The Untold Story of Riverria

Chapter 2: Al where have you gone?

Simon P.O.V

I watched her jump up and down in happiness and chuckled. Such a child, I thought. But that's what I loved about her. She was so easily delighted, and so easily swayed emotionally. She even cries when reading a book, I mean how sad can it be?... She's so weird, sometimes I don't get her, even though we've known each other for more than 10 years. But she's like an open book, so easy to read... Sorry I'm having an inner contemplation, I don't know what I'm saying and I'm swaying off topic.

I walked over to her and dragged her out of the library. "Alright time to go, time to go."

"But, but.. I haven't finished looking at the new books.." She trailed off pouting, her puppy dog eyes shining.

"But, but..." I imitated her. "Too bad we're going Al and there's nothing you can do about it. Dinner's at 7, you out of all people should know that very well."

"I- hate- you!" She said emphasising every word.

"No you love me." I rebutted.

"You wish."

I chuckled at her smart- alec response. Her comebacks were lame but that made it all the more interesting. She pounded on my arm as I dragged her to my car. When I stuffed her back into the passenger seat she put on her seat belt and stared at the book and then hugged. Weird right? Yeah, weird. I mean who hugs books? Her obviously.

For the whole entire 10 minute drive back to her house, Al stared at her nameless and story less book. What the hell?! "Al, what's so interesting about that book?" I asked her as we walked back up to her house.

"I don't know, it just draws me to it, it makes me wonder whether there actually is a story with characters and a plot that just hasn't been printed onto the pages. Ya know what I mean?" She answered.

"Yeah...no..."

"Whatever."

"Okay." We lapsed into a comfortable silence and walked up the rest of her driveway.

I winced as Al rung the doorbell to her own house. Why? Well here's the deal, while Al was withdrawn and always had her nose stuck in a book, her mother Linda was loud, rowdy, sweet and very friendly, overly friendly. 

The door swung open and the familiar face of Al's mum popped into the doorway. She was a lady in her late thirties but looked like she was in her late twenties. Her ebony black hair, the same colour as Al's was tied back into a lose bun. I knew the drill of this household like my own. In the next second or so-

"Ohh... sweethearts your back! How was your visit to the library?" Linda asked as she wrapped me into a warm embrace. Yep, like just like I thought. Linda hugged me again, that would be the second time tonight!

"Mum! Would you stop embarrassing yourself!" I chuckled as I watched Al scold her mother, with her hands on her hips, her finger pointed in her mum's direction.

"What? I was just being friendly!" Al's mum defended herself.

"I have the most embarrassing mum in the world." Al muttered under her breath before she swept into her house and stomped up her room. Linda turned to me and gave me a look of absolute befuddlement  before she too turned around into the house, with me hot on her daughter's heels.

I walked straight into Al's bedroom without a second thought becuase... well the two of us have known each other since we were born. I have been in her room a gizillion times and she's been in my room a gizillion times as well, even though each time she complains about the 'lingering smell of boys'.

Al's room wasn't the typical room that a girl would have. It wasn't pink, it didn't have a stand where all the girls did their make up, it didn't have any posters of hot boy bands and her wardrobe didn't even have any girly dresses! But I assure you, she is a girl! Her room was pretty plain, save for the posters of books and movie actors that she liked.

Right now she sat on her bed and held the stupid book at an arms length from her, turning this way and that, scrutinsing it like it was some kind of diamond or something. She delicately brushed her hand  across the leather cover and opened the book. Seriously? How many times is she going to admire that book when she could be spending her time drooling over me and my perfect body?

She opened the book to the page that had that picture of a family on it and starting tracing the outline of the people in it. As her finger finished tracing the mother I heard a light fizzle and saw a spark ignite on the page. Then the spark turned into a flame that burned bleach white, I couldv'e almost described it as beautiful if it hadn't been holding my Al captive in its shining glory. I covered my eyes as I feebily attempted to make my way towards her. 

"Linda, Linda!" I shouted as loud as I could.

Not even a second later Linda and Al's father Robert bursted into their daughter's bedroom. 

"What's going on?" Robert asked, his eyes reflecting slight panic. "Where's Ali?"....."Is she in there?" He finally asked, pointing to the cage of light.

I nodded numbly and stayed rooted to my spot as Linda and Robert rushed to their daughter. A bell tolled somewhere in her room and the cage of light disappeared, Al with it, leaving nothing but a trail of what seemed like silver dust. 

"Ali?" Hope, confusion and panic was  edged in Linda's shaking voice. 

5 minutes went without a word. Dead silence filled the room. Then Linda fell to her knees sobbing. "Ali-hic- Ali darl-hic, where-hic-are-hic you?" Robert's calm facade broke when he heard his wife sobbing, he too fell to the ground defeated. 

Never. In. My. Life. Have. I. Ever. Felt. So. Helpless. Useless. Empty. Hollow. Like my whole life was caving in on me.  It was like my whole world just shattered into ten million tiny pieces.

WHAT. THE. HELL. JUST. HAPPENED?!?!?!?!?!