Hide and Seek 3: The Last Game

Chapter 11: Emily's Return

Without another warning, someone entered Mickiyah's room and quickly shut the door. A girl our height, however she looked a little older. Older like she had seen things she wasn't supposed to and it aged her. Her black strands of hair were knotted in some places. Eye bags that revealed her lack of sleep. She wore workout sweat pants and white stained hoody that were filthy and covered in grass stains and dirt.

She finally made eye contact with me, and from that stare down alone, I knew who she was.

Emily.

"Oh my God," were the only words to come out of my mouth. Mickiyah must've thought what I was thinking because her jaw dropped as well.

Emily locked the door, listened for something one more time then locked right at us with the most disappointed face. Her gaze between Mickiyah and I. "Guess you two decided to play games with the unseen?"

I couldn't believe it. Still in shock, I swallowed. "I think we awoken The Harmon's."

"Oh, so you do know who I am," Emily smirked. "And to think I just make it out of that hell hole. But no, we want to wake up the demons. Do you two know what you've done? I'd rather go back to group therapy and rehab then deal with this again."

"Rehab?" Mickiyah stepped forward. "How did you know to come here?"

"Helena told me," Emily walked over to the bed and sat down. She smelled like complete garbage. For a second I thought about asking her for proof of who she was. This could've been anyone! This isn't the Emily I thought I would meet.

"I had a dream that someone let Mr. Harmon out," she continued. "And Helena somehow led me here. I don't know everything, but I do know he's out again. So let me make one thing very clear..."

She paused and looked at us hard. "Who has it? Who has The Book?"

I quickly looked over at Mickiyah. "Where's that book I gave you?"

"Oh, good it's here?" Emily stepped in front of me. I smelled her dank breath. "Did you read it? Did you understand it?"

"No, I gave it to her," I quickly said.

"Where is the book?" Emily asked me again.

I looked at Mickiyah. "Hey, a little help. Where's the book I gave you?"

Emily began looking around, examining the pictures on the wall slowly. Mickiyah remained quiet, looking at Emily. There was tension. My gaze switched between Mickiyah and Emily. I saw the two of them exchange glances as well.

"No answer..." Emily nodded. She walked over towards me and without warning, slowly took me by the hand and before I knew it, yanked me towards he door. She opened it and ran, with me about to trip behind.

"What are you doing!" I yelled at her.

The two of us tumbled down the stairs. Emily fell on her back. "I'm too old for this," she rubbed her back.

Ignoring her, I struggled to get up myself. I caught a glimpse of Mickiyah standing at the top of her staircase. She had tears in her eyes as she stared down at me. Her figure seemed longer, taller, darker. Suddenly the hallways seemed taller. I felt like I was dreaming or losing my mind.

Emily grabbed me once more, literally yanking me out of the house and dragging me to God knows where. I followed though I also had tears in my eyes. Mickiyah didn't follow us. She didn't get the book. She didn't do anything.

***

Emily and I had been hiding behind some trees for about ten minutes. We were hiding out in a park area where people had picnics and barbecues. I didn't say anything though. I waited for Emily to talk. I felt so uncomfortable with this woman. So out of place. She reminded me of the druggies that I passed by going to 7 Eleven. I had so many question for her.

I cleared my throat before talking. "Should we find a safe place to stay? I have a dorm. We can hide there and you can tell me everything."

Her eyes slid over in my direction. Her body faced the direction the street was in. "I don't even know if I should but it's clear who isn't the evil one here."

"Evil?" I said. "Mickiyah isn't evil I swear."

Emily smirked at me then moved the hair out of her face. She walked up to me. This woman seemed to love getting close up to people. "Naive I see. The evidence was right in front of you. The pictures. It's okay, I get it," she took a few steps away. "I was blinded by evil once too. The things we desire. It looks too good to us sometimes..."

I didn't know how to reply to that but I watched her kind of doze off into a daydream. It's like she was looking back at something I couldn't see and in that moment, I swear I thought she'd cry.

"Let's find a safe place," she shook her head. "I'm hungry."

The two of us quietly walked off into the night and ended up taking a bus back to the college. We had to hop the fences to get in because all the gates were closed and I hadn't seen security on guard.

Weird.

When we got in my dorm room, I put my phone on the charger and sat down. "There's food in the fridge over there," I pointed to my mini fridge that only had yogurts, apple sauce, Ramen noodles, and rootbeer sodas.

Emily snatched out a few yogurts and began eating them savagely without any utensils. I slowly picked up my phone while it was charging, hoping I'd receive a message from Mickiyah.

Nothing.

I began looking up things about the Harmons. A few pictures came up of them. One struck out as Harmons Adoption Goes Wrong. There was an article written about them when they had adopted Emily. There had been one picture of her and a little boy holding a scooter. They looked alike. I read that it was her brother. Looking at the two of them, more so Emily I find it so strange to see her now. She looked nothing like the girl on the photo. The girl in the photo though looked heartbroken, was hopeful and clean. Not an addict.

Emily burped real loud, scaring the absolute heck out of me. "Sorry," she looked at me. Yogurt decorated her face.

Fed up. I just said what I wanted to all night. "Alright," I moved to the floor, sat down and faced her. "I know that I might be naive like you said but I deserve to know who you are. I mean, you did just come out of nowhere right when all this happened. Why should I trust you?"

Emily stared at me a few seconds before saying anything. "Ha, you're adorable. If you didn't trust me, you wouldn't have sat down next to me." She poked a finger in the yogurt then pointed to my nose, getting yogurt onto it. "Stupid."

I stood up. "Knock it off," I wiped it. "That's gross. Come on, aren't you like supposed to be an adult now or something."

"Almost 27," she chuckled and leaned back against the ground. I knew I'd have to wipe the floor later.

"27," I repeated. "Why are you acting like a kid."

"I saved you from your friend," she looked away and began looking around. "And that book you gave her. Didn't you read the warning?"

"Warning?"

"I wrote in that book after The Harmons tried to sacrifice me to it," she said. "That book is evil and turns anyone who reads it evil."

"I couldn't understand it," I told her.

"None of it. Not even the warning, I guess," she mumbled and picked with her fingers.

"There was no warning," I said.

To my surprised, she got up and picked up her garbage off the floor. After throwing it in the trash, she washed her hands like a normal human being.

"What happened to you..." I asked her.

Emily shrugged while drying her hands. Facing her back towards me. "Life..."