Two days passed smoothly, Emily and me bonding all the time. We'd heard nothing from Jethro or any of them.
"They must be real busy." Emily said quietly, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. I nodded, still feeling guilty for being angry with this fragile girl. She put her mug on the coffee table. The scary music started in the film. The killer was getting a knife out of the drawer. Emily hid behind a pillow.
"You're not scared, are you?" I asked, trying to hide my amusement. She nodded behind the pillow. I laughed.
"I'm going to get something to eat." I said, getting up from the chair. "Will you be ok while I'm gone?" I smiled. She nodded quickly, peeking at the TV over the pillow. I walked into the kitchen and over to the fridge. By looking inside at all the foods, I lost my appetite. I wasn't in the mood to eat; I was too worried about Jethro and others. I glanced over to where Emily was watching TV in the other room. I smirked. I crept up behind the couch; I gently reached my hands out, holding my breath so she didn't hear me. Her muscles tense with the suspense of the movie and the pillow pressed tight against her.
"Boo!" I yelled, grabbing her arms. She jumped and screamed, whirling around to face. I found myself doubled over with hysterics. Her face had gone pale white, her breathing quickened, her eyes wide with shock. Then it all faded and anger replaced it.
"Don't do that again!" she shouted, blushing with embarrassment and anger. Her fists clenched as she turned back around to face the TV. I wandered back into the kitchen, still laughing so hard that it hurt. Now I was hungry. I grabbed a packet of crisps from the shelf. And opened them, pouring them into a glass bowl for me and Emily to share. I looked out of the window; just as I did a dark blur shot passed it. I stepped back with shock. Dropping the bowl. It smashed sending crisps and sharp pieces glass everywhere.
"Helena?" Emily's voice drifted in from the other room, panic obvious. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I was frozen to the spot where I stood. Terror bubbling up inside me, I wanted to scream, but my lips wouldn't move. I was stuck, staring out of the window. I heard Emily's gasp behind me as she saw the mess. "Helena?" she asked, hysteria rising in her voice. She shook me, "Helena?" She shook me harder. "Helena? Helena, please. Say something." Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"There was some…something…outside the win…window." I stuttered, my hand finding Emily's, she squeezed it comfortingly, although she herself was panicking.
"What was it?" She seemed to only be able to manage a whisper.
I shook my head, "I don't know." I whispered. I shook my head again clearing my thoughts. I turned to Emily, taking her hands in mine, "It was probably nothing, and I'm tired it was probably my eyes playing tricks on me. Don't worry about it. Go to bed, you look like you need some sleep, I'll clean this up." I said, looking into her eyes and gently wiping her tears away with my thumb.
"I'll help you." She said, looking at the mess on the floor, then back at me.
"No," I said, I kissed her forehead. "To bed." I said it softly but with authority. She glanced at the mess, then nodded in defeat and wandered off to bed.
I found a broom at the side of the fridge and started sweeping up the mess, glancing every now and then to see if something was there. But all I saw was the darkness. I had the strangest feeling of someone or something watching me. I looked around the kitchen, there was nothing there. I looked around the door to the living room, again there was nothing. Then I looked into the dining room, but still nothing. You're getting paranoid, I told myself, calm down and finish sweeping up, there's no one else downstairs but you. I shook my head to clear my mind, and carried on sweeping. Once I'd got rid of all the mess on the floor, I turned off all the lights downstairs and went up to Jethro's room. I collapsed on the bed, exhaustion taking over, but just as I was drifting off to sleep the feeling of someone watching me was back. I looked quickly around the dark room. There was nothing that I could see. But I still couldn't shake the feeling. I pulled the covers up over my head, pretending they offered some kind of protection. I heard a quiet bang, the kind of noise like if someone gently tapped a piece of wood, then silence. I squeezed my eyelids tight together, wishing for this thing, whatever it was, to go away. I then heard the rustling of paper being scattered and a gentle click. Then silence fell upon the room. The air so thick that it felt like it was crushing me. My eyes wide and staring under the covers as I listened. Come on, I told myself, I have to look. Slowly but carefully I pushed the covers back and stared around the room. Nothing. My chest was tight, as I continued to stare around the darkness, just waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. Oh Jethro, I need you, I wailed in my mind, hoping he could hear me but remembering that he no longer could. Then the thought came to me, Jethro!, He left me a phone! I could call him! I reached onto the bedside table, feeling around in the darkness for the phone. It wasn't there. I started to panic. I felt around for the piece of paper Sebastian had given me with the numbers on. It was also gone. I felt my breathing quicken as my hands spread helplessly in the dark searching for the phone. I reached across the bed and turned the lamp on that was on the other bedside table. Then I turned back. My bedside table was empty. My phone and the piece of paper were gone. Oh God, where are they? I searched frantically through the drawers underneath. They were my only ways of contacting them. I got out of bed, running over the computer desk, not there either, I checked in the drawers too. Nothing in the drawers. Maybe yesterdays jeans pocket, I thought, knowing I was wrong because I always kept it on the bedside table, but right now I didn't care I just hoped. I spun around about to run to where my jeans lay thrown across the bed but turned and hit something hard. I looked forward to see what I had hit. All I saw at first was blackness. It was moving. Uh oh, I thought as realisation hit. I looked up to see two bright amber eyes staring down at me. I gasped, stumbling backwards.
"Emily!" I shouted as loud as I could. "Emily, please! Help!" Hopefully my shouts would be loud enough to wake her up. Francis took a step towards me, his grin widening.
"Emily!" I screamed.
"Ella!" I heard Emily's frantic voice on the other side of the door. I heard the door handle rattle but the door didn't open. Francis held up the key for my bedroom door and dangled it in front of my nose. "Ella! What wrong! I can't get in!" Emily was shouting.
"Fran-" a hand was suddenly over my mouth and I was pressed back against Francis's chest.
"Let's not make this any harder, you don't want you friend to get hurt do you?" he whispered menacingly in my ear, "Tell her everything's fine."
"Ella!" She was still shouting.
"It's ok, Emily." I yelled back, my voice breaking at the end. "Just a branch outside my window, sorry, go back to bed."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
There was silence for a long moment as Emily considered what I said this I heard her quiet footsteps drift away down the hallway.
"Good girl." Francis whispered, his lips brushing my ears. "Now sleep." Suddenly I felt blackness close over me. The whole world drifted away. My knees buckled but Francis had hold of me.
My eyes seemed like they didn't want to open. But I managed eventually. I gasped met with a vision of bright white. The walls and the ceiling of the room were white; the floor was wood panelling. The desk and wardrobe were beach colour wood. The bed I was laying on had a white satin bedspread on it and transparent white lace curtains hanging from the roof and surrounding the circular bed. Where am I? I touched the lace curtain tentatively. I lifted the covers; I wasn't wearing any clothes. I rolled over to look out of the window. I gasped. I wasn't alone in this bed. Bright but confused amber eyes stared at me. He's going to kill me, I thought, my heartbeat quickening, Oh Jethro help me.
"Sleep well?" he asked, with a smile. I just stared, unable to most, hardly able to breath. This was it, I didn't get to say goodbye to Jethro. A shadowed line creased his brow when I didn't answer. "Something the matter?" He asked.
"You…you're going to…kill me." I managed to gasp out, badly needing air. The line smoothed and he laughed.
"Not yet, young one." He extended his arms as if he wanted a hug. I scooted away from him. He laughed again. "No need to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, young one."
Psshh, yeah right, I thought shuffling as far away from his as the bed allowed. Quick as a flash I was being pulled on top of him and embraced in what would've been a death grip if it hurt. It felt so wrong to be pressed against him this way, especially when we were both naked. I held back the shudder that wanted to creep down my spine.
"There we go, see," He chuckled, "I'm not that bad, better than hugging an ice cube." I glared at him.
He held me tight against his chest. I listened to his steady heartbeat and not once did the beat falter. I heard a high-pitched melody start playing. It was a very repetitive melody. Before I could do anything Francis had the phone pressed to his ear. Oh my god that's my phone, my thoughts screamed through me as I dove for the phone. Francis was too quick for me, and grabbed me and held me back with his hand over my mouth. I screamed beneath his hand, but it was barely audible.
"Ella? Ella!" Connor's voice was getting more frantic. "Ella, please talk! I have something to tell you!"
"If you value your life you will act like nothing has happened and everything is fine." Francis whispered in my ear. I nodded and he handed me the phone.
"Hello?" I said, almost whispering.
"Ella, what's wrong? Why didn't you talk?" Connor asked, sounding relieved yet angry at the same time.
"Oh, sorry, I dropped the phone and I thought I'd broken it." I lied, hoping he would buy it. He did.
"Oh, ok." He paused as if thinking of what to say, "Ella, I have bad news and please don't hate me for telling you it." My heart leapt to my throat at those words. In my mind I knew what was coming, but my heart just wasn't ready for the blow.
"Jethro's missing." Connor said slowly, "We got chased by some strange thing in the jungle, he split up from us to lead them away. We haven't seen him since."
I felt the phone leave my hand as the blackness closed over me, my heart beating so hard that I felt like it was going to break through my chest and my eyes burning with tears until I could no longer see.
"Thank you for that information, Connor." I heard Francis say. Then I heard Connor shouting from the other end and then a click, then silence as I let my consciousness slip away.
There was an ominous buzzing sound in the blackness, sending shockwaves through me.
"Emma! Emma! Answer the damn phone!" I heard someone yell over the buzzing sound.
"I'm going, I'm going!" I heard another girl yell back. Suddenly the buzzing stopped. All I could hear was this Emma talking.
"Yes, Francis." She said, and then she paused. She must be on a phone, I thought distractedly, already knowing that fact. "Yes she is comfortable."
I suddenly felt the soft, satin material below me. "No I won't let anything happen, she's safe with me for now."
There's something you're forgetting, Ella, I told myself, my brain rummaging through all the files trying to find the correct one. The sound of the door clicking shut distracted me from my thoughts. I was alone; I knew I was. I opened my eyes and gazed around the vast expanse of bedroom in front of me. The walls were a white marble, the bedroom furniture were all painted snow white and the satin bedspread below me an icy blue. Do these people have a fetish for satin or something? I thought as I swung my legs round and hopped out of bed, realising at that very moment, I was naked.
After familiarising myself with the room and after I had found something to wear in one of the wardrobes I sat on the bed and stared at the door. Jethro. The thought occurred instantly. He was gone. Supposedly dead. I felt the twinge of pain, and then it started to grow. I clutched my knees to my chest, trying to make the pain stop but to no avail. I sobbed, pressing my face against my knees. "Why?" I breathed, "Why him?" I felt in it in my heart. I knew he was dead. I let out a cry and sunk onto the floor. My mind was no longer all there. Life seemed empty now. I ran into the bathroom joining my room looking through the drawers and cupboards. There was nothing. I ran back into the bedroom, desperate now. I found a belt in the bottom drawer in the wardrobe. I ran to the window I made a hoop with the belt. Stood up on the chair, put the belt around my neck and tied the other end to the curtain rail. "I love you Jethro. I'll be with you soon." I whispered. The door to the room burst open and I jumped from the chair.