WHERE ARE YOU?

The call was disconnected and Ian stared at his screen in surprise.

He tried to call the number again, but he was told that the number did not exist. He kept trying again and again, but still, the number wouldn't go through.

He began to move up and down the porch, thinking about everything that happened between him and Kim up until she died

"What is going on? Am I imagining things?" he asked himself.

He stood outside for a while and finally went inside.

His father looked at the expression on his face and asked, "What is it, Ian? Are you okay?"

He said, "Dad, I have this feeling that Kim is still alive."

His father sighed, "No, don't do this to yourself, Ian. Weren't you there on the day she was buried? This is just your imagination playing tricks on you and making it difficult for you to move on. You need to forget about her, okay?

I'm not saying you should not think about her sometimes, but come on, you have been mourning and crying. Life goes on, and as much as you feel very sad over the demise of Kim, life has to move on."

Ian nodded and said, "Okay, thank you, dad."

He went into his room and sat on his bed, thinking about the call and the words Kim's voice had said. Only Kim could say those words to him. So, who could it be? His eyes lit up as he suddenly realized something.

His phone was set to record all his calls. He had done it in the past so he could always listen to his conversations with Kim whenever he missed her. He quickly went to his recorded call log and saw the recording. He played it and listened to it. It was the same thing. He played it over and over again for hours, listening to every single word she said.

In the end, he got up, saying, "No, this is not an illusion. This is Kim. This must be Kim. She said the same words to me on that rooftop."

But who would believe him? No one would want to believe him. His dad would think he was going crazy, and Kim's family, what should he tell them? What did it all mean?

"No, I can't tell anyone about this until I'm sure. I have to be sure. And the first thing I have to do is find out who owns this number."

He quickly changed his clothes and left the house. He went to one of his new friends he knew was good at cracking numbers and said, "Please look at this number. I got a call from it, but I can't figure out who it came from. I tried calling the number back, but I was told it doesn't exist. I need to know who this number belongs to."

"Easy peasy," his friend said.

He took the number, put it in his system, and said, "Okay, this number was issued to one David Suarez, and the call was made from Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles? Wait, you mean all the way from California?" He asked.

"Yes," his friend said. "But what is it? Who has this number?"

"I should be asking you...you said David Suarez, who is this David Suarez?" Ian asked.

"I don't know," his friend replied. "Maybe you should give me more information. Why are you so worked up about this call? What exactly did he say?"

Ian sighed. "You know what? Maybe it's just a prank. Let's just forget about it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it must be a prank call. I should hurry back home, I'm feeling very hungry. I need to have lunch."

"Alright, see you around," his friend said.

As he left and drove back home, Ian began to think about the burial. On the day Kim was buried, he had been there but he had lost consciousness. He knew that the coffin was usually opened for family members to see before it was put into the ground, but because he had fainted, he never got the chance to do that. But his dad must have seen it. Yes, he could ask his father.

He hurried into the house and said, "Dad, I need to ask you something."

"Okay, go on," his dad said.

"On the day Kim was buried......"

"Oh no, not this again." His father said, interrupting him.

"Calm down, dad. I need to find out something. I just want to know, was the coffin opened for everyone to see before it was put into the ground?"

You mean Kim's coffin?"

"Yes...you know I passed out and I was rushed to the hospital, but you did return to the cemetery even though I couldn't."

"Yes, the coffin was opened, but I think there were about three of us: just me, Wendy, and Kim's mom. Her dad was attending to... I think he was speaking to the priest. I can't really recall, but it was just three of us."

"Okay, and you saw her body?" Ian asked.

"Yes, it was Kim. Why all these questions?"

"Nothing, Dad. I just feel like I missed my chance to say goodbye to her." Ian replied.

"Just move on, okay? I know this is not easy for you, but forget about the past."

After speaking to his father, Ian stood outside the house. He was confused. If his father was sure that Kim was buried, then who called him? His eyes lit up as another idea came to his mind.

"There's only one way. I need to see that grave," he thought.

He went to the cemetery and called one of the men who was responsible for digging. "I need you to dig up a coffin for me."

"What?"

"Someone died....my girlfriend, and I didn't get a chance to see her face before she was buried because I fainted. It is very important for me to see her body." Ian told the man.

"What you're asking for is a big deal. Unless her family gives their consent... "The man replied.

Ian shook his head, "No, I cannot do that."

