Shadowforce

JOSH

The training was really hard and exhausting. I decided to watch the television because I didn't want to move, just stay there at one place and relax. I felt myself getting hooked with the show "How To Get Away With Murder". I even made a mental note to download the whole series and binge watch after everything went back to normal.

Since I wanted to watch the whole series together I stopped watching the show and headed for the kitchen because I was suddenly hungry. I found everybody in the kitchen gobbling up food as fast as they could.

Charlie and Catherine were having an argument about how to build a perfect sandwich or something and the chef elf just stared at both of them highly confused as what to do. Scott was having a chocolate smoothie and he really seemed to enjoy it, he was staring at Brittney and Lucy who were chatting like old friends. Since Charlie was having quite a heated conversation with Catherine I decided not to interrupt him. I just went to the fridge and got a nice cold coca-cola drink.

I then returned to the living room. I was enjoying my drink silently when Scott came up behind me which ALMOST startled me. He sat in the sofa next to me. And he casually started chatting with me. At first I did my best in answering his questions in one word. He got a little angry in the end and I decided to stop acting like a jerk for once and so I asked him a question myself about magic. He in turn answered the question with great interest and soon we were engaged in a full on conversation.

The next thing I know everybody is in the living room, even Drake who had decided to come down cutting short his sleeping time. The seven of us had quite a blast. We ate all lot of junk food and drinks and we all were talking about very random things including our professors of the school. Charlie tried to make us all laugh with his weird ways but nobody reacted to his jokes (They didn't make any sense).

But when Charlie tripped over the carpet hit the ground hard in a very unusual way nobody could stop laughing and Charlie's whining made things just more funny. You can say we were having a very nice time together.

When all of us went back to kitchen for the refill of our junk food we noticed Alfred looking very much tensed talking to another gnome. I asked him what seemed to be the problem and he answered,

"Well, all of you were supposed to have started training one hour ago..."

"WHAT!"

We then looked at the watch and were surprised. Alfred was right, we were on a break for two hours and nobody had even noticed the time. Actually everybody was hoping that Emma would call us for training. Looking at everybody's faces it looked as if everybody were thinking the same thing even I was. Why hadn't Emma called us? That had two possible explanations either Emma had forgotten about the training herself or she was mad at us for not showing up in time and so she was training alone. The first was unlikely to happen. Nobody could imagine how mad Emma would be. We didn't even like thinking about it. Alfred saw the look in all our faces,

"Even I think that the mistress is mad at all of you. Please go to the training room and face her. We ourself are afraid to face Mistress; we actually have never seen mistress angry so I don't know what will happen."

That was not helpful information. Nobody wanted to face Emma and trust me in all our imaginations mad Emma was really, really bad. We quietly stood there in the entrance of the training room and did our best not to make a sound. But we didn't' find Emma there. We then fearfully went to the combat room but still we didn't find her there. We asked Alfred where Emma was supposed to be comparing the result sheets. He lead us to a huge study room but still we did not find Emma there.

"That doesn't make sense; Mistress is always where she is supposed to be. She is always very punctual. "Alfred said sounding very concerned.

"Don't worry Alfred we will search the whole mansion." Lucy assured him.

Alfred at once called like thirty to forty gnomes and ordered them to find Emma in the whole Mansion. Even the seven of us volunteered to help find her. But we didn't find her anyway. Alfred was sure that Emma was not outside because Emma did not like to go out without any reason.

"Are there any rooms left to be checked Alfred?"

Alfred thought deeply for quite a while but then his expression changed completely as if he suddenly realized something.

"What is it Alfred?"Scott asked.

"Nothing. All of you may go back to your rooms and rest; I think we will handle the rest of the situation ourselves."

"We are not going anywhere Alfred and you better answer Scott's question."I said. I was getting worried where Emma was now.

"T.....The only room left in Mistress's room."

"Of course! Why didn't we check that first!? Where is....." But Catherine was interrupted by Alfred.

"Yes we will search it...you all may go to your rooms"

"No Alfred, we are going to search for her. Where is Emma's room?" Drake asked.

"None of us are allowed to get into that room. It's restricted. And we even have strict orders from Mistress not to let anyone of you in her room."

"But it's an emergency!" Charlie said losing his patience.

"Oh...Okay... Follow me then"

We followed Alfred and soon we were in front of Emma's room. No one dared to open the door themselves so I decided to do that myself.

I don't know how to describe Emma's room... It was very beautiful actually. There were pictures of her when she was a baby to a toddler to now. There were pictures of her with her family, her sister and a bunch of people I couldn't recognise but they did seem human. The whole right wall beside the bed was full of these pictures, not a single space was left in that wall. The room was very colourful, vast and beautiful. Every one of us was eager to know the stories behind all the pictures. The room lightened everybody's mood. Except; Emma was not there.

Emma was nowhere to be found.