A Humongous house I

It is the last class, but Emilia still hasn't returned. I am hungry and want to ask her about the lunch boxes; maybe she forgot to bring hers back from the infirmary. 

"So kids, do your homework. I will be giving a test on the topic I taught today. Be prepared." The class erupts in chaos. "No, sir!" "Please don't give us a test!" The students begin chattering, and it sounds like a million bees buzzing in my ears. 

"Enough, everyone. It is decided. So be prepared." 

"Emma, can you inform Emilia about the test?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Good. Class over." Finally, I can start a conversation with Emilia. 

"Hey, Emma. Let's go to the infirmary together." 

"Sure, Alina." 

We leave the classroom together in silence. Why would she want to come with me if she doesn't have anything to say? Ah, this is driving me crazy.

We move inside the infirmary, where Ms. Jhoanna, the nurse, is sitting at her desk, working on her laptop and sipping coffee. 

"Hello, ma'am," I say. 

"Hi, kids," she replies. 

"Ma'am, how is Mia?" I ask, referring to Emilia's sister.

"Who?" Ms. Jhoanna responds.

"Mia, Emilia's sister," I clarify.

"I wouldn't know. Did something happen to her?" she questions.

Alina and I look at each other, confused. "Weren't they here together? Emilia came looking after Mia because she wasn't feeling well," I explain.

"Are you guys pranking me? Hahaha. Nobody came to the infirmary today, and no one got hurt. Is this some silly joke? Because I'm not falling for it," Ms. Jhoanna laughs.

This just leaves us even more confused. What?! Where did Emilia go? Where has she been for the entire half day? 

Alina and I start apologizing to Ms. Jhoanna, then walk out of the school, feeling perplexed. 

"I can't leave just yet; I need to talk to Emilia," I tell Alina. 

"Okay, sure," she responds. 

Where could she have gone? I decide to check outside. Wait, aren't those Jakob and Emil? Where are they going?

Wait isn't that Mia? What is she doing with them? Emilia is also here. They are walking out of the school together. When did she get her bag? I need to see what they were doing together. Isn't that sports hall where sports equipments are kept. I will go look further.

A long trash bin of black color was placed in one of the corners of the hall. Running, she looks inside of bin. I remember this was the trash bin that was kept in front of the washroom. Tears gushed out of her eyes. I feel heartbroken. The sound of the opening of the door can be heard. She hides behind the basket of balls. 

"It was so funny today. Emilia is a psycho she acts all nice in front of the class but only we know her real face." 

"Shh! Somebody might hear you, Emil. That Emma deserves all the shit. I remember my mom and dad talking about how she was adopted and her parents were not her real parents. They both are divorcees. Her so-called father's wife ran away with another man." 

"Hahaha True Jakob I have even heard rumors the orphanage she was adopted from has kids of only prostitutes. Haha" 

"Shhh! Hahaha, I think her younger brother is also an orphan." 

"Family of disgusting people." "Shh! Let us leave." 

"Jakob, what do we do about this lunch box? Emilia threw food along with the lunch box. If somebody sees this then this might become a problem." 

"Let us take this box out and we will throw this out in that river near your house." "Yes let's do that." 

My eyes are filled with tears, making it hard to see. I can feel my face is cold. Alina took my bag from the classroom. How long has it been since I left school? My eyes feel sore. How long have I been crying? Oh, I remember Dad telling me to carry Anton's bag today while walking home. His arm was scratched from falling off the slide at the park. But it doesn't matter; my feet are taking me somewhere I don't know.

I arrive in front of a house. I remember this building. It used to be so beautiful when Mrs. Clara lived here. I used to come here often after school, and she would bake me cookies. When did she leave? Was it when I was twelve years old? The gate is huge and painted black. It's open. What? My eyes are still sore from crying, but now I can see better. I decide to go inside.

I remember there used to be a garden full of flowers. My favorite was the tulip. It created such a beautiful scene, sunlight falling on my skin, and I could hear Mrs. Clara laughing. It's as if I can still feel it. But what I see now is barren land, full of thorn bushes. The paint on the house has peeled off, but I can still see a faint blue color underneath. It must have been a magnificent house, beautiful to my eyes. I wonder if it was Mrs. Clara's property. It looks like it used to be owned by immensely rich people.

Clouds are gathering, and rain might come any time now. I need to go back. Anton! He must be waiting for me. Rubbing my eyes, I run back to school.

Rain began to pour. "Great! The gate is closed," she muttered to herself, noticing it was locked. "How do I get inside the school?" She grabbed the gate and tried to push it open. "Argh! It won't budge." Realizing she needed another way in, she started walking around the school. 

To her surprise, she found a small opening. "What!? I never noticed this big hole before. The school usually doesn't leave such openings unattended," she thought. "Ah! I need to find Anton." She bent down to get through the hole. With her slim figure, it wasn't a difficult task for her.

As she walked inside the school, she headed straight to her brother's classroom. "This must be class 2-B. I hope Anton is not crying," she thought. She opened the door and found... no one. "What!? Where is Anton?" Panic set in as she searched every desk and every cupboard in the room, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Her breathing became heavy as she stepped out of the classroom and checked the nearby classrooms, still finding nothing. Standing in the corridor, she thought, "I just realized—I can't see anyone. Not even the gatekeeper. How long was I at that house? Anton is nowhere to be found. Did he follow me back? But how could he have carried his bag by himself?" 

Determined, she resolved to search one more time. She checked every classroom again, but Anton was still missing. As she ran through the corridors, her face turned red with anxiety. She realized that if she hadn't left school without him, this situation wouldn't have happened. Tears began to fall from her eyes. "If only I had waited for Anton. I need to check that house one more time." 

She dashed off toward the house, her tears falling freely as the rain poured heavily around her. It was getting dark.

She reaches the enormous house, but the gate she left open is now closed. "Was it Anton? I was right; Anton must have followed me here. I will have to search for him inside the house."

As she walks through the garden, her legs get scratched by the thorns. The rain is pouring heavily, and blood begins to seep from her wounds. She finally reaches the main door of the house.