Well, I have been writing a story for at least a couple years now. I have been writing in it off and on. I wanted to post it here so that:
A: People can help me name my book
B: So that I could get feedback on grammer, spelling, story, characters, etc...
C: And so that as you read my story all of you might give me ideas so that I can continue to write.
Please read my story and comment on any of these three things. I would appreciate it very much! Thanks!
Emily
Emily's New Book...
CHAPTER ONE
It was a like any other ordinary Saturday afternoon. Everyone slept in late, had late lunches, watched television for hours, and went to the mall.
But something was different about this certain Saturday. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but she knew that something was different. She wasn’t sure if it was a bad difference or a good one. She couldn’t tell quite yet. But she would, and soon.
She quickly shook off the feeling as she heard her sister calling her.
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“Lain, it’s time for lunch!” Her sister called up the stairs. “We need to hurry if we’re going to meet the girls at the mall!” 16 year old Elaina Tilton sat up and yawned. She took a deep breath then exhaled. “Okay, Pam. Be right down!” She called back. Elaina stretched her arms into the air then pushed back the lavender bedcovers. She swung her legs over the bed and placed her feet onto the wooden floor. She sighed then began to sniff the air. “Mmm, smells like macaroni and cheese!” She said to herself. She stood up and walked over to her closet. “Let’s see…I guess I’ll wear this.” Elaina said as she found an outfit. She pulled a red t-shirt and pair of light blue jeans off a hanger, and then laid them on her bed. She then walked back to her closet and straightened everything up till it was nice and neat. Elaina was the organizer in her group of friends. One thing moved out of place and it bothered her like crazy. Everyone called her the neat freak. But it had its advantages. She was able to put together many fund raisers and clubs, and was put in charge of things most of the time. After she got dressed, Elaina tossed her pajamas into her dirty clothes hamper then slipped on a pair of red and white striped flip flops. The red shirt looked nice against her tan skin and seemed to make her hazel eyes pop. “Elaina!” Pam called again. “I’m coming, Pam!” Elaina replied. She quickly pulled back her chocolate brown hair into a ponytail, grabbed her khaki purse off the door handle, and headed out the door and down the stairs.
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“Okay, tell me again.” Pam began. “What does the car look like?” Pam and Elaina were at the mall driving Pam’s green F-150 around the parking lot. “It’s a red mustang convertible with a black top.” Elaina replied as she scanned the parking lot. “They said they would meet us in front of the food court.” Pam drove around the mall and found the food court entrance. She then found the closest park and took it. “You sit here and I’ll get out of the truck and we’ll see if we can find the car. Most likely they will park where we can easily spot them.” Pam said. Elaina nodded in agreement. Pam opened the door on the driver’s side and got out. As Pam looked around, Elaina just sat there watching her sister for awhile. Pam was 18 years old and was very beautiful. Her long blonde hair and cute cut bangs danced around in the wind. Her makeup was perfect and showed off her dazzling grey and blue eyes. She wore a bright pink t-shirt, boot cut jeans, and brown boots. She always looked this way. Perfect. But even under all her beauty, Pam was also one of the sweetest persons Elaina had ever known. Sure, they had their share of fights, but Pam had a way of fixing the problem where it began. There were never grudges held between the two sisters. Elaina loved Pam dearly and was glad they had such a close relationship. Pam caught Elaina’s eye and gave her a confused look. Elaina smiled and shook her head. Oops! Didn’t realize I was staring! She thought to herself. Pam turned away and continued to look. Elaina looked out the window and decided she needed to help look for the car too. After a couple minutes, Pam walked back to the truck and opened the door. “I saw them, Lain.” She said. “Give them a call on your cell. I don’t think they saw us.” Elaina grabbed her purse off the truck floor and dug for her phone. Once she found it, she dialed the number and pushed send. “Hey! It’s Elaina! We’re here, and we saw you just drive up. Meet us in front of the entrance. You should see us there when you walk up. Yeah. Ok. Love you too! See ya in a minute. Ok. Uh huh. Buhbye.” Elaina closed her cell phone and put it in her purse. “Alrighty then, let’s go!” Pam said with her winning smile.
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“Hey, Kealie, we’re over here!” Elaina shouted as she waved her friend over. “Hey, Lain, hey, Pam!” Kealie Jones said as she walked up. “Where are Nora and Dana?” Pam asked. Kealie smiled. “They’re coming. We were all headed this way when they saw a sign that said everything 75% off!” She said giggling. “They just couldn’t resist.” The girls began to laugh. “That’s Nora and Dana alright! Well, come on, we can walk over there.” Pam said. “Which store was it?” “They went to Edward’s Fashion. It’s right over there where you first drive in.” Kealie said as she pointed out the store. “Oh yeah, I know where that is. Last summer I worked there.” Pam replied. “Oh I remember! That was when you were saving up for your truck!” Elaina said. Pam nodded and smiled. “And I am very glad I finally saved up enough! I thought I’d never get that truck.” Pam answered. The girls all smiled. “Well, I am very glad you did! Now we can drive around in style!” Kealie said. The girls began to laugh again. “Well, we better go find the girls.” Elaina finally said. Pam nodded in agreement. “Come on. I’ll drive us over there.” Pam said with a wave of her hand. “It’s sort of a long walk.” Kealie smiled. “Okay, awesome!” She replied. The girls walked to the green truck, got in, and drove over to the store.
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“Is this all for you, Ma’am?” The store clerk asked a little annoyed. “Um… yes, thank you.” Nora Abernathy replied. As the clerk rang up each item, Nora smiled at her sister Dana. “I can’t wait to show all this to the girls. We got such awesome deals!” Dana said excitingly. Nora started to speak then turned and saw Pam, Kealie, and Elaina walking through the front entrance. “Well, like here they are right now!” Nora answered. “Hey, Pam, come look at all this!” Pam started to laugh as she saw the many bags of clothes. “Do you have room for all that, Nor?” Pam asked trying to hold back her giggles. Dana smiled. “Well, I guess we’ll have to make room!” Dana replied with a laugh. After Nora paid the clerk, Pam, Elaina, and Kealie grabbed a couple bags and helped Dana and Nora out to their car. “Like thanks for helping us girls.” Nora said as she closed the trunk. “No problem, but I do think you shouldn’t buy anything else today.” Pam replied. Dana laughed. “Does that mean me too?” She asked. “Only two of these bags are mine, the rest are Nora’s!” All the girls turned and stared at Nora. “What? They had like, a lot of good sales!” Nora said blushing. The girls began to laugh. “Come on girls, let’s go to the food court and get a snack.” Pam began. “Then we can finish shopping.” The girls all agreed and began walking to their vehicles.
