Chapter 11

As she was heading back, she saw Gloria jogging up to her.

‘I thought you said you weren’t coming with me’ Emilia replied calmly, slowing to a stop.

‘I couldn’t leave you on your own’ Gloria replied indignant, cheeks furiously red. ‘And besides…it’s a good thing I did come along in the end. If the worse happened, then at the very least you need a witness to this horrible crime.’

‘Crime?’

‘If she killed you.’

Emilia chuckled lightly.

How utterly amusing.

‘Oh Gloria. She wouldn’t have killed me.’

‘But…’

‘The cliff is perfectly safe. I know this area. People jump off that spot all the time for the fun of it. I’ve done it myself before, years ago when visiting friends. While I admit it is quite the fall, I assure you there is no danger. I was perfectly safe the whole time.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Yes!’ Emilia chirped happily. ‘The pool below is deep and the rocks far, far from the surface. I don’t believe there’s ever been an accident around that area, like ever. So don’t worry!’

‘What? D-did Sarah know this?’

‘No.’

‘How do you know?’ Gloria asked frantically.

‘I could see it in her face.’

‘…...Oh….’

‘Don’t worry’ Emilia waved her away. ‘Everything is absolutely fine. There’s nothing to worry about.’

‘But…but…’

‘Hey’ Emilia smiled. ‘Let’s go back to our room. I’m really tired now.’

‘Yeah’ Gloria scowled, clearly unhappy with Emilia, and her complete nonchalance to what Gloria had thought was a serious situation. ‘I think I’m mentally exhausted myself.

 *

That weekend, was a very special weekend for Emilia. She rarely got to leave the school, but on this particular weekend, things were different.

The gates of the school were left open, allowing the students to leave its grounds at their leisure.

Emilia was making her way out of the school with her friends. She glanced towards one of the windows on the ground floor, the window to the library. Here she saw Sarah staring back at her from inside.

Sarah gave her a brief nod as Emilia went by, Emilia gave a nod back, before looking ahead again, continuing to walk with her friends.

‘Ah this is so much fun!’ Tulip exclaimed.

‘We haven’t even started doing anything yet’ her friend Coleen replied.

‘But I’m still so excited!’ Tulip replied.

‘I hope we can get something to eat’ Emilia mumbled.

‘Oh, they have great places to eat in the town’ Tulip gleamed excitedly, putting her hands together and grinning widely. ‘Oh! There’s this place…gosh I forget what it’s called. It’s by the beach and has a lovely place to sit outside.’

‘You mean The Chez Casimir?’ Coleen offered.

‘Hey I think that’s it!’ Tulip said.

‘Well…my brother’s fiancé kinda owns that restaurant.’

‘No way’ Tulip gasped. ‘What are the odd?’

‘I know’ Coleen smiled.

Emilia had been walking behind the two silently, observing the world around them.

As the three of them were making their way out of the school gates, Emilia noticed a figure that looked familiar, some distance away on the school grounds.

It took her just a few seconds to remember who this lady was.

I remember…that’s the gardener Bootsie. Dam what was her actual name?

Bootsie who had been pushing a wheelbarrow stopped then to wipe her brow, glancing up. Seeing Emilia, she offered a smile and a wave.

Emilia smiled back at her, giving her a brief wave in return.

‘Hey, are you keeping up back there?’ Coleen called out to Emilia.

‘Oh, yeah I’m coming!’

Emilia picked up her pace.

Together the three of them left the school grounds.

 *

It was a gentle down-hill walk from the school to the town, and Emilia felt very happy as she went. Around them other students walked, heading in the same direction. Most of the students, almost all of them, took this opportunity to leave the school and look around. Some visited the local town, others went home for the weekend to visit their families, and some like Sarah, remained within the school.

They reached the town, a modest and humble place. It was very pretty here, and as Emilia glanced around, she couldn’t help smiling widely to herself.

‘Hey, look over there!’

Emilia ran off suddenly, heading towards one of the shops.

‘Emilia wait!’ Tulip called after her. ‘Where are you going, come back!?’

But Emilia was too excited. Something had caught her attention in a big way.

Emilia darted through the door of the shop, coming back out less than a minute later.

‘Emilia what are you doing?’ Coleen asked with confusion.

‘I have a sudden urge to move fast.’ Emilia replied.

‘What are you talking about?’ Tulip raised an eyebrow. ‘Did you just buy a skateboard?’

‘Absolutely!’ Emilia grinned, presenting it before her merrily.

She flipped it over, showing the picture underneath. There was a picture of a rabbit painted red, with pure black eyes, and body in a dramatic pose.

‘Ok?’ Coleen spoke carefully.

‘Oh Emilia, you’re so peculiar’ Tulip added.

Emilia winked at her, throwing the skateboard on the floor before jumping on it and pushing herself forwards.