"If I am caught, I might be sent to prison. There are usually security men around this cemetery." The man insisted.

"Just name your price, okay? Alright, let's do it this way. I'll give you ten thousand dollars," Ian said, and the guy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ten thousand?"

"Yes, I'm sure with the ten thousand, you can even settle some of the security men. I'm not doing anything. I just want to see her face. I don't want her family to start going through the trauma and the pain again, so I can't tell them. Do you understand what I mean?" Ian asked desperately.

"Okay, okay, alright. We can't do it during the day, though. It has to be at night." The man finally agreed.

"What time should I come back, then?" Ian asked.

"You can come back by eleven. I'll dig up the grave around that time, and you can see what you want to see. Come with a flashlight too, 'cause we'll make sure everywhere is dark." The man replied.

"Alright, thank you very much," Ian said. He gave him five thousand dollars and added, "This is the initial payment. I'll complete it once I see what I want."

After giving the money, Ian went back home. He sat on his bed, looking at the clock and waiting for the time. He was very anxious.

A part of him was afraid. If it turned out that Kim was dead, he would have to go back to being heartbroken and try his best to move on.

But if she was alive, it was a whole different story. How could that be possible, though? Her mom was there, and her sister was there too. Why would they lie about that? Things did not add up.

He kept looking at the time and waiting until it was a few minutes to eleven. He got up, took a flashlight, and left the house. But his father was in the living room at this point and saw him.

"Where are you going to?" his father asked.

"Sorry Dad, I forgot to tell you. I was invited to an all-night party. You've been saying I should move on. I just want to party with my friends, do you understand?"

His father said, "Normally, I wouldn't agree to this, but as long as it helps you move on, you have my consent. Go have your party and come back first thing in the morning."

"Okay, I'll do just that," he replied.

After speaking to his dad, he hurried out of the house and went to the cemetery. When he got there, he saw the security men and the guy he had paid. They were all waiting for him.

He stood by the grave and watched as the man began to dig.

While the man kept digging, Ian kept looking at the grave, and his mind went back to his final moment with Kim, that morning when he had woken up and realized that she was no longer breathing.

As he recalled it, his eyes became misty and tears began to fall out of his eyes. He turned unable to bear to look. But the man kept digging until he finally struck the coffin.

"I think we have gotten to the coffin now," he said. "I'll be opening it, so get ready so you can see what you want to see. I need to close it afterward."

Ian turned and said, "Hold on, please let me collect my emotions."

His heart was in pain, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

After a while, he collected his emotions and said, "Fine, you can go ahead and open it."

"Something is strange," The man who tried to open the coffin said to him.

"What do you mean?" Ian asked.

"It's been more than a week, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, more than two weeks," Ian replied.

"There should be a weird smell, but none is coming from the grave." The man told him.

Ian thought about it for a moment and urged, "Okay, just go ahead and open it, let me see."

The man opened the coffin, but almost immediately, Ian turned off his flashlight.

"Why did you turn off the light?" The man asked.

"I don't know. I'm really afraid of what I'm going to see." Ian admitted.

The man sighed, "Please, we don't have enough time. We need to get this over with, okay?"

"Alright."

Ian turned on his flashlight but closed his eyes. The man took the flashlight from him, looked at the body in the coffin, and pulled out a chain from its neck.

"Yeah, this is a very beautiful diamond," he said.

When he heard the word "diamond," Ian's eyes opened, and he quickly took the necklace from the man.

As he stared at it, tears fell from his eyes once again and he held the necklace tightly, "I had given her this. This was a gift from me to her. Kim is really gone."

"I think you should see this," the man snapped him out of his grief.

"See what?" Ian turned his attention to the body, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"This is a mannequin," the man said. "Whoever you are looking for, isn't here. My guess is...your girlfriend is alive but someone wants you to believe that she's dead."

Ian could not believe his eyes. He moved closer and touched the mannequin. Yes, the hair looked exactly like Kim's and he could see Kim's dress too, but it was a lifeless object.

He held the toy and shook it, "What?"

He recalled when his dad told him, that Kim's coffin was opened and he, Wendy, and Kim's mom had seen her body before it was lowered into the ground.

Could his dad have lied to him? His father had confidently told him that he saw her face before she was buried.

He went out of the grave and stood in confusion as he felt the world around him spinning.

He stared at the diamond necklace in his hand and asked, "My Kim, where are you?"