"I say, where is June?" Mrs. Johns looked around the table. Everyone else was there, even Moira, who had grudgingly agreed to come down to breakfast after much pestering from her stepfather and was pretending to be invested in her book. She had been quiet and distraught ever since yesterday.
"Probably sulking somewhere," suggested Alicia. "It's a nice change without her, don't you think? Much quieter."
Betty snickered in response. Mrs. Johns frowned at her.
"Do stop that, Alicia. Bridget, why don't you go and tell her to come down?"
"She wasn't in our room when I woke up," noted Bridget. "I thought she already came downstairs."
"That's quite odd," noted Mrs. Johns with a frown. "Go check again. Maybe she came and then went back to her room."
As Bridget obligingly left, the others recommenced their conversations. They were rather quiet that morning, not wanting the adults to know about the newspapers published yesterday. John had once tried to tell his aunt and uncle about the topic of the story regarding Alicia and Betty, but was silenced by withering glares from them. Moira had yet to touch a single item of food on her plate or look up from her book.
Bridget returned. "I couldn't find her."
"That is very odd," noted Mr. Johns. "She was there last night, right?"
"Yes. I'm certain," replied Bridget.
"How about the rest of you?" asked Mrs. Johns desperately. "Have you seen June this morning?"
Everyone at the table said they hadn't seen her, even though they all knew she had been there last night.
"I know what she's doing," said Alicia. "The little wretch is hiding somewhere, trying to make us feel bad for her."
Mrs. Johns was too distressed to scold her. "Let me check." She got out of her seat and headed out of the room.
"You're probably right, Alicia," Betty whispered to her friend once Mrs. Johns left. "She's probably hiding somewhere, sulking after yesterday."
"I still can't believe the little beast would post that story about us," Alicia replied, though she kind of could. It was probably revenge for publishing that article about her love poem to George. At least that couldn't get her in serious trouble. "Do you think they'll find out?"
June had severely embellished it, too. Alicia would never become some mindless drunk or smoking addict at the age of seventeen. She was merely trying to see what it was like. The alcohol was fine, if a bit strong and hard to get used to, but the cigarettes were vile. Alicia couldn't understand how people could get addicted to them, and she had barely tried any. But the way the article talked about it, you'd think they'd been getting completely drunk.
"Not if we keep our mouths shut," Betty whispered back.
When Mrs. Johns returned, June wasn't with her. "I checked all the rooms, and she wasn't there," she reported, looking worried.
"Let's finish breakfast," suggested Mr. Johns. "She'll probably show up by then."
The rest of breakfast went normally, though Bridget looked disappointed by the disappearance of her friend.
"Ah, peace and quiet," sighed Alicia. "I can't remember the last time breakfast was this peaceful. June should go missing more often."
"Agreed," said Betty. "But it's less fun without her to tease as well."
When breakfast was finished, June still hadn't returned. Mrs. Johns, panicked, made everyone search the house for her.
"She's probably too scared to show her face after what she did yesterday," remarked Alicia as she entered her and Betty's room.
"How did she find out what we were doing, anyway?" asked Betty. "I can't even remember the hour I was awake at."
"Probably spying on us," replied Alicia. The room was empty. "She was spying on me earlier as well. Probably trying to figure out something to post in the newspaper about me."
When they returned to the living room, no one had seen her. "This is really odd," declared Mrs. Johns, frowning. "She's nowhere in the house.
"Maybe she went to the stables," suggested Betty suddenly.
She perked up. "Yes, of course. She probably went to check on her horse." She left through the front door to check the stables.
When she returned, June still wasn't with her. "Where could she have gone?" Mrs. Johns starting wringing her hands in her dress, the way she always did when she was nervous.
"Maybe she's gone to the village," suggested Alicia, though she seriously doubted she would after the newspaper article published yesterday.
Mrs. Johns looked relieved. "Yes, good idea, Alicia. I'll go."
