The Diamond Case

CHAPTER SIX: I LOVE Near Death Experiences

"Ok kids, since today is the first time of Apogee Quest this year, I don't want to pressure you very much right now. So, today I just want you to maybe chat, get to know each other a little better, things like that. But, if you have some kind of work you want to work on, go ahead! I'll be over there by the big willow tree if you need any help or have any questions! Ms. Bun happily said, taking her time to walk over to the big willow tree.

"So, Em. We have A LOT to catch up on for the necklace case. The good thing is, we have a lot of time to work on it. The bad thing is, Patricia has tricks up her sleeve, and we can't let her hear our plans. I've made a board of all the good tactics we could use to get our necklaces back. I'm pretty sure dad said we will be leaving next week to England, where supposedly the necklaces were last seen. We can work on it in England, but then we will have less time to get the necklaces. My plan is to know what we will do in England, then think of all the possibilities, and think of a solution for each one. Got it?" I informed Emily.

"Uhhhhhhhhh......... Don't you think that that is a little bit too much information for me to take in? I have a small brain, you know."

"VERY true, but we are nearly leaving. It's already good that the teachers aren't gonna make us make up the work we will be missing, so we need to work super hard on this case."

"Ok. You can say anything now. I'll just shut up."

"Em, you can't goof around now, this is serious business! Plus, if we don't get the necklaces back, dad will probably be so sad, he'll end up like mom. I know you don't want that to happen."

"I wasn't goofing around! Geesh Rose, I'll be serious now. I wasn't even goofing around anyway." Emily said quietly.

I gave her my best glare, so of course, she shut up. I started showing her my board of good tactics, and possible solutions. I started explaining my theories, but Emily wasn't listening!!!!! I figured that Emily wasn't going to focus very well, so I made her list all possible scenarios and find a solution to them. Then I start listing more theories and scenarios. I already wrote down about 10, but EMILY, being an idiot, had only written one. I quickly look away so she doesn't catch me looking at her scenario, which was actually pretty decent: you could be trapped in a trap. BUT I already have that so...

Then I catch Emily trying to look at MY list. (RUDE! You need to come up with your own ideas, sister dear!) I quickly move my arm so Emily can't see, so she can focus on what SHE'S doing, not me. Then, Emily suddenly gets up from her white, hard, cold seat and scrambles over to the porta potty, but she trips over a tree branch.

OH. NO. I've seen this scenario before, a lot of times. Emily has to go to the bathroom ASAP, but the branch delays her, so she pees in her pants. Which makes everyone look her way. Which makes Emily embarrass herself in front of her crush, Seth. Emily burst into tears, which she usually doesn't do, and so I shot her my best glare, AGAIN! I hope Emily gets the message I'm sending that says: I don't want to be involved in this, and Why are you such a baby? Emily, understanding me, runs to the porta potty and locks the lock.

From the look on her face before she went potty and the faint sobbing sounds coming from her, I could tell that Emily was crying. She CONTINUED to cry, for about 3 minutes. THREE MINUTES. THREE!!!!!!!!! Weeellll, time to go back to the necklace case.

I came up with about 10 more scenarios when Ms. Bun tells everyone that class has ended, so I walked back home. I waited till Emily came back home, but she didn't.

"DAD! Can I take a hike into the woods? Text me when Emily comes home, I'll come back in about an hour. Today was super rough."

"OK! Just come back before dinner!"

I gathered some books, a jacket, raincoat, first aid kit, water, and some snacks and neatly put them in my backpack with my school stuff. Then, I opened the back door and the backyard gate. Behind our house was a giant forest and a beautiful lake on top of a steep hill. I always went there to calm down.

When I got to the lake, I sat on the makeshift bench that Emily and I had made years before and did my homework. I took out my book and started to read. I was so entranced into the book that I failed to notice Patricia (how did she get there?) walking up to me.

"BOO!" yelled Patricia. I rolled my eyes and packed my stuff.

"Patricia, how do you know about this place?"

"Hmm" she grinned evilly. "Well, my BOYFRIEND Seth told me that Emily told him that this was your calm down place."

I was shocked. Emily rarely shared secrets, and she told SETH??? Seth of all the people. This was the most private place I could have, and Patricia again takes everything. First the necklaces, then my mom, and now my peace place. Also, Patricia is SETH'S GIRLFRIEND??? Something was entirely wrong.

"Patricia, how are you Seth's girlfriend?"

"Well, since I'm going to end your life in about 5 minutes, I'll tell you. Seth was actually a yucky old short boy. He was a big gossiper, you know, and he wanted to become popular. I made a deal with him. I made him more attractive with your precious necklaces, and I made him more charming. In return, he had to get juicy bits out of you and Emily, but you weren't smitten by him. I didn't care though, because Emily was swept off her feet. Now, why don't you quickly text your dad that you died by falling off this hill and that a car ran you over? Hmmm?"

"NEVER! You are never going to do that!"

Patricia cackled. "Watch me." Then she muttered under her breath, "Send Rose Potter's dad this message: Rose got seriously injured as she fell down a hill and got ran over by a car"

"NO!" By then, I understood what Patricia was going to do and I grabbed my backpack and hugged it close.

"Oh, yes. This is the end. Of you!" and then Patricia pushed me down the hill. She gave a thumbs up to a driver in a blue Honda a thousand feet away, and then the driver stepped on the gas and tore down the road. I put the backpack to cushion the fall of 10 feet, but I landed smack in the middle of the blue Honda's way. I quickly scrambled to the other side of the road, and I got a glimpse of the passenger's seat. I gasped in surprise. In the passenger's seat was Seth, giving the driver directions on how to run me over. I sighed in relief when the car passed me, but then the car turned around and was off the road, chasing me. I figured that the safest way to stay alive was to act it out.

I ran onto the road with the car behind me. Just when the car was about to hit me, I jumped into the bushes lining the road and accidently bonked my head on the rock wall behind the bushes. Before I passed out, I saw Patricia grinning like a maniac on top of the hill, and running over to Seth while the driver, horrified by what she'd done, called 911. I tried to fight the darkness, but it swept over me easily and sent me into restless dreams.