10 Months Missing

Chapter Two - Disastrous Journeys

Chapter 2 - Disastrous journeys

Rain flooded down from the grey sky that sat overhead. Feeling as numb as the raindrops that pounded against her skin, Giovanna walked slowly down the Kings Road. It was only four o'clock but she wanted to get to school early so that she could help Anna out, and she also wanted to stop in Waterstones on the way. Despite being told time after time after time that it was a crime to steal she knew that this was the perfect opportunity and there were so many books that she wanted to read. The fiction allowed her to escape from reality, which at the current time wasn't as appealing as usual. Many thoughts were trailing in and out of her mind as she continued on her walk, but when she approached the bookshop they all went and she felt the pleasure of books wash upon her. As she opened the door a mountain of memories washed over her, but it didn't upset her at all as none of them were her memories, they were all memories from books and lives that had endings set out for them. Mentally she thanked John Green for recently publishing his new book that she had not read yet. Knowing that he was probably one of the greatest writers of all times (he wrote the fault in our stars which is one of the greatest if most depressing books of all time), she headed straight for the best sellers and there was the book. Smiling and feeling slightly giddy, Giovanna picked it up and placed in into her Kipling bag that Victoria had brought her for her fourteenth birthday. She knew that it would constantly remind her of Sarah as she had the exact same bag, but it was the first one she found and she couldn't wait to escape her house.

Half an hour later Giovanna departed from Waterstones, her bright orange bag filled to the brim with books. She knew that she wouldn't read all of them, but they all looked so good and she couldn't decide which ones she should have left behind. Just as she stepped onto the soaked street, Gabriella came into her view. The short teenager was heading towards Waterstones and Giovanna greeted her with a wave.

"Hey Gabby!" she called out, smiling broadly as Gabriella waved back.

"Hi!" Gabriella noticed Giovanna's fully packed bag and looked at the store that she had just come from. "You shoplifting?" she asked and a slight blush passed over Giovanna's cheeks.

"Um, no, I'm going to return them when the people come back," Giovanna replied, feeling stupid for referring to the rest of humanity as 'the people'.

"Okay," Gabriella said in a mock serious tone, "Well seeing as we wouldn't be stealing, why don't you accompany me back into this store and we take their best books?" Gabriella asked.

"I have them all right here," Giovanna said, flashing a glimpse of the contents of her bag at Gabriella who's eyes widened.

"Right," Gabriella said.

"Yep," Giovanna replied. Gabriella waited for Giovanna to walk up to her before she turned around and the couple headed on towards school.

"I hope the others have had an easier journey here then me," Gabriella commented, making Giovanna's ever present curiosity well up inside of her.

"What happened on your journey here?" she asked.

"Well..." Gabriella then went onto explain her terrible and terrifying journey from Fulham to Chelsea.

~ Time Skip (into the past's past) ~

At two o'clock exactly, Gabriella departed from her house. She knew that it was exactly two o'clock as she had found one of her brother's watches and was wearing it on her wrist. She also knew that it was exactly two o'clock as a loud bell sounded twice, which made her nervous and slightly paranoid as there was nobody to ring the bells and as far as she was concerned they didn't run automatically.

"This better be good," she thought as she felt her phone vibrate inside her trousers' pocket.

"Hello," she said, hoping that whoever it was it wasn't the thing that she had seen earlier.