Blood and Roses (FAITH AU)
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“Whatcha doin’, Mark?”
Sarah’s voice snapped her brother out of his thoughts. The ten-year-old stared at him, her eyes still full of wonder for her “cool older brother” even at the age where she should start detesting the adults around her.
“Nothing, Srook.” Mark flipped the booklet in front of him closed and ruffled his sister’s short blonde hair. “Just making note of something.”
Sarah batted her brother’s hands away from her hair and gave him a playful glare. He shook his head with a small smile.
“Sarah, stop bothering your brother and get ready for soccer.” The two’s mother flicked her spoon at them like she was wagging her finger. “Mark, finish your writing. And stop distracting your sister.”
“Wh–I’m just sitting here!”
“I don’t wanna go to soccer,” Sarah whined over her brother’s arguing.
“You are going to play soccer whether you like it or not, young lady.” Their mom stood up, dumped out her bowl of now flavoured milk and put it beside the sink. “I won’t have you being lazy all summer like your brother.”
“I’m going to look for a job!”
“Uh huh. Sarah, upstairs, now!”
Sarah whined again as she started up the stairs. Mark ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, mom, I am going to start looking.”
“It took you a year to get your driver’s licence. Who’s to say a job will be any easier for you?”
He bristled. “That’s not fair–”
“You’re a slow learner. I’ve heard it all before. Do you know what your problem really is?”
Mark rolled his eyes. Here we go. “I’m lazy.”
“Sloth is a sin, Mark Healthcliff.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And yet you laze about anyway.”
“I’m not–love of god.”
“Don’t use the lord’s name in vain.”
He was starting to lose his patience. “Mom, I promise, I’m not trying to be lazy. I’m doing my best with school and stuff, okay?”
“Don’t you take that tone of voice with me, young man!”
Mark winced and hunched his shoulders, mumbling an apology. His mom crossed her arms and pinned him with a glare before going to the stairwell. “Sarah, are you ready yet?!”
“I’m COMING!!”
“I gotta start getting that girl up early,” their mother whispered to Mark. Still bristling internally, Mark didn’t respond.
Sarah was bouncing down the stairs a few minutes later, dragging a large red bag behind her. “Mom, can Mark drive me to soccer practice today? Pretty please?”
“No, I’m taking you. He’s job hunting today.”
“What? But moooom!”
“She’s right, for once.” Mark leaned back in his chair, meeting his sister’s eyes. “I’m trying to get an interview somewhere.”
Sarah grumbled something under her breath, then smiled brightly at her mother when she gave her a suspicious look. She ditched her red bag to dart over and give her brother a quick hug before heading out the door. Their mother left some last-minute orders before she left: wash the dishes, do your laundry and clean your room if you’re not going to be on the phone all day.
Mark drummed his fingers on the table until they left, then grabbed the book he’d been writing in and headed to his room. The dishes and everything else could wait. Something more important was nagging at his mind.
He was up late last night, waiting for Cesar to return from whatever had scared him. He’d been incredibly vague about it, which wasn’t like him at all. He’d put the phone down somewhere, likely speaker-down; and then it’d been hung up without a word. Maybe he thought that since he had been away for so long that Mark hung up first? Should he have said something?
In any case, he should’ve called him back. Here’s hoping it’s not too late.
Calling the phone in Cesar’s room got him nothing, so he tried the house phone. His mother picked up almost instantly. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mrs. Torres, it’s Mark. Is Cesar around?”
Cesar’s mother hesitated for a moment. “No, I…Haven’t seen him since last night. He’s not at your house?”
“No, but he called me last night.”
“What did he say to you?”
Oh man. From the tone of her voice, either Cesar was in big trouble or he was about to be if Mark said too much. “Not a whole lot, just that he was going to check on something. He asked me not to hang up on him.”
Cesar’s mother’s voice broke when she spoke next. “Oh my god.”
“What’s going on?”
“Mark, he hasn’t been home since he came back from the graduation party. He was acting so odd, but he said it was because the others were smoking something…”
There was a long silence between them. There was a soft sniff from the other end before Cesar’s mom hung up the phone. Mark uneasily put his own down.
Cesar has either been kidnapped or ran away, and he was the last one to hear from him. But what he heard wasn’t going to be the slightest bit helpful.
What had happened to him? How was he supposed to help any investigation? If Cesar did take off, why call Mark and then never respond?
The phone ringing again startled him out of his thoughts and he picked it up, hoping against logical reason that Cesar was somehow on the other end. “Hello?”
“Greetings, Mark Heathcliff. I heard that you had been job hunting. Well, we have a job for you. Come to this address…”
–
"House cleaning pays well," Summer said. "I had that as a job last summer."
"I guess." Mark hunched his shoulders, feeling a little foolish about complaining now. "But I just…I don't know. I feel weird about this."
"So they knew your name and phone number! Big deal! God, you're so paranoid sometimes."
Ruby swatted the back of her older sister's head. "Lay off, Summer."
"What, Cesar's not here to defend him anymore so now you're doing it?"
"Shut up!"
Summer laughed and raised her hands to get away from the redhead's onslaught. "Alright, Jesus! I'll stop!"
"Where are they sending you, anyway?” Ruby asked, turning to Mark.
He shrugged. “Some place on the edge of the county, I think. I’ve never heard the address before.”
“How much will you be making?”
“Ten bucks an hour.”
“Well over minimum wage, then!” Summer grinned. “Good for you! Hey, maybe I should track down this person myself and try to get the job.”
“Great idea! Then you can get lured out to the edge of town and get murdered too.”
Summer laughed. “That probably would happen, yeah. A pretty young thing like me?”
A well-loved red van pulled up to the sidewalk the three were standing at. Summer waved at the driver and turned to Mark. “Well, I’m off to check out the campus. Good luck with your job.”
“Tell your sister I said–HI!”
Ruby squeaked when her sister yanked on her arm, dragging her towards the back door of the van. The two had a small playfight before Summer ran around the back of the van to the passenger side door and jumped in when the van driver opened the door for her.
The van tore off in a cloud of gravel dirt. Mark shook his head before turning back towards home.
His mind kept turning, cycling through two different points. Cesar up and vanishing and his upcoming job at a very strange address. Were the two points connected, or was he overthinking it?
God, he wanted to figure it out with someone. But the person he usually calls about overthinking moments is gone.
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