Shutter

CHLOE’S POV

Luke-warm bitter black coffee which had been left on the kitchen counter of the better half of the morning and a few bites of now stale, honey and butter covered toast were all that contributed for breakfast and were all I felt, physically that my stomach would hold after the night I’d just experienced. Trying to convince me that everything was alright; Harry had turned the bedroom light on quicker than I could have imagined but it seemed whatever had dripped down from the ceiling onto me I’d wiped off and away quicker than a source could be traced.

“It’s probably just water Chloe.”
“Haz, it was thick.”

The conversation that quickly led into an argument wasn’t something that I wanted to deal with at a quarter past 4 in the morning. We decided with our own, stubborn silence that we’d finished discussing this later; Harry needed to get to work and I promising somewhat between gritted teeth that I’d try and get some rest before the day I had was meant to start.

Tapping my toes against the cold grey slate tiles in the kitchen and twirling some of the dry ends of my hair around my fingertips before tucking it tightly behind my ears; the house phone rang – that familiar tone Harry had decided on of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: “The music of a Genius” playing not out of place.

“Hello”, I answered, licking my lips with anticipation I hadn’t experienced since high school. I was sure why but my heartbeat began to rush unexpectedly. I wasn’t sure who the caller was or why someone would be ringing this early but a part of me felt instantly, upon picking up the receiver, that the news had to be good.

“Sweetheart?”
“Daddy.”
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, no I was already awake”, I replied, my shoulders dropping with a sigh when I head my fathers voice.
“Is Harry there?”
“No”, I paused curiously, “Why?”
“No reason”, his deep voice responded and I could tell by the language he was using that it was a lie.



“Dad, tell me…”
“It’s nothing sweetheart.”
“Daddy---.”
“They called-.”
“WHOSE THEY?”, I barked quickly, wanting more of an answer than he was willing to obviously give.

As a journalist, my father almost lived to talk the talk and walk the walk in the most cryptic of phrases and analogies he could think of using. I guess that’s what made him keep his sanity; after mom died and now with Quinn still missing – he needed that familiarization of reason to keep going; to keep both his feet firmly on the ground.

“The police.”
“And what did they say?”
“Sweetheart, I can’t tell you--.”
“WHY NOT?”
“Because Chloe; YOU’LL OVER REACT LIKE YOU ARE NOW!”

His words took me aback and I immediately felt guilty for sounding as if I was being brazen and enthusiastic on the subject. I was stung and it hurt. I wondered for a second, if he’d still be reacting this way it were Quinn on the phone and it was I who was missing. She’d always been his favourite; the apple of his eye.

“Fine”, I huffed into the receiver, hanging up before I had a chance to dig the hole deeper with our relationship I’d already begun – soon enough, not even an escape ladder or rope would be able to hoist me back up to the surface. Deciding to quickly have a shower, ignore the calls coming through on the phone letting them head straight to the answering machine and pulling on a plain black set of undergarments before throwing on a crisp – yellow sundress and black flats; I decided against wearing any make up and against bothering to do my hair as I left the apartment, making a mental note to ask Harry to talk to body corporate about a leak I’d noticed in the corner of the shower and drove down to the Metropolitan Police Building; my head swirling with possible scenarios and my breath coffee like.

Pacing to the administrations desk and grabbing the attention of a receptionist with the snap of my fingers, cold and harsh feeling the friction between my skin.

“Can I help you ma’am?”, the petite blonde behind the desk asked. She looked like she’d just turned of legal age. Straight out of school without a care in the world for where her live could be heading to.

“Um, Atwell – the Atwell case”, I muttered briefly loosing all thought as my eyes ran down this girls sides – outlining her like something I’d quite never seen before, “I’m her sister. Quinn’s sister, Chloe; my father rang and said that somebody has news.”

“Just a moment.”

The wait – although close to only 15 minutes seemed to last for hours on end and between dropping down into a seat to try subdue myself and getting back up; legs heavy on my ankles as I stood on the outsides of my feet; hands pulling nervously through my hair I wasn’t ready for the response which came from the blonde as she decided to speak.

“I’m sorry Ms Atwell but the matter with your sister’s case is confidential”, she explained, placing her hands calmly in front of her at her desk.

“Confidential?”, I laughed, shaking my head with a child underneath the cold, yellow blue tinted lights, “I’m her sister – she’s family. How the fuck could it confidential?”

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to calm down”, the blonde warned raising an eyebrow.
“DON’T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN.”
“Ma’am – please, or I’ll be forced to call for security.”
“YOU KNOW WHAT – DON’T FUCKING BOTHER.”

Pacing out of the administration building with warm tears filling within my eyes, sure that my father had informed anyone who had any information to withhold what they could from me, I rested up against the side of my car, keys and purse thrown into the roof as I began to cry hard and heavy into the crooks of my elbows to conceal myself from the world.

“Chlo?”
“Fuck off.”
“Chloe, come on – don’t cry.”

I wasn’t in the mood for human interaction although it seemed it was something I would be quickly forced into when I felt gentle hands holding my sides. The touch was familiar; the voice, very much the same – customary. It was something I hadn’t heard in a while and wasn’t expecting.

“C’mon, relax.”
“I am.”
“You’re not.”

Within seconds of experiencing a familiar scent of sandalwood aftershave I hadn’t for in months, the tears stopped, I felt my heart beat regulate and I licked at my dry lips quietly; the habitual reaction of my eyes being dried enough to settle the burst bottle of over emotions I had become. Hands slipping down the boys chest who stood in front of me, blocking any chance I had of slipping into my car and running away from the problems I was faced by; my arms rested against my sides; fists at my chest after brushing across the gun he had tucked into the holster on his waist.

“I don’t miss that gun”, I let out with a broken whisper.
“I miss you.” His words sounded sincere.
“Lou, you do remember who broke up with who, don’t you?”
“Past aside”, he well warned, “You shouldn’t have blown up with that in a government building.”
“I didn’t blow up, I just.. I just..”
“I know.”

The silence in which we both became enveloped in was something I wasn’t ready for. When Louis and I had broken off our engagement due to my unstableness when I’d learnt my mother had taken her own life; I had beaten myself down to petty misery I didn’t expect anyone to want to in their right mind – deal with. With his job as a constable for the metropolitan police unit, I felt less safe in his presence than I should have – this feeling being concrete and cemented in when Quinn disappeared and there was nothing it seemed, he was able to do about it.

I couldn’t blame him though.
No one seemed to be able to do anything at the moment.

“Off the record”, he whispered softly; his blue eyes seemingly telling me no lies when I looked into them, “..your father gave instruction not to leak information.”



“But he’s a dick – and you know that---.”
“Shhh”, he whistled, placing a finger to my lips, “You haven’t let me finish. Off the record”, he repeated, “And you have to swear, you never heard this.”

I nodded hastily; biting the tip of my tongue at the possible news I was about to hear.

“A patrol unit found Quinn’s car”, Louis explained with a dark shade of remorse flooding into his eyes,

“… and evidence of you last being in it.”

Notes

Hello! Here's the next chapter. You'll learn more about the relationships Chloe has or had with her father and Louis as the story goes on - and yes, there will be more Harry shortly! I promise.

Maybe even a 'special' appearance from the blonde receptionist.

Any ideas? Any thoughts?
I'd love to hear them xo