Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

Charlotte sat on her bed, looking frustrated. "I no understand why they do this," she said. "I already tell them I come here by mistake. I am transfer student, not patient."

Hande and I exchanged a sympathetic glance. "What did they say exactly?" Hande asked.

"They want me write letter," Charlotte replied. "Say I no make easy for them. But I no know what that mean."

Hande frowned. "That doesn't make sense. You've already explained the situation to them."

Charlotte nodded vigorously. "I know. But they just say I need write letter. Say I no cooperate."

Hande put a hand on Charlotte's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll help you write the letter. We'll make sure it's clear and explains everything."

Charlotte looked relieved. "Thank you, Hande. I no know what I do without you."

For some reason, Cylan had not get gotten back after she left earlier looking sad. All she had said too was that she was going to the same management that was making things difficult for Charlotte. Dilada was nowhere to be found, as usual. She was always off doing her own thing, and we rarely saw her in the room. But the rest of us were concerned about Charlotte's situation.

We spent the next hour helping Charlotte write the letter, explaining what she needed to say and how to say it. She struggled with the words, but we were patient with her.

As we finished up the letter, Cylan walked into the room, looking sad.

Cylan walked into the room, looking really sad. She didn't say anything to us, just went straight to her bed. We all looked at each other, concerned.

"Hey, Cylan, what's wrong?" Hande asked, trying to sound gentle.

But Cylan just shook her head and turned away. We tried to talk to her, but she didn't want to talk. She just lay there, staring at the wall.

She refused to open up, and acted grumpy all day. This was unlike her - Cylan was always bubbly and always had something to say. We were all worried about her.

As the hours passed, Cylan didn't move or say a word. We went to the common room and we tried to watch TV, but it was hard to focus. We were all thinking about Cylan and what could be wrong.

Later, when I thought everyone was asleep, I heard Cylan crying. My heart broke as I realized she was really hurting. I wondered what was wrong, but I didn't know.

I lay there, listening to her cry, feeling helpless. What had broken Cylan's heart? Was it something with her family? Or maybe something with her secret girlfriend? I had no idea.

I thought about getting up and going to her, but I didn't know if she would want me to. So I just lay there, listening to her cry, and wondering what the hell was going on.

....

The next morning, I joined my girls in the dining hall, feeling really famished. Cylan was already seated at the table, playing with her food. I cautiously sat beside her, remembering how she had cried last night. Her eyes had a sad look to it, and it looked like she hadn't slept much. She was ignoring the chatter of everyone around her, her eyes fixed on her plate.

I took my seat and to my right was Hande and I tried to make small talk, but Cylan's silence was palpable. It was like a dark cloud hovering over our table.

Finally, Cylan clattered her cutlery on the plate and sighed deeply. The sound stopped the flow of conversation immediately. It looked like she was finally ready to talk.

"What's wrong, Cylan?" Hande asked, concern etched on her face.

Cylan hesitated, looking around the table nervously. "It's Emily," she whispered. "She's gone missing."

My heart skipped a beat. I felt a chill run down my spine.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

Cylan leaned in, her voice barely audible. "I think the center had something to do with it."

I glanced at Dilada, who was sitting at the corner of the table, eating her breakfast like she didn't care. But I knew she was listening. "Don't talk about it here," I warned Cylan, trying to keep my voice calm. "Don't do anything. We can't trust anyone right now."

Cylan nodded, her eyes wide with fear. She glanced at Dilada too, but Dilada just kept eating, her expression neutral.

Dilada's nonchalance seemed suspicious, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The rest of the breakfast was tense, the conversation stilted. Cylan was quiet, her eyes fixed on her plate.

As we finished breakfast and left the dining hall, I thought about it. I didn't know Emily so much, all I knew was that she worked as. A cleaner there and she and Cylan were either exchanging fond looks or together. I walked alongside Cylan, trying to offer her some comfort. "We'll figure it out," I said. "We'll find Emily."

Cylan nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm scared, Angel," she whispered.

I put my arm around her shoulders, trying to reassure her. "You'll be fine."

But deep down, I was scared too. I didn't know what was going on, or what the center was capable of. I had spoken like I knew what I was doing to Hendrix, but really did not know how to uncover the secrets the center was trying so desperately to hide. All I knew was that we had to be careful, and we had to stick together.

I stopped walking suddenly, looking at Cylan with a sense of realization. "Wait a minute," I said, my voice low. "Yesterday, you said you were going to the management office. What did you go ask them?"

Cylan sighed, looking down. "I went to ask about Emily," she said. "I wanted to know if they knew where she was, or if they had fired her."

I bit my lip, trying not to scream. This was bad. This was very bad. I knew how the center worked, and I knew they didn't like people who questioned them. They would see Cylan's inquiry as a challenge, and they would try to silence her. "Cylan, why did you do that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

Cylan looked up, a hint of fear in her eyes. "I didn't know I shouldn't have," she said. "Not until you mentioned it in the dining hall and saw the look on your face. I realized then that I had made a mistake."

I took a deep breath, trying to think. We had to be careful now. The center would be watching Cylan, waiting for her to slip up again. And I knew they wouldn't hesitate to punish her if she did.

"We need to be careful," I said, looking around nervously. "They don't like people who question them. We have to watch our backs now."

Cylan nodded, looking scared.