The Stolen

Chapter 11

  I smile at Emma's words. It would be terrible for Brooke if her parents found out about whatever it is she's planning...

  "So what are you saying?" I say.

  "I say we go and subtly ask the Golden Leaders if they know about this. If they don't, we tell them what we know." Emma proposes, her arms folded.

  "I like the idea." I say. "But... Can't you remember I still have more than 35 hours to get it out of Madison? I say I get the details out of Madison, and then we tell Brooke's parents."

  "Well, if you get the details out of Madison, we'll do it that way." Emma says.

  "Fine then." I say, leaning towards her.

  "Fine then." She says, leaning towards me.

  "Fine then."

  "Fine then."

  "Fine then."

  "Bye." She says, turning around with a smirk on her lips.

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  "So what are you up to?" Madison says. She's sitting on the bed, legs crossed.

  I tighten my grip on the towel wrapped around my body. "I beg your pardon?"

  "I asked you what are you up to." Madison says, speaking slowly.

  I laugh a bit, trying to sound confident. "Why would I be up to anything?" I say, nervous. "You know me, nothing happens in Chrix World."

  Did I just say that? I really can't talk under pressure.

  Madison gets up and walks towards me. Well, 'towards me' means she takes a step forward, because you can't actually walk inside the small compartment. "You're acting strange." She says.

  "I'm not acting strange." I say, an innocent look on my face. "Um, if anything, I'm acting not strange."

  I don't know when my interrogation sessions with Madison became so frequent, but I wish they weren't.

  A smile spreads slowly through Madison's lips. "Spill it. Now."

  "I don't have anything to spill." I say. "Do you have any spill-worthy secrets?"

  "Christine, keeping your mouth shut would help you." Madison says, smirking. "So, I've seen you walking around with a girl from the Army today."

  "So?"

  "I didn't know you were so friendly with everyone." She says.

  "I'm not friendly with everyone." I say, wondering where this conversation is going, and more importantly, when is it going to end.

  "I know." She says. "And this leads us to the question: Why were you with a girl you barely know?"

  I have no idea of what you're saying, I want to say, but maybe she will leave me alone if she believes I'm nervous because of whatever she thinks I'm nervous for. I know, confusing.

  "Yeah. Why was I?" I say, playing I'm playing dumb.

  "I'll tell you why." She says. "That girl is Emma, 238, the niece of Jessica and Mike, the Golden Leaders."

  Emma is the niece of the Golden Leaders? Why didn't she tell me? What could possibly make her not want to share that?

  The only answer is: Madison is lying.

  "No way." I say. "If Emma is the niece of the Golden Leaders, why is she in compartment 238?"

  "Don't ask me." Madison says. "I'm the niece of a Leader, and still, I'm here with you."

  Well, she does make a point.

  "But Emma didn't tell me she was, so she's not." I say.

  "I believe you, Christine." she says smiling. What a relief. "That was just a lie to test you, but... Why are you nervous then?"

  I mentally slap myself. "You don't need to know."

  "But I want to."

  "Who cares?" I say. "Everyone can have their secrets. I'm sure you have yours."

  She blushes and I know I hit the spot. "You don't need to know."

  "Awesome." I say, realizing I won our little battle. I smirk and fold my arms. "Then you don't need to know mine either."

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  Two days later...

  "So, what did you find out?" Emma says, sitting next to me in the Lunch Room.

  "Sorry?" I say, avoiding having to say I found absolutely nothing.

  "About Madison." She says. When she sees I don't answer, she looks angry. "Chrix! You've been avoiding me, and I thought it was because you were too busy trying to get it out of Madison! But that wasn't it, right? You were just too scared to tell me you didn't find out anything!"

  "Sorry." I mutter.

  "Sorry? This would have been the most exciting thing of our lives! And you ended it!" She says.

  "You don't know that this would be exciting!" I shout. "You don't know anything! Unless your dear cousin Brooke told you all about it!"

  Emma tilts her head and I cover my mouth with my hand.

  "How do you know that?" She says, her voice calm, but a glimpse of nervousness is hidden behind it. "Who told you that?" Her voice is raising more and more every moment.

  It's not a lie? Emma really is Brooke's cousin? What the hell, Madison? More importantly, what the hell, Emma?

  "What?" I say.

  "I asked you how do you know that!" Emma says, a frown on her face.

  "So it's true?" I say, and Emma opens her eyes widely.

  "It was a joke?!" She screams. "Why didn't you tell me it was a joke? God!"

  "It wasn't a joke." I mutter. "Madison told me, but I thought she was lying. Clearly she wasn't. You were."

  "I wasn't lying. You just... never asked." Emma says.

  "Whatever." I say. "You forget I didn't find anything about this through Madison, I forget Brooke is your cousin. Problem solved."

  "No, no, the problem is not solved, not in the very least." She says, her hands on the back of her head. "You won't forget it, I know that. I can forget about Madison, but you won't forget about Brooke. I know you won't."

  "It's fine." I say, though it isn't.

  "Okay then." I say.

  RIght now, as I look at Emma, I see her resemblance with Brooke. Her eyes are big, like Brooke's, and her hair is exactly the same color. It's amazing that I didn't notice before.

  "Okay then." She says.

  A/N: I hope you liked it!

  Okay, so as always, I'd love you soooo much if you voted/commented/followed me! Thank you!