Paris - Chapters 1 and 2

Chapter 1

I woke up screaming and not the kind of screaming you get when a girl forgets her makeup bag but the kind of screaming that can break a window. I got out of bed and ran towards the door. (tripping several times over my clothes on the floor) Once I finally got to the door, I slammed down the door handle and outside was my little brother Eric, holding a glass bowl. His sky blue eyes were wide and he was doing that lower lip thing you do when doing a puppy dog face. He lifted the bowl.

"Emma, can I pwease have a wefill?" Asked the 6 year old. My face must have been redder than lava because Eric then said, "Why is Emma's face look like an apple?"
"Eric-" I said trying to keep my voice calm, "Who was screaming?"
"No one, mommy was just practicing for her new howor movie."
"Perfect, I really needed a 7 a.m. wake-up call on Saturday!"
Eric didn't look sorry.
"So, no ceweal then?"

I counted to 10 in my head then took the bowl. As I descended the marble staircase, I could see my reflection on every step-long curly dark brown hair, brown eyes so dark they looked black. I wondered what would my dad look like, I'd never known him because my parents had gotten divorced a week after I was born and there was no picture of him in the house. My mom felt bad that I was an only child with no father and a mother that leaves constantly so she adopted Eric when I was 8, he's 6 but he still acted like a 2 year old. I had always pictured dad as the best person in the world, but I would always resent him a little when I saw mom cry because she missed him. When I reached the end of the stairs I saw mom on a leather armchair in front of the staircase, she stopped screaming when she saw me, instead she smiled and said, "Let's see, a 13 year old girl up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday while it's the first day of Summer, should I get my camera?"

I stuck my tongue out at her and ran to the kitchen on the right. The kitchen had giant white marble columns at the entrance (that's what you get when your mom is the most popular actress in L.A.) glass walls, snowy white carpets covering the shiny wooden floors, a 5 foot long sleek black dinning table rested in the middle of the room with funky red bar stools around it. The room had 4 refrigerators connected to each other with a stove on either side and blue counters and cabinets filled with some weird thing covering the black wall. On the dinning table was a box of Lucky Charms cereal and a jug of Pura Milk, I kept muttering about my stupid brother as I filled his bowl.

"He's just lucky I'm in a good mood but if he asks me for one more favor, he's gonna have a hard time looking for his stupid action figures." I said to myself. The only reason I was in a good mood was because I was finally gonna get a puppy.
I landed one foot on the living room floor before I tripped on a pillow and the bowl shot straight out of my hands and into the air. The milk and cereal bits flying everywhere. Mom shrieked and hid her head under her script. I got up and grabbed the bowl (at least Julie will just have to scrub milk instead of bowl shards) but then as soon as I touched the bowl the milk, all the milk and bits flew straight into the bowl without a drop on the floor. My mom looked like she was going to drop dead.

"How in the world-" My mom started.
"Yay, Emma made a magic trick, do it again, do it again." Cut in Eric who had just came in, he was jumping so bad I thought he had another crab in his pants, (in this case, his blue footie pajamas.) his curly blonde hair covering his eyes as he bounced.
Mom looked so surprised I felt bad for her, but she just blinked and snapped back to normal, she got up, her snowy nightgown complimenting her black hair and green eyes, yup that was Alexis Rivera, beautiful and graceful.
"Well," she started "I think it's time we got dressed and get our new puppy."
Eric's version of dressed is different than, well, anyone else. My mom wore a blue plaid shirt, white pants and Nikes. I wore a silver tank top, jeans and tennis shoes while Eric wore his Ben 10 outfit. We got into our black jeep and drove away.
****************************************************

I had no idea where we were going so I just slept in the car but when mom woke me up we were in front of a big yellow building with the words "Local Pound" written in black next to a big picture of a cartoon cat and dog with their arms around each other and their thumbs up. We walked into the reception which had posters of pet quotes, leather sofas, and a long counter with a lady behind it. She had chocolate hair in braids, a warm smile and a name tag that read "Lucy". As we approached the desk, she said what was probably a rehearsed line, "Hello and welcome to the Local Pound, my name is Lucy and I will help you find your new furry friend."

