Monday morning arrived too soon. My weekend went by too fast, and I’d spent it dreading the start of the week. I had to go to school and face Max. I’d expected an angry phone call from her by now but got nothing. She must have been super pissed at me. Then there was the issue of my Aunt Tess. She never called me, and had yet to answer the phone when I called.
I threw on a sweater and grabbed my purse as I made my way out to the kitchen where Julie and Lattie were already eating.
"Morning," greeted Julie. "Excited?" she added, sarcastically. I just shot her a please-don't-joke look. "Sorry!"
"No, it’s okay. I'm just being a baby."
"Do you think Max is still angry?" asked Lattie. She sat on an upside down mug and nibbled on an apple that looked a little too big for her to hold up.
"I hope not. But it's Max, she'll probably milk it for a while." She looked confused by that comment, but I was too tired to explain it to her. "You ready, Jules? I'm heading out now."
"Yep, I'm just gonna clean up and grab my bag. Meet you downstairs?"
"Sure." I hopped down off of my stool as she went to her bedroom. “See you, Lattie.”
I approached the large double doors to the art studio, paused and took a deep breath before I entered. My eyes immediately went to Max's seat. I expected to see her sitting there, all stiff and proper with her nose in the air, but instead, I found an empty stool. I searched the room to see if maybe she hadn't taken her seat yet, but she was nowhere to be found.
I slowly walked toward my workstation, knowing I should be relieved that she wasn't here but couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Max never missed class. She was Hitler when it came to attendance and all that.
My stomach tightened and my heart pounded as I sat down and began to work on my project. By the time lunch rolled around, I still hadn't calmed down. It felt like I was running on way too much coffee or something. I mindlessly made my way to the cafe cart where I always met Julie and Will for lunch.
"Hey, Avery," called Will. "Over here." He and Jules had grabbed a bench just across from the cart. I searched the yard nervously as I walked over and sat down.
"Whoa, are you okay? You're so pale!" Julie cried as she felt my forehead. "Avery?"
"Max isn't here today," I said quietly.
"So? Shouldn't that be a good thing?" she asked.
"Yes, it should. But it's not. I feel...I feel like...I dunno guys. Something is wrong. Have you heard anything?"
"No, I haven't. You?" she looked to Will. He shook his head.
"Like what?" he asked.
"I have no idea. What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so nervous?" I asked, mostly talking to myself.
"You're just getting yourself all worked up over Max. And now you have to wait another day to talk to her. It's just making you jittery," Julie reassured me. "Don't worry. Here." She handed me a coffee.
"Oh no, I don't think my stomach could handle coffee right now."
"Well, you're definitely not feeling well if you refuse coffee." she joked. That lightened me up a bit. The three of us sat there for the rest of our lunch break and, by the time we had to go back to class, I felt a little better and slightly calmer. I was being ridiculous about the whole Max thing. So what if she isn't there? People missed school all of the time.
I took my seat in class. Mr. Vanner was lecturing this afternoon, so I just sat quietly and took my notes. About ten minutes into class, all my calm feelings were swept away when a knock came at the door. Mr. Vanner went to answer it and stepped out for a moment to speak with whoever it was. A second later, he returned and looked directly at me.
"Avery?" he asked. I just looked at him in acknowledgment. "You're needed in the hallway."
"Okay, thank you," I said with a trembling reply. Everyone stared at me as I nervously got up and made my way to the door. Nothing could have prepared me for who I found out there.
"Hello, Avery. I'm Mrs. Carmichael," she greeted sternly and shook my hand. "I'm sorry to have bothered you during school hours, but I didn't know how else to contact you."
"Um, it’s okay. What can I do for you?" I didn't blink; I just stared at the woman standing in front of me with her white fur coat and oversized designer handbag. Her hair was just as blonde as Max's and her blood red lipstick seemed shockingly vibrant against her pale complexion. She appeared to be utterly perfect, just like her daughter, but her eyes revealed that she had been crying. I was right, something bad had happened.
"Well, I don't want this to become public knowledge. So what I am about to tell you needs to be kept to yourself. Can you do that?"
I swallowed hard. "Yes, I can do that." Even though I had no idea what I was agreeing to.
"Max didn’t come home on Friday night. The last place she went was your apartment."
My stomach clenched tight like someone had punched me. Where could she have gone after I kicked her out of my party? What could have happened to her? Then I slowly realized who could have happened to her. Attacking someone she thought was a friend would be the perfect way for Evaine to get to me.
"Yes, Max was at my party, but she left pretty early, Mrs. Carmichael. Do you think that maybe she went to another friend’s house?" I asked, hopeful.
"No. Absolutely not! Max does not have friends. We don't think it is...responsible for her to...socialize right now, with school and everything being the main priority. She had to sneak out just to get to your little party," she claimed with a tone that practically spit on me with disgust. This woman was worse than Max. But, no wonder Max always seemed so angry, with a mother like this and not being allowed to have friends? That must have been what Max meant when she said she could never be friends with me. I thought that she was just being a bitch.
"No, I’m sorry. After Max left, I didn't hear from her all weekend. But if I do see or hear from her, I will let you know right away," I promised.
"Very well then, thank you for your time. Here is my card if you do run into her." She handed me a red business card that read Vivian Carmichael. She was a lawyer.
"Thank you. I will," I assured her with a nervous smile. She gave me a slight nod, an awkward look and then turned to leave.
I stood there for a moment, unable to move or blink. What was I going to do? Max was missing and I might very well be responsible. I needed help, badly. Not bothering to go back to class, I ran out of the building and out to the parking lot. I knew who I needed to talk to. Not Julie, not Celadine or Jack, but Moya. I needed Moya. She knew everything that went on in Faerie and Iron World, she’d told me. So if an Iron Worlder went missing at the hands of fairies, she would surely know about it. I hopped on my bike and sped off toward the apartment.