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“Mmm, I love sugar cookies with icing! They are the absolute best!” Kealie said in her perky voice. Elaina smiled at her. Kealie, who was also 16, was the dramatic and perky one in the group. She loved to talk, shop, and just have fun. She had been involved in many stage productions and was one of Elaina’s best friends. They had lived next door to each other for six years and had such a great friendship. In many ways, the two girls were as different from each other as a fish and a cat. But that was what made them such great friends. Elaina loved Kealie for her colorful personality. It helped her loosen up a lot whenever she got stressed over things. Kealie was also a very pretty girl. She had short blonde hair with brown and blonde highlights. Kealie’s eyes were a beautiful grass green that often seemed to change colors depending on what she wore. She was always very stylish in her choice of clothing. Today she was wearing dark jean Capri’s under a white skirt made of t-shirt material. She had a white and pink sequence belt around her waist, and wore a hot pink tank. Over the tank was a jean jacket, and she wore a bracelet and necklace that matched her belt. Her shoes were a simple pair of flip flops, but made the whole outfit complete. Kealie always loved accessories. Such as the bag she had hanging on her shoulder. It was small and compact, but was covered in pink sequence. Some would say she worn too much, but that was Kealie. That was her style. And everyone loved her for it too. Elaina caught Dana’s eye and smiled at her. Dana smiled back then finished her own cookie. Unlike Kealie, Dana wasn’t much with keeping up with all the latest trends. Instead, she liked to make her own style. Today she wore khaki shorts with a purple tank. Over the tank she wore a jean jacket that had her name embroidered on the back. Like Elaina she also wore flip flops, but these were white with small flowers. Dana’s purse, a white cargo bag, hung from her hands. She had shiny red hair that went to her shoulders. The cute choppy hair cut made her look like a model. The red of her hair brought out her yellowish brown eyes. This was Dana. This was her look. And it seemed to suit her just right. “Anyone see a trash can?” Kealie asked. She had just finished her cookie and was crumbling up her paper. “Um… I think there is one over there.” Dana replied as she pointed out the area. While Kealie made her way over to the trash can, Pam pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time. “As soon as Kealie gets back, let’s start shopping.” She said as she dropped her phone back in her purse. “We only have an hour and a half left before we need to be at Mrs. Winchester’s house.” Elaina nodded. “She doesn’t like it when people are late, especially children.” Elaina replied. Kealie came walking up. “Who doesn’t?” She asked now very interested.
CHAPTER TWO
The girls all piled out of their vehicles onto the sidewalk. After grabbing her purse from the truck floor, Pam closed the door and pushed the lock button on her key pad.
“That’s weird…” She said quietly. Dana turned to face Pam.
“What is it, Pam?” Dana asked carefully. Of every person Elaina had ever met, Dana would make the top of the list of superstitious people. Dana was a Christian and did not believe in superstitions such as bad luck, good luck, or anything like that, but she had an incredible imagination when she became scared. She was not a strange person but when she became frightened, she acted weird. It wasn’t a weirdness that could be explained in words. It was just how she was. But when she wasn’t scared and acting odd, Dana was the star cheerleader on the school cheerleading squad. She was one of the best gymnasts and dancers Elaina had ever seen.
Dana tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear.
“Pam, what’s wrong?” She asked again. Pam took her eyes away from the keypad and looked up at Dana.
“This isn’t my keypad!” She replied with a mix of confusion and fear in her voice.
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“Okay, like I am sure there is a simple explanation for this.” Nora calmly said. “I just don’t know what it is right now.” Kealie looked at Nora strangely. “Uh, thanks, Nora. That was deep.” Nora smiled and nodded as if to say Sure, no problem! Pam was searching her purse for her keypad while Elaina searched the truck. Dana sat quietly on the curb of the sidewalk. Nora was the second oldest in the group. Like Pam, she was 18 years old. But unlike Pam, Nora wasn’t the brightest bulb. When it came to school, she made average grades; but when it came to everyday life, her brain seemed to tune out or turn down on smartness. But what Nora lacked in intelligence, she made up for in beauty. She had dark brown curly hair that dropped below her shoulders. The curls in her hair were natural wavy curls that seemed to give a Lord of the Rings elf princess affect. Nora’s sea blue eyes were so beautiful that after looking into them for awhile, you seemed to drown in them. She always went for the natural look when wearing makeup and loved to use the smoky eyes effect showing off her natural beauty. Her style was fashionable, but true to herself. She never felt like she had to follow trends. She merely did her thing and would usually set her own trends. Today she wore skinny jeans with brown boots over the bottoms. With her jeans she wore a blue shirt that crisscrossed in the front, tied in the back, and had a white lacey tank underneath. She had a dusty pink purse that was shaped as a guitar and silver stud earrings. Nora was homecoming queen every year she entered and was in many pageants. At almost every dance or pageant, Nora was crowned queen or at least princess. Although she really enjoyed being a queen for a day being all proper, primp, and a snob was totally not in Nora’s personality. Nora’s smile and hazel eyes showed her kindness. When it came to her sister, Dana, her kindness and patience really helped. “This is really strange, Nor! Keypads just don’t get replaced with another by accident!” Dana finally said, now starting to get worked up. “Someone did this on purpose! They are out to get us!” Kealie walked over to Nora’s side. “I admit this is weird, but didn’t one of you say this lady hates late people?” Kealie asked while pointing to the mansion beside them. “Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!” Pam said nearly dropping her purse. Elaina took her cell phone out of her purse and checked the time. “What time did Mrs. Winchester say we needed to be here?” Elaina asked. Pam pulled a piece of paper out of her purse. “Um…let me see. She told me 2:30.” Pam replied looking up from the paper. “What time is it now?” Elaina stuck her phone back into her purse. “Its 2:21 right now, but we better go ahead to her house. We can finish looking for your keypad later.” Elaina said hanging her purse onto her shoulder. “Yeah, I’d rather get on this lady’s good side while I still can!” Kealie replied happily. Pam laughed. “You better believe it! This is one tough lady! But if you can manage to get on her good side, you may be okay!” Elaina joined her sister in laughter. “She’s probably a really nice lady and you just had a bad first impression!” Kealie said defensively. “She can’t be that strict…can she?”
