Finding Emily

{Chapter 5}

  Becca and Star started running towards the abandoned Coke bottling factory that was on the edge of town and was a favorite place for people to dump trash and kids to hang out in the large, parking lot that was now just cracked pavement and weeds. It was only a few blocks way from Becca's house. 

  Becca always thought the place was kind of creepy, but Emily loved it and had talked her sister into exploring it one morning. It had been really neat inside. The ceilings were impossibly high, and there were rickety staircases and coke bottles everywhere. They had even taken a few crates home to build Emily a bookshelf. It had been a fun morning even though Becca felt scared at first, but of course Emily made it an adventure. Could she be there? Hiding for some reason? Becca's heart leaped with hope. Why hadn't she thought to look there before?

  There were two police cars and three news vans at the coke bottling factory when the girls arrived. Star said they should keep their distance, but Becca didn't care. She was off like a shot towards the silver jeep. Officer Pace spotted her first and ran to stop her.

  "Whoa Becca, you can't cross the yellow tape."

  The yellow tape was something like she'd seen in a movie. She couldn't believe it was real. What had they found? Was her sister in the car? She felt like she was going to throw up as Officer Pace tried to calm her down and physically had to stop her from continuing her mad sprint to the car. She wanted to look for herself. She had to know what was going on before she lost her mind completely. She had to find her little sister.

  "What did you find?" Becca asked him; breathlessly. "Are they in the car?"

  "No, it's empty," he told her quietly as reporters started to click pictures of Becca and a growing crowd of other people who had showed up at the sight of crime tape and police cars – the gawkers. "We searched the factory and there was nothing there either. We're taking the car back to the lab, and we'll let you guys know what we find. I promise."

  "Just tell me know," she begged him. "Please."

  He looked at her troubled eyes, and she knew he was wrestling with the idea of telling her what he knew. He told her the other day that he had three girls around their age so he knew what this must be doing to them – he couldn't even imagine. His grip on Becca's shoulders tightened.

"Just go home," he finally said; his police training finally kicking in. "We're going to come and see you and your parents later to tell you what we can."

  Officer Pace made Star promise to help Becca home, but the girls stayed along with the gawking crowd and watched as they hauled the car away, and a few officers stayed behind to look for evidence in the surrounding area. Becca and Star decided to join the search. They were at a loss for anything else to do. There was a search party nearby that Thomas and his parents organized so they joined in. 

  Becca was shaking as they looked and ignoring the people who stopped to give her their sympathy. She didn't want sympathy, and she didn't want patience. She wanted to know right this second where Emily was and what happened. Her phone rang four hours in, and it was her parents telling her to get home. They wanted to talk to her. Thomas gave them both a ride home; dropping Star off at her house first and then heading towards Becca's.

  It was as if Thomas didn't know what to say to her anymore. They stayed silent for the most part as he drove down the quiet streets; both of them caked in mud from searching through the ditches and ravines that lined the coke factory. He held her hand though, and that made her feel slightly calmer. She knew she needed to get it together. Freaking out and losing her mind was not going to help Emily. She had to keep her wits about her. Emily would hate to see her sister going off the deep end. Becca was always been Emily's rock, and she would continue to be.