To Save The Lost Thief

Heroes With a Chance of Finding Our Little Thief

I only miss you when I'm breathing
-Jason Derulo
~~~~

Lucas Greene

-January 18, 2017- Same Day  ~Philidelphia, Pennsylvania~

I was moping around the boys' hotel room that I shared with Adam and Jason. I paced back and forth, choking down any sobs I had left. I needed to find Emily, my better half of myself was gone. I wasn't me, I was a broken shattered piece of what I used to be without her. We are somewhere in Philadelphia, slowly getting closer to where we suspect Emily is, without spooking her.

Ping!

My phone buzzed, I perked up, hoping that maybe just this once, Emily was actually trying to text me. I was hoping Emily was actually going to come back.

I opened my phone, a text from my cousin, JJ. I haven't talked to him in a long time, and isn't he in school right now?

JJ to Lucas:
Hey man, sorry to bother you, but there is this girl, Madeline. I really like her, and then she asked me if I knew you. I told her yeah and that you were my cousin. She told me that you guys dated. Is this true, because I want to date her, but not if you have.

Read, 4:37 pm

Lucas to JJ:

Umm, no I haven't dated a girl named Madeline, the only person I have ever dated was a girl named Emily, Emily Carter, but she mysteriously disappeared and I haven't seen her for three months. Can you send me a pic of her?

Read, 4:40 pm

JJ to Lucas: -Link attached-

Yeah, this is her, she actually transferred here about three months ago.

Read, 4:41 pm

Lucas to JJ:

Thx, and don't date her.

Read, 4;43 pm

I didn't have much to go by, but I had a feeling that Madeline was Emily. To me, this all seemed to add up. Yes, she had a different hair color, but her eyes were the same, and she came to that school, around the time that she left us.

I am just getting this gut feeling that Madeline was Emily, and I know it sounds stupid, but we have a location to actually look, now. I'm just glad that we all switched to online school, and we will be able to switch back because one thing is for sure, Emily will not come easily.

"Hey, what's up?" Adam asked as he continued to watch me pace. I am grateful that he didn't ask, 'Are you okay,' to be honest I have heard those three words too many times and it get's old real fast.

"I think we have some sort of lead," I state, grabbing my note book from my bag and writing in the key things that I found out. 1. she slipped asking JJ if he knew me. 2. She also slipped, mentioning that we dated. 3. She has the same eyes as Emily, and lastly 4. She came to JJ's school at about the same time she fled. Those are four key things that lead me to begin to think that Madeline is Emily. "Adam, get the girls, this may be important," I command.

About five minutes later, Adam and the girls, including Lily walk in. They all sit down, Lily and Veronica on the floor across from me, Jason in the chair in the corner of the room. Bianca sitting on the desk chair, Anne on the bed across from me, and Adam stood to the side awkwardly.

"Is this about Emily?" Veronica asks hopefully looking to me pleadingly.

I sigh, "yes, this is about Emily."

"What, what have you found?" Lily was ecstatic now, bouncing from her spot on the floor.

"I think I know where she is," I say, "I have a photo of a person that I suspect that is Emily, although the two girls look very different." I pull out my phone which is then passed around the room. Murmurs erupt, breaking the silence.

"What, who is she?" Veronica.

"Lucas has lost it," Adam.

"They look nothing alike," Anne.

"This must be a trick," Lily.

"I know what you guys are thinking," I say cutting off the murmurs and harsh whispers. "Look at her eyes," I hold up the image, "they look so similar, and the face shape. Her height, you guys can't say that you don't believe any of this." I was desperate, and now I didn't know if this was my real logic or the desperation getting the best of me.

"Well, I can see what you mean, but are you sure because I wouldn't want to travel 500 some miles or so and find out that she has been hiding right under our noses the whole time," Anne spoke out, straying from her usually quiet demeanor.

"Honestly right now, I can't believe you would say that, all I want is Emily back right now that I am willing to try anything," Veronica hissed back her tone full of venom as she softly spoke her harsh words.

"So it is settled," I say, "we will lay low, traveling to Cleveland tomorrow and stop for a few days, fly into Chicago, stay there, then stopping at Chicago, taking a train to Ingleside, Illinois."

We pack our bags, ordering a pizza for dinner. Talking about plans to what ice cream flavor is the best and debating who has the weirdest online programs.

I go to sleep that night dreaming about the weird girl I recently found out exists and wondering if Madeline is really Emily.

We wake up early that morning, preparing to board the last minute plane tickets we scored to Cleveland.

We made it through security, sitting down at our boarding gate. I twiddled my thumbs jumping up when it was announced we could board. We managed to mostly earn spots next to each other, I sat next to Adam, Veronica and Lily sitting two rows diagonally behind us, while Anne earned the terrible fate of having to sit next to Jason at the back of the plane far away from us, well she deserved it after not wanting to pursue after this Madeline girl and find out if she is Emily.

The plane ride was boring, I listened to music the whole time reminiscing my past choices and choosing what I could've done differently hoping that maybe if I had made different choices that I would still have Emily all to myself.

I feel a tap on my arm, that I ignore, when my earbud is rudely pulled out of my ear. "Dude, come on, it has been announced that we could leave for ten minutes now," Adam scolds. I groan getting up and grabbing my bag from the over head compartment.

We meet up at the baggage claim, Lily holding two suitcases, one I am guessing is Veronica's, as I don't see Veronica. Adam went over to the baggage carousel throwing off my suitcase and grabbing his duffel bag.

We wait for Jason who runs over panting, "sorry, I..got caught up at guest services to get the rental cars, there was so many people!"

"Come on, let's go," I say waving the others on, as Jason led us to where we would get our rental cars, one for the girls and one for us guys.

I sighed liking out the back window once we were in the car, as I contemplated life. I stared out the window, looking on to the highway as we pulled up to our hotel where we would stay the night. One of the perks of having rich parents, I thought as I gave the desk lady my credit card.

I walked into the room, flipping onto the bed, hoping for once I would be able to sleep through the night with out thinking about Emily.