Phoenix

Chapter 16: Where is She?

Kida looked up at the clock, anxiously tapping her foot as the minutes ticked by like hours. Everything felt wrong.

'Em shouldn't be by herself, we should be with her, and the damn substitute teacher shouldn't have given us busy work,' she thought.

"Hey," Luke's calm voice brought her attention back down to Earth.

"She'll be fine," he continued as the teacher's phone rang.

"I hope you're right," she breathed.

"Kida Kincaid, and Luke Raymen," the substitute called out. They turned towards her instantly. Kida's heart leaped out of her chest while Luke calmly razed his hand.

"Come here," she called.

Kida's knees felt like jello as she stood up. Luke stood close, noticing Kida waver in her footsteps.

"Both of you are getting called up to the Dean's. Take your stuff and head up," she explained while writing them passes on bright yellow sticky notes. Kida's mouth ran dry as she shakingly took the pass.

"Don't worry dear," the sub said softly, noticing Kida's fear. "They said you're not in trouble."

'That's not why I'm afraid,' she thought.

"Thank you," Luke responded for her.

They grabbed their things as quickly as possible and calmly walked out the door, with their classmates burning gazes glued to the back of their necks.

"What do they want?" Kida asked, with searing heat on her tongue.

"I don't know, but it can't be anything big, right?" he asked, trying to calm her down.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

As they entered the warm encased office, they noticed an unmarked police vehicle through the front windows. They looked at each other with wild gazes. Something was terribly wrong.

"The Dean wants you two in the conference room," the receptionist said while pointing to the clean glass-enclosed conference room.

Kida's heart stopped. An officer in plain clothes with a gun on his hip covered by his thin blue jacket with NYPD in bright yellow letters stood waiting for them. In an instant, she recognized him amongst all the officers they've faced Captain Weaver was their worst enemy, next to the Police Chef himself.

"Shit," she breathed, partly turning away.

"Easy," Luke softly mumbled under his breath before lightly grabbing Kida's forearm and stepping towards their exposure.

Luke carefully pushed the glass door open while the Dean and Captain Weaver wrapped up their conversation.

"Ah, Captain, this is Kida and Luke," the Dean introduced as they entered. "Now, don't worry. You're not in trouble he just wants to ask you a few questions."

"Ok," Luke breathed as he sat down.

Kida followed his movements slower and more frightened than she expected herself to be.

"I heard that you two know Emerald Arnal," Captain Weaver began.

"We do," Luke answered.

For a moment, Kida forgot how to breathe, her lungs seemed crushed, and she caught herself clenching a fist of panic. Glancing over at Luke, she noticed one of his legs bouncing uncontrollably, hands curled around his thighs as though they'd run away, yet his eyes were clear, crispt, and calm as ever.

"Have you heard from her in the past 48 hours?" Captain Weaver looked them over, hoping to see one of them crack.

"Is she in trouble?" Luke asked.