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“Wipe your feet on the welcome mat before you come in! And hang your purses on the hooks!” Mrs. Winchester scolded. Kealie glanced at Elaina and gave her a weak smile. Elaina smiled back. She knew what Kealie was thinking. Mrs. Winchester was very strict in everything. She always kept a clean and orderly house, she always used manners and asked that everyone else did too, and she always called people by their full names. “Pamela, please draw the curtains. The sun is blinding me where I sit!” Mrs. Winchester said. Pam walked over to the window and started to pull the curtains. “Pamela, please use the cords!” Pam blushed then pulled the cords that worked the curtains. “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Winchester.” Pam replied as she sat on the couch. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” Mrs. Winchester straightened up in her chair and gave Pam a proper but sweet elderly smile. “Well, apparently you did not.” She replied while lightly fixing her graying hair. “But all is forgiven. Now the rest of you young ladies, please have a seat.” Elaina and Kealie walked over and sat down on the couch next to Pam. Nora and Dana found recliners and took their seats. “Now, let’s begin.” Mrs. Winchester said as she adjusted her glasses. “I believe Pamela is the only one that knows the real reason why I’ve called you all here.”
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“Twenty years ago on this very day, my husband John disappeared from our basement.” Mrs. Winchester began. “He had been down there all day working on some secret project. Every time I asked him what he was up to, he just told me the same answer over and over again. He would tell me that he was just an old man working on a hobby and did not want to be disturbed. But I don’t think he was working on some old hobby. Why, one day I headed down the basement stairs just to get something and he shooed me back upstairs yelling at me never to come back down to the basement again!” Mrs. Winchester paused and wiped her forehead with a lacy handkerchief. Pam leaned over and placed her hand gently on Mrs. Winchester’s knee. “Take your time, Mrs. Winchester.” Pam quietly said. Mrs. Winchester nodded then continued. “Well, one day John left to go on a business trip for a couple of days. You see, he was a lawyer’s assistant. So he often was called away on trips that lasted a couple of days, sometimes as long as a week. So I thought to myself, this is my chance! I needed to know what my husband was working on! I needed to know what had turned such a sweet and loving man into a crazy old hermit! So I opened the basement door and walked down the stairs. And you will never guess what I saw!”
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Kealie and Elaina were on the edges of their seats. “What did you see?” Kealie blurted out in excitement. Mrs. Winchester turned her head and looked at Kealie. “Sorry Mrs. Winchester, go ahead, take your time.” Kealie said, as her cheeks turned a bright red. Mrs. Winchester smiled at Kealie for what seemed the first time. “That’s okay, Kealie. I turned on the basement light…and saw nothing!” The girls all started to look at each other with confused looks on their faces. “You mean there was nothing at all in the basement?” Elaina asked. Mrs. Winchester nodded. “That’s right, Elaina! And I mean absolutely nothing! There were no boxes, no tables, none of our old items, no Christmas tree, no bikes, nothing! There was no trace of John doing anything down there. I just could not figure it out! Well, I turned out the light and went back up the stairs. I closed the door making sure everything was how he left it. The next day, he returned from his trip and everything was almost back to normal! He did not go down to the basement, he did not yell at me, and he certainly did not act like a hermit anymore. He was my John again. I was utterly confused! “After a couple of days, I could tell he was longing to go back down to the basement. He could not sit still or concentrate on reading anything, and every time he walked by the basement door, he would stand there staring at it! I was very worried for him. Well, twenty years ago on this very day, John went down those stairs once more. After a couple of hours I kind of got worried about him. He had not come up for anything to eat…he had missed two meals! Well, deciding to chance it and put an end to this, I opened the door and went down the stairs. But to my surprise, John was completely gone! There was nothing down there and I saw no way of him getting out of the basement without me knowing it! I called the police and they searched for him. “Two days later, they found him unconscious at the local public library. He was found on the second floor in a back corner with only a note in his pocket. But it was in a language no one knew. We had planned on getting a translator, but never got around to it. My John was admitted into the hospital and came to consciousness the next day. He could not remember anything that had happened. John lived a normal life after that. But he died three years ago from cancer. Ever since then I just forgot about everything that had happened. Until now that is. Two days ago, a man came to my front door asking to speak with my husband. I told him that John had passed away a few years ago. The man tipped his hat and paid his respects, then gave me an envelope. He told me to give it to our lawyer and that it was for our lawyer’s eyes only.” Mrs. Winchester paused again and took a sip of water. “Did you give the envelope to the lawyer?” Dana asked. Mrs. Winchester placed her water glass on a side table and turned to Dana. “After the strange man left I did not know what to do! I thought I should give it to my lawyer, but then I thought I shouldn’t! I was just confused! So…” Mrs. Winchester stood up and walked over to her desk. She picked up a tin box and brought it over for the girls to see. She opened the box and pulled out crinkled envelope. “So…I decided to keep it.”
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“Have you opened the envelope?” Pam asked earnestly. Mrs. Winchester drew her eyes away from the envelope and gazed into Pam’s. “No, I haven’t yet.” She replied as she shook her head. Kealie looked at Elaina then turned to Mrs. Winchester. “Are you going to open it?” Kealie asked curiously. The room grew quiet as everyone waited for the answer to Kealie’s question. It was the one question everyone was asking in their minds. Other questions began to develop. What was in this envelope? And why was it meant to be kept a secret? The silence soon became more than Dana could take. “Please tell us what you are going to do, Mrs. Winchester!” Dana finally blurted out. The girls all turned and stared at Dana in disbelief. “What? I want to know!” Dana said defensively. “It’s alright, girls.” Mrs. Winchester began. “And in answer to your question…I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Mrs. Winchester stood up from her seat and walked over to the window. She drew the curtain back a little with her hand and gazed out. “I…I just don’t know.”
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“Mrs. Winchester…what exactly do you want us to do? What can we do?” Nora asked. Mrs. Winchester let go of the curtain and made her way back to her seat. Pam stood up and took the woman’s hand. “Thank you, Pamela.” Mrs. Winchester said as she sat down. “You may sit back down, now.” She said sweetly. As Pam took her seat on the couch, Mrs. Winchester continued. “I want you to help me solve this…well…this mystery. I have to know what exactly happened to my husband. He didn’t just become unconscious. Something happened. And I know it has to have something to do with his secret project he had. What else could it be?” The girls all looked around at each other. “But may I ask…why us?” Dana asked curiously. “Because Pamela tells me you are a bunch of intelligent young girls.” Mrs. Winchester replied. “And if anyone could help me figure this out, it would be all of you.”
