I was watching TV when Darry came home. He looked upset about something because when he walked into the house his face had a look of fear.
"Hey Darry what's wrong?" my younger sister Emma said. Darry just looked at her and didn't say anything. " Seriously Darry what's wrong? You look scared."
He still didn't say anything. "Darry," I said, "what happened?"
"It's Ponyboy he and Johnny are gone. They found a soc dead and they think they did it." He said quietly. I looked at Emma she looked like she would kill someone.
" You can't be serious Dar." But he was he just went into his bedroom and closed the door.
I stared at Emma who grabbed her jacket and went running out the door. I didn't follow her because I was worried that Darry might not be all right.
Emma's POVI was so mad I couldn't believe they would actually do something like this. I know Pony and Johnny for like ever. I bet the soc's were asking for it. I knew they were. So I went to the only soc who could do this. Randy.
I found him hanging with his friends trying to pick up girls. "Randy! Oy Randy!" I shouted.
"Well look who it is. It's little miss Emma. I think someone wants to get the ass kicked out of her." He said with a smile. His friends stepped a little closer to me and my face started to go white.
"Randy what the hell did you do?" I shouted. " Why did you have to go after Pony and Johnny?" his friends stepped a little more closer. I knew I wasn't gonna get out of here without a broken arm or something.
"What are you talking about I didn't do anything?" He asked. I knew he was lying but I couldn't do anything about it. He walked up to me and he grabbed my by my arm hard. I could feel my anger rising. He held me tight and he let his friend hit me until I was coughing up blood. He went around to all of his friends and let them take a smack or two at me. By the time they were done I was bloody and broken. I couldn't move they were all laughing and they left. I couldn't move. When I tried I coughed up more blood and it felt like something was eating away at me. I heard running and someone touched my hair.
"It's ok I sent Dally to get your brothers." It was Two-Bit. He always like me everyone liked me I was the youngest one of the group only by a little. I was 13 and Pony was 14. "Can you move?" he asked with a look of concern on his face.
"No." I said softly it hurt to talk. I felt him pick me up and start to carry me. He told me I was really light and some other things but I couldn't hear him cause I passed out.
When I woke up I was lying on my couch in the living room. I couldn't see anyone cause there was a wet clothe on my eyes. I must have had a fever because they wouldn't do that other wise. I reached up to take the cloth off and I winced in pain. My body ached and I couldn't move.
"Darry? Soda? Somebody?" I said quietly. Someone walked over and took the cloth off it was Steve. " Hey Steve." I said. I looked around everyone was there except Pony and Johnny. Darry had his head in his lap. Soda, Dally, and Two-Bit were talking in a whisper in the corner.
Darry lifted up his head and looked at me. " Hey little buddy, how are you feelin?" I just looked at him and then turned my to the door. I couldn't believe that Pony and Johnny were gone. I took it exceptionally hard cause Johnny and me were dating. No one knew but Pony and us. I couldn't tell anyone else cause I knew they wouldn't take it very well.
Soda came over and kneeled on the ground so he was eye level to me. " Hey what happened? Why did you get jumped?" Soda looked at me and at an instant I felt guilty. I was the reason why I got jumped. "Emma talk to us come on we are here to help you." Said Soda. Darry shifted a little in his chair before putting his head once again into his hands.
" I'm sorry!" I said finally well I kind of yelled it. " It was my fault I got jumped. I went to see Randy cause I thought that he might know why or where Johnny and Pony went." I turned away from their shocked faces and started to look at the back of the couch.
Two-Bit walked over to me and put a hand gently on my shoulder, which was a way for me to know I need to look at him. I turned to look at him his face was different from the others. His face was telling me that I did the right thing.
"You could have been killed! You never use your head do you?" Darry shouted. I was then frightened. I always hated when Darry yelled at me. Soda usually stood up for me but I guess he was too shocked to notice. Ding, Ding, Ding, the clock in the room struck 3am. I slowly got off the couch and everyone held their breaths. I walked or rather limped cause I broke my ankle over to Darry.
"Oh like you would care." Then I walked to the door and then down the steps into the dark cold night.
