Chapter Four, The End of Term

The next day when Sophie woke up, she found that Emma was already sitting at the end of her bed. The hunger was in her eyes again, but this time, it also contained some sort of gleaming red light, and the hope that was usually there (in her eyes), it was gone.

"Emma?"

"Don't you call me Emma, the Chosen One." even her voice was unusually high pitched.

Sophie shrugged.

"C'mon, let's just get down to breakfast, we didn't have anything last night."

Emma shot a very icy look.

"Fine, but it isn't because you ordered me." she puffed.

Sophie turned and went to get a T-shirt.

She did not see Emma's shadow grow larger and darker, then lighten and shrink back to normal

"Hi, Sophie."

Sophie turned around eruptly. She found herself face to face with a totally normal friend, dazed but happy.

"What's up? Why are you staring?"

Sophie continued to stare. At last, she forced out "What was that all about?"

Emma blinked.

"Sorry? I just woke up. And mind if you explain why I am already dressed?"

Sophie gaped.

"You were like this when I woke up! Do you not remember anything you did this morning?"

"Well, I woke up." Emma shrugged, "Then… I don't remember, it's like a hole in my memory."

Sophie decided to just drop it--for now.

"C'mon, we'll be late for class if we don't hurry. To be honest, according to our schedule, we are already late for breakfast."

~

The days passed by. The red light never appeared in Emma's eyes again, which might be a good sign. Sophie had stopped having the dream about the hooded smoke figure and she didn't awake in the middle of the night. Never. For the rest of the school year. She figured that all of the strange things that happened were just her imagination; after all, the talk about magic made her excited.

Before they knew it, summer break came. Sophie, who had dreaded this day ever since they finished their exams, wondering where she would live for the holidays, since she no longer had a home (their apartment got sold to this rich man who wanted to make it a restaurant).

Emma, who seemed quite cheerful that they were facing a two month break ("We don't need to do any work!"), offered Sophie to stay over hers. Fred and George insisted, too, so Sophie eventually gave in. At least she'll have some shelter for the holidays, she thought, and with her best (and only) friend too.

After they got their exam points ("Aww man, I should have gotten a B on history, for the fact I cheated." Fred said sadly) and packed up all their stuff (including the mountain of homework they all received), Emma and the twins started dragging Sophie towards the train station.

"What are we doing? Aren't your mom and dad supposed to be picking us up at the communication park?" Sophie asked, struggling to keep up.

"Have you not heard? The park got closed, due to the fact that someone," Emma shifted uncomfortably; they've all been avoiding the topic, for the sake of Sophie's sanity, "had dropped dead there. So now they are just doing the pick up anywhere the students tell their parents; big mistake really."

"So we decided to tell mom that we'll take the train back home, since we are old enough now. We live kind of far away, in the village of nothing." Fred half snorted.

"Huh?" Sophie nearly spat out the juice she was drinking (Emma gave it to her just then), "There really is a village called that?"

"No." said Emma, rolling her eyes, "It's just a super long name that no one really knows how to pronounce. So we just say the village, and those two call it the blah blah village, to skip out its name."

"Also, we aren't really snobby kids from very rich families," added George, "so don't be surprised. We're kind of middle- class. Also don't ask how we got into NHH."

The train station was next to the mall, which was next to Sophie's apartment. When they passed it, Sophie realized how long she hadn't seen it--and how much it changed. She wondered where Kate was right then, perhaps sitting in a room, longing for a story or company?