CHAPTER THREE
The girls all sat in silence as they pondered on what had just been said. It was a lot to take in, but the girls had to help somehow. Elaina’s purse began to ring.
“Please pick up the phone oh won’t you please pick up the phone!” The jingle sang loudly.
“Oh, please excuse me, Mrs. Winchester!” Elaina said.
She ran to the hooks where they had left their purses. Elaina then quickly dug out her cell phone from her purse.
Mrs. Winchester waved her hand and nodded.
“Go ahead, Elaina. We can take a break and I’ll fix us a snack.” She replied.
Elaina nodded and took her call in the next room.
Pam stood up and helped Mrs. Winchester out of her seat.
“I’ll help you with the snacks, Mrs. Winchester.” She said with a warm smile.
“Why thank you, Pamela!” Mrs. Winchester replied. “Looks like some of your mother may have worn off on you yet!”
Pam’s face had a look of confusion on it.
“I know you met my mom once, but I didn’t think you knew her that well.” Pam said.
Mrs. Winchester turned to Pam and smiled.
“I don’t know what your mom has or hasn’t told you about me, but I knew her when she was just a little one.” Mrs. Winchester replied sweetly. “She was so cute and adorable! And as she grew up, she always had the sweetest manners! But then when she met your father I thought there would be no hope for you and your sister. Your father is a very nice man, don’t get me wrong. But he never did really like me.” Mrs. Winchester turned and walked into her kitchen to prepare the snacks.
Pam stood for a minute thinking about what Mrs. Winchester just said. Pam then turned and faced her friends.
“My mom has never mentioned Mrs. Winchester, and she has told us all about her childhood.” Pam said still thinking. “Why wouldn’t she mention her? And why is it that mom told me she only met Mrs. Winchester the other day?”
As soon as Pam finished, Elaina walked into the room.
“Who was that, Lain?” Pam asked. Elaina dropped her phone back into her purse.
“You will never believe it!” Elaina began. “That was Chase Evans!”
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“Chase Evans? That name sounds familiar! Do I know him?” Nora asked. Elaina turned to Nora and rolled her eyes. “Nor, does that line ever work for you?” Elaina asked with a grin. “Trust me, you don’t know him. We grew up with him in Eutaw.” Pam excused herself and went into the kitchen to help Mrs. Winchester. Kealie raised her hand. Elaina turned to Kealie and smiled. Kealie always did that when she wanted to be heard but didn’t want to interrupt anyone. “Yes, Kealie?” Elaina said as she sat down on the couch. Kealie smiled back. “You never told me you lived in Utah! What’s up with that?” She asked in her perky way. “No, Kealie, not Utah the state. It’s Eutaw as in the town in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It’s spelled E-u-t-a-w.” Oh, Kealie mouthed. She giggled as she lost her balance and nearly fell off the couch. Nora looked over at Kealie and laughed. “You are one perky, quirky person, Kealie.” She said, laughing at her choice of words. Elaina looked around the room then suddenly stood up. “Where’s Dana?” She asked.
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Nora stood up beside Elaina and looked around. “I don’t know, Lain.” Nora replied. “I thought she was in here with us! I didn’t see her slip out.” Kealie got off the couch and walked over to the window, pulling the curtain back. “Look! There she is!” Kealie said while pointing out the window. Nora and Elaina walked over to the window and looked to where Kealie was pointing. “Why is she out by the car?” Elaina asked. “I don’t know, but we better find out if she’s okay.” Nora replied. The girls walked outside and began making their way down the sidewalk over to the vehicles. Dana was searching furiously for something under Pam’s truck. “Dana, are...” Nora began. Dana jumped back then placed her hand over her heart. “You scared me half to death!” Dana said trying to compose herself. “We’re sorry, Dana.” Elaina replied. “We just came to see if you were okay. You left all of the sudden and we didn’t know where you were.” Dana looked at her feet. “Oh, okay,” was all she said in reply. Kealie decided to take a go at it. “Umm, what exactly are you doing, Dana?” Dana looked up at Kealie and remembered all of the sudden what she had been doing previously. Dana got on her hands and knees and started searching furiously again. “I’m looking for Pam’s keypad. Something is definitely up with that and I intend to find out.” She replied now searching under Nora’s car. “Oh, well, can you wait until after our meeting with Mrs. Winchester?” Elaina asked. “It’s kind of disrespectful to leave her like this during her time of need. And I must say that her need is a lot more important than Pam’s keypad.” Dana got off the ground and brushed off her hands and knees. “You are so right, Lain.” Dana replied. “I’m sorry, come on. Let’s go back inside.” The girls all turned and walked back towards the house. Dana looked over her shoulder back at the vehicles. A man walked down the sidewalk past their cars, and was looking up at them while he walked by. Dana shuddered. She turned her head back towards the mansion and walked inside with the others. As soon as they were all out of sight, the man turned around and ran over to Pam’s truck. He then pulled something out of his pocket and threw it under the vehicle. After accomplishing his mission, he walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner.
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Once the girls finished their snacks, they headed back to the living room. Pam held Mrs. Winchester’s hand as they walked together into the room. “Thank you so much, my dear Pamela.” The woman said sweetly. After everyone was seated, Kealie raised her hand again. “Yes, my dear? I’m sorry I don’t quite remember your name. It is sort of an odd one, I must say.” Mrs. Winchester said. “Oh, well, thanks I think. It’s Kealie, and I was wondering about the envelope?” The elderly lady smiled. “I think we are all wondering that, my dear. So let’s get to it, shall we?” She picked up the envelope from the side table and held it in her hands. “Shall we or shall we not?” Mrs. Winchester asked looking around. Pam looked at the letter then at Mrs. Winchester. She turned and looked at Kealie. One by one they looked at each other waiting for an answer. Nora finally took the initiative. “Okay, like I think that we should like, um, you know, open it.” She began. “Then we can decide if the lawyer should see it. If he should see it then we could like, put it back in its envelope or in a new one.” Elaina smiled and nodded in agreement. Kealie smiled too. “That’s like the smartest thing you’ve said all day, Nor! Congrats.” Kealie said with a grin. Ha ha, very funny! Nora mouthed. Mrs. Winchester looked at each girl. “So are we in agreement on this decision?” She asked properly. Pam looked around the room at her friends. “I believe we are, Mrs. Winchester.” “Well, then. We shall open it.” Mrs. Winchester picked up the envelope from her lap then slowly started to open the envelope.
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Stopping midway, Mrs. Winchester placed the envelope on Pam’s lap. “I can’t do it. I’m afraid of what I’ll find. Please continue for me, my dear.” Pam nodded, picked up the envelope, and started where Mrs. Winchester had left off. The envelope popped open with a crack. “Looks like someone spilled a liquid on this.” Pam said observing the envelope. “What’s inside it, Pam?” Lain asked her sister. Pam tipped the envelope over and poured out its contents. A folded piece of paper and a key fell onto her lap. “What have we here?” Pam whispered to herself. The paper was folded in half and was a tan color. The key was gold with an inscription on it. “The key says something!” Kealie said starting to lean over Pam. “Yeah, probably just bunches of numbers like most do.” Dana offered. “What’s it say, Pam?” Nora asked. Pam picked up the key and looked at it closely. “It says…’A key to the heart of it all’. What do you suppose that means?” She asked.
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“There is no end to the possible meanings of this inscription. It could mean virtually anything!” Mrs. Winchester pointed out. Nora nodded in agreement. “She’s right, you guys. There really is no telling what it means until we narrow it down a little bit.” Nora began. “Like for instance, do you think it means the heart of a person or maybe the heart or center of a place?” Elaina smiled. “Wow, Nora! This causes for a celebration!” Kealie said with a smile. Nora ignored her comment and continued. “Like, I think that maybe we should all write down the possibilities and then compare and narrow it down.” Nora said. Elaina stood up and walked over to where she had left her purse. “I think that is a great idea, Nora.” She replied. “And I happen to have a notebook in my purse. Does anyone have anything to write with?” Mrs. Winchester tapped Pam’s leg. “Go look in my desk, dearest.” She said while pointing to the wooden desk. “I believe I have a few writing apparatus’s we may use.” Pam nodded and stood up. “Okay, I’ll go and take a look.” She replied. She walked over to the desk and started to look for pens and pencils. Elaina tore out pieces of notebook paper and passed them around. Pam suddenly stopped what she was doing and stared at something in one of the desk drawers. She then reached her hand into the drawer and pulled out an item. “Pamela, did you find something for us to write with?” Mrs. Winchester inquired. Pam snapped out of it and shook her head. “Oh, um, yes. Yes, ma’am, I found several.” She replied. Pam tucked the item in her back pocket and grabbed the pencils she had found. She then walked back to the group and passed them out. “Thank you, my dear.” Mrs. Winchester said and Pam took her seat. Pam looked up at the elderly lady. “No problem, Mrs. Winchester.” She replied. Pam thought back to the object in her pocket and began to contemplate.
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After everyone had finished writing, Dana’s wristwatch began beeping. “Oh I’m sorry, Mrs. Winchester.” She said while quickly turning it off. “But I set my watch for 4:00 to remind Nora and me that we should head home now. Our dad is coming home from a trip tonight and we are supposed to have dinner ready by 5:30 so that we can get him from the airport and go home to supper.” Mrs. Winchester smiled and nodded. “Yes, of course my dear. Dana, is it? May I ask where he was on this trip?” She inquired. “He is a Major in the army and was gone for a couple weeks to Washington for a Chaplain thing.” Dana replied. Mrs. Winchester nodded. “Well, I suppose I’ve kept you all long enough. We shall continue this another day.” Mrs. Winchester said standing to her feet. She turned to Pam. “Pamela, I shall contact you and let you know when we may all meet again.” Pam nodded and hugged Mrs. Winchester. The girls collected their belongings and said their goodbyes. “Thank you all once again.” Mrs. Winchester called to them as they made their way down the sidewalk. The girls waved and headed towards their vehicles. Dana tilted her head and looked towards the truck. “What’s that dark thing under your truck, Pam?” She asked curiously. “I’m not quite sure, Dana.” Pam replied. Elaina reached the truck first and bent over grabbing the black item. She held it up for all to see. Pam gasped. It was the missing keypad.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Okay. I think it’s safe to say I am officially freaked out now.” Dana said starting to worry. “You guys saw me searching out here. The keypad was not here! If it was right where we just found it, I would have seen it easily!”
Elaina moved to Dana’s side and peeked under the truck.
“She’s right you guys.” Elaina turned to Pam. “We came out here earlier and found Dana searching for your keypad.” She said glancing at Dana. “She searched around the car and right here under the truck.”
Kealie set her purse on the ground and crossed her arms.
“So that must mean that someone put it there!” She said starting to get excited. “Cool, a mystery!”
Dana turned to Kealie and gave her a stare.
“Hello!? Not cool! That means I was right and someone is out to get us!” Dana said starting to worry again.
“Okay, we just need to settle down and calmly figure this out.” Nora said slowly.
“Calm? Who is calm?” Dana said starting to get louder. “Who can be calm when some psycho is out to get us?!”
Pam walked to Dana’s side and wrapped her arms around her.
“Its all okay, Dana. Just take it easy, alright?” Pam said hugging Dana softly.
Pam looked into the distance and tilted her head.
“Who’s that man looking this way? Someone know him?” Pam asked straining to see who he was.
Dana looked in the same direction.
“Nope, don’t know him.” Dana replied. “I....hey wait a minute! I saw that man walking by when we were coming back inside. You know, after I was searching for the keypad.”
Elaina started walking towards the man’s direction.
“Lain, what do you think you are doing?” Pam asked.
“I am going to see who he is!” She replied.
