This Is Me Trying

Chapter Sixteen

Emma inhales a very slow, very deep breath that cracks within her lungs before she carefully releases that breath.

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" She calmly asks even though she wants to reach through this phone and punch Jefferson in the nose.

"She told me she was going to spend the day with Cora and I fought her on the subject. I said a whole day with Cora, she must enjoy torture-"

"But she's not with Cora?" Emma skeptically investigates.

"No, Cora showed up at the hotel looking for her."

"Did they originally have plans?"

"Nope," Ruby says with an exaggerated pop at the end as she shoves her head into view. "Cora said that she was dropping by to see if Regina wanted to do lunch."

"And Guy didn't take her anywhere?" Emma practically shrieks from the stress and worry violently coursing through her body like electrical shocks of torture.

"No, Ems. But uh...Sydney is gone and we can't get ahold of him either," Ruby nervously reveals. "And you haven't heard from her today?"

"I mean...I did. She was texting me earlier but everything seemed normal. I asked her what she planned to do on her day off and she said sleep. I thought that was a reasonable explanation."

"I should've checked on her earlier," Ruby whines. "I was on a call with Belle and Scarlett and I didn't want to cut it short-ugh, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't blame yourself," Emma scolds. "She's an adult. It's not your responsibility to keep tabs on her."

"I know but I knew she has been struggling these past few days and I could have been more present."

"Look," Jefferson chimes in, "whatever the hell she is doing, she planned this. She told all of us different stories, she knew exactly what she was doing."

"So what? Does that mean we shouldn't be worried?" Emma huffs like a small child wanting to pick a fight.

"No, of course, we should worry. There are a lot of psychos out there that would love a minute alone with her. But what I'm saying, is she had an idea in mind, she set a plan into motion and she followed through. Wherever she is, this is where she wants to be right now."

"True," Ruby concedes through a breathy exhale. "Now, we just hope she is back in time for her show tomorrow?"

"There's no way she's going to cancel a show," Jefferson confidently assures them. "Maybe we can speak with Cora? Maybe she has some idea what's going on in her daughter's head because she has been spending so much damn time with her."

"Oh shit," Emma murmurs under her breath.

"What? What?" Jefferson and Ruby squeal in unison.

"I know exactly where she is," Emma confesses. "Dammit, Regina, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Ems, tell us right now what's going on!" Ruby screeches in a volume that would have a pack of wolves scurrying away in a flash.

"I think you need to get Cora. I don't have her number but I need to speak to her right now."

~~~~

Jefferson looks absolutely mortified, yet equally intrigued about what's about to go down. He clears his throat, a smirk ghosting over his lips and reminding Emma so much of Regina.

"So, Emma, I have Cora here with me, I'm going to pass the phone to her."

The phone zooms right in to Cora's wrinkles, a very unflattering image covering Emma's phone of the woman's nostrils. "Oh Jefferson," Cora scoffs in annoyance, you just hold the phone up. I don't do FaceTime."