1 CHAPTER ONE

   It was getting close to midnight, and everyone was starting to read for the test coming up in a few days. It seemed like the whole school was actually out here having a look at their books this night. The lecture rooms had their bulbs set very high for the light to radiate for the whole school to use. And also, there was free WiFi for everyone.

  Oooh !

   So much temptation. It was getting so tempting to not continue reading and to just bring out your phone and maybe also sleep as the rain gave a cool breeze every five minutes.

      Liza looked around her and saw that half her friends were also in her dilemma. Especially, Fred, who always seemed too happy to open his books was yawning very wide she could see his teeth.

   Liza went back to the job at hand and tried focusing on her books. She was reading for an English test and she clearly knew the consequences of not reading ahead of time. She turned her attention to her very close girlfriend, Veesha..., the stunning, the best, entertaining.... She practically had ran out of words to describe her friend. But one thing she knew best was that they have been friends forever.

      Veesha looked at Liza and gave a shake of her head, at the same time pouting her mouth and slammed her head on the table using her textbook to cushion the hit. Liza laughed at her child play which attracted the rest of the gang.

      "Surely, you could not get tired in just two hours Veesh. It's just so not like you." Though she was sure her words got through, Veesha was too lazy to get back up.

       "She is not the only tired one around here". Mary declared and nodded towards Fred at the same time Veesh brought her head up, stared at Liza and gave her an eye look that said...see. Well, she totally could see, with the way Fred kept yawning, oh yes she could see.

       "Funny," was all he said before he tapped Luke on his shoulder and the latter sprouted back to life.

  "What is it?"

  He asked in that squeaky voice of his. All Fred did was take a mouth full of nuts and fed it to Luke, who happily crunched on them before finally started booting... as Emma would say. And speaking of the devil, where was that young teenager, always causing mischief in a place or another?

        "Hey, you know I haven't seen a whiff of Emma today at all guys, what about you?" Luke said as he looked around, "and also Faith".

        "Faith was here after you'd slept off and said he will be back in a couple of minutes but seems like an hour to me now, but Emma....well...you know what she's like".  Mary said as she started opening another of her jottings.

   Being the most intelligent amongst the group of seven, she had the most serene attitude. Keeps out of discussion except important to her ears or learning. Though at times can be very playful...but still as Luke would say he never really understands her mood swings.

        Luke just kept looking around until suddenly he called out,

      " Emma!"

   

      Fred groaned, and used a sheet of paper to cover his face as the mistress of mischief drew near. Liza just laughed at his behavior because she knew what was to come.

      "Haha! don't try to hide from me Mon Amie,"

     Emma was saying as she drew nearer and pried the paper off his face and also rewarded him with her fingers as her smile grew in the usual mischief they all were accustomed to.

     "Don't touch me". Fred was saying as she drew nearer to him and shrieked " the tickle monster" she said and she diver for his weakest spot at the side of his stomach just beneath his ribs.

  At her touch, he started wriggling like a snake until she had him in a corner. When he couldn't take it again he begged for his life. She finally released him and he immediately stood up and moved farther from her and her hands. The others were having a good laugh at his expense.

    "I don't know when you will grow out of that" Mary said as she watched him settle in his seat and she smiled. He just grumbled as took his books and fixed Emma a glare and also spared the time to show her his middle finger.

    Emma just laughed as she took a seat beside Luke as they were the closest to enemies. And as Liza had expected, the mumblings would start in...

     five...

     four...

    three..

    two...

    one...

  She took her earphones and plucked them on and saw the others do something likewise as they drowned out Luke and Emma's voices. This was going to be a long night.

************

     It was way past midnight before Liza decided she has had enough. Veesh and Mary had left like thirty minutes ago and it was high time she retired. She tapped on Fred's shoulder and asked him if he was ready to leave.

