My story, chapter 1.

The condensation on the widow trickled down and revealed a blur of country side.  I sighed and placed my ear phones into my ears to drown out the low droning sound of the train. Marie and George sat opposite me, holding hands. I sighed and turned my music to full volume. I wished I had someone who cared for me like he cared for her.  I was just about to close my eyes when I saw the flash of a face behind me. I turned, quickly. I saw my own pale reflection staring back at me through the cold glass window.  I was sure that I saw something, but I couldn’t be sure. I snuggled down into my seat and tried to get comfy and forget about the haunting face I saw in the corner of my eye. Before  I knew it, I had drifted into a deep sleep. It’d had been a long and complicated story, that had taken me there; on the path way to a new life, my future, away from all the people in my way.

 I sighed as the teacher droned on and on about the area and perimeter of a shape. I sat and thought about Lauren, my sister. She’d been so lucky, following her dreams. She had been offered a job in the west end with a twenty year contract and the best agent going. I was so happy for her as it’s what she was always talking about; performing on stage, and this was her big chance!  I couldn’t say I wasn’t missing her, though. It was ok, because I had Marie. She wass my bestest friend ever, and meant the world too me. We talked about our future how we’d move to a big city and become top secret agents or crime scene investigators together. We’d sit up all night at sleepovers, staring wide-eyed at the telly watching CSI or some other crime related program, clutching cushions and munching on popcorn. I tapped my hand on the desk. I sat next to Oliver, the ‘smart one’ in my maths. He was always writing notes or something. He murmured in a low whispering voice,  ‘I’m way ahead of you’ then snorted as he laughed. I rolled my eyes, he honestly was pathetic. I started day dreaming again. This time I thought about the boy of my dreams. He was handsome with flowing hair and dark eyes. He stared at me, mystery written all over his face. I reached out to touch him.. ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING EMMA’ Miss bellowed in my face, her own turning bright red like a beetroot, which made me want to giggle. I stuttered to her, ‘I- erm I, don’t get it.. m-miss’ I gulped hard, hoping it’d worked. She sighed long and heavily, then began to explain height times width, blah, blah, blah. I nodded and whispered ‘mhm’ every now and then, but I wasn’t really listening. I began to think of him again, the dark mysterious boy. But he wasn’t as clear, his eyes didn’t sparkle as they had, his touch was faint. The school bell rang and I collected my things quickly and made an escape to the door, my teacher in mid sentence, looked confused as I ran down the corridor. I burst through the door, panting heavily. I only had 15 minutes and I needed to see Marie! I ran to the front gates, where she stood hugging George. As soon as she freed him from her grip I launched myself at her and gave her a big hug.  We stood there for several minutes just hugging. I acknowledged the others in our little group. Some nodded in return, and I received a few hugs. We had this serious test coming up, that would predict our future. Me and Marie had been hoping to get something to do with crime investigation or detective work. We’d planned it for so many years. We used to play detectives when we were young, but we had grown out of that by this time. I was getting quite irate and worried. Marie was much smarter than me. What if her prediction was exactly what she wanted but I got something like a.. bin lady or something?! I told Marie and she laughed then reassured me. ‘you’ll do absolutely fantastic! You’re so smart, you could solve any crime!’ she grinned. She always new how to cheer me up. Despite the reassurance, I was still a bit anxious. The test was to be after lunch, at 12.30. It was currently 9.17 – during break. The bell rang for next lesson, so I said bye to all the guys, and had a farewell hug with Marie and she went, holding hands with George, towards main entrance to next lesson. I stood for a minute and watched them. Watched at the way they gazed at each other, looked at the way he squeezed her hand, just to remind her he was there, looked at the way she blushed and flicked her hair whenever he talked to her. I sighed, and turned. I’d like a guy who respected me, and loved me. The boy began to build back up inside my mind. I decided to go the long way round school, seen as how I really couldn’t be bothered with next lesson. I felt bad because I was in the middle of GCSE’s and the lessons were essential. But, I didn’t see the harm in just a couple of minutes? I began to talk to him, in my mind. He told me that he would always love me. I replied quietly. I was always good at making things up, and imagining new worlds. He took me to see the aurora lights, and Big Ben, then Eiffel tower all in the space of ten minutes! I realised I should start to head back but there was something about the way the trees looked, that separated the school from the town, that didn’t seem right. It lead to a small wood, which normally look beautiful and welcoming. Now it looked quiet and lonely. It seemed darker, and colder. A chilling breeze ran through the trees and sent a shiver down my back. Heavy footsteps and drag marks were imprinted in the harsh soil, and looked as though someone had failed in attempting to cover them up. A revolting smell invaded my nostrils and made my eyes run, causing me to clutch my face covering nose and mouth. I was incredibly late for class by this time, but there was a mystery here, that needed to be solved. Needed to be solved, by me. I was determined to find out what was going on. It was more than likely that my imagination was running wild and there was nothing peculiar here at all… but I had to find out.