C32 Quite A Bill

After getting as far away as possible from the hospital that morning, despair filled Annabelle about her dashed hope.

For a moment there, she had thought she was about to get a break by seeing Jose. Jose would tell her where her sister was, and their separation would be over.

Her heart ached for the disappointment and she sent up a desperate prayer that her sister was okay wherever she was.

“Please, hang on, Cathay. I promise I will fix this,” she said as she swiped off the tears blurring her eyes while she looked out at the busy traffic of people who had where they were going and knew what they were doing.

People unlike her who had no plan and no real sense of where she was going.

She became uneasy when she saw a police officer giving her a peculiar look while leaving a café.

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and quickly started walking away.

Hoping that he wouldn’t follow her and start asking her questions, her hands were twisting the pockets anxiously when she felt it.

There was something odd in there, but it wasn’t directly in the right pocket.

So she turned the pocket over and realised there was a hidden pocket beneath it.

She quickly unzipped it and gaped at the wad of currency.

She pulled it out and stared, eyes widening as she realised it was a small bundle of $100 bills. She counted five bills in total.

“What…?” she whispered to herself, turning the wad over in her hand.

“How had this ended up in the hoodie? Could Antonia have put it there?” She wondered as gratitude flooded her towards the lady who had helped and was still helping her.

Promising herself to find a way to repay the kindness one day, she quickly went to a public bathroom to brush her teeth and clean up.

Her stomach growled, reminding her of the gnawing hunger that had been creeping up for hours. But something tugged at her, she had something more important to do first.

Food could wait.

She decided to find a place where she could get more information. She needed to find Jane Phildee in a more practical way that wouldn’t involve being tossed out of hospitals.

After walking a few blocks, she found a small, run-down internet café.

Inside, the air was thick with the scent of stale coffee and the faint hum of old computers. She hesitated in the doorway, eyeing the empty seats and the few patrons scattered around, hunched over their screens. The walls were painted a dull green, chipped in places, with a dim, yellowish light overhead.

"Hi," she greeted the cashier, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline who looked up from his magazine with a raised eyebrow.

“Need a computer?” he asked, his voice bored.

“Yeah,” she nodded, glancing around nervously. “Um… and maybe a pen and some paper if you have one.”

The man grunted, grabbing a small notepad and pen from beneath the counter and sliding them over. “Here. Don’t waste ’em. And the computer’s ten bucks for an hour.”

Annabelle pulled a $100 bill from her pocket, watching as his eyes widened slightly before he exchanged it for change.

She took a seat near the back, where the light was dimmer, and powered on the computer.

The screen flickered to life, the outdated logo flashing before the browser opened.

“Alright,” she murmured to herself, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

She typed “Jane Phildee” and added “Acadia,” her pulse quickening as the search results popped up.

She clicked through several links, only to find vague mentions or dead ends.

Frustration built as she scribbled down numbers, addresses, and random snippets of information, hoping one would lead somewhere.

She attempted to chat with a few people she found in social media forums, sending out quick, polite messages in the hopes that someone might respond.

The minutes ticked by, turning into hours as her hope began to wane. Her stomach protested louder now, a sharp pang of hunger gnawing at her focus.

The cashier wandered by and glanced at her screen. "Been here a while, haven’t you?" he remarked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the nearby desk.

Annabelle glanced up, offering a faint smile. “Just… looking for someone. It’s important.”

He nodded, his expression softening a little. “You found what you need?”

“Not yet,” she admitted. “But… thanks for the paper and everything.”

“Anytime,” he replied, his gaze lingering on her, a flicker of concern in his eyes. "Be careful out there. This city… it’s not kind to people who stand out like a sore thumb."

She nodded, pocketing the notes she’d taken, and forced a small smile. “I’ll manage.”

Once outside, the cool air hit her again, sharper now as her empty stomach twisted. She walked down the street, the line of street vendors catching her eye. One was selling kebabs.

The scent of grilled meat made her mouth water even as she felt that constant queasiness again.

She hurried over, handing another $100 bill to the vendor so she could get enough coins.

The man raised his eyebrows at the high denomination.

As much as she would have loved to eat enough for strength, her queasy stomach made her feel she might just regret it if she took more. so she asked for one wrap of kebab and asked for the change in coins

“Quite a bill for just one kebab,” he remarked, his gaze lingering on her as he handed her the food and the change.

“I… I needed the coins,” she mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

“Be careful, miss,” he warned, his voice lowering as he handed over the change. “Not everyone around here’s friendly.”

Annabelle’s stomach twisted, but not from hunger.

She noticed a group of men standing nearby, their eyes on her as she pocketed the coins. A nervous chill ran down her spine.

“Please, where can I find a payphone?” she hastily asked the man.

“Down there,” he pointed towards the road.

She clutched her kebab tightly, murmuring a quick thank you to the vendor before hastily walking away.

A few blocks down, she found an old, scratched-up phone booth, its paint peeling and the glass fogged and cracked.

She stepped inside, her fingers shaking slightly with nerves as she dialled the first number on her list.