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“Lain, stop and come back! We don’t know who this man could be.” Nora said. Elaina stopped and turned to Pam. Pam nodded in agreement with Nora. “Fine, but I’m sure he is just some nice older man or something.” Elaina replied. “I’m sure he’s not harmful.” “But we don’t know that for sure, Lain. So many women and girls have been taken by people who look or seem harmless.” Pam said thinking back to an article she had read last week. Elaina walked back to the truck and climbed into the truck bed. She sat down and rested her arms on the side. “Well, if you won’t let me talk to him alone, will at least some of you go?” Elaina asked hopefully. Pam turned to Nora and shrugged. “I think it would be okay if we did. Don’t you, Nor?” Pam said looking at Nora. “Well, I guess so. There is strength in numbers. Anyone here ever took Tae Kwon Do or anything?” Nora asked looking around the group. The girls began to giggle. Nora started to speak again when Kealie began to get excited and spoke first. “Ooo! Ooo! I know Tae Bo! Does that count?” The girls began to laugh almost uncontrollably. Kealie looked around smiling, but confused. “What?” She asked innocently. “Keal, you are so blonde! But if we need to be saved from this man, I think Tae Bo will do just fine. Thank you.” Elaina said trying to contain herself. Kealie smiled and nodded feeling very proud of herself. Pam took Nora and Kealie with her and they headed down the sidewalk while Elaina and Dana stayed in the truck bed. By the time they got to the intersection where the man was, no one was in sight. The man had disappeared. The girls looked far down the street hoping to spot him, but the man was no where to be found. Kealie turned back towards the truck and shrugged her shoulders. Elaina nodded and climbed out of the truck bed with Dana. Soon the girls caught up with the rest of the group. “No sign of him, Dana. You sure this is the same man you saw earlier?” Pam asked. “Yes! I am positive! Besides, the way he was staring at us…it looked like he was waiting for us to leave or something. You know?” “Yeah, I’m sort of getting that feeling too.” Elaina said. The girls looked around once more then headed back to their vehicles. Everyone had started to load up when Kealie all of the sudden started to panic. “Guys! My purse! It’s….it’s gone!”
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The girls started to search for Kealie’s missing purse. They looked under the vehicles, inside the vehicles, in the truck bed, and all around. But her pink sequence purse was completely gone. The girls had no clue as to where it could be…or so they thought. “Where did you have it last?” Elaina asked Kealie. Kealie walked over to the sidewalk in front of the truck and held her hand on her cheek thinking. “Umm…I think I was here. I stood here on the sidewalk and then I placed it on the ground when we were talking about the keypad!” Kealie finally said. “Okay, now we are getting somewhere.” Dana sarcastically said under her breath. Nora gave her a stern look. What? Dana mouthed with a shrug. Nora held her look for a moment longer then turned her attention back to Kealie. “So if Kealie left it on the ground, then the only other solution to this problem would be that it was taken.” Elaina replied. “Taken? Someone stole my purse? Oh my gosh,” Kealie began, now starting to panic. “My cell phone, my twenty dollars, my ATM card! What am I going to do? Even my school ID is in there! What if someone is going to pull an identity theft on me? Oh my gosh! I…” Pam quickly turned to Kealie and placed her hands on Kealie’s shaking shoulders. “It’s okay, Keal! Just calm down. Let’s think about this and talk through it. Okay?” Pam calmly said. Kealie nodded and walked to the curb where she took a seat. Elaina and Dana took seats on either side of her and sat in silence. “Who would take Kealie’s purse? There was no one here but us.” Nora finally said. The girls all agreed and thought about it again. Elaina finally had an idea and popped up quickly making Kealie and Dana jump. The girls stood for a moment thinking about what could have happened to Kealie’s purse, when all the sudden Elaina had an idea. “I know who it was!” Elaina said excitingly. “Who?!” The girls all asked in unison. Elaina smiled and replied, “It was that man!”
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“No way! Oh my gosh! What…what are we gonna do?” Kealie asked frantically. “I have my ATM card in there, my school ID, my movie card, twenty dollars from babysitting…my new lip gloss! What will I tell my parents?” “Chill, Kealie. We’ll try our best to find this guy.” Nora said in a calm voice. “Right now, let’s work on that. Then we can move ahead.” “Nora is right. Let’s try to find this guy. Then we can think about everything else.” Pam said. Dana climbed back into the truck bed and sat. “And how are we supposed to find this guy? We don’t really know what he looks like, we have only really seen him once or twice, and he could be long gone by now!” Dana answered. Elaina looked at Pam for an answer. Pam crouched down to think, clasped her hands together, and propped her chin on them. After a few moments of silence, she stood back up and headed for the drivers side of the truck. “Well, first things first.” Pam began. The girls all turned and faced Pam, waiting for her to finish. “Nora and Dana have to go home right now.” Pam said opening the truck door and looking Elaina. “So we search for a witness. Come on Kealie, Elaina. Ya’ll are riding with me.”
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As Pam drove down Highway 11, Kealie leaned forward so she could talk with Elaina. “Hey Elaina? I have an important question to ask you.” Kealie began. Elaina turned around and faced Kealie with a serious look. “You know you can ask me anything, Keal. What is it?” Kealie paused for a moment then proceeded. “I don’t mean to be rude, but…When are we going to get some chow?! I mean I am so starving right now!” Kealie finally said. Pam started to laugh uncontrollably as Elaina sat in awe of what had just happened. “I thought you were going to ask me a serious question, Kealie!!” Elaina exclaimed. Elaina exhaled loudly and turned around. “My gosh.” “But it is a serious question! I’m telling you I need some chow or I can’t do detective work. You better believe me or my name isn’t Kealie Humperdink Jones!” Kealie said exasperated. Elaina turned around and faced her friend again. “First of all, your name isn’t Kealie Humperdink Jones. That would just be plain odd. Second of all, what does that have to do with anything anyways? And third of all you sound as if you have done detective work before. Have you?” “Sure I have! About 20 minutes ago!” Kealie responded feeling proud of herself for having some sort of a comeback. “That’s what I thought.” Elaina replied with a smile. She turned to Pam and put on her best proper Mrs. Winchester voice. “You heard the child, Pamela. She needs some food to fill her skinny tummy. Please drive to the closest restaurant and park your automobile within its parking lot.” Pam smiled and nodded. “Sure thing, Mrs. W!” Pam replied playing along. “You know, I think Mrs. Winchester ended up really liking us!” Kealie said as they drove on. “She is really sweet when she isn’t being all proper and a snob.” “Kealie!” Elaina replied, astonished. “Well, you got to admit she kinda was one for a little while.” Kealie answered back. Pam smiled. “No comment.” Elaina replied with a smile. “There is a BK, Pam!” Kealie said pointing to the right. “Works for me!” Pam said as she put on her turning signal.
