The alarm blares; ringing in my ears. I moan, and roll over, blinking and gripping my phone. There's a reminder on the lock screen. 22nd of May. Aster's commemoration. 

Not so long ago, she was alive, roaming the halls of Eastmore, her intense eyes glaring at her underlings. By now, though, almost the whole of Eastmore accepted she was dead. Besides, where else would she be?

Finding something black to wear wasn't hard; I pull on a lacy black dress and sheer black stockings. I look so unlike me it's almost ridiculous.

I roll out of bed and make my way down the stairs. Dad's snoring on the lounge; it's old and beaten-up with stuffing falling out, not to mention the number of stains that have accumulated on it's brown suede fabric over the years. Mum never would have let that happen.

I creep into the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of orange juice. It's one of the only things we have left in the fridge, that is, aside from a jar of moldy capers and another with nearly finished mayonnaise. As I put the orange juice back I check the date. Great, it was off two days ago. I give it a sniff and shrug. It smells fine.

This will suffice for breakfast. Saturday treat; usually I skip breakfast.

I pull out my phone, and text Kitty.

Midnight

Kitty, do you want to go to the commemoration together? Moral support?

I hit send and cringe, prepared for her rejection.

Kitty

Yeah, sure! Fox and I are going in his car, we can drop by your house and pick you up.

Midnight

Oh, no, I'll come to you.

Kitty

Oh, uh, ok. My address is 18 Rovelle Ave.

Why don't you invite Eilon? I don't have his number.

I sigh and tell Eilon the details. He is overly excited.

Eilon

Wow! Really? Kitty asked me?

I laugh to myself as I tuck my phone away in my pocket, as I hear Dad moan and grumble. He's waking up.

I make my way through the door, stepping lightly, so he doesn't know I'm here. I pick my way through the weedy garden, greeted by the cold sunshine.

Eastmore is a small town and the walk to Kitty's house isn't far. Her house is almost as impressive as Aster's; big and old, grey with white trimming and even a small tower topped with with a grey, scaly turret.

Embarrassed, I ring the doorbell, and am greeted by a tall, young man; early twenties with dark hair a slight mustache. "Kitty!" he calls up the stairs, "One of your cronies is here!"

I scowl at him, and Kitty rushes down the stairs, in the middle of braiding her hair into a braid crown. 

"Midnight," she smiles, "come in." She turns to her brother, glaring. "Midnight is not one of my cronies, Sam."

She looks me up and down, "You do know it's not a funeral, Midnight." She's wearing a dainty cream dress with a classy black bow.

The corners of my mouth twitch in an almost smile. "You've got to be prepared for the worst. Besides, when have you ever seen me wear anything other than this? Everyday is a funeral. Of my aspirations and high school existence."

Kitty turns over her shoulder, to check the clock, finishing up her braid. "Fox will be here any minute."

We're still standing in the entry way; which is white and bright with the warm glow of an elegant chandelier, when we hear another knock at the door.

Eilon is standing there, dressed head to toe in a full tuxedo. I do try my hardest to stifle a laugh, I really do, but nothing beats Eilon Greene and his awkwardness dressed to the nines.

Kitty gives me a glare, and Eilon smiles awkwardly. Even now I can't shake off the image of him in fifth the grade with his giant braces. Perhaps I sound mean, but Eilon and I have a special relationship.

There's a rev of an engine and Fox's red jeep is in the driveway. We pile into the car, and set off down the road. He's dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, making the three of us look ridiculous. I suppose he's clinging onto hope that this isn't Aster's funeral.

34 Evyline Street is not far from 18 Rovelle Avenue, after all, Kitty and Aster's childhoods were filled with play dates and sleepovers at each other's close by houses.

***

Kitty's house was stunning, but nothing compares the Evan's household. Surrounded by ferns and palm trees, Evans Estate is complete with a pool and a large house. The long driveway is packed full of cars from all over Eastmore.

We wind our way through the pack and up to the reception. Rows of white wooden chairs are laid out all over the lawn. There's a big bunch of black and white roses under a wooden pavilion crawling with white roses. A large photo of Aster smiling is inside, framed in dark wood. Her smile seems to light up the dark atmosphere gathered on the lawn, er eyes twinkling.

Together, the four of us find a seat amongst the chaos, just as the ceremony begins. Suzannah Evans steps into the pavilion, her blonde hair slightly curled, but her blue eyes dull.

"Thank you all for gathering here today. As you are all aware, we are currently grieving the loss of Aster Rosemary Evans, our eldest daughter and the spark of hope in our family. She was everything, she lit up the darkest rooms; students loved her, teachers loved, we loved her. And I still love her. I believe she is still out there, and one day she'll come home to us, like a miracle from heaven. Please help us find her. Help us find my baby girl!"

Suzannah begins tearing up, and is replaced by Lian, who rubs his wife's shoulder. "You never know until you have a child, the extent of love. All those memories of Aster I can never shake loose. I will never forget her. Never in a thousand years. Now, I've had some ups and downs in my life, but these past weeks have been the toughest in my life. And I pray, our girl will come home safe. Thank you."

The next speech is from Elsie, which makes even me almost tear up. "Aster is my big sister. I always looked up to her and she's my inspiration. I always wanted to be just like Aster when I was older. She taught me everything; she made me laugh, and sometimes cry, when we fought. But now with her gone, she makes me cry more than ever. Please help us find Aster."

***

Once the ceremony wraps up, an hour later, Suzannah makes her way over to us. "Kitty! Fox! SO glad you could make it!" she turns to me. "Oh, you're the Deluca girl, aren't you? With the mother that left you? And your father; what a mess!"

I ignore her, as I feel Fox, Kitty and Eilon's gaze burning into me. I tune out of the conversation, and Suzannah wraps it up with, "You can go check out her room if you like, if that makes feel any better about it."

We nod, and Kitty and Fox lead us to her room; somewhere they've both been many times before. Kitty runs her fingers along the photo frames, absorbing in the room and the absence of Aster. She turns to the bedside table and picks up a book entitled "Lucy's Demise".

"Oh my God!" she says, waving the book in our faces. "Right before she went missing, Aster was literally obsessed with this book!"

I take it over and turn over the cover, gazing at the blurb. "Wait, this is about a girl that disappears?" I say, shocked and confused.

"Did anyone give this to her?" Eilon asked, "Maybe they had something to do with it."

Kitty sighs, "No, it wasn't unusual. She goes to the bookshop every school holidays and picks out books to read. She was always obsessed with mysteries. It's nothing new."

I flip through the book until I stop dead in my tracks. My heart stops beating. Inside is a picture of a girl wearing a pale blue dress, decorated with tiny flowers. Just like the dress she disappeared in.