The Silence of Oakridge

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The Oakridge Children's Home stood like a forgotten relic under the glare of the full moon. Its once vibrant red brick walls now reflected by the moonlight, revealed a dull, weathered brown color due to decades of neglect. Ivy crept up the sides of the building, clawing at the cracked windows like fingers reaching for the roof of the house. The bungalow sat on a hill, surrounded by thick woods that whispered with the wind, casting eerie shadows under the moonlight.

Inside, the home was no less foreboding. The floors were uneven, their creaks echoing with every step, as though the house itself was alive and watching. The wallpaper was peeling, revealing layers of paint beneath — each a different color, a testament to countless attempts to hide the building’s age. A faint smell of mildew lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of overcooked vegetables from the kitchen and the sharp tang of disinfectant.

Ava came marching down the hallway, the creaky floorboards groaning under her heavy footsteps as she approached her room. She was just fifteen but weighed over a hundred and fifty pounds. She pushed open the door and a flicker of relief swept through her; for a moment, she thought she'd find Ellie there, sitting cross-legged on her bed, grinning with some grand scheme to sneak out after curfew. But Ellie's bed was empty, its faded sheets tucked neatly as they had been two mornings ago. Ava turned on her heels immediately, her heart pounding, and stormed towards Mrs. Hargrove’s office. Mrs. Hargrove was the head of the home, kind but had an imposing presence which made her difficult to approach. Ava couldn’t wait any longer; she needed answers.

It had been two days since Ava last saw her best friend. At first, the caretakers had brushed off her questions with vague reassurances: "Ellie’s just visiting a relative," or "She's fine, Ava, don't worry." But Ava did worry. Ellie didn’t have any relatives, at least none that she had ever mentioned. And even if she had, Ellie would’ve told Ava. They shared everything. The office door was ajar, and the faint glow of a desk lamp spilled into the hallway. Ava hesitated at the door, her throat suddenly becoming dry. Inside, Mrs. Hargrove was speaking in hushed tones to someone on the phone.

"I delivered the girl as you asked," Mrs. Hargrove said, her voice calm but tense. "I will no longer be involved."

Ava’s stomach churned. Who did Mrs. Hargrove deliver? Could it be Ellie?

She leaned closer, straining to hear more, but the floorboard beneath her foot betrayed her with a loud creak. Mrs. Hargrove’s head popped up, her eyes narrowing as she caught sight of Ava.

"What are you doing out of bed?" She demanded, hanging up the phone.

"I—" Ava stammered, "I just... I wanted to know if Ellie’s okay. Where is she? No one’s telling me anything."

Mrs. Hargrove’s expression softened for a moment as she stood up and walked to the door, but her tone remained firm. "Go back to bed, Ava. It’s late."

"But—"

"Now, Ava."

Ava kicked her legs and stood for a minute with a helpless look on her face, then turned reluctantly and walked back towards her room, frustration bubbling in her chest. Something wasn’t right. Mrs. Hargrove’s words lingered in her mind: I delivered the girl as you asked. What did she mean? Which girl? So instead of going to her room to sleep, she got into her room and quickly grabbed her coat and a flashlight. If anyone could leave a clue behind, it would be Ellie, she thought. She remembered that Ellie had always kept a journal tucked away in a cave at the foot of the hill where they often snuck out to, every morning after breakfast. It was their private meeting place. In the journal, Ellie scribbled down all her thoughts, experiences at foster homes, and her plans for the future.

Ava was careful this time not to let her footsteps be heard as she snuck into the library, and got out through the window. Then crawled through an opening she and Ellie had made in the wooden fence, which they had covered with grasses. And into the woods, she ran down the hill until she came to the mouth of the cave. Ava's hands trembled as she stooped down and crawled into the dark cave alone, her grip firmly tightened around her flashlight. They had never come here at night. She suddenly remembered the story Mrs. Hargrove had told them once about the cave, how it had been a place used for human sacrifices by members of the community who practiced witchcraft. Ava quickly shook off the thought with a shrug. No way, she thought.

She reached the center of the cave, an open area with an eerie feeling that sent chills down her spine. Slowly, she moved towards the wall where Ellie had hidden her journal; it was behind a stone carefully carved out and inserted back in. Ava pulled out the stone and reached in to grab the journal but it wasn't there. Ava's eyes bulged out of their sockets. She pulled back her hand and flashed her light into the hole, nothing. Then her eyes caught something on the wall beside it, it was a writing scribbled with dirt disorderly as if written in a hurry. Ava’s blood ran cold. It read: “Ava help”. It was Ellie, she knew it was Ellie. What on earth could have happened to her? Where was she? The fifteen-year-old’s breath trembled noisily as she scrambled her way out of the cave back to the children's home. By the time she reached the library, she was shaking with tears and sweating profusely. Her friend was missing and she didn't know how to help her. As she came through the library door, Mrs. Hargrove was waiting for her at the end of the corridor which led to the hallway.

“Where did you go to Ava?” She asked in a stern voice. Ava watched her face, she was completely indifferent to the girl's disoriented appearance.

“To look for Ellie,” the girl responded in a shaky voice. “Where is she?” There was anger in her voice.

“Did I not ask you to go back to your _”

“I know you have her! And you know where she is! Where is she pleeeaaase?”

“Now that's a serious accusation to make. I have told you that Ellie went to visit a relative and will be back soon. So go to your room, Ava; I will have you disciplined tomorrow!”

But Ava wasn't going anywhere, she crossed her hands over her chest and said, “I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where you put Ellie!”

“Ava!” Mrs. Hargrove called.

No response.

“Okay then,” she said and turned towards the hallway which Ava couldn't see. “Mr. Grayson, Miss. Dolan,” she called and Ava suddenly heard footsteps approach. Then a man and a woman appeared; she knew them. They had come to the children's home to visit Mrs. Hargrove severally, but she and Ellie had never quite placed who they were. “Lock her up and make sure she doesn't come out till morning,” she heard Mrs. Hargrove instruct. The two people approached her and grabbed her by the arms. “Let go of me!” She screamed, but they wouldn't let her go. The man put a little cloth over her nose and she started to kick her legs, but slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

She woke up the next morning on her bed to a light tap on her shoulders; when she opened her eyes, it was Mrs. Hargrove's face she saw, staring down at her with a smile on her lips. Ava jumped up and glared at the woman with suspicion on her face, her brain trying frantically to recollect all the events of the previous night up until now. Mrs. Hargrove's expression remained unchanging and calm.

“Get ready Ava,” she said, still smiling. “We have found you a new foster family that you'll love,”

Ava's mouth fell open.

The woman moved closer and tapped her cheek lightly with a palm. “Hurry now, your bags are packed and ready, and your family is waiting.” With that, she walked out quietly as if nothing had happened. Ava broke down on her bed and began to cry. Then suddenly, as if awakened to a new reality, she turned and looked at her window, which overlooked the backyard of the children's home; where a rusty swing set stood amidst tall, overgrown grasses, and she stood up. Her bags were already taken to Mrs. Hargrove's office so she grabbed her coat and pushed her foot into her boots.

“I'm going to find you, Ellie.” She said as she pushed open the glass window. “I'm going to find all the answers to these unanswered questions.

Mmeyene Joseph