Stargirl of the Edge

Ch 30 - Rescue

In the previous chapters, we learn how Olivia walked down a tunnel and into the Edge to meet up with her mentor, the Chinese princess Esther, and the other crew members, who reside in a large underground space. Realising her parents might be looking for her, she went back along the tunnel to find her way out, but lost her way. She followed the sound of Jessie's bark and then lost consciousness. Now her parents are about to discover their daughter's mysterious absence and that she may be keeping a secret from them.

Earlier, at around 8.55pm, Liz and Dennis arrived back at the house in the Jaguar.

“Ooh, those men at the golf club, I can’t stand them!”

Dennis followed her into the house.

“But some of them might be potential business partners, Liz.”

“You don’t want to do business with people like that, you really don’t.  And that one, the big one with that silly hair style, that looks like an overgrown schoolboy.”

“He’s a senior company director, Liz, he’s on the committee of the club.”

“I don’t care what or who he is, I can’t stand him. So arrogant, always talking about how much money he’s earned this year, how much his house is worth, and how expensive his latest car is.”

“But Liz, if you’re not keen on people like that, it makes me wonder why on earth we ever moved to this district!”

Liz just shook her head. “I know plenty of nice people who live around here. It’s just that there weren’t any at the ‘do’ this evening.”

She put the kettle on and sat at the table with a grumpy expression.

“And that other man,” she continued, “the one who said women should never have been allowed in the main room. What’s his name? Ooh, I looked daggers at him, I really did, but he couldn’t take it. He had to flinch. He had to look away!”

Dennis shook his head.

“But hold on a minute,” said Liz, “where’s Livvy? Has she taken the jeep? And it looks like she’s taken Jessie with her. She didn’t say she was going out, did she?  Let me give her a call.”

She rang Olivia’s number but heard her iPhone ringing upstairs.

“Where’s she gone? And she’s forgotten her phone? Oh goodness, I hope she wasn’t upset about the pendant. Oh crumbs, I shouldn’t have been so hard on her.”

“Maybe she went to that party,” said Dennis.  “Why don’t we use her phone and ring her friend. What was her name? Oh yes, Millie.”

Liz called and a girl answered. There was loud music in the background.

“Oh, hi, this is Olivia Yang’s phone, it’s her mum here. I was just wondering, is Olivia at the party? She’s not at home and we don’t know where she is. We thought she was going to stay at home this evening. I’m a little bit worried because, to be frank, we had an argument. I think she might be upset.”

“I invited her to the party but she didn’t reply to my text message. She’s definitely not here.” 

“Oh, I wonder where she might be. I don’t think she’s gone for a walk on the Edge, it’s too dark.”

“Well I don’t know about that,” said the young female voice at the other end, “When girls go on the Edge alone at night, there’s usually a reason.”

“What do you mean?” asked Liz.

“Maybe she was meeting someone,” said the voice. There was a slight tone of humour in her voice.