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After Pam found a park, the girls all piled out of the truck and headed into Burger King. Pam turned around and locked her truck with her keypad before entering the building. Putting her keypad back in her purse, she found the other keypad and stuck it in her back pocket. It was then Pam remembered that she had something else in that pocket. She moved the keypad into her other back pocket and walked behind the girls up to the counter to order their food. As they stood in line, a man walked behind Pam accidentally bumping her shoulder. Pam turned around and faced a tall man who must have been about 20 years old. He had blonde hair and tan skin. He reminded her of a surfer dude. “Excuse me, ma’am.” He said apologetically raising his grassy green eyes to look into hers. They seemed to hold each other’s gaze for an eternity. “No problem.” Pam replied with a smile. “I don’t want you to think this is some kind of pick up line or something, but my name is Bobby Anderson and you look very familiar. Have we met before?” “Hmm… Bobby Anderson. The name does sound familiar. I’m Pam Tilton.” Pam replied. “Pam Tilton? Oh! I remember now. I worked at Cingular last summer, the one next to Edward’s Fashion. We met on lunch break in the Food Court. If I’m not mistaken I think I bumped into you that time as well. Sorry about that.” Bobby said with a grin. “No problem. So how are you? I’m guessing you aren’t working at the mall anymore. Are you in school?” “Yeah, I’m attending the community college up the road. Things are going good. I actually just filled out a Burger King application. I was folding it up when I nearly dropped it and accidentally bumped into you. Sorry.” He replied raising his eyes to hers again. Pam hated when he did that. Her heart melted every time he did. “Don’t be. I mean, it was good to see you again. Maybe I’ll catch you around sometime.” Pam said adjusting her purse on her shoulder. “I sure hope so.” Bobby said with a smile as he looked at his watch. “Oooh, hey I gotta bounce. It was great seeing you and I’ll definitely catch you later. Okay?” “Okay. Bye.” Pam replied with a soft smile. “Bye, Pam.” Bobby said back as he turned in his application at the counter. He smiled at her and nearly bumped into a person and their tray as he tried to leave and keep his eyes on her. Elaina and Kealie giggled. Pam smiled and blushed. “So he’s a little clumsy, but I think it’s sweet!” Pam said smiling brightly. Elaina giggled as Kealie cleared her throat and began doing her best Bobby Anderson impression. “Excuse me, ma’am. I don’t want you to think this is some cheesy pick up line or somethin’, but have we met before? By the way I think you are totally hot!” Kealie said trying to control her laughter. Elaina laughed with her. “He does not sound anything like that!” Pam defended him, starting to giggle a little herself. She pushed the girls ahead to the counter. “Just order your food and let’s sit down.” Pam said trying to change the subject. “No problem.” Elaina said acting like Pam. Pam rolled her eyes. After Elaina and Kealie finished ordering, Pam ordered then paid for their meals. “Let’s just sit, girls.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The man hurried down the sidewalk and rounded the corner looking behind for any possible followers. He sighed with relief and continued on but at a much slower, calmer pace. He had been jogging for about an hour now. Although he wasn't exactly dressed for jogging, he didn't think he would attract much attention. The girls he saw earlier were very curious and seemed to want to talk to him, but he couldn't do that. At least not yet, anyways. He had never been a thief before nor had he ever taken any part in pilfering. But now that he had the purse...he couldn't look back now. His back pocket began to vibrate and he pulled out his BlackBerry.
"Hello?" He answered in an abrasive voice.
"Do you have the item?"
"I do. When can we meet?" The man asked looking around the area.
"Are you busy right now?"
"Of course not...I freed my whole day for this." The man replied, getting a little annoyed.
"Well you don't have to get all riled up about it. Where are you?"
The man look around for a street sign.
"Ummm...Not quite sure on location, but I can tell you that I see a Burger King sign in the distance. Want me to catch a cab?"
"Sure. I know where you are. I'll meet you in the Restaurant's parking lot near the dumpsters. And make sure to have the item on hand."
"But of course, sir." The man replied before hanging up. He grabbed the stylus and made a note on his BlackBerry.
"After today, schedule a spa and relaxation day." He said aloud as he typed in the words. "Plus pizza and coke...and ice cream. Yeah...lots of ice cream."
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“Mmmm! This Coke icee totally rocks!” Elaina said with a smile on her face. She was scooping what little was left of her frozen treat with a thick red straw. She had bent one end of the straw with her teeth to make a little spoon to help with the scooping. She did this every time she got an icee. “I don’t know, Lain. This Raspberry-Cherry icee is pretty good.” Pam replied. “I think ya’ll are both wrong.” Kealie cut in, sipping her Sprite. “Sure, I love both of those flavors, but they stain your mouth really bad! Especially any kind of flavor like Cherry or Raspberry. I mean, honestly. Who wants a red or blue mouth? I mean, think about it. Really.” Elaina and Pam looked at each other for a moment then continued to sip their frozen drinks. They knew Kealie wasn’t finished with her speech yet. “And a Raspberry-Cherry mix? It’s like a double offense! As for Coke, it makes your teeth brown." The girls both looked at each other once again. They knew what she’d say next. “Me, personally?” They both mouthed at each other. “Me, personally?” Kealie continued. “I’d choose a safe Clear Cherry or no icee at all.” Elaina finished the last little bit of her icee then reached behind her chair and tossed the empty cup in a trash bin. “You know what I think?” Elaina began. “I think we should skip talking about our drink preferences and start talking about our case. Hmm?” Kealie followed Elaina’s example and tossed her cup into the trash. Pam had ordered a large meal and was still working on her up-sized cup. “Yeah, I agree.” Pam said between sips. “I think we should record down what we already know then we can take it from there.” “Lain, didn’t you have a notebook in your purse? I was thinking we used yours at Mrs. Winchester’s house.” Kealie said turning towards Elaina’s purse which hung on the empty chair between her and Elaina. “Yes, it’s in the open, middle part of my purse. It’s a purple spiral.” Kealie pulled the purse towards her then opened it to the middle. She pulled out the notebook then replaced the purse on the empty chair. “You know, after what happened to my purse today, you might want to think twice about setting your purse here.” Kealie said, looking over at Elaina. “If I were you, I’d have it in my lap!” Pam finished her large cup and set it aside. “Kealie is right, Lain. I never gave it much thought before, but for now I’d keep personal items close by. At least until we figure out what’s going on around here. I know things like that happen all the time, purses getting snatched and all. But somehow, I feel it’s all connected. You know?” “Yeah. I mean, I know my purse is very shiny and everything, but I would bet any thief would be able to tell I’m just a teen and I don’t have a lot in my purse. Well, at least not anything that’s really worth anything.” Kealie said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. As Elaina reached for her purse, something caught her eye out the slightly tinted windows of the building. She could see a couple guys hanging around the dumpster area. “Hey, Pam…didn’t we park over by the dumpsters?” Elaina asked, not taking her eyes off the men. “Yeah, why?” Pam replied, trying to see what her sister was looking at. Her view was blocked, so she stood up a little. “Um…and didn’t that guy we saw earlier today…didn’t he have a black jacket and tan cap?” Pam stood up a little taller as Kealie began to rise from her seat. Kealie gulped. “Yes…?” Pam slowly answered. As if they all knew at once, the girls quickly collected their purses and threw away the rest of their trash. Elaina grabbed the notebook off the table. “We gotta move quickly…” Elaina said. The girls followed closely behind as she hurried out the door.
