The Book of Emma Brown

Chapter 9

Alex looked at the bags below in his hand. It was a pretty easy shop. He got some clothes for the next couple of days he could wear and some toiletries. As well, he picked out a beautiful but simple necklace of a cloud. It was to the color of pure silver and would hang high on her small neck. He instantly thought of her when he first saw it and thought about giving it to her to wear on the date.

He now stood browsing one of his favorite sections of the store: graphic tees. He could always use a couple more. Besides, what's an adventure without a Pokemon T-shirt? Alex fumbled to fold the shirt up correctly. He set down the imperfect cloth and was about to reach for a Star Wars shirt before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was spun around to meet a familiar face.

"Janet?"

Janet's eyebrows were furrowed with confusion and her jaw was clenched as tight as her fists. She folded her arms across her chest. "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school, man?"

"Uh, I could say the same thing for you." Alex cocked his head accusingly and gave a worried look while taking a tiny step back at her intimidating presence.

Janet took a deep breath. "Dude, I'm a teenager. I skip school occasionally. Is Emma with you?"

"No." He said simply.

"Ah. And what have we here?" Janet reached next to Alex's legs at the whie plastic shopping bags. She dug around inside as Alex attempted to snatch the bag away. "A bunch of practical junk. Why do you have a bunch of clothes and a toothbrush? Don't you have these at home?" She looked up from her search and gave a wolfish smile as if she caught him in the act of something embarrassing.

"I ran out." Alex lied.

"Of clothes?"

"No, I just like to go shopping, okay?" Alex pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No boy likes to go shopping for clothes, especially for socks and pants." She pulled out a pair of crisp white socks and inspected them. "That's what mommies are for." She added.

"Just give me my stuff back, please." He reached for the bags again just as Janet pulled out the silver necklace. It caught the artificial light of the department store and flickered against the wall in the distance.

"And what's this?" Janet asked a little less sarcastically as before.

"Nothing." Alex hastily replied and took a big step forward to retrieve the item, but Janet was quicker and flicked the necklace away from his grasp. In his reach, he breathed in the smell earth and summer's rain wafted up from her clothes. He breathed in the scent of exhaust and metal from her hair as it twirled around her, but no underlying smell of ink or paper.

"A pretty necklace for a pretty lady? I know you're not going to wear this. Who's it for?" She interrogated.

"No one!" Alex circled around Janet as she kept it out of his reach. He could have easily grabbed her arm, but with his temper rising, he was afraid of hurting her in this game she was playing. Plus, it would just add suspicion to why Alex had gone such a length to retrieve the necklace from her.

"It's for Emma isn't it!" Janet took a step back. Alex's heart leaped. "I knew it, you stalker!" Janet replied to the lack of response.

"Look, it's not like that!"

"Then what's it like?" She bantered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Janet scoffed. "Try me."

Alex sighed and ruffled his hair. Janet waited as he hesitated. She would never believe him, or worse case think he's crazy. But Alex found no other way to get her off his back. He needed to get his stuff back and get home, and if telling Janet the truth furthered this conversation, then so be it. "Fine." He paused once more, pinched his nose, and shut his eyes. "I got sucked into a book that is your world and Emma is helping me get out by going on a date with David."

There was a long pause. Alex opened his eyes. Janet's eyebrows lifted and her eyes grew wide.

"Wait a minute. Did you say you got sucked into a book?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I knew you wouldn't believe me." He turned and looked around the store in hopes she would just shrug it off and give the bags back to him for telling the truth.

"No, no, no. That can't be right." She dropped the bags straight onto the tile floor and spun him back around to face her confused and scared face. "You best not be messing with me right now. You got sucked into a book. This book. Correct?"

Alex nodded slower this time. Janet seemed to study his face to find the truth. His eyes were glossed over with confusion at her response, but he was surely telling the truth. Suddenly she grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him to the side of the store.

They were next to a clothes rack towards the back as Janet looked around for anyone nearby. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And this was about a week ago?" She questioned.

"Yesterday, actually. I arrived the day I ran into you guys at lunch. You had a doctor's appointment and got back early."

Janet's eyes widened even more. They seemed like they could pop out of her head any moment.

"What?"

Janet was frozen, just like Emma was, but Janet's expression was coated with extra layers of surprise over the fear. She turned her back to Alex and began mumbling. "No, no this isn't possible. It isn't even fair."

"Isn't fair?" Alex repeated in question and attempted to step closer to her.

Janet's voice grew louder. "It isn't fair that I can be stuck in this book for years and you just show up and leave in a week!"

Now it was Alex who froze. "What did you say?"

Janet sighed, this time exhausted. "I said it's not fair that I've been stuck in here for years, and you get to leave." Her saddened face turned back to Alex.

He spoke slowly. "You've been stuck in this book too? How many days?"

"Five." Janet's voice was barely a whisper. "Years." She broke away from his gaze and stared at the ugly tile below them. Janet had been stuck in this book for years. She was just like him. From the same world and trapped in this book for years. Alex's heart rate picked up as he fathomed the possibility of being stuck in this world for as long as Janet.

Alex cursed, spun around from her and looked around wildly. He couldn't believe it. "How come you never found a way out?"

"You don't think I've tried?!" Janet's voice suddenly snapped. He turned to face her once more and he found her eyes begin to turn glossy and solid with exasperation. "I've done everything! I've tried to tell Emma, I tried talking to the author or reader or someone who could hear me! I even tried to-" her voice cut off from her ramble as she suddenly blanked out. Her eyes wandered around Alex, and he watched them droop slightly, then harden to their natural state. "There's no way out for me. Eventually, I just gave up." Janet took a breath. "That's why you can't leave either."

"What?"

"You think you can get out while I'm still stuck here?" Her voice was low and shaking. Janet looked up at him and Alex noticed the subtle mascara streaks running down her face. "You're not going anywhere. Once you realize that, well, I'll stop trying."

"Stop trying what?" Alex was beginning to get fed up with the confusing words spitting out of Janet's mouth. He never really understood her but she wasn't making this situation any better with her mood.

Janet turned to face Alex. She took a step closer to him and looked him dead in the eyes. "To stop you from escaping this book."