| Fan Fiction |
by mushroom_banana
“Where is she?” I demanded from our captain as I shoved his door aside with a loud bang. I didn’t care if I get reprimanded for bad behavior, one more mark on my record wouldn’t make a difference. No one seems to have an answer and I knew if anyone could tell me what was going on, it would be him. I couldn’t just sit around while a whole morning had passed by and Ella still hadn’t comet o work, which never happened. The strange thing is her cell phone had been disconnected.
I stood in front of our captain, ready to get what I came for no matter what he was going to throw at me. He seemed to have expected me, for he didn’t look surprised at all. What was even more unexpected was our authoritative and intimidating captain didn’t look the slightest bit angry at all, instead, I thought I saw genuine concern in place of his usually cold eyes. Even his body seemed to sag with a quiet sadness I’d never seen before. He signaled me to close the door and sit down. Curious of his calm and tolerating behavior, I followed his wordless orders and waited for him to explain.
“I know why you’re all riled up. But you need to show me you can handle what I’m going say calmly first. If not, you may leave this room.”
I nodded my understanding. I opted to stay quiet than to answer him directly. Everything about him today told me he meant serious business. His eyes searched my face for confirmation. Satisfied, he relaxed into the back of his chair as if the big oak chair was lending him unseen support.
“She’s left the team.”
“Excuse me? Left the team as in transferred out? Why didn’t we hear anything beforehand? For how long? Which unit?” I sprang at him.
“No. I meant she’s left the police force. Ella resigned; I received her official letter of resignation this morning, effective immediately. There’s nothing I can do. Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you,” he added and produced a plain white envelop from his drawer. I recognized Ella’s neat handwriting on it instantly.
The piece of news dropped on me like an earthquake; abrupt, unexpected, frightening, and earth-shattering. It didn’t make sense at all, yet, it explains her irregular behavior. The captain stood up and paced back and forth behind his desk. He went on to talking about the aftermath of Ella’s resignation and how I was to be arranged to have a new partner. But I couldn’t register what he was saying; I just couldn’t comprehend what’s happened. Ella never did anything like this; she never acts rashly, I'm supposed to be the one who acts without thinking. I could only stare at the lone white envelop that mercilessly taunted me back.
Questions answered led to even more complicated questions. Why did Ella resign? Why so sudden? Why didn’t she tell me she was leaving? What was she hiding from me? And was this the reason why she’s been acting distantly? I knew she wanted to tell me something last night, l just wouldn’t have guessed it was something like this. All the questions swirled in my head, but it meant nothing unless I get them answered.
I left the captain’s office in the midst of his speech. “I’m taking the day off,” I informed him and left without waiting for his permission. He should know I wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and that I would not stop until I find out the truth.
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I pressed the doorbell to her apartment. Her car was parked outside, that meant she was home. I told myself to keep my anger at bay; it wouldn’t be fair to jump to conclusions before I hear her explanations. During the drive to her apartment, I let my anger take over all logical thoughts. I felt angry at her for leaving me in the dark and for not trusting me. What did our partnership mean to her for her to take such drastic actions?
“Ella! Open up!” I shouted impatiently. I couldn’t wait any longer. A few more rings and I still heard no movement inside her apartment. I probably caused a loud racket because the neighbor next door opened up to see what the commotion was about.
“Can I help you?” an elderly woman in her pajamas asked politely even despite the chaos I was creating.
“I’m looking for Ella. Have you seen her?” I asked hopefully. Maybe she had only gone out for groceries or out on an errand and would be back soon.
“Why, aren’t you Ms Chen’s partner? I’ve seen you before. But Ms Chen’s moved out already. Didn’t you know?”
Then, I received the second shock of the day. Things were looking more unbelievable by the minute. What was happening? Where in the world is Ella? Nothing sounded right, it felt surreal. As if she sensed my confusion, the little old lady offered more information before I attempted to ask her some more.
“I saw her leaving this morning, around 5 am. I know so because old people like me can’t sleep much. I saw her leave with suitcases packed up, and she looked like she was in such a hurry,” the lady supplied looking perplexed as if she herself didn’t find her own words making sense either. “Is Ms Chen going to be alright? She’s such a sweet girl; it would be horrible if something bad happens.”
