Emma shut the door to her dorm room and peered along the corridor. There
was no one in sight. She tiptoed to the staircase and jogged down it as
queitly as she could. It was only nine pm so no one was sleeping yet. Most
of them had gone to the Pat's birthday party. The whole building had been
invited but she didn't know Pat so she didn't mind missing the party to
search for Mary. Something was terribly wrong - of that Emma was certain,
but she didn't want to overreact just yet. There was no point telling
anyone, they'd probably think she was mad. If she didn't find anything
tonight - she'd think she was mad.
*
"Brennan? Can you hear me?" Adam asked Brennan.
Brennan spoke to his comlink, "Yeah, I can hear you Adam."
"What happened?"
"I only arrived here about an hour ago. There weren't many people around outside the building where Kristin's dorm is. One of them said its someone's birthday so everyone is going to the party."
"Any sigh of Mary?"
"Not really. I've seen two girls matching the basic description but up close they're definately not her."
"Right. Well, Brennan, just look around outside for some sort of clue. Maybe a bit later try and see if you can belnd in at that party and look around."
"Okay, Adam," Brennan said. He heard them cut the conversation off and so put his arm down and walked through the fields. Brennan saw a boys standing in front of him. He towered over Brennan and resembled a bouncer or boxer rather than a university student.
"What are you doing here?" one demanded.
"Me? Oh...I was just headed to the dorms, don't mind me." When he glared at him Brennan started, "Um, am I in your way or something?"
"You shouldn't just be hanging round here with no business."
"I-I do have business. I do. In fact..."
"Tony!" a girlish voice squealed. Brennan turned his head to his left and saw a girl with shoulder-length brow hair in a tracksuit coming towards them. "Hey Tony!" she siad.
"Hello Emma," the tall boy said.
"So, Tony I see you already met my friend..." she gestured to Brennan and mouthed - so Tony wouldn't see - 'What's your name?'
'Brennan,' he mouthed back.
"...Brennan!" she finished. "I can't believe you got lost out here. I gave you totally presice directions," she said and held his arm.
"Well," he told her "I think I just got took one wrong turn, and then you know, the whole thing goes haywire."
'Well, doesn't matter, see you later Tony," she waved and dragged Brennan with her as she skipped while he walked next to her.
Once they were away from Tony Brennan asked, "Um, who are you?"
"Emma DeLauro. And you are Brennan."
"Brennan Mulwray. Can I ask why you did that back there?"
Emma smiled. "Because you were about to get beaten up by Tony. And I know what you were looking for." This shocked Brennan. "How do you know Mary? Or is it Kristin?"
"Well...I..." Brennan hadn't worked out his cover and wasn't sure what to say.
"Secret agent or something?"
"Sort of..."
"Strange. You don't seem the type to be an evil secret agent."
"Oh, I'm not," he said. "Evil. Or a real secret agent. I just sort of work with this guy."
"And he's a secret agent?"
"No. We - there's four of us - just help people."
"For free? There ain't enough of that round here. Cool. Well, I didn't find any clues here -"
"Wait," Brennan said. "Why were you looking for clues?"
"Kristin and Mary were sort of friends."
"Mary's missing now too?"
"Maybe," Emma said. She looked at the building in front of them and said, "You got an invite?"
"Invite? To what?" Brennan wanted to know.
"The party. Potential clues lie there, you know. It's invites only."
"Well, then I don't have a chance of getting in."
Emma smiled. "Of course you do. I can bring a guest, so then you can come with me."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I want to find out what's going on, and I think you can help me. Come on," Emma said and took him with her inside the building.
*
"Brennan? Can you hear me?" Adam asked Brennan.
Brennan spoke to his comlink, "Yeah, I can hear you Adam."
"What happened?"
"I only arrived here about an hour ago. There weren't many people around outside the building where Kristin's dorm is. One of them said its someone's birthday so everyone is going to the party."
"Any sigh of Mary?"
"Not really. I've seen two girls matching the basic description but up close they're definately not her."
"Right. Well, Brennan, just look around outside for some sort of clue. Maybe a bit later try and see if you can belnd in at that party and look around."
"Okay, Adam," Brennan said. He heard them cut the conversation off and so put his arm down and walked through the fields. Brennan saw a boys standing in front of him. He towered over Brennan and resembled a bouncer or boxer rather than a university student.
"What are you doing here?" one demanded.
"Me? Oh...I was just headed to the dorms, don't mind me." When he glared at him Brennan started, "Um, am I in your way or something?"
"You shouldn't just be hanging round here with no business."
"I-I do have business. I do. In fact..."
"Tony!" a girlish voice squealed. Brennan turned his head to his left and saw a girl with shoulder-length brow hair in a tracksuit coming towards them. "Hey Tony!" she siad.
"Hello Emma," the tall boy said.
"So, Tony I see you already met my friend..." she gestured to Brennan and mouthed - so Tony wouldn't see - 'What's your name?'
'Brennan,' he mouthed back.
"...Brennan!" she finished. "I can't believe you got lost out here. I gave you totally presice directions," she said and held his arm.
"Well," he told her "I think I just got took one wrong turn, and then you know, the whole thing goes haywire."
'Well, doesn't matter, see you later Tony," she waved and dragged Brennan with her as she skipped while he walked next to her.
Once they were away from Tony Brennan asked, "Um, who are you?"
"Emma DeLauro. And you are Brennan."
"Brennan Mulwray. Can I ask why you did that back there?"
Emma smiled. "Because you were about to get beaten up by Tony. And I know what you were looking for." This shocked Brennan. "How do you know Mary? Or is it Kristin?"
"Well...I..." Brennan hadn't worked out his cover and wasn't sure what to say.
"Secret agent or something?"
"Sort of..."
"Strange. You don't seem the type to be an evil secret agent."
"Oh, I'm not," he said. "Evil. Or a real secret agent. I just sort of work with this guy."
"And he's a secret agent?"
"No. We - there's four of us - just help people."
"For free? There ain't enough of that round here. Cool. Well, I didn't find any clues here -"
"Wait," Brennan said. "Why were you looking for clues?"
"Kristin and Mary were sort of friends."
"Mary's missing now too?"
"Maybe," Emma said. She looked at the building in front of them and said, "You got an invite?"
"Invite? To what?" Brennan wanted to know.
"The party. Potential clues lie there, you know. It's invites only."
"Well, then I don't have a chance of getting in."
Emma smiled. "Of course you do. I can bring a guest, so then you can come with me."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I want to find out what's going on, and I think you can help me. Come on," Emma said and took him with her inside the building.