Unfazed

Under the break of dawn Loreilai Ortiz was last seen rushing across the street with arms wrapped around a pile of blankets.

Date: 16-07-2000

Time: 07:46:52 pm

Location: Vansway Street, New York

Catherine saw the image on the monitor in front of her, the face of Loreilai was hooded by the deep brown shade of curls, just like hers. Catherine knew she had to find the woman in the picture, she is her only hope, maybe her only chance to know about her family.

Catherine was adopted by a family situated in Pittsburgh, when she was eight. She was their little angel, as her mother would often call her. Her brother, Joe was ten when she first set her foot in their house. Daniel Moore and Paige Moore were the happiest couple she knew, they had always coddled her from malice. Ever since the Moore's had adopted, the happiness in her life proliferated.

Now twelve years later, everything she had was taken away from her, at first it felt like a bad dream, a dream she would want to forget as soon as she gets up in the morning, but it wasn't.

Joe knocked the door twice before twisting the door knob as to open the old oak door of Catherine's room. Catherine was so busy meticulously glancing the image in front of her eyes that she didn't realize that someone was knocking the door.

"Cathy? Let's go." , the voice was sorrowed, Catherine knew she had to do this. She had to put her brave face and pretend as if it's alright. She knew she had to be there for Joe too. They were bereaved but they had to put the strong face. A fallacy that people must believe, a fallacy that they might believe too.

"I'm coming", her voice muffled, barely reaching Joe's ears. If Joe didn't know her any better he would have thought she didn't reply at all.

With a slow nod Joe turned around and closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

Catherine looked straight in the mirror. She never thought she would be standing here, wearing the black dress accompanying her brother to their parents funeral. She could see her eyes brimming and a drop of tear fell on her cheek from the end of her right eye. With a deep breath she turned around and followed Joe down towards the car.

Daniel and Paige died in a car accident two days ago. Catherine was sprawled on her couch in her flat, eating popcorns and a cup of hot cappuccino was seated right next to her, watching her favorite show in Virginia when Joe called her with the news. A news that turned her world upside down. Catherine took the first flight home and reached there as soon as she could.

At first she thought Joe is joking about the whole scenario, she refused to believe it. She also told Joe that these things aren't to be made fun of. Only when Joe didn't budge from what he was stating Catherine knew he wasn't lying, that it wasn't another of his stupid jokes when he says "Gotcha!" a few seconds after Catherine almost believed his made up story about how " Mom and Dad have decided to disown you because they know you have started taking drugs ". As stupid as that sounds, yes Catherine believed it.

She had the perfect family anyone could ask for, loving parents, a caring brother who also scared the shit out of Catherine's High School dates. Catherine was only nineteen and she was orphan once again. Ever since Joe broke the news she had started thinking if she was entitled to bad luck and being orphan?

Her overthinking came to a point when she also thought that Joe would hate her for his entire life for taking away his parents with her bad luck.

No, that didn't happen. Joe was assiduous towards her, he was more concerned about Catherine than ever or maybe he is just starting to take responsibility.

With a heavy heart and a heavier soul, she made her way out. She wasn't ready to face the truth or give speech in front of all the guests but she had to. She only wanted to lock herself in her room and cry her heart out. Every breath felt heavier and she wanted all this to go away. She wanted to time travel back and save her parents from that hideous accident. Only if she could do any of it she would do it in a heartbeat.

But it was time to put a brave face and stand next to Joe, who was trying to do the same but only Catherine and Leia could see through his false pretense. Leia was Joe's fiancé, they had been dating since High School and had gotten engaged a few months back.

The lawn in the front of their house was big enough to accompany at least fifty people and was austerely ornate with lilies and orchids. A large portrait of Daniel and Paige Moore was placed on the table, surrounded by candles. Joe and Leia standing next to the table wearing the black of the bereaved.

Catherine had not prepared any elegy for the funeral, ever since she heard the news she was miserable. She hadn't taken a bath in the past two days let alone write an elegy. She had to speak something, she knew. Her speech was going to be extemporaneous, she knew that too and so it was.

She spoke her heart out. Every memory she could recollect from the time since she set her foot in the house first to the time she went away to the university a few months back.

As soon as the funeral was over and soon after bidding every guest goodbye Catherine rushed to her room. She wanted to be alone.

While she was sitting on her bed her gaze fell on the adoption certificate she had found a few months back while packing for the university. She had never thought of finding her biological parents until a few weeks earlier when she couldn't resist her curiosity so she had asked Charlie her neighbor who works in an investigation agency to find any information about Lorelai Ortiz, her biological mother.

Charlie had sent her an email this morning with a picture of street camera recording when Lorelai Ortiz was last seen. No one has seen her ever since.

Whirling with consternation Catherine sighed, laid on her bed she decided to close her eyes and fall back into the depths of oblivion.