Anyone POVWhen Emma left everyone just stood there and watched her go. Then, Darry got up went to the kitchen and got some water when he came back everyone was still sitting there.
"Great how many times does she want to get jumped tonight?" Darry said after a while. Soda looked up from the ground and just stared at Darry. Darry grabbed his jacket and went to look for her. Everyone but Two-Bit went with him.
"Darry I know she is tough but can't you see she is hurting." Soda said when they left the yard. Darry told him that he was gonna pull her home by her broken ankle when he finds her.
They split up to see if they could find her faster. And at around 5am they quit.
Soda's POVWe came home at around 5 in the morning without Emma. It was a Saturday so she didn't have school. But where could she possibly go I thought.
At around noon Emma finally came home. She looked ok to me but something was not right. She was crying. She didn't say anything when she walked into the living room and she went right to her room. Right after she went into her room I walked after her. I knocked softly and she told me I could come in. She was sitting on her bed and she was crying silently. I have never seen her cry in a long time.
"Hey Emma baby what's wrong?" I asked her when I sat on the edge of her bed.
" I can't take it anymore! Soda can I trust you not to tell Darry what I am about to tell you right now?" she asked me looking like if I told Darry she would hunt me down and kill me.
"Yeah sweet heart I won't tell but you have to tell me what's on your mind." I thought that she was gonna break down.
"I miss them a lot. Well you know I miss Pony cause he's my brother but I miss Johnny too because well I have kind of been dating him for the past 2 months." When she told me this I put a huge smile on my face. I knew she likes Johnny but I never thought they were going out. I couldn't say anything I was just so happy that she found someone. She leaned over to me and gave me a hug and said " I don't know what I would do if they never came back." She cried a little more on my shoulder and then it went silent. I couldn't even hear her breathe.
"Emma are you ok?" she didn't answer me I was a little more worried. "Emma, baby please answer me." I looked down at her she looked like she was sleeping but I knew she wasn't. I left the room to tell Darry that she was home but she passed out.
"Darry," I said as I walked into the kitchen, " Emma came home she is in her room." I told him this and he looked like he was going to have a heart attack.
"Soda is she ok?" he asked me starting to make his way towards Emma's room.
" I don't know. When I came in she was crying and she cried for a little while and then it went silent. I thought she just passed out. She doesn't look good Dar." He walked into her room and I followed. Emma was peacefully lying on her bed. She looked asleep and I thought she was until Darry rushed to her and checked her pulse.
"Soda go get me blankets and some stuff to clean her cuts." He yelled.
"Darry what's wrong with her?" I asked tears coming to my eyes.
"Just go and get me that stuff and hurry!" Darry said as he picked up Emma from the bed and carried her to the couch. I brought Darry the blankets and the cleaning stuff. He took the blankets and wrapped Emma in them. Then, he took the cleaning solution and starting to clean her cuts from the night before. I saw Emma wince when he started to clean her cuts. I took her hand and it was icy cold. I've seen this before. This happened to Chris.
"Darry I know what's wrong. I've seen this before. Check her arms, legs, and her stomach for cuts. One of them is infected." I told him and of course I was right. On her stomach there was a nasty looking cut that looked like it came from a switchblade.
"Soda don't tell please don't tell." She said softly. Darry looked at me and then looked back at Emma. Her face was growing whiter and whiter. "Darry I am so cold." She told him.
" I know baby just hold on your gonna be ok." He told her. Two-Bit came over to the couch and looked at Emma her eyes were open now but you could barely see her face because of all the cuts. Then I noticed that the cut on her stomach wasn't there last night.
"Emma where did you get that cut on your stomach?" I asked hoping for an answer.
"Randy found me last night he was alone but he had a knife and he grabbed me and I tried to run but he cut me and I screamed and he ran off." She said. Then she passed out.
Chapter 2Emma's POV
Over the next couple of days I was to remain on the couch even though I couldn't even walk anyways with my ankle. On Tuesday I got off the couch and took the crutches that Darry brought home I walked into the kitchen when Two-Bit and Steve came in.
"Hello anyone here?" he asked poking his head around the corner.
"I'm in here," I told him. He came into the room and saw me on my feet and ran up to hug me.
