell in love. I grabbed Mickey Mouse snow globes, stuffed animals, souvenir hats... then walked to the kitchen (being careful not to step on any broken glass) and dumped them all in the trash.

I stood in front of the trashcan, hot tears streaming down my face. I fingered my wrist where my heart-shaped birthmark laid, the only thing I have from my mother. Rick would always rub his fingers over it, talking about how I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever laid his hands on...

Apparently that was a lie too.

I grabbed a broom and began sweeping up the broken glass in my room. It was sort of a humbling moment.

I need a vacation, I thought. Just some me time. There's supposed to be a carnival about 4 hours away from here... maybe I can go there.

I don't usually get mad, but when I do, it's hard and fast. I dumped the broken glass in the trash and returned to my room. I grabbed a pillow and shoved my face into it, not caring about my makeup.

My foot brushed against something, and I looked up to find the picture of all of us together at Disneyland. I picked it up as the memories and the pain came flooding back. I had known Sally since 1st grade, and Rick was my boyfriend for 2 years... funny how a summer at an amusement park can change all of that. I glanced at the picture again, then got up and threw it in the trash when I noticed Rick's fingers peaking around Sally's butt.

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I walked into the hotel room, my black luggage in hand, examining the place I would be staying for the next few days. The room was okay, considering how many bad reviews this place had, but it was the cheapest option. There were two beds separated by a small nightstand, a decent-sized TV, a large bathtub, and even a mini-fridge. They said they were short on rooms, so this was the only one they had available. I didn't mind: more space for me. I placed my luggage next to the bed closest to the window.

I gazed out of the window at the carnival. I could see various families and children and...

couples.

I quickly closed the curtain. I couldn't do this forever, avoid anything that brought back memories of... him... but for now, I didn't care.

I heard a door creak open. I turned around to find a young woman standing in the doorway, holding a small luggage.

"Wrong room," I said, pretending that a loose thread on the curtain was the most interesting thing in the world. "This is Room 105."

The woman merely nodded and walked into the room.

"Hey, did you hear me?" I said, looking up from my fidgeting. "You're in the wrong room."

The woman shook her head. Her face was shadowed by a large hat, so I couldn't see her face. She continued to step into the room.

"Hey, stop it!" I shouted as the woman closed the door. "I'll call security!" I didn't really know how, but there must be something here I can use.

"So..." the woman whispered. "You're the one."

"What?" I said. "What are you talking about?" I bumped my back into the wall, my heart beating faster and faster.

The woman smiled and removed her hat, revealing her large green eyes and pale skin.

"We have to share rooms," she said, placing her hat on the unclaimed bed. "Didn't they tell you?" She smiled, as if she hadn't even said her previous statement. What did she mean by 'You're the one'? Why is she acting so normal now?"

"N-no," I mumbled. "They didn't tell me. Who are you anyway?"

She placed her luggage next to the bed and pushed back a strand of black hair, revealing her abnormally pointed ears.

"The name's Raya."

"Oh," I said. "I'm Olivia. Make yourself comfortable, I guess..."

She nodded and smiled, sitting down on the bed and staring at door.

"Did you get plastic surgery?" I blurted out. Raya whipped her head around, confusion etched on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I mumbled, my face burning. "I just thought... with the ears..."

"Oh!" she said. "That's not plastic surgery. They're real."

"Oh," I said. "They look nice, kind of makes you look like an elf."

Raya suddenly looked angry. Her pale fake turned pink, then red, and her green eyes seemed to darken.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"I-I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just said you kind of looked like an elf... you know, with the ears and all."

Raya stood up.

"Oh, I can't do this," she whispered. "I can't stay in the same room and act like you're a normal person. Not when you're..." she inhaled sharply. "I might as well drop the act."

"... what are you talking about?" I asked, my heart beginning to race.

Raya lifted her hand towards the door as a small light emerged from it. Vines erupted from the floor and wrapped themselves around the door, locking us in. I looked towards the window behind me and found vines wrapped around it as well.

"We Ethras do not appreciate being compared to elves," she said, walking closer to me.

"Those horrid creatures... but they aren't as horrid as you."

"Stop it," I said, my voice rising. "Stop it or I'll scream."

I opened my mouth to do so when Raya launched herself forward at a speed no human was capable of and locked her hand on my throat, blocking my air supply.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her green eyes suddenly turning red.

"I... no..." I gasped, grasping at my throat.

"Well, maybe this will remind you..." she whispered. She pulled out a necklace from underneath her shirt: a golden chain with a pendant in the middle with a symbol I didn't recognize.

I stared at the pendant as my vision blurred and my mind became fuzzy.

"Do you remember now?!" she shouted. "I'm not the helpless little girl I was all those years ago. You killed my mother! I watched you drain the life from her, you Learlex! That's all you creatures ever do, drain the life out of others for sheer fun." She pierced her fingers deeper into my throat. I could barely hear the words she was saying. My heart was racing, my lungs burning...

"I... don't know.... what... you're... talking..."

"Silence!" she screamed. "I will take back the lives you stole from my mother and my entire tribe. Say goodbye, you Learlex."

She grabbed my wrist and wrenched it forward, then stopped. Her grip loosened on my throat as she stared at my wrist, the place I had my birthmark.

She dropped me to the ground, and I clasped my throat, gasping in sweet, sweet air.

"You're.... you're not a Learlex," she whispered.

"You're the Missing Daughter."