“Excuse me, but have you seen anyone wearing a mask? He’s about this tall and with his mask down, he has serious burn marks around his eyes…” asked a girl to a random passer-by as she lifted her hand over her head to mimic how tall Sanderson was.
“…No I haven’t…?” replied the confused man.
“But how could that be possible? He told us he’d come looking for us yet he didn’t! He wasn’t even at Yorknorth Mountain! Where could he possibly have gone to…? I even tried calling Stella but I can’t reach her either! When I went over to her place, it seemed like she had moved out… Hey, who do you suppose could tell me where Sanderson went…?” asked Mindy.
The passer-by himself was stunned to know that she had directed the question at him. Scanning her from head to toe, he then shook his head before running off. How sad that such a beauty sounded so insane.
“Where could you have gone to, Sanderson…? You… You said you’d come back… That you’d talk to me in the garden every night… You promised… I… I refuse to believe that you lied to me! Please, Sanderson… You’re my best and only friend… You… You can’t just leave like that… Where are you…?” mumbled Mindy to herself.
The only thing on the girl’s mind now was Sanderson. She thought about how simple and gentle he was. How every time she talked to him, he would listen to her attentively, comforting and encouraging her through his gestures.
While it was true that she had first gotten close to him since he looked like he was easily bullied and she wanted to learn sign language, her intent slowly changed over time.
In just those few days of them being together, she had grown dependent on him. What more, since she knew he had risked his life to rescue her and many others, she was well aware that forgetting him would be near impossible now.
After waiting for quite some time, Mindy eventually leaned against a wall before squatting down.
“Where are you, Sanderson…?”
When she had earlier gone to Yorknorth Mountain, neither Master Jenkinson nor Sanderson was present. Stella’s place, on the other hand, seemed to have been completely deserted. Since she never picked up any of Mindy’s calls, Mindy wasn’t even sure if the rest of Stella’s family had left together or without her.
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