"Hey you are on your feet. Finally." He added. I walked back to the couch and I winced because my stomach still hurt. " Didn't Darry tell you, you weren't allowed to get off that couch." He said with a smile.
"I know just don't tell him please?" I asked him. I went to the bathroom to get some aspirin for my ankle. I heard the screen door slam. Uh-oh I thought if it was Darry I was screwed. I walked out of the bathroom to find Soda home from work. "Hey Soda." I said passing him to get to the couch.
"Look at you Emma Curtis your on your feet." He came over to sit on the couch with me and gave me a hug. I looked at the clock it was 8pm I told everyone goodnight and then went to bed. I know Darry will be mad that I am going to my room. But I didn't care.
That night I was sleeping and I had a dream about Pony and Johnny. They were sitting in a dark place and someone came in and stabbed them to death. I was sitting there and I couldn't do anything. I yelled at him to stop but it was too late. Ahhhhhhhhh! I screamed as loud as I could. I started to cry as hard as I could to see if that would make him stop. Then I noticed that there was another person there he was holdin me so I couldn't move he let me go and I ran to Pony and Johnny but it was too late they were gone. I started to cry even harder I tried to tell myself to calm down a little or I will hyperventilate but I couldn't. Then someone grabbed my shoulders I looked back and it was the one who stabbed my brother and my boyfriend. "Why did you kill my brother and my boyfriend?" I asked him. She just shrugged and then pulled out the knife and put it to my throat. He told me he was going to kill me like he did them. He started to pull the knife across my neck and I woke up with a scream. Someone was there I screamed "Darry, Soda help they are gonna kill me!"
"Were here no ones gonna kill you." I heard someone say and in an instant I knew it was Soda. He moved closer to me so I could see his face in the moonlight. He put his arm around me and held me tight. I saw Darry sitting on the edge of the bed he looked tired.
"Soda don't let them get Johnny and Pony please! Don't let them kill them." I cried. He just held me and told me nothing was gonna happen. When I fell asleep I didn't have another moment and I slept till morning. When I got out of bed I grabbed my crutches and went to the kitchen. Darry was sitting at the table reading the paper and Soda was on the couch.
"Hey Emma are you alright this morning?" Soda asked looking away from the TV.
"Yeah I am alright I don't really remember much of last night what happened?" I asked them.
"You just got over being jumped and stuff and started walking again we will tell you later." Soda said looking at Darry. Darry had a concerned face and I knew it was Darry who told Soda not to tell me.
"Darry can I go outside for a while?" I asked him. I was so sick of this house.
"Well I don't know I guess if you stay really close to the house I catch you more than 100 yards of this place your dead got it?" he said. I remember my dream of me yelling about me dying my face turned white.
"Oh sorry I kind of forgot just stay close." Darry said I knew he forgot he wouldn't want to scare me then I already was.
When I got outside I was watching the sun and wondered if I will ever hear from Johnny or Ponyboy. The mailman came and I walked down to the mailbox and found a letter for me but from whom I thought. I opened it and it read:
Dear Emma,
I miss you so much. Me and Pony are fine but I did kill that soc. It wasn't my fault he was drowning Pony and if I didn't stab him they would have found 3 bodies cause they would of killed me too. I want to know what is wrong with you I got a letter from Dally explaining what happened. From what Dally said that you were jumped because you were asking about us. I am so happy that you care for me that much but don't get involved you will get hurt and you can't do that to me. So please tell me you will leave things alone. I can't wait to see you again and hold you but I won't be able to see you soon. They think I killed that soc on purpose and so they will send me to jail. I can't tell you where we are because I don't want to get caught. Write back soon and so I will know that you are all right. I love you so much!!!!!
Love,
Johnny Cade
When I read this letter I felt my heart rip open. I started to cry a little and I guess a little was too much because Soda suddenly came out.
"Sweetie what's wrong?" I couldn't tell him so I gave him the letter. He read it and looked at me. "I am so sorry hun" he hugged me and then went inside. I grabbed his shirt.
"Soda don't tell Darry I don't want him to know please?" I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
"Ok I won't but he will start to worry about you which he already is."