My mom returned the smile and asked if we could see the male puppies. Lucy wrote a few things on her clipboard and ushered us into a door, we walked in and found maybe 20 pens holding at least 50 dogs, the youngest at the end and the oldest at the front. We walked down the aisle but no dog really struck me until I saw the last pen, it was holding a little white Labradoodle, once he saw me he starting barking and chasing his tail. Eric was busy petting a poodle and mom was seeing if a golden retriever could act as well as her. I went over and asked Lucy about the little doggie.

"You have good taste, this dog was found running around the park. He's already trained, house broken and he's 3 months old. Do you want him?"
"Hey, mom can I have this one?" I asked pointing at the little white puppy.
Eric and mom turned and Eric got wide eyed, he started to nod like crazy. "Yes mommy pwease. I bet he can see ghost freak!" Mom didn't look convinced, she turned to Lucy.
"Is he good at following orders?"

Lucy nodded, she told Eric to move a little and knelt in front of the dog's cage.
"Sit!" She commanded and surprisingly he sat down. (so did the dog) She said a few more commands and the dog obeyed. Eric following a few until mom told him they weren't meant for him. After a few minutes mom looked convinced. "Okay, okay, fine, we'll take him but you both have to take at least 90% of the care. Got it?"
"Yes, mom." Eric and I said simultaneously.
"We'll take him. What are you gonna call him, Emma?" Asked mom.
"Ace."
Mom filled out some paperwork for the dog and we drove home.
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Once Ace saw his room, he made himself right at home. We had already bought him a big pet house, greek style, a ton of toys and some news papers for his "heavy work", there were two pet bowls which mom had just labeled "Ace" written on the sides which would be filled by either me or Eric. The floors were blue tiles with white paw prints and the walls were bone patterns. Ace started rolling around and chewing on a rubber bone.
"Emma, why did you pick this one? There were so many better options."
I shrugged. "I don't know I just felt a connection."
"As long as you take care of him."
"Mommy look-" Eric started "I think Ace likes you."

Ace was sleeping on mom's right shoe, we all laughed at that, then I picked Ace up and put him in his pet house. Somehow Ace was going to be important I could just feel it. I turned off the lights, Eric went into his room, most likely to play video games. Mom went back to the living room to practice her lines and I just went to call my friends, Annabella and Xavier. I dialed the number, waiting, waiting and then a voice.

"Hello, you've reached Annabella Knight, which means you're cool enough to be my friend-"
"Annabella, I know it's you."
"I'm sorry you've dialed the wrong number."
"Oh, shut up and put Xavier on."
"He's on the other end, I'll put it on 3-way."
I heard a few buttons getting punched then a boy's voice. "We'll finally, you said you'll get rid of whoever it is." Said Xavier Evans.
"Dude, it's Emma you know I can't put her off."
"Wait, Emma's on?"
"Hello." I said in a small voice.
"Did you get your puppy?" They both asked simultaneously.
"Yup." I answered without hesitation. "So, you guys wanna hang out?"

"Sure." Said Xavier.
"Can't." Said Annabella.
"Why not?" I complained.
"My parents have a 'thing' to go to." She said distastefully.
"It's okay," said Xavier. "Hey Emma, why don't we go to the skate park, I heard a guy said he could beat your record and do an fs 360 heelflip down 10 steps instead of 7."
"Are you kidding me!" Annabella and I said together.
"Emma holds every record at that skate park, she's the 12 year old Tony Hawk but a girl. Go show who ever that idiot is that there is no way he could beat you!"
"Ok, have fun with your family Bella. I'll be at the skate park in 15." And with that I hung up put my BlackBerry in my pocket grabbed my skateboard and left.
****************************************************

The rest of the day was a blur, it was all just Bigspins and Nollies after beating that idiot, I just remember coming home sweating like pig and my skateboard almost falling apart. I went to check on my brother but I didn't have to even touch the door knob before I heard him snoring. I then checked on Ace, he wasn't there. My first thought was to call mom but she was most likely shooting a scene now and I couldn't wake up Eric so I decided just to search but, no results. I sat down hard on my bed and hung my head. I looked around my room, it had blood red walls with posters of places in Europe. The floor was jet black with white polka dots every now and then, there was a t.v. in the middle of the room, in front of it was a curtained silver bed, a screen door that led to a terrace on the right, a silver desk with a MacBook Pro open on the bed's right and a black and white closet left the bed. I looked at the floor (obviously Julie had cleaned the house because I could see the floor) then