I processed the new information. Things were starting to sound really suspicious. It wasn’t normal for Ella to leave things hanging much less resigning from work so suddenly. I began to think that there’s an unspeakable reason for all this to be happening in such a short time. I felt my panic mode start kicking in at the potential of Ella facing trouble by herself.
Not receiving a response from me, the lady patted my arm. “Well, young man, I hope you find her soon. I’ll pray for her safety. Good luck,” she said and shuffled back into her apartment.
I slid my phone open and dialed a number. “Danson.”
“Hey Chun, thought you took the day off. Did you and Ella miss us already?”
I could see his teasing smirk. “I need you to check the airport for flight information. Check all flight times from five in the morning for Ella’s name. I don’t know where she’s headed to or when she left, but if she left by plane, she’ll be listed. Also, check customs for any record of her departure. As soon as you get anything, call me right back,” I instructed him and ended the connection.
I had no time or the mood to entertain him further. Time was ticking and it was crucial that I not waste it. I had a feeling Ella was really in trouble. I don’t who or what forced her, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to waste time pondering anymore. I had to find her quickly within the next few hours or else, the chances of finding her would be slim. I got back into my car and drove over to the next place.
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“Selina, someone looking for you.” Selina turned to see who her visitor was. Her face paled considerably when she recognized that I was the one who asked for her. She squared her shoulders, a sign of defensive behavior I saw too often in guilty criminals. That told me she had to know something.
“Chun, what are you doing here?” she asked me casually.
I decided to feign ignorance. “Where is Ella?”
“What do you mean? Ella’s at work.”
“No she’s not.”
“Well, then I don’t know. There’s no need to be over reactive. Maybe she decided to take the day off and just spend some alone time,” she replied off-handedly.
“You’re lying, I know you know something. She resigned from work. Her cell phone’s not working. She even packed up and left early in the morning. Don’t tell me you weren’t aware that any of this went on,” I plainly laid the facts out for her. There was no use denying anymore.
Though she didn’t dare look at me in the eyes, she remained tight-lipped.
“If Ella’s in trouble, I need to know where she is so I can help her. Tell me Selina,” I pleaded.
Her shoulders slumped down in defeat. “You came sooner than we expected. I was hoping you wouldn’t catch on so fast. But who am I kidding? It’s Ella we’re talking about; of course you’d be here.”
“So tell me, where is she?” I asked, glad that she admitted to her lying.
“I can’t tell you.”
“She’s in trouble, aren’t you worried about her?! She could be in danger!” I emphasized the last words out loudly. She didn’t seem to understand the importance of the situation.
“I am! I’m worried sick okay? She’s dear to me too, you’re not the only one who cares about her,” she shouted, her voice was laced with both guilt and anger. Guilt from letting her friend do the things she did and anger at me for accusing her of being nonchalant.
I took a closer look at Selina. Her eye bags and dark eye circles told me how worn out and scared she was. I realized my words had hurt her and that I lashed out wrongly.
“I know you’re frustrated Chun,” she acknowledged.
“Then tell me what’s going on. I know something’s troubling Ella for her to leave without telling me. Please, she needs our help and I could help her. I need to know.” I could tell Selina’s guards being lowered as she struggled internally between loyalty and confidentiality towards Ella and her worries for her friend.
“Sorry Chun, it’s not that I won’t tell you where she is, the fact is, even I don’t know where Ella’s headed to. She knew you’d come find me and that I wouldn’t be able to resist, so she didn’t say anything about where she was going at all.”
“She - didn’t tell you?” I could feel the faint glimmer of hope I had dying away.
“Trust me, I tried my hardest to get her to tell me. I had been against the idea of her leaving, but she’s so stubborn. Nothing I said could convince her otherwise. When Ella’s got her mind set on something, it’s set, you of all people should know that.”
“Then can you tell me why.”
“She knew you’d ask, so she told me to give this to you,” Selina handed me a white envelop. It was the same white envelop I saw this morning, except this time, it was my name printed on it.
“I know you’re confused, but try to understand that it’s just as hard for Ella if not harder.” I looked at her. She smiled at me sympathetically and walked back into her office.
Staring at the envelop in my hands, I tore it open.