   Mumbling his answer he at last made to stand up and started packing his books. As he stumbled to pick another, Liza stopped him from falling as she reached out her hand to the empty air to catch the book and at the same time steady Fred who looked like he just came out from a drum of rum.

    After the whole ordeal she said goodbye to the others and left with Fred still staggering on his feet.

       Luke and Emma were a little bit more serious than their friends who had left like some minutes ago. As promised by the lecturer, the test was not going to be an easy one and knowing their weakness they were planning on reading through out the night...come rain come thunder.

      Twenty minutes later, Emma excused herself and promised to be back in the next ten minutes tops. A few after she'd left Faith walked in looking washed.

     "Lord God!" Luke exclaimed, "where have you been?"

     " Around," was Faith's quiet answer his voice not carrying the usual light tone and friendly manner he used for his friends.

    Luke felt there was more to it but shook the feeling away, especially when Faith had immediately  returned to his normal self.

     

      " Where are the others?" Faith said as he looked around searching for his friends.

   Luke tapped his chin with his pen as he tried to give Faith an accurate answer.

     

      " Uhmmmm... Liza and Fred had left like thirty minutes ago, Mary and Veesh left like an hour ago".

       " Then what about Emma?" He turned his attention to the nuts Luke had on the table as he stretched his hand heading for the nuts.

       Luke hit Faith's hand away from his nuts as he took a handful into his own mouth.

   "She went to the bathroom and would be back in ten," he looked at his watch and found out that time had gone.

   Emma had left like thirty minutes to an hour and she was not yet back.  "This is weird, it is almost like an hour since she left". He announced as he took another handful of nuts.

     "Should we wait for her outside?" Faith said as he stole another of Luke's nuts.

   "Really?" Luke gave his friend a skeptical look.

   "What?" Faith looked wide at Luke as he tried to take another handful of nuts and thus time he had more success than the other attempts as Luke seemed distracted.

    Luke took a peep at the window, saw that the rain had retired and nodded his head.

     "Fine...but I won't be long as I've got so many things to cover up" he shifted closer to Faith as he closed his book, "and I know you are not going out to wait for Emma, I know what you want but I'll oblige you"

      He said as he caught Faith's hand in another attempt at his nuts.

      "Get your's mister".

     In two minutes they were outside the lecture room trying to watch out for any sign for a passing Emma.

****************

     It didn't take long as they were waiting outside that they saw Emma appear from the dark alley that saved a space where students sat to do the unmentionables.

   She didn't even see Luke and Faith as they watched her turn right going straight to the lecture room. She had her head down as if she was brooding and was hitting people as she fought her way through the crowd.

  Faith called her name three times before walking to catch up with her long strides.

  He kept calling her name but she didn't seem to hear him or Luke. For the first time he thanked God for his height as he was able to use his legs to get to her on time.

    He knew something was off about how she walked and hung her head so low he was sure she couldn't even see what was right in front of her. As she walked on, she kept stumbling to people which buttressed his point.

    When he got closer gaining more time to her than Luke, he reached to touch her shoulder, and she turned.

   Faith had to jump back a little as he assessed her face. It looked like she had been crying and had stopped, because her eyes were swollen and her eyes had gone red.

   Luke at last caught up with them and had  the same shock of disbelief as Faith had also reacted. His face immediately had gone from shock to worry as he started asking questions.

    One thought was certain as they watched their friend as the tears fell, they had never witnessed her cry  in the last three years they had known her. She hardly had bad days and was always cheerful and happy. It was this thought that made both boys to hold onto her as if her form would break if she didn't have their support.

       " What happened to you?" Luke asked her taking her shoulders in his hands, and to answer him she shook her head.

       " Did someone scare you?" It was Faith's turn to ask and she just shook her head to answer her head turned to the floor as she fought to keep the tears at bay.

        " What happened?" And this time she lost it as she started sobbing into her hands.

      "What the–?"

      "He-e...took...he-r-r," she sobbed.

      "...gone".

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