The Book of Emma Brown

Chapter 10

Alex returned to Emma's house after his errands. The haunting words from Janet an hour ago was still rolling around in his mind. How would she even stop him from leaving? Could she really do that?

Before he went out, he tied it securely to the desk and managed to snake down it. Now, he tested the rope again and began his decent up, bags in hand. He found himself having more trouble with climbing that rope than when he first attempted to get through Emma's window.

Harsh light broke through the room indicating it was a little past noon. There was a strong breeze blowing as he stumbled into the bedroom. He could see the room was just as he had left it this late morning. Setting his bags down, he set to work to organize the newly acquired items and hang the bags on the handles of the closets. He folded his T-shirts and jean pants and set them in the corner of the closet.

A sigh escaped his lungs at his finished work. He hadn't spent long organizing and decided to look around the room. He tidied Emma's desk a bit, then moved on to the bookshelf. After inspecting for any interesting literature, he picked up a book which read "Treasure Island." A classic. Alex was satisfied with his choice, and moved to the thin sunspot that covered the wooden floor; but not before he placed his reading glasses atop the bridge of his nose. Sunlight soaked into the top of his head and contrasted to the dark ink on the page. It made the words look darker than before, and as his eyes adjusted, he set off on the first page.

Alex didn't get only but a few pages in before he looked up from the hardcover book to the door of Emma's room. He heard soft footsteps approaching. He listened intently to the pressure on the wood, and determined it most likely wasn't Emma's parents. Given by the time of day and pace of the walk, it had to be Emma. Just in case, Alex stood up and prepared to leap to the closet. The door creaked open and in stepped a tired and awkward red headed girl.

"Hey." She said, and quietly shut the door behind her.

"Hey." He said and watched as Emma dropped her bag onto the floor and Alex sat back down. She trotted to the ladder that lead up to her mattress. With petite hands, she grasped each wooden rung and eventually pulled herself up to the bed. She sighed and laid her head exasperatingly on the pillow. "I hate to be the cliche mom, but how was school?" Alex asked and looked curiously at her.

This made Emma smile and she looked down to him on the floor. "It was fine. My math test didn't go well, but David smiled and waved at me, so I guess that's good." Emma continued to smile a little wider at the memory.

"That's great!" Alex nodded. "Not about your math test, but about David." He stammered.

"I know." She giggled softly. "How was your day? What did you do?" She turned her body now to face him on the ledge.

"I went to the mall and picked up some clothes...and other stuff." He looked back to Emma's closet where his stuff lay in neat piles in the corner. The silver necklace was tucked safely into one of his shirts, but he could see the tiny chain protruding out from the sleeve. A memory of the mall incident flashed back into his mind. "Did you see Janet at school today?"

"No, I thought that was kind of weird. She didn't tell me she would be absent today." Emma paused and looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

Alex looked down to the book for a moment then shut it quietly. "I ran into her at the mall." He chose his next words carefully, "It seemed as though she didn't want us hanging out."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in genuine confusion. "What for?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders. Janet mentioned she had tried to explain to Emma the whole situation before, but it didn't seem to work. He wondered why Emma had been able to vaguely believe him and not her best friend. His thoughts reflected back to Janet's sorrowful expression at the mall. Would he really suffer the same fate? Being trapped in a book for years? Stuck in a loop of desperation, living the same few days over and over again. This is so Groundhog's Day.

The lack of response made Emma flip back over in her bed.

"It's...complicated." Alex stood up from his place on the floor and returned the book to the shelf. He figure Janet should be the one to tell Emma if she wanted to. Plus, he wanted Emma to focus on this date with David, not worrying about her friend.

"Hey," Alex approached the bed. His head just reached the railing and Emma turned once more to look at him, "we have some work to do." He smiled playfully and noticed the slight red tint of Emma's face as she remembered what he was talking about.

"Oh, right, 'practice'." She sat up and brushed the strands of hair out of her face. Once she climbed down, she sighed and looked up at him. "Ok, let's make this quick before my parents get home."