Forest Lake

Chapter 19

Emma POV

I woke up with something heavy pressing down on me. I grunted quietly and turned my head to my right. Someone was snoring.

What the hell?

I opened my eyes and saw my brother sleeping next to me. His mouth was open, and his warm, morning breath was fanning my face.

Gross.

I did not miss this.

His right arm and leg were laying on top of me, and he was heavy. Worst of all, I needed to pee, and I had no idea how to move him.

“Mason.” I called him softly, trying to lift his hand.

He grunted and tightened his grip on me, pressing his cheek on my forehead.

Great.

“Mason!” I said a bit louder, shaking him harder this time.

He grunted again, lifted his hand, and patted my head gently.

“Shh, Emmy.” he mumbled. “Sleep.”

“I have to pee, Mason.” I said. “You need to let me go.”

Mason sighed, loosening his grip on me. I removed the sheets and stood up. Mason rolled over and continued sleeping.

I looked over at Hazel. She was still asleep, tangled up in her blankets. I chuckled and went to the bathroom.

I peed, brushed my teeth, and hopped in the shower. I put on jeans and a hoodie and tied my hair into a ponytail.

When I got out of the bathroom, both Mason and Hazel were awake and typing on their phones.

Mason looked up as soon as he heard me.

“The principal is giving a speech in half an hour.” Mason said as he reached out for me.

I walked over to him and sat down. He wrapped an arm over my shoulder and kissed my temple.

“Are they closing the school down?” I asked nervously.

I really didn’t want to be separated from Mason so soon.

“Not a chance.” Hazel snickered. “They won’t risk losing our parents’ money. He is probably going to tell us to be careful, and that will be it.”

“Hazel is right.” Mason nodded, looking back down at his phone. “He will never close the school down.”

I leaned my head on Mason’s shoulder and sighed. What the hell was going on? Who would want to hurt these girls and why?

“I just hope that the police will catch the kidnapper.” I mumbled.

“They will.” Mason said, kissing the top of my head.

Hazel placed the phone on her nightstand and stood up.

“I’m going to get ready.” she said, walking to the bathroom. “Do you need to use the bathroom, Mason?”

“I do.” he said, looking up at her. “But you just go ahead. I will wait.”

“Okay.” Hazel said, walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Mason looked back down at his phone.

It amazed me how easily we went back to being us. It wasn’t weird. We weren’t acting like acquaintances. We were acting just like we did before mom took me away. I was afraid that it would be different. I thought that I would be uncomfortable. But I wasn’t. I missed him. I missed feeling loved.

I was still afraid that he would change his mind and push me away. He didn’t know what happened with mom and I was terrified he would be mad at me for not telling him. I was scared he would reject me.

The bathroom door opened, and Hazel stepped back into the room. She was fast.

Mason kissed the top of my head before standing up and walking into the bathroom.

“Are you okay, Em?” Hazel asked me as she sat down on her bed to put her sneakers on.

“I’m fine.” I said with a small smile. “I’m just worried.”

“Don’t be.” Hazel said, looking down at her feet. “Mason won’t let anything happen to you.”

I bit my lip. I wasn’t worried about that. I was worried about Mason leaving me. But I wasn’t going to share that with Hazel.

“I’m worried about those girls.” I mumbled.

I really hoped that they were okay. I really hoped that they would find them soon.

“Me too.” Hazel sighed, looking back up.

I heard the door to the bathroom open, and Mason stepped out. He reached for me immediately.

“Come on.” he said, taking my hand in his. “I need to go to my room to change. Are you ready, Hazel?”

She nodded and stood up.

I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket. We left the room and waited for Hazel to lock the door.

The halls were quiet. There weren’t many students walking around. The ones who did, walked quickly, with their eyes fixed on their phones.

The place was swarming with the police, though.

I’ve noticed the posters with Daisy’s and Annie’s faces on them.

Daisy Lee. Last seen September 24th, 2022.

Annie Miller. Last seen September 27th, 2022.

A shiver went down my spine, and I gripped Mason’s hand tighter.

All of this felt surreal.

We arrived in front of Mason’s room. He pulled out the keys and unlocked the door.

Jax and Chris were inside, talking quietly. They looked up at us as soon as we entered.

“Hey, guys.” Chris said, smiling warmly.

His eyes found mine, and his smile widened. A funny feeling spread through me. He was so freaking handsome.

“How did you sleep, Em?” Jax asked me. “Your brother’s snores remind me of a chainsaw trying to cut through a rock.”

Mason rolled his eyes while the rest of us laughed.

“He is not that bad, Jax.” I said as I sat down on Mason’s bed. “I had more trouble waking him up.”

“Oh, yes.” Jax sighed. “He is the worst.”

“I don’t think Cassie would agree.” Mason said as he rummaged through his closet.

Cassie?

“Who is Cassie?” Hazel asked before I could.

“Cassie is Jax’s sister.” Chris said. “She adores Mason, though.”

“She loves me more than Jax.” Mason said, walking to the bathroom to change his clothes.

“Not true.” Jax said, rolling his eyes.

I chuckled. Jax looked kind of jealous.

“You might get to meet her.” Chris said, looking at me with a small smile. “She might visit over the weekend.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “What about the kidnapper?”

“I’m worried about that, yes.” Jax sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Nothing would happen to her with me here, but I don’t want to put her at any kind of risk.”

“How old is she?” Hazel asked.

“13.” Jax responded, looking at her.

“She is young.” Hazel mumbled.

“Yes.” Jax nodded. “I don’t want her to see all of this.”

“You will have a hard time convincing her not to come, man.” Chris said, chuckling.

“I know.” Jax sighed, rolling his eyes. “She is a persistent little devil.”

I smiled. I could tell that Jax really loved his sister.

The bathroom door opened, and Mason stepped outside. He was wearing a different pair of sweats and a different hoodie.

“Jax, man, if you want to see Cassie, she can come.” Mason said as he sat down next to me to put his shoes on. “She will be safe with us.”

“I know.” Jax nodded. “I will think about it.”

“What do you think Cassie will do when she finds out about Emma?” Chris asked, smirking, and raising an eyebrow.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Why would she do anything?

“She will either love her or be jealous.” Jax laughed.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

“Mason always says that Cassie is like his little sister.” Jax said. “We obviously didn’t know about you, and she was always very proud of being Mason’s “only sister”. She loves him a lot.”

Jax put air quotes on “only sister”, chuckling and shaking his head.

My stomach twisted, and it felt like a knife pierced through my heart. He never told anyone that he had a sister. Another girl was proud to be called his only sister, even though she isn’t even related to him. But I am.

I knew it wasn’t Mason’s fault. My dad lied to him. He had every right to hate me. But it still hurt like hell to hear something like that.

It was completely irrational, and I was aware of that, but I just couldn’t help feeling sad and abandoned, because that is exactly what I was. Abandoned. My mom abandoned me. My dad abandoned me. My brother abandoned me, even though it wasn’t his fault. I felt like crying.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and managed a small laugh.

“Well, I hope that she will love me.” I said, trying to hide the pain in my voice.

“She will.” Mason said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and kissing my temple.

“Okay, come on, guys.” Chris said, standing up. “We need to go, or we will be late to the principal’s speech.”