Finding Emily

{Chapter 4}

   Becca showed the pictures she found on the internet to her parents, and they contacted the police to get in touch with the boy in the photos and some of the girls who were identified in the comments, but it was a dead end. The girls in the photos were just high school juniors from another school, and the boy said he only met Emily that night. She went to the party, danced and had a few drinks then took some pictures and left. None of the girls knew anything either. They didn't even know Emily's name.

  The police came over to see if Becca might have more information even though she insisted she didn't. They interviewed her and her parents for three long hours, and they said they wanted to talk to their son Steven when he got into town. They also needed to know where everyone was the night of the concert. Becca explained she was at her friend Kyle's house with her group of friends, and she had to give them their phone numbers.

  It was as if Emily and Paige vanished. No one had heard from them. No one had seen them after the Exit 76 show. Becca was kept home from school. She was grateful as she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway, and she wanted to be home in case Emily called or came home. Her parents went down to the police station along with Paige and her family. The police were busy looking up all of their friends, and they even brought in a few people. It was clear that they thought the girls ran off with someone – meaning men, thought Becca. They had a whole list of guys that Emily and Paige were supposedly involved with. Becca didn't recognize most of their names. She didn't even know Emily knew that many people.

   Becca's old life suddenly seemed a million miles away. Worrying about Kyle and Star and boys in World Geography classes seemed so stupid and unimportant now. How could she have been cuddling and making out with Kyle when Emily could be God knows where? She sat on the couch in the den all day, and she answered every call she received just in case they might know something about Emily. Every time her heart sank when she heard the other voice on the line, and it wasn't her sister's. 

   Her parents called a few times, but there wasn't any news except they were going to do a live interview on the local news asking for information, and Paige's family organized people to make flyers. It wasn't until the flyers started to come out that Becca's friends started to call to see what was going on. She heard the panic in their voices, and she felt bad that she told them she couldn't talk, and that she needed to keep the line clear just in case.

  "Do you want me to come over?" Kyle asked when he inevitably called.

  "No, no," she said. 

  "... Are you sure?"

  "Yes," she said sincerely. "I can't... be with someone right now. I'm too stressed out."

  "You should't be alone though. I can't imagine what you guys are going through. I'm so sorry Becs. We're all going out to help search. She's going to turn up. You know Emily. She probably just got carried away and ended up on another road trip."

  She didn't tell him about the strange text messages as the police asked them not to release that information to anyone. She felt so strange. This was not supposed to be happening. She was not supposed to be thinking of withholding information from the 'public' and talking the cops on a regular basis. This was not her life. She closed her eyes and wished this was all over. Emily needed to come back, and things needed to return to normal. She needed her little sister to pounce down on her bed in the morning and ask to borrow this shirt or that lipstick.

  Emily's parents didn't return until four in the morning. They were out looking and making calls. Pat was weeping as she came into the door, and when she saw that Emily still wasn't home she began to sob uncontrollably. She fell to the floor, and her husband hugged her tightly. Becca stood by the stairs and didn't know what to do. She felt so empty inside. She cried herself out earlier, and now she just wanted to hide. She didn't want tomorrow to come. She just wanted Emily back.