She skated backwards and forwards for a short time, performing a few flips as she did.

‘Hey’ Coleen grinned, leaning on a hip and placing a hand on her waist. ‘You’re actually pretty good.’

‘Oh you think so?’ Emilia replied, darting past her one last time before turning back.

Emilia stopped abruptly, flipping the skateboard and catching it.

‘I used to skate a lot sometime ago. I haven’t had a skateboard in a while.’

‘How come?’ Tulip asked.

‘Well, my mother drove over my skateboard, it snapped in half. I uh…didn’t expect it to be able to withstand the weight of a car.’

‘Oh no’ Coleen said, ‘did you leave it outside?’

‘No’ Emilia shrugged.

The other two waited in silence, expecting her to elaborate. But she didn’t.

‘So, are we heading to this restaurant or what?’ Emilia prompted.

‘Oh yeah’ Coleen snapped back to herself. ‘Let’s go.’

 *

Tulip and Coleen walked side by side, walking at a casual pace as they headed towards the restaurant. Emilia was skating around them, back and forth and in circles, only stopping when they reached the restaurant.

‘Ha!’ Emilia said, catching up with the other two as they found a table outside the restaurant. She placed her skateboard on its side beneath her chair, declaring triumphantly. ‘I only fell over twice.’

She sat down carefully in one of the chairs, reaching down and adjusting her leg.

‘Are you ok?’ Tulip asked.

‘Yeah. It just gets a little uncomfortable at times.’

‘I’ll go in and order for us’ Coleen said. ‘You guys stay here. There’s no need for all of us to go in.’

‘Good idea. All that skating made me hungry’ Emilia said. ‘I’m so hungry. I might have accidentally missed breakfast by accident.’

‘Same’ Tulip added, reaching for one of the remaining menus still lying flat on the table.

Emilia and Coleen already had theirs open, reading through it.

‘I’m also very thirsty’ Emilia added.

‘Well when you decided let me know and I will order for us’ Coleen said.

‘How good is your memory?’

Coleen lowered the menu, glancing towards Emilia with narrowed eyes.

 *

Coleen returned a short time later, and not long after that, a waitress came over to them, bringing their order. Various drinks and sandwiches and some cookies, most of which were ordered by Emilia.

‘Why did you order so much?’ Tulip asked.

‘I’m going to save it for later’ Emilia explained, tearing open the packaging of her sandwich. ‘Gloria would be so mad if I faint again.’

‘Faint?’ Coleen asked.

‘Sometimes I forget to eat’ Emilia explained briefly, before shoving the delicious salmon and cucumber sandwich into her mouth, with no further explanation.

 *

The three of them enjoyed their time together, talking about sweet nothing, eating their snacks and drinking. It was a good time.

It was at this moment, when Emilia voiced a thought.

‘I want a get a job.’

‘A job?’ Coleen echoed.

‘…. yeah.’

‘Why?’

‘Why else?’ Emilia grinned. ‘Money.’

‘Of course,’ Coleen sigh.

‘What sort of job do you want?’ Tulip asked her.

‘I don’t know’ Emilia pondered. ‘I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Anything that pays money.’

‘All jobs pay money’ Tulip said to her.

‘Something that pays decent money then…. I’m not sure…hmm. I’d like to work….’ Emilia fell silent for a few moments as she thought. ‘In a shop.’

Tulip watched her closely, a curious expression on her face. Coleen on the other hand was more occupied with her drink.

Emilia rose to her feet abruptly and without warning, a look of determination suddenly enveloped her.

‘I have to go!’ she declared dramatically.

‘What?’ Tulip squeaked, alarmed at this. ‘Where are you going?’

‘I’m going job hunting!’

Coleen sighed, leaning forwards and resting her chin on her palm.

‘You always were so peculiar.’

‘Hey’ Emilia smiled excitedly. ‘I’ll see you guys later ok?’

‘Wait, you’re really going?’ Tulip said, concern laced her voice now.

‘Of course! What better time than the present. Eh?’

‘Ack’ Coleen looked suddenly uncomfortable. ‘Job-hunting is so scary!’

‘Well,’ Emilia gleamed, ‘true success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. After all, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And besides, the questions isn’t, ‘who is going to let me’, but more ‘who is going to stop me’, right?’

Emilia giggled then.

‘Winston Churchill, Wayne Gretzky, Ayn Rand.’ Emilia nodded to Tulip and Coleen respectively. ‘Excuse me ladies.’

Emilia straightened her posture, kicking the skateboard up and grabbing it.

She turned on her heel and marched away, doing so proudly and without a backwards glance.

Until she walked a few steps away.

Then she awkwardly returned.

‘Forgot your stuff?’ Tulip asked flatly, as Emilia shoved her sandwiches and drinks in her bag.