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“Alright.” The bulky man said with a slight country drawl. “So, the item? Where is it?” Samuel Henry stared at the insignificant thing in front of him. The only reason this man was hired for this particular job was his closeness with one of their contacts. In fact, if it had not been for Caleb Parker, they wouldn’t even have that contact. So, Sam guessed he owed at least this much to the guy. “Cale. Look at me, man. You do have the item, correct?” Caleb pulled his cap down so it would shadow his face better. He looked around then faced Samuel. He sighed then pulled the small sequenced purse out of his knapsack. Samuel began to reach for the purse, but Caleb quickly withdrew the little bag to his side. “Caleb! Come on! This is the pass off. Are you in or not?” Sam said, becoming a little more annoyed. He scoped out the area, making sure they weren’t attracting unwanted attention. “Look, Sam. The only reason I was “In” in the first place was because of my little brother’s involvement. I never wanted this life for him or myself. But once you offered him all that cash, he wouldn’t back down. The ONLY reason I’m IN is because of him and his protection. You got that? After this, I’m done! So don’t come calling me after this. Because after this pass off I’m through. Through!!” Sam stared at Caleb for a moment. “You done?” Sam asked. He checked the area one last time. Then he stepped towards Caleb and grabbed the man’s collar, pulling him closer to his face. “The only thing I got is that you will never blow up like that again in public. You got that? You could have and probably did compromise our meeting, if that’s what you’d even call this. Hand over the purse now so we can end this like you want to.” Right as Caleb jerked Sam’s hand off of his jacket the side door of the restaurant flew open. Three girls quickly walked out and began heading towards the dumpsters. Sam grabbed the purse, snapped it open, pulled out an object then shoved it back at Caleb. Caleb caught the bag and stepped out of the way as Sam jogged to his car. Sam had the car cranked and backing up by the time the girls reached Caleb.
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As Kealie and Pam continued towards the man, Elaina grabbed her cell phone out of her purse and quickly snapped a picture of the car pulling out of the parking lot. Pam reached the man first and immediately began talking to him. “Sir, were you the one that took this purse or was it that chicken friend of yours?” Pam said, grabbing the purse out of Caleb’s clutches. Caleb stood in shock for a moment then looked at the other two girls. “Mind if we have a few words with you?” Kealie said handing a pen to Elaina. Elaina opened her notebook and clicked the pen. Caleb gulped.
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“Can we talk somewhere other than here?” The man asked in a tired voice. Pam looked at Kealie and Elaina and shrugged. “Why, not. Sure...Mr- ?” Pam replied. “The name’s Caleb, Caleb Parker. Just call me Cale.” “Ok, well…Mr. Cale, we don’t know you, so we can’t ride with you or you with us. So we’ll follow you. But choose a somewhat public place, if you don’t mind.” The man nodded and walked to his jeep. The girls got into their truck and followed the man out of the parking lot. “Pam! Why are we letting him go like this? He might speed off and we may never see him again!” Elaina exclaimed. “Calm down, Lain. That big man was the one that apparently wanted the purse.” Pam said. “When we were walking up he took it from Cale and then gave it back. I think Cale didn’t want anything to do with it. And I think we can trust him…somewhat. It does look like he was the one to take the purse. But hopefully everything will clear up soon. Besides, he told us his full name without hesitation.” Kealie dumped her purse on the back seat and began taking inventory. “Hmm…my money is here, my ID, my lip gloss…” “Kealie, somehow I don’t think they would care about taking your lip gloss…unless it had some sort of product in it he needed like..drugs…poison…” Elaina said, looking behind her for Kealie’s reaction. Kealie held up the lip gloss to the window, looking inside the tube. She started to scroll the window down. “Kealie!! I was JOKING! Put the window up!” Elaina said laughing hard. Kealie sighed and rolled the window back up. She set the lip gloss aside and continued to look through her items. “Well, looks like its all here...! Oh wait…except...oh no” Kealie said slowly. Elaina turned in her seat to face Kealie. Pam looked through her rearview mirror as they slowed to a red light. Kealie looked up at them both, all the color drained from her face. “Guys…my parents are gonna kill me. My cell phone is totally gone…”
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“What are these people? Kleptomaniacs or…or something?!” Kealie wailed loudly. Elaina grabbed Kealie’s hand to calm her down. Kealie pulled away. “No, Lain. You don’t understand.” Kealie began. “I almost wrecked the family car a few weeks ago by forgetting to double check that the brake was pulled all the way back! Last week I left a candle burning during the night by accident and started a small fire on my desk which thankfully went out but not before it cooked my homework into a crisp. I just got this cell phone as an early birthday gift. My parents almost didn’t get it for me because they weren’t sure if I was responsible enough! No, Lain! You don’t understand.” Tears began to trickle down Kealie’s face. She leaned against the window and wrapped her arms around her knees. Kealie buried her face in her arms and cried. Pam looked over at Elaina for a moment then back at the road as the light turned green. Elaina just sat staring at Kealie in awe of what just happened. She hadn’t known this about Kealie. They told each other everything, but somehow Kealie felt she couldn’t trust Elaina with this. She felt a little hurt, but more importantly she hurt because she couldn’t help Kealie feel better right now. It was an awful feeling that hit her in the pit of her stomach. Her best friend was hurting and there was nothing she could do to make it any better. Elaina turned around and looked out the window at the trees passing by.
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