"No," said Mr. Johns. "She'll come back herself later. It's not the first time she's run off there."
"Well, when she gets back, she's in for a lecture," quipped Mrs. Johns, though she had seemed to calm down slightly.
About two hours later, June still hadn't returned. Bridget went into town with Mr. and Mrs. Johns to look for her.
"June going missing is the best thing she's done," Alicia told Betty as they were playing Monopoly with Sam. "It's much nicer without her."
"And quieter," added Betty as she moved her figurine.
"Well, I don't particularly want to see her after what she did yesterday," declared Sam. "Publishing that poem about Moira..."
Of course, Betty's jealousy flared up. "Oh, of course, how dare she hurt dear darling Moira. But you thought it was funny when she shaved my eyebrows off!"
Sam groaned as he rolled the dice. "Oh, good grief, Betty. That was ages ago."
Alicia shook her head in amusement. Betty really could get overly jealous over her brother.
"Speaking of Moira, she seems to be losing it," she said. "I can't blame her, after that article. I bet she's happier than anyone that June's gone." She almost felt bad for the girl, having a secret like that revealed.
"Well, it was worse what she published about us," declared Betty. "We're in for it if our parents read that article. I still can't believe she found out."
"My parents, I mean," noted Alicia glumly. "Yours aren't here."
"Well, I'm glad that article didn't mention me," said Sam.
Alicia glared at him. "If our parents find out, you have to admit you were the ones encouraging us. It's not fair for us to get in trouble and not you."
"Okay, okay," conceded Sam. "But I hope they won't find out."
"Of course June wouldn't tell on you," quipped Alicia.
"Seriously, where is she?" asked Sam. "I don't really want to see her, but I'm getting a bit worried."
"Maybe she's staying at Jeremy and Abigail's house," suggested Betty.
Sam shook his head. "No. Jeremy was mad at her too."
Suddenly, Mrs. Johns burst in, panting and looking frantic.
"I went into town to look for June, and I couldn't find her anywhere," she reported breathlessly, wringing her dress in her hands. "I checked all the shops, and asked some people. They said they hadn't seen her." Alicia was a bit surprised to hear that. June must really not want to be found. "Can you come into the village with me and help look for her again?"
"What's the point if you haven't seen her?" Alicia replied flippantly.
"It might be easier if you help me," her mother said.
Just then, Jeremy and Abigail came into the room, to Alicia's surprise. They both looked worried, though Abigail more so than Jeremy.
"Where's June?" Jeremy asked them. "I heard she's been missing since the morning."
"Thanks again for helping me search for her," Mrs. Johns told him and Abigail. "It was so nice of you. You must be good friends with June."
"Well, we had to help after finding out she was missing," said Abigail, though Jeremy rolled his eyes.
"We haven't seen her yet," Sam told the twins. "We thought you might."
"We haven't," said Jeremy.
Mrs. Johns' brow furrowed. "This is really odd. Where could she have gone?"
Bridget came by then, looking as if she'd been crying. "We have to find her! It's so lonely without her." Alicia felt a little bad for her. She knew how close she was to June.
"Don't worry, dear, we will," Mrs. Johns assured her. "Alicia, Sam, Betty, why don't you come into town with us again?"
"But we're having such a nice game of Monopoly," Alicia protested.
"Come on." Mrs. Johns left the room, not leaving room for argument.
"You really haven't seen her?" Jeremy asked them.
"We thought she was hiding somewhere to guilt trip us after that stunt she pulled yesterday," replied Alicia. "She probably is."
"Well, let's go search again," said Bridget. "I couldn't see her anywhere in town."
"Neither could we," added Jeremy. "We helped search for her after hearing she was missing."
"I thought you were mad at her," noted Sam.
"Well, yes... but I'm still curious where she is."
"So am I," admitted Betty. "If she's hiding somewhere, it has to be a really good place."
Soon they were all in town again, trying to look for her. Alicia found her mother was right. She was nowhere to be seen. Not at the grocery shop, not at the butcher's, not at the bookstore, not at the clothes store, not on the streets, not even in one of the public restrooms. As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to worry. What if her cousin really was hurt? What if she had been kidnapped?
No, that was ridiculous, she told herself. June was probably just being dramatic again, trying to worry them. Well, it was working.
Alicia noticed two girls, Harriet Blake and Gretchen Stock, glare at her as she searched for June. They were obviously jealous she had asked Peter out on a date before they had the chance to. Honestly, she wasn't the least bit interested in him, but she just wanted to prove to June he had a thing for her. After going on a date, she had realised he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. In fact, he could give June's friend Bridget a run for her money. She said they should just be friends, and he had been disappointed, but agreed. At least he was a decent person.
Suddenly, it started to rain, causing everyone in town to seek shelter. Alicia and the others took cover in front of the grocery store, which had something overhead to shield the rain from them. None of them had found June.
Jeremy frantically shook his head, trying to shake out the water. He hated getting his hair wet, but stopped worrying about that quickly, seeming more concerned about June. Alicia's mother was pacing, her hands white as she clutched her dress. Alicia's father was trying to comfort her with little success. Bridget and Abigail had grown quiet, and Sam was biting his lip, his face pale. Alicia hated to admit she was starting to feel just a little worried as well.
"Don't laugh," Betty told Alicia, "but I'm getting a bit worried about June."
"Me too," admitted Alicia.
They waited for the rain to calm down so they could walk home, but it didn't seem to be subsiding any time soon. They had to walk through the downpour to get back to the house. By then, it was almost afternoon. Everyone in the house rushed to ask if they had found June, seeming frantic and worried themselves. They were all talking rapidly, asking about June. They were surprised when they found out she was still missing.
"We couldn't find her anywhere in the house," reported George. Usually Alicia would've teased him about his relationship with June, but she was too worried to.
"We went out to search for her in the countryside, but we couldn't find her there," added Matt. "What if something really bad happened to her?"
Tommy was crying quietly, tears dripping down his cheeks. "Is... is June okay?"
Mrs. Johns pulled him into a hug. "I'm sure she's fine, dear. We just haven't found her."
"Well we can't look for her now," noted Alicia. "It's raining."
"Yes we can!" Sam insisted suddenly. "We have to find her." He ran outside again.
"Come back!" Betty called after him, heading after him. "Where are you going?"
Mrs. Johns didn't seem to notice. She started pacing the room, burying her head in her hands. "Where could she be?"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Johns," said Moira, to Alicia's surprise. She seemed worried as well.
Suddenly, Abigail burst into tears. Jeremy turned to her, startled, placing a hand on her arm. "It's alright, Abbs."
"No it's not!" she insisted frantically. "If you hadn't been so mean to her, she wouldn't have left!"
"What?" Jeremy repeated incredulously. "She's the one who—"
"And now I'll never see her again! My only real friend!" Her sobbing halted, but tears still ran down her cheeks as she glared at Jeremy.
Despite the situation, Alicia couldn't help smirking. She knew Abigail was trying to guilt trip Jeremy for getting mad at her and June for publishing that article. Still, she knew her distress about June going missing was real. She probably couldn't fake tears like that.
"Alright, I'm sorry!" Jeremy awkwardly patted her arm.
Just then, Sam and Betty came back, both of them dripping wet again. "I had an idea," reported Sam. "We can use the horses to find June."
"But there's not enough of them for all of us," noted George.
"Yes, but it's better than walking out in the rain."
"Good idea," praised Mr. Johns. "But you'll have to go once you've dried yourselves off."
"What's the point?" asked Betty. "We'll just get wet again."
"I'll go!" insisted Bridget. "June's my friend. I have to find her."
"No, dear," protested Mrs. Johns. "Be a good little girl and stay here with Tommy. He needs someone to comfort him." It was true. The little boy was crying again, worried about his sister.
