It Started With Hello

Chapter 19- A Little Friend

Arabella-

"Thanks again for letting us crash your party." Archer says as he and Corabelle get into his car to drive back to Norfolk where they live in a studio flat just the two of them.

"Bye Bella." Corabelle waves as she lets her brother buckle her into her car seat.

"Feel free to come back, I'm sure my uncle could find a job for you at the studio." I tell him, "I'll even write the recommendation."

"I'll think about it Arabella." Archer says. "But for now, Corabelle and I are heading back to the flat. I've got to turn in my assignment to my boss, maybe we'll be back by the end of the week."

"I'll send you an email if I can find a flat around here."

"All right. Bye guys." I wave as Archer drives away, Corabelle sitting in the back seat waving frantically. I stand on the front lawn as they drive away. I pull my grey winter trench coat closer and head inside once they're out of sight.

Farley greets me with loud rounds of barking.

"Shh!" I shush him because it's 4 O'clock in the morning. "It's still early, let's not get too crazy and loud." I whisper. "Come on, I'll take you for a walk." I grab his leash and my phone before heading back to the front door.

"Can I come?" Lincoln asks. Turning on the light.

"What are you doing up?" I ask hooking Farley to his leash

"I heard you talking, what are you doing up?"

"Corabelle and Archer just left, Farley's restless, and I couldn't sleep." I tell him as I lead Farley to the door.

"Why not?"

"It's three days until Christmas." I tell him. "I wanna see my friends from school. I really want to go skiing at the lodge a few miles from the school. Lucky and I would always go together. Uncle Simon flew me out early this year. I normally don't leave until the 20th, which would've been two days ago."

"But you would've just made the Christmas party." Lincoln says.

"He always flies me out for the Christmas party then we celebrate and have fun, but I always stay with Lucky until the last possible day."

"What's your friend Lucky's actual name?" Lincoln asks

"Emory Gwendolyn Tara Rose Kennedy." I tell him, "She's a duchess somewhere, her name is a mouthful. So we just call her Lucky because she's always lucky. That sounded a bit redundant didn't it?"

"Just a bit." We walk around the practically quiet city of London and it's crazy, no one is out. I mean it is four in the morning, but at least some 24 hour shops would be open and people working. "What did that interviewer mean when she asked if you were planning on singing or dancing again?"

"I was part of a famous dance group before my parents went MIA and my uncle took me in. I also might have dabbled in a bit of music. Matty always took pictures of me playing guitar or dancing."

"So what happened to your parents?" Lincoln asks.

I shrug, "I don't know. They went on a cruise. The whole ship disappeared. No bodies found, no ship washed up anywhere. Lost at sea I guess you could say. Matty was the first to find out of the two of us. He came down to Switzerland to tell me. He took three months off because I didn't understand they weren't coming back, then Uncle Simon sent for me and brought me here."

"Are you happy here?"

"Sure, but I don't think it'll ever be home. I always feel more at home in Switzerland, everything there is familiar and safe."