Chapter 1

The class was deserted, the seats empty and the room was plunged into deathly silence; the windows seemed to have been opened long ago while autumn leaves brought in by the breeze crunched under Ilem's feet, room number forty-two of the third building was nothing more than ruins and old study articles.

It was unfair, she thought. Ilem's mother was the headmistress, but bringing the punishments for problems at home to the school was a new level of cruelty.

The phone vibrated in Ilem's pocket for a while but she didn't bother to answer it, not with all the work she had. She would have to break her fingernails to tear off the floor if she wanted it to be white; Almost three days had passed since he woke up at Ian's house without remembering what had happened the night before and to add insult to injury Ian was not at home, his mother told him that he had left in the morning for a swimming competition up north from Liverpool three hours away, she could only blush at having left Ian's room looking like she'd had a pillow fight.

And to make matters worse when he got home he had nothing to say, he didn't remember where he had been or worse what he had done or who he had been with, Ian is Gabe's best friend, and he knows that if he will tell his brother that She stayed at Ian's, heads were going to roll, so she just said she slept at Yelena's, which her mom found out was a lie about three hours ago, so she was grounded.

The phone started its annoying movement again on the old desk where Ilem had left it to start scrubbing the dirt off the floor, she was about to turn it off when she noticed that it was her sister's number shining on the screen.

"What's happening?"

She asked as soon as she picked up, Allin spoke too fast for Ilem to follow her, so when she finally stopped chattering, she asked again.

" Allin I did not understand anything, what happens? "

“The police called and asked for you, and they talked about Grace, but I didn't understand anything, it seems that someone reported her as a missing person and Gabe went to the police station with dad, you have to go back".

“I can't, mom grounded me for Friday".

“Grace always does the same thing, maybe she's at Hannah's house, if I go away mom she's going to make me clean the boys' bathrooms".

When she took the phone out of her ear the door to the classroom slammed into the wall so hard the glass in the small window cracked. Ilem jumped up in her place in fright.

Gabe burst into her shattering the autumn leaves, with the most furious look Ilem had ever seen as he stood before her.

"What the hell were you doing with Grace on Friday?

Gabe yelled in his face like an angry father, his brother had never yelled at him like that".

She didn't answer, she just stared at him while opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, trying to find an excuse that didn't exist.

“Tell me Ilem, what were you doing with Grace in the library at midnight?"

She had no words they had all been caught between her head and her unmoving tongue.

“I… I told you Gabe, I don't remember anything from Friday night" .

"Ilem haven't seen Grace since Friday night, she was reported as a missing person by I don't know who and you are the last to have seen her".

He puts his head in his hands.

“That leaves you as a possible suspect".

"But Grace always does that, you know, we all know, she leaves. She lives in our house, how the hell can I be a suspect when I live with her?"

Ilem turned away from Gabe and went to the window, taking a deep breath and wanting to scream.

First Ian didn't answer her calls to give her an explanation as to why she was in his bed on Saturday morning. On top of that she was now a possible suspect in Grace's disappearance, she didn't even remember Grace being home on Friday morning, because she did remember Friday morning but then everything was too blurry.

How do the police know I was with Grace?

She asked her brother but without looking at him yet.

"They have a recording".

He answered, walking over to the window and standing next to her.

"Ilem? What happened on Friday?"

She blew out a breath and tried to find something that wouldn't get Ian in trouble with Gabe, she had to make sure what Ian's role had been that night before she said where she woke up.

"I told you a lot of times that I don't know Gabe; You think I'm not terrified that I'm in serious trouble because of this, Mom is going to kill me, Dad I know it's going to help but you know how she is Mom".

Gabe's eyes stopped being stern and he pulled Ilem into a tight hug.

"I believe you, but you know that Grace is important to me, and you know that I am scared that something bad could happen to you because of her, I…"

"I know, it's okay Gabe. You're right, I have to find out what happened, but enough of hoping Grace is that girl, she's not, she's not that girl, okay? She will never be, you're hurting yourself".

She moved out of the way of her brother and out into the hall before she could get too far from her. Gabe caught up with her near the stairs and stopped her.

“Ian is worried about all the split calls from you on his phone".

Ilem stood there so scared that she wanted to run.

“I need you to return the book I lent you".

"she lied herself, not looking at her brother.

Does Ian read?"

Gabe and walked slowly in front of Ilem.

"Rare, true".

she looked away.

“I think it was to impress a girl or something".

After that they both just went downstairs, she gave her brother a little smile when he laughed softly.

He didn't ask any more, but she still had a question dancing in her head, and she was tormented by the idea of not being able to make sense of it herself, she had to ask Gabe before too much happened and it was strange to bring it up again.

"I thought Ian was in a competition".

She tried not to seem interested.

“Yes, but today he came home and checked his phone, she said she had about twenty calls from you".

her brother smiled.

“What book did you lend him that you're in such a hurry to get back?"

"The space between us, you know it's my favorite I want it back".

She arranged to take the bus to Ian's house if that would prevent her brother from finding out about her mistake.

“Come on, I'll take you, Ian and I are going out anyway".

"Okay," she said unconvincingly, she wasn't going to be able to question Ian with Gabe there. Fantastic, just fantastic.

•••

Ian opened the door and smiled at Ilem with those dimples that made her smile one of the most beautiful, not to mention the shower of freckles on the bridge of her nose, Ilem felt her chest fill with longing to see him.

"Hello".

She greeted Ilem without being able to ask anything because her brother was there just a step away in the car.

“Do you only say Hello after…?"

He hesitated a second before continuing, his slightly angry expression dimming at the sight of Gabe.

"Call me like a thousand times".

“I… I need my book".

She answered her, praying Ian didn't give them both away.

"What book?"

The strange expression on his face almost gave her a heart attack, Ilem was scared that he was going to say whatever happened, she had told herself that it was because of Gabe that he didn't say anything about Saturday, but in actually she was scared of being one more on Ian's list, because that would hurt her, she knew it would affect her friendship with Gabe, but Ian wasn't dumb enough to have sex with his best friend's little sister, right?

"The one I lent you last week".

She said with wide eyes and clenched teeth. He glanced over her shoulder and saw Gabe watching them and her awkward exchange, greeted him and headed back into her house.

"You come?"

She asked seeing that she did not enter the house, but she was looking at him, she Ilem walked after him to the corridor between the kitchen and the living room when he stopped and turned to look at her.

"What are you about Fuller?"

I have not taken any book from you. He looked at her this time with anger, really anger.

"First Friday morning you show up here and try to kiss me, now Gabe tells me I have to help him find out what happened to you that very day, because Grace disappeared and you were the last to see her".

"Ian, I don't remember anything from Friday night, I only know that on Saturday I woke up in your room and your mom looked at me like any other when I asked where you were, I dare say she was horrified".

"Of course I was going to see you like this, you came here drunk, and I had to say that Gabe left you in my charge because you overdrank and I couldn't take you home in that state".

"So I just came here and knocked on your door and tried to rape you, Ian Martin the poor guy, are you kidding me? Come on if you are…"

"Ilem, you are the sister of my best friend, as if you were my own little sister, I would never do that to you, go overboard with you while you are intoxicated from God knows what".

She felt offended but then she regained her sanity, he was right, whatever she ever imagined with him could never happen between them.

"Enough! Well, the point is, Gabe doesn't know and you didn't tell him, so I'm going to have to tell him. Thanks again Martin".

Ilem moved toward the door but Ian stopped her.

"Are you leaving without your book?"

He smirked, as he held out whatever tome he randomly picked from the shelf.

“You are an idiot, Ian".

She let out angrily tearing the book from his fingers, she was leaving all the responsibility of telling Gabe that God knows where she had been on Friday, as if that weren't enough, she had been left fried nothing more and nothing less than in the house of his brother's best friend. Gabe was going to kill her and he was also going to distrust what really happened on Friday or if Grace was her victim or victimizer.

A shock suddenly reached the depths of her bones. What had Grace done to her?