The weekend passed, but there was no sign of Emma. Everybody searched the city for her. They were all disappointed when the bird girl didn't show up.

"How could this have happened? Do you think she was kidnapped?" Tancred wondered while he walked down the streets near the Cathedral with Lysander.

"She was in her room when she left, and according to what Jamie told me earlier, her window was open. My guess is she flew out."

"But why would she leave? She was so happy here."

Lysander stopped and turned to his best friend. "Tancred, you can't judge a book by a cover," he said, using one of Emma's favorite phrases, "Maybe she was just pretending to be happy. Maybe there was more going on with Emma than we thought."

Tancred was silent for a while as he processed this. So Emma maybe had purposely run away. Had she been planning it? Was that why she was acting so weird? So confident?

Suddenly, Tancred got the feeling that he was being watched, but he looked around and saw no one looking his way. He walked on, but the feeling nagged him for a while, and then vanished. Strange.

"This search isn't going anywhere," Lysander concluded after a while longer. "I think we should head home,"

Tancred nodded and they headed towards the heights, and to their houses.

His parents were sitting in the living room, both with worried expressions on their faces. Once Tancred came into the room, they turned hopeful.

"Did you find her, dear?" His mother wondered.

Tancred shook his head and headed up to his room. He bit his bottom lip to get over the surge of rage running through his body, but it didn't work. The room was a total disaster in only moments. He sat on the mattress that was sitting on the floor and stared down at his hands.

He scanned the room and noticed that lying in the middle of the floor lay an envelope he'd never seen before. He looked at it curiously, then approached it and opened it cautiously.

Two pieces of paper fell out. One was lined paper, and the other was drawing paper. He unfolded both of them.

Tancred,
As you know, I have gone away. I wanted to say good-bye. I may never see you again. Trust me, I wanted to stay, but I have to go, and I have my reasons. You and everybody keep yourselves safe. If you try to find me, horrible things will happen.
Take care,
Emma

He stared at it for a few moments and took it in. So Emma had left at her own will, but had been forced. He wondered even more what had happened to the girl he knew. The Emma he'd known before the school year started was so different. He had to find her, and he didn't care what horrible things happened. He would die to find her.

Next, he grabbed the drawing paper and unfolded it. On the paper was a picture of a tollroc with golden rays of sun hitting its outstretched wings. On the bottom were the words "just let me go" scrawled in Emma's perfect writing.

Tancred clenched his fist. He couldn't let her go. It was impossible for someone like Tancred, who was as stubborn as a mule, and Emma knew that. Was she really doing this? Was she messing with his head? She knew that Tancred wouldn't give up until he found her, no matter if there's silly notes and pictures telling him not to.

He hurried to Lysander's house to show him the drawing and the note. Lysander was a little shocked, but all in all, he seemed sort of pleased. "At least she's still thinking of us,"

Tancred nodded, "But Lysander, we can't stop searching for her. No matter what that note says,"

Lysander thought that they should follow the warning, but the look on his friends face made him think otherwise. "We'll search until we find her." He promised.

Tancred grinned broadly. They had to find Emma, absolutely had to.

sorry its so short, but its all that i could think of for this chapter. please review! remember, at least 4 reviews.

xoxo, alliey1213