He stared at her in complete amazement. He couldn't take his eyes of her. It had only been a summer since he'd seen her, but now she looked even more beautiful then ever. She was 15 now. Tancred couldn't believe that a few years ago, she'd been just a little girl.
Emma glanced at him, and he turned away, a deep blush spreading across his face. He heard her giggle, then whisper to Olivia, but he didn't hear the exact words.
Olivia approached him as Emma skipped away to her next class. "Just tell her you like her already, Tanc," She advised.
"I can't. She doesn't like me more than a friend, I bet."
"You can't be sure until you tell her," She said complacently.
"I've got classes and school work to worry about, Olivia. I can't worry about this right now." Tancred lied. He was just a chicken. But he would never admit that to Olivia.
"Since when do you worry about classes?"
He shrugged and walked off. It was the last class of the week, and then he would be able to go home. His best friend, Lysander Sage, joined him and they walked to class together.
Just before they entered the classroom, Lysander turned to him and they stopped. "I'm worried about you, Tancred," He admitted.
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since school started, you've been acting weird. Especially lately, mostly when you're around Emma. I've been wondering if you like her."
Tancred shook his head, "She's just my friend."
Lysander observed his face carefully, "You're lying," he finally concluded. He knew Tancred better than Tancred knew himself sometimes. Tancred could tell himself he didn't like Emma that way, but he really did, and everybody could see it.
On the bus ride back to their homes from school, Lysander and Tancred talked with Emma and her friend Jamie, who was one of Emma's best friends. Emma seemed to have a new all around confidence to her that Tancred admired. How had she changed so much over one summer?
"Emma," Tancred said suddenly, "What's happened to you?"
Emma looked taken aback for a moment, but then her face grew grave and she stared down at her hands. "Nothing."
"But last year, you were completely different than you are right now. Why'd you change?" He pestered her.
If only she could tell him….
Luckily, the bus stopped at her bus stop and she stood up quickly, only to get stopped by Tancred.
"Emma, you can tell me,"
Emma took a deep breath and shook her head. "Good-bye, Tancred," She said firmly. The way she said it made Tancred feel like he'd just lost something special.
That night, Tancred got a phone call that turned his world around.
He was in the middle of eating dinner when the phone rang. For a minute he sat there and for some reason, his stomach twisted and his heart pounded nervously.
"Tancred, will you get that for us?" His mother asked.
Tancred nodded and stood to retrieve the phone. "Hello?"
"Tancred, is that you?" Came Jamie's voice. When had she gotten his number?
"Yes," He said cautiously.
"Something horrible has happened. I went over to Emma's house after I got home because I had something of hers and her aunt had told me Emma was in her room. When I went up there, she wasn't there. Her aunt and I searched every nook and cranny of the house, but Emma wasn't there. And she was no where around the bookshop. The police have been looking for her for hours, but they haven't found anything yet." She said in almost one breath.
Tancred was so shocked that he almost dropped the phone. "What?"
"Emma's gone missing, Tancred,"
So Tancred had indeed lost something special. He'd lost the girl he cared about most in the world. The rage filling inside him for not getting that answer from Emma that day about what was wrong with her came out in a raging wind that sent All the plates on the dinner table flying. It was a good thing they were paper.
He stormed up to his room and locked himself in. He absolutely had to find her.
yes, Emma's gone missing. and the only way someone will find her is if i get 4 reviews per chapter. if not, then i'll hold the chapter ransom until i do. so either review, or wonder what's happened to Emma and when her and Tancred will get together.
xoxo, alliey1213 ;p