Dear Chun,
It looks like you’ve already found out I left and have hunted down the facts as you’ve found Selina. I was hoping you’d catch on later, but with your sharp perceptions, I’m sure it’d be soon. What can I say. Sorry? You must have a lot of questions, I’m sorry that I caused much trouble for you. I’m sorry I can’t give you anymore answers than what you already know. I know you’re confused about me leaving without a word, but this is something I need to do. It’s for both of our good. I believe I’m doing the right thing even if you disagree. You’ve been a great partner, I’m glad to have met you. I know you’ll continue to fight bad and save the good right? My last request – please don’t look for me, you won’t find me.
--Ella
I still don’t understand what she meant. How could I accept her explanation when it didn’t make any sense at all. My phone rang interrupting my thoughts. “Chun speaking.”
“Chun, I checked all the flights,” Danson’s voice came on.
“And?” I had a feeling what he was going to say.
“Sorry, but I couldn’t find Ella’s name anywhere. Are you sure she boarded?”
“Thanks man. That’s all for now,” I told him, grateful for his help. I pinched the bridge of my nose to relieve the oncoming headache. Ella wasn’t lying, she is serious.
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“Are you kidding me?” Calvin asked me in a disbelieving voice.
“Do I look like I’m joking? Look, I need to find her, can you help me of not?”
The trio seemed to have heard the urgency in my voice; they got straight to work without another comment. I leaned back into their cardboard couch. They were my last resort, they had to find her. After a whole day of searching all the places she could possibly be, I have resorted to other options.
I reflected on the events that happened recently, hoping for a clue that could link her distant behavior to her sudden disappearance. She was acting like she was miles away yesterday, so whatever it was that caused her to leave had to have happened before that. I was no longer angry, I could never be angry at her for long. Whatever her reason was, I only wanted to find her now. With that thought, I fell into uneasy oblivion.
I woke up to find that a few hours had passed already. It was five in the morning already. That meant Ella has gone missing for a whole day now.
“There’s no record of her leaving the country, not by airplane or boat, she’s got to be in the country still. There’s no other way she could leave, unless it’s by underground sources,” Jiro confirmed.
“And there’s no activity with her credit card or bank account. If she accessed it, I’d be able to track down when and where, but the last activity was three days ago and that was from a restaurant near your workplace. But what’s even more suspicious is that her accounts have been cancelled two days ago, so there’s no way of tracking her down now. It’s as if she’d planned this ahead of time,” Calvin told me.
“Plus, I’ve hacked into her email accounts, nothing out of the ordinary or not even a clue about where she’s headed. No fishy unknown activities. Maybe she has an account she didn’t tell you about, but I can’t find anything. Unless she accesses her account, I can’t trace her IP address or location, it’s useless,” he continued, shaking his head in disbelief.
I turned to Arron, my last hope.
“I confirmed with her phone company, service was also disconnected two days ago. She didn’t open a new account or phone. It looks like Ella closed off all ways of contact with her. Apartment lease was transferred to Selina and nothing useful about her car. Her ID is registered, no changes. If she really wanted to leave the country without us knowing, she’d have to change her name and identity. I checked the records, there’s gotta more than a thousand other Ella Chens registered. Sorry Chun,” he looked at me apologetically. Even Arron understood what all this meant.
And for the first time in my life, I suddenly felt scared and alone because I realized that all this was really happening. Ella wasn’t lying when she said she wouldn’t let me find her. Fear continued to climb up the base of my throat and wouldn’t budge no matter how much I tried to swallow it back down. The thought of Ella disappearing from my life brought on an unknown type of fear that I'd never experienced before. It felt as if my world was collapsing and wouldn't stop. I closed my eyes for a moment to recollect and organize the information from them three.
It had been a long day of ups and downs; I had to remain calm to think clearly. From being worried at her sudden disappearance to angry at her departure to hurt that she’d leave without telling me, I couldn’t decide what I was feeling at the moment. I was frustrated at the situation and how things can take such a turn. But one thing I know for sure is that whatever Ella’s reason for leaving so sudden, I’m going to make sure she answers me herself. It is impossible for a person to vanish into thin air one day. Yes, she did leave me a letter, but even if that’s what she wants, I didn't want that neither would I let her.
“Even if there are more than ten thousand Ella Chens, I’m going to find her.” After all, I never concede defeat.
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How's everyone doing? Apologies for such a long wait, it just hasn't been the greatest few weeks for me. Hopefully, there are still readers, but let's put CE out of misery as soon as possible. Cheers!
Sept. 09, 2009