Bridget huffed. "So just because I'm a girl, I can't go?" Alicia rolled her eyes. She knew Bridget wasn't too bright.
"I'll stay," announced Moira, in a kind voice Alicia didn't think she was capable of using. "Don't worry, Mrs. Johns. I'm sure June will be found."
Mrs. Johns smiled slightly. "Thank you, Moira. You're a dear."
"Well? What are we waiting for?" demanded Sam, already running outside again. "Let's go!"
"It's okay, Mrs. Johns," soothed Moira. "They'll find her."
Mrs. Johns dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "I just can't stop worrying. What if something horrible happened to her?"
"I'll make you another cup of tea," offered Moira.
She smiled slightly. "Thank you, dear. You've been such a help."
Moira headed into the kitchen. As much as she hated to admit it, she was worried about June as well. She hardly liked the girl, but she didn't want to find out she had died or gotten kidnapped. Her sister Bridget had wanted to go out to find June too, but was told to stay at home. Moira felt bad for her. She knew her sister was good friends with June.
She returned to the living room, handing Mrs. Johns the tea. She had been a mess ever since June had gone missing. She had probably just run away, trying to guilt everyone after that article she had published the other day. Moira still hadn't gotten over it. It was her greatest secret, and now everyone in the village knew.
Suddenly, Tommy came into the living room, looking as if he had been crying. Moira felt sorry for the little boy. If her sister had gone missing... despite how much they argued, she'd be even more worried about her.
"Is June back yet?" he asked tearfully.
"I'm afraid not, dear," said Mrs. Johns sadly. Then Bridget came in, looking equally forlorn.
"You should've let me go out to look for her!" she declared.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Johns looked up with hope, and wasn't disappointed when the front door opened and Alicia entered with a very annoyed and potentially ill June with her. Mrs. Johns started scolding and comforting June at the same time, clearly relieved to see her. Moira let out a sigh of relief. She was glad nothing had happened to the girl, as annoying as she was. Bridget immediately ran up to her, and her, Mrs. Johns, and Alicia started talking at the same time.
There weren't enough horses for everyone, but some people volunteered to come even if they had to walk. Alicia couldn't help the worry that filled her as she guided her horse, the rain pouring down on her. What if June really had gotten hurt? What if no one ever found her?
She couldn't quite understand the worry she felt for her cousin, but she couldn't help it. Despite how much she teased her, she didn't hate her or want her dead. Well, when she found her, she'd give her the scolding of a lifetime for running off like that.
The rain made it difficult to see. She kept her head down, hoping the horse knew where he was going. Finally, the rain subsided, though it was still pouring a little. She looked up to see a forest in the distance. She was about to head back when the idea struck her. June wouldn't be stupid enough to go into a forest, would she? Then again, this was June.
She dismounted the horse and entered the forest, where darkness encompassed her. She took out the torchlight she had brought that was thankfully dry. As she walked through, she saw nothing but an expanse of trees and snow covering the ground. She supposed it must've snowed there along with the rain. She was about to give up and head back when she saw it. A figure lying under a tree, in the snow.
She ran over and, to both her relief and anger, saw it was June. She was asleep, her back slumped against the tree and her legs on the snow. She was muttering to herself, though Alicia didn't pay attention. She immediately started shaking her cousin, yelling with more than a little annoyance for her to wake up. She kept muttering in her sleep, about someone called Bimbo. When she woke up, she was confused, and then horrified to see Alicia. Apparently she had been having a dream about a snowman she had created.
Alicia forced her to come home, complaining all the way. She had every right to, after everything June had put everyone through. She wailed about how everyone hated her and was happy when she left, and Alicia assured her nobody hated her with more than a little annoyance and plenty of insults. She admited she didn't hate her either, though she didn't know why. She was glad to have her back, if only because it meant she could keep teasing her.
I liked how Alicia admitted she didn't hate June when she ran away and talked about how worried everyone was. Then she immediately goes back to teasing her. She's such a typical older sibling/cousin.