Different Yet The Same

Chapter Ten

-Caleb-

I can't believe she's gone.

She's really gone.

No she can't be.

But she is.

All my work was for nothing.

Years of work wasted.

Now Spark is going crazy with worry.

Do I tell her?

Do I keep it a secret?

How much longer will this last?

What am I going to do?

After we found out Ember was gone, we told Spark's mom, my mom and the police. The school gave us the week off so we can "cope with the tragedy".

I can't believe she's gone.

Spark has retreated within herself, barely talking, eating or sleeping. I'm worried about her.

I need to find Ember.

I used to have one motive, now I have two. There's something going on, and I need to find out what.

Packing an overnight bag with all the essentials, I leave the house, placing a note on the kitchen counter so my mom doesn't panic when she realizes I'm gone.

I head out the door, closing it ever so gently so I don't make a noise.

Suddenly I hear a loud 'crash' coming from Sparks house. I whip around and see Spark storming out of her front door, with a small duffle bag thrown over her shoulders.

"Spark! What are you doing!" I say, in a stage whisper, so she can hear me but I don't draw attention.

"What does it look like!" she hisses. A fire raging in her eyes. A determination. A fierceness.

I run my hands through my hair, and sigh as she continues.

"I'm going to find my sister." She states, and walks off towards the bus stop.

I grab her arm, "She's not that way." I say, I can't believe what I'm going to tell her.

"Oh...so then where is she?" She sasses. Putting her hands on her hips. I sigh and grab her arm.

I'm going to hell for this.

Literally.

I drag her across town and deep into the forest.

The leaves rustling as they sit perched on the branches, waiting to fall.

The leaves that have fallen, crunching under my weight, making stealth impossible.

I pull her over to a clearing and sigh.

"Caleb! What is going on!?" She thunders, every inch of her pixie like body twitching with anger.

"I'll tell you what's going on..." I say, my voice strong an confident. "You want to know where your sister is?"

She nods.

"You want to know why everything in your life is going wrong?" I question.

She nods.

"Do you really?"

She pauses...then slowly nods again.

I chuckle, "Well sweetheart then you have a decision to make..."

She tilts her head, looking at me quizzically.

I stare deep into her emerald coloured eyes, which are wide with curiosity tainted with a nervousness of what I may say.

Then I state bluntly, keeping my voice void of emotion.

"Up or down?"