‘Ah. Yes’ Emilia blushed uncomfortably. ‘Silly me.’

She patted herself down, straightening her clothes before striding off again, walking with pride and confidence.

The two remaining girls watched her go, both experiencing slight confusion.

Tulip broke the silence between them.

‘Ha ha…typical Emilia.’

Coleen frowned at Tulip, shaking her head.

 *

Later that afternoon, Emilia returned to her dorm room, speaking enthusiastically to her room-mate.

‘I got the job!’

‘Mmm. What job? Why do you have a skateboard?’

Gloria had been unwell the last few days. She had a fever and had stayed in her room for this time, friends were bringing her food and checking up on her regularly. Emilia was doing the same. The matron was aware she was unwell, and the school doctor had checked on her several times already.

The doctor was a lovely lady, and told Gloria just to rest. Gloria had done so.

This was the best place for her to heal. Her own bed.

‘I went job-hunting’ Emilia elaborated excitedly, holding up a piece of paper. Some kind of form. ‘And I got the job! Aren’t I amazing?’

‘Oh wow’ Gloria mumbled, forcing a smile. ‘When did you start looking?’

‘Today.’

‘What?’

Emilia put the paper aside, putting her bag and her brand-new skateboard carefully away and walking back towards Gloria.

‘How are you feeling?’ Emilia asked sincerely, kneeling beside her bed.

‘Hmmm.’

‘Still pretty rough hu?’

‘Yeah, kinda.’

Gloria’s voice was very weak.

Emilia smiled sadly at her friend.

‘You know, I wish there was something I could do.’

Gloria rolled onto her side, smiling up at Emilia, pulling the bedsheet tighter around her.

‘You’ve already done so much for me. Thanks for looking after me all this time.’ She huffed, her dampened expression returning again. ‘I wish I had gotten better by now.’

‘Yeah, but you can’t force yourself to get better faster. The best you can do is rest and relax. And that’s it! Hey, are you hungry?’

‘Haaa…um…n-not really but…I should probably eat something.’

‘When was the last time you ate?’

‘Well…’

‘What did you eat?’ Emilia asked.

‘You know…I can’t really remember…’

Emilia growled at her then, much like a feral dog.

Honestly, its usually me who’s getting lectured about not eating….

‘H-hey, there’s no need to be like that.’

‘You know I’m only trying to care for you’ Emilia said sulkily.

‘Yeah. Thanks. I…. mmm…really appreciate it.’

Emilia watched her silently for a moment, before reaching forwards.

‘You’re still boiling hot.’

Emilia withdrew her hand from Gloria’s forehead.

‘I’ll get you some fresh hot food from the cafeteria’ Emilia said. ‘They’ll be open by now.’

‘Thanks Emilia.’

She rose to her feet.

‘Stay put ok? I don’t want you wandering off.’

‘Sure’ Gloria chuckled weakly. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

Emilia gave a curt nod, satisfied, before marching briskly out of the room.

‘Guard the place while I’m gone’ she called back to her roommate, before snapping the door shut behind her, and making her way down the hall with a spring in her step.

 *

She picked up some food from the cafeteria, carrying it on a tray back to their dorm room.

She was surprised to see other figures in the room now, standing beside Gloria’s bed.

Is that…her parents….and…little brother?

‘Oh…Emilia…’

Emilia straightened awkwardly as the door swung shut behind her.

‘H-hey gurl’ Emilia gleamed back.

‘Is this your roommate?’ the young boy asked.

He was sitting at the end of Gloria’s bed, shoes off and legs crossed.

‘Yeah, that’s my roommate, her name is Emilia. Isn’t that right?’

‘It sure is.’

‘Oh, you got me food.’

Emilia glanced down tentatively at the tray she carried.

‘Bring it over’ Gloria offered, ‘I’m actually feeling hungry now.’

‘It’s great that you’ve got your appetite back’ Emilia said to her friend.

She placed the tray upon the table beside the bed, stepping back and smiling up at Gloria’s parents.

‘This is my mum and dad.’

‘It’s nice to meet you’ Emilia nodded politely.

They both introduced themselves to Emilia, and introduced their son to her too. She waved at him, and he waved back.

‘Well,’ Emilia said, taking a step towards the door. ‘I think I’m going to head out.’

‘Oh, you don’t have to leave’ Gloria protested.

‘No no it’s ok. There’s something I have to do anyway. I should go.’

‘Awww, are you sure?’

‘Yeah yeah’ Emilia smiled, shuffling closer to the door. ‘Well…it was lovely to see you all. Gloria, I’ll see you later.’

Emilia fled, slipping through the door as quickly as she could before Gloria had a chance to speak.

Emilia stood in the hall, leaning back against the door, letting out a deep breath.

She shook her head, straightening up and walking briskly away.

I think I might go to the library…