Mysterious adventures in the shadow of trees

Chapter 14: Picture

-Scarlett-

Bang! The door slammed shut, causing Thomas and me (including our breakfast) to jump so high that our chairs were practically thrown back onto the floor.

Father was out early again.

"What was that for?" Thomas shouted down the hall as father hung his wet coat up on a hook opposite the front door.

What? It's raining? I hope Sofia doesn't get drenched!

I looked outside. I was like a giant emptying his ginormous bathtub over us, the Tiny People in Tinyville.

Know it all: seriously? You think that Sofia would let herself stand and have buckets of water poured over her head? Besides, that she texted you to say that she found a hut.

Me: fine, but I've got a nasty feeling the rain is too heavy...

I snapped my mind out of the conversation. It would be silly to make myself even more worried about Sofia, wouldn't it?

Plus, it might not even be raining there.

"Scarlett, I think you might want to hear this," father said rather gleefully as he heaved his heavy briefcase onto the table and snapped it open.

I tried not to look too suspicious as I waited patiently as father rummaged in his folders, before finally giving a little 'aha!' and pulling out a small piece of paper. It looked as if it was torn off a notebook in a hurry.

He threw it down on the table and turned his computer on. Looking at the paper, he typed the words on and waited.

I glanced at the note quickly and it read:

𝓜.𝓔𝓭𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼.𝓖𝓶𝓪𝓲𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝓶

M.Edwards.Gmail.com? Not him again! But still, what 'vital information' did he have this time?

"Scarlett? Do you know Mr. Edwards?" Father asked gently. My thoughts had given themselves away on my face.

I shook my head vigorously, hooked my bag over my shoulder, picked up an umbrella before walking to school.

"Hey, Scarlett! I'm really sorry about your sister and neighbor," my all-time best friend Emma called as she rushed up to me.

My worries were flattened for a few delightful moments as Emma chatted with me on the way to school.

Soon, I arrived and Emma and I sat down at my desk and pulled out my homework book while Miss Lewis called out the register.

"Amanda Smith!" She bellowed over the deafening chatter of excited students who hadn't even bothered to do their homework.

Silence descended upon the classroom as many faces turned to me. I felt my face go red, as Lily Evans, the youngest in the class clutched her pen so hard that her hand had gone white.

"Amanda Smith," Miss Lewis repeated slowly and carefully.

"She's lost!" A girl screeched. Miss Lewis sighed, "No calling out in class." Before writing the date on the board.

After school, I walked briskly away, towards home. Suddenly, Thomas burst out of the front door."Help! Stranger in the house! Help me!"

Know-it-all: Hmm. Could it be Michal Edwards?

Me: Sure. But his name is Mason Edwards.

"Thomas! Describe the 'stranger'"

"Well he has this weird voice and doesn't stop talking," Thomas described while trying to rescue his iPad which had fallen into a bush.

I walked carefully from the garden into the house.

"Scarlett, come here! This is Mason Edwards, the tourist," father introduced.

"Hello, my name is Mr. Edwards and I would like to tell-"

"Thanks but I need to ask you about the girl you saw in the forest that looks like Sofia." Father cut off.

Mr. Edwards shuffled uncomfortably, " well, I did tell Scarlett," as he pointed at me, " All that I knew about the girl," he continued.

Father seemed to be puzzled. I did an imitation of a phone and father's frown faded.

Finally, Mr. Edwards left the house and Thomas finally returned to his room, desperate to play a video game.

" Scarlett, come here please," beckoned Father as he drew out a picture of someone.

Soon, I realized that the picture was of Sofia.

"I asked him to take a picture of the girl he saw and I showed him this,"father explained, waving the photo in front of me.

"It was when you went to school this morning. He said that she looked similar but he would check again, just in case," father glanced at the telephone before continuing.

"He said he would phone at about quarter to six and it's half past six now so we only have, like, fifteen minutes,"father informed, before glancing back at the phone, as if it was about to explode any moment now.

Suddenly, the telephone rang and father answered.

"Hello?" Father asked.

"The girl is gone, she is not there. I did not see her."