Hidden World

Chapter 15: Time

Emma

I covered for my absence that week, it's Saturday now. I am so glad it's officially Christmas break. I was looking out the glass doors, beyond my porch, with a cup of herbal tea. I felt arms slide around  my waist. I smiled and turned around to face Declan. 

"Good morning," Declan said in his morning voice. 

"Morning," I smiled kissing his cheek. He took my tea from my hand and took a big drink. He jumped back a little and threw his hand over his mouth almost spitting it out.

"That's not coffee," he said with a sour face. I burst out laughing and couldn't stop. A smile grew on his face and he set the tea down.

"So it's hilarious to you?" Declan chuckled with an eyebrow raised. 

I looked up with a twisted face, as if thinking for a moment and said," mmmm yeah, it's hilarious."

Before I could move, Declan picked me up by the waist and ran into the living room with me over his shoulder. I squealed and laughed and kicked my feet. He put me on the couch and started tickling me.

"That's no fair! Ah! Stop it oh my gosh!" I choked in between laughs. He grabbed one of my wrist and then the other and pinned them above my head. I giggled some and he smiled, then he leaned down and kissed me.

After he let me up I went and showered while Declan shower in the guest bathroom. I dried my hair then went downstairs and saw Declan drinking coffee. I grabbed my coat and put my shoes on. Declan finished his coffee and put it in the sink. While he was putting his cup in the sink, I ran outside. A few seconds later Declan came outside with his shoes and jacket on. As soon as he turned around from closing the door I hit him with a snowball. He looked at me while I held my stomach laughing before he darted down the stairs and grabbed a handful of snow. I reached my hand down and grabbed snow. Then my side was hit with a snowball. We began throwing snowballs back and forth. Declan hit me smack in the chest with a snowball, and I looked over to him with an eyebrow raised and smirked. He looked back at me unsure of what was about to happen. I darted to him as fast as I could. As I was running I shifted fast into my wolf. Declan, half way across the yard, smiled wide. He ran towards me as fast as he could and shifted as well. We met in the middle and he attempted to pounce on me, but I slid under him tossing snow up as I did. He landed where I was standing before. I bowed, flicking my tail in the air. Declan raced towards me and I jumped back and ran to the woods.

We chased each other and played all morning, then came back to the house. We shifted back to human, luckily fully clothed, and went inside. Both of our stomachs growled.

"Want some lunch? I'll buy," Declan said.

"Of course, free food is always great," I giggled and we got into his car. We were at the edge of town, then there were police cars everywhere and an ambulance. Declan pulled over and we quickly jumped out of the car. I looked towards where most of the police cars were, they were at the little diner that Delilah worked at. I began to worry a little, but I figured Delilah was okay. Declan appeared beside me and we walked towards the small crowd that had gathered.

"Excuse me, but do you know what happened?" I asked one of the crowd members.

"A girl was stabbed," the person answered. I began shoving through the crowd leaving Declan behind. 

"Emma!...Emma!" I heard Declan yell. I didn't have time to wait for him. I could see someone being brought out on a gurney. I made my way to the front and saw the victim. There was blood all over her stomach. 

"No!," I screamed and went under the caution tape. Police came and stood between the distance to the ambulance, and me. Declan arrived shortly after. 

"Let me go, let me go!" I shouted to them angry and scared, "She's my friend now let. Me. Go!" I broke free of them and ran to Delilah. Declan chased behind me. We reached the ambulance, and I grabbed Delilahs hand.

"Delilah? Delilah what happened?" I frantically asked.

"Emma?.." She could barely speak, her eyes were only half open. Then nurses began to load her into the ambulance.

"Delilah!" I hoped hearing my voice shouting to her would help her keep her eyes open, then I turned to the nurses,"Please you guys have to let me go, she's my best friend!"

"I'm sorry, we can't it has to be immediate family, sorry," they quickly told me then one nurse said, "we gotta move she's losing blood."

Declan grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the crowd. We pushed through some people, then the crowd split and made a path for us. We jumped in his car and hit the gas to the hospital. He whipped into a parking space and we ran towards the doors. We reached the nurse behind the counter, almost out of breath.

"Is Delilah Stanford here yet? Is she okay?" I asked while panting.

"She's in ER and once she's checked into a room only immediate family will be allowed in. I'm sorry," the nurse then turned away. 

"Emma, we should go, we wont be able to see her today," Declan suggested. I looked at him confused, though he was already tugging me towards the doors. 

"What is up with you?" I asked him and pulled my arm free.

He dropped his voice low and said,"there's an off smell here. I smelled it earlier when we were near the ambulance. I want to go back to check it out."

I sighed, and looked back towards the nurse then back to him,"...okay. Let's go."

We drove back to the crime scene and got out. The crowd had cleared, but there were still police around. 

"Now what? They're not going to let anyone through, it's a crime scene," I whispered. 

"I don't need to get through I just need to smell," Declan said, sure of himself.

We stood near the tree line. I watched Declan raise his nose to the air and close his eyes. He breathed in deeply. Then his eyes shot open.

"What? What is it?" I asked, even though I was a little nervous about what the answer would be.

"Smell the air," is all he told me. I did as he said. I lifted my nose into the air and breathed in. I smelled the same odd smell that I had gotten off the nurses earlier, but I had assumed that I just wasn't used to having the scent of people.

Declan

Emma didn't know what the smell was. I could see it on her face. 

"What? What's special about that scent?" Emma asked me.

"Just remember it, come on let me take you home and make you some tea."

We got to her house and while I made Emma's tea, I thought back to earlier. To when we were at the ambulance. That scent. I have smelled it before, but where? And what was it? I have to get home, but I can't just leave Emma now. Not when her best friend was stabbed earlier. 

"I'm going to run home real quick, I just want to grab some things, assuming I am staying tonight?" 

"Yeah, okay um I will just be here drinking herbal tea and probably stress cleaning," Emma sighed.

I kissed her head and head to my car. When I got to my house I smelled the air to make sure no one was lurking, no one as in Nicole. The only scent was the smell of the trees and a near by squirrel. I rushed inside and looked through all my books. I grabbed one of my mothers old journals. The first passage was dated July 17, 1872. A few months before I was born.

______________________________________________________________________________

Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I have just been distracted and such. I will try to update again soon. I hope everyone is liking this story. Thanks for the reads, remember to vote(: