ON HOLD: The adventures into 'The Book of Imagination'

Chapter four

The next morning they all woke up as an ear wrenching buzz went through the cottage. "Aghhh," groaned someone from the other room. A second later, David came rushing into the room and into the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and grabbed something. "Everyone up, we have to be at town hall in twenty five minutes." With that Emmersyn got up; but Hailey was a different story. She was dragged out of bed by her toes, with lots of, "Can't this stupid village let me sleep?" and "We just got attacked, can't i have some freaking peace and quiet."
Once she was out of bed and showered, Hailey went into the kitchen and ate. "You wore that yesterday." She told Emmersyn. "Come with me." She said as she dragged Emmersyn's arm. They ended up in the closet Hailey and David shared. "We're about the same size, pick something." Hailey told her. After they were done with all that, the three left for the town hall.

As they walked in, there was a buzz of noise filling the whole room, it was more of an auditorium than a room; rows and rows of chairs. The three took their seats in the back, and somebody walked up the stairs to the stage at the front of the room. He tapped on a microphone, bringing it up to his lips to speak. "Last night," he paused for effect, "We were raided, attacked, and taken. The Marceson's, the Jaremer's, and the Taylen's, were all massacred. But the difference this time," he paused again, "They took prisoners this time. Amy, Tynli, Memmera, Kinsey, and Laesin were all taken prisoners. The raiders left a note, a message for us." A harsh silence fell over the room. David whispered, "Thats our Governor/Mayer person, Mr. Karsing."
Soon like before, there was less and less silence, and more and more noise. There was even shouting, soon there was another person that came up onto the stage, holding a slip of paper in his hand. "Quiet!" he said loudly into the microphone. Then there was a stark silence. "The note left in the Marceson's house, said 'Give it to us, or we bring bombs next time.' The problem is, we don't know what it is they want. We, as a council, have decided that we, the village, will be packing duffel bags, and leaving tomorrow evening. For good. We will send out packing lists as soon as this is over." The man was done speaking. A hush fell over the crowd. Row by row, people exited. Finally it came to Emmersyn's row; they walked in single file behind one another. Emmersyn, Hailey, and David all went back to the cottage.
"I saw this coming." stated David as he sat down on the couch next to Hailey. "Where will we go?" Hailey wondered aloud in a fearful voice. "I honestly don't know," David said, "But what I do know, is that we need to explain this whole thing to Em, and help her get out if she wants to leave." "Please do." Said Emmersyn, craving the information that she hadn't yet received.
"Em, you're in a book right now." David said bluntly, as if he were kidding. "In a book?" She said, in the 'I'm questioning your sanity right now' tone. "Yes, 'the Book of Imagination' by Michael Sharp, to be exact." Everything from the previous day came flooding back to her, finding the book, Mr. Linden and his warning, ending up inside the pages.
"I'm in a book," she mumbled, "I am inside a book." she said again. "Okay, as much sense as that does and doesn't make at the same time, I need some answers." "Ask away." Hailey told her.
"Okay, am I able to leave?" "Yes, at the end of this, if you want to leave, we have to help you." David answered her. "So you're characters right?" "Yes." Hailey replied. "So do you die?" Emmersyn questioned in a confused voice. "Do you not remember what happened last night? Let me explain this a little better than David did. We all know about you, we kind of live in an alternate universe almost, if that makes sense. We can't go to your world, well at least our part can't from what we know."
"Part?" Emmersyn questioned. "Part," David said, "As in we're part one; and if you leave, but you open the book again you will be in part two, which includes a different place with different characters, in a different time." "So if I leave you now, I'll never be able to come back." Emmersyn said in a slightly upset tone. "Unfortunately." David said in a falsely joking voice. "Where is part two, who's there." Emmersyn asked. "We don't know." Hailey said, "As characters, we're programmed with certain information, like knowing we're fiction, and other things like that. But we have no knowledge of the world you came from, or the world you go to after you, the visitors, leave." "Has anyone ever stayed?" Emmersyn asked curiously. "Yes, do you remember the woman Amy Marceson we told you about?" Emmersyn could be sick just thinking of how horrible what happened to her was "Yes." she answered. "Well her great grandmother came from the real world and stayed. She's the only one i know that has ever stayed in part one." David answered her. "Okay, i think i have all the information i needed." Emmersyn said.
"I have decided i'm not going to stay in part one, but before i leave, i'm going to tell you about the real world." Emmersyn told them. "What year is it here?" "It is 2643." Hailey said, "Oh," Said Emmersyn, "It's 2015 where I'm from." "Well, grab a notepad or something, because you are about to get a lesson of history from 1776 to 2015, in less than an hour." Emmersyn said while laughing.
After Emmersyn explained everything to Hailey and David, it was after lunch time. She gave Hailey the bracelet from off her wrist, that had been there since she appeared in the woods the previous morning. She gave David the carved dagger from her boot. Hailey gave her a locket of hers and a picture of herself and David. Emmersyn put the locket around her neck, and clutched the picture in her hand.
"So David, when are you going to propose to Hailey?" Emmersyn asked jokingly. "In about a year and a half, the day she turns seventeen." "Aww," she groans, "I want to be at your wedding, but I obviously can't." "You'll be there in memory. We'll remember you forever." Hailey said. "I'll remember you too, for as long as I live." Emmersyn said. "Are you ready?" David asked her. "Yes." Emmersyn said. And she hugged them goodbye, for the first and last time.
Remembering the way they had taught her to leave, Emmersyn spoke, "Present tense. Bushing, Pennsylvania, 2015." those were the last words David and Hailey heard from Emmersyn, as she left and went back home.

~ So this is obvi the longest chapter so far... -Kate ~