Emma hugged her journal to her chest, as she hastily rushed out of her house towards Caffe Florian. After school, it had become a tendency of hers to visit her favorite cafe for a cup of coffee. However, today, she needed to express the emotional turmoil she was experiencing on paper, otherwise she might explode.

Approaching Florinda at the counter, she promptly began to examine the different desserts on display before purchasing a gourmet chocolate cupcake with a generous dollop of frosting on top.

"A latte with cream, as usual?" Florinda asked perkily.

Emma sighed, "You know it."

After Florinda handed her a steaming mug and a cupcake, Emma chose a seat near the corner of the shop and immersed herself in her surroundings. The fragrant aromas of chocolate and cinnamon emanated from the back of the shop, providing a nice atmosphere for the customers. Breathing in, Emma took a sip of her latte, picked up her pen, and began to write in her journal.

Before leaving the Gold Coast, Emma had used her savings to buy a journal to record her thoughts about the different countries she would visit. Her journal was already ¾ full, with notes on the architecture and natural beauty of the places she had resided in. It was her sacred possession, a way of recollection if she wanted to live through those memories again. Today, her journal was her stronghold to protect her thoughts and secrets.

Letting her mind brood over her thoughts, she began to furiously scribble down anything that popped up. She wrote about her happiness and excitement when she first left the Gold Coast; the thrill of traveling the world and immersing herself in different cultures was exhilarating. After two years passed though, a terrible, agonizing feeling began to consume her. At first, she couldn't identify it, but she realized it was homesickness. The Gold Coast was truly her home. She would never discover another place where she could truly fit in. She missed the Marine Park, she missed her friends, and most of all, she missed swimming through the waters with her friends. Swimming pleasantly through the waters was so liberating, as she admired the beauty of the ocean world, from the bright, colorful corals to the playful sea creatures. She missed everything about the Gold Coast. Some nights, she even wished that her parents hadn't decided to take up the opportunity to travel the world…

"What's this?" a voice drawled abruptly.

"Huh?" Emma gasped, as she just realized her journal was stolen by a dark-haired girl with piercing eyes.

Cackling, Alessandra gestured to what Emma had written in her journal to her two airheaded minions, and simpered, "Someone misses her friends!"

Siena responded, laughing hysterically, "What a loser!"

"Go away, Alessandra," Emma said, tears threatening to spring from her eyes. A year ago, when she moved to Venice, Alessandra had offered her friendship to Emma, only as a means to twist everything Emma said into something ridiculous and spread rumors about her. Like a fool, Emma thought it was all a misunderstanding before Alessandra locked her in a closet as a prank at school. The janitor had to come to get her out of the dark, rat-infested room.

"Aww… Would you look at that! She's crying!" Carina added, doubling over and

laughing.

No longer able to deal with her bullies, Emma ran out of the cafe, sobbing. It was a good thing no one was home at the moment. Her brother was at a friend's house and her parents were both at work. She didn't want anyone to witness her vulnerable state currently. As soon as she entered her house, she locked the front door and hurtled up the stairs. Arriving at her bedroom, she slammed the door shut and collapsed on her bed, crying.

"I can't do this… I can't do this…" Emma whispered, as tears fell onto her bedsheets.

After sobbing for a few minutes, realization struck and she looked around her room. Remembering the shell she had somehow received from her visit to the "dream world," as she liked to call it, she walked up to her desk and picked it up. She turned it around in her hand, trying to grasp the general idea of how the shell worked. Ms. Chatham had said that it would somehow resolve her heartache, but how?
Deciding to go with her instincts, Emma muttered, "I wish I could go back to the Gold Coast."
In an instant, she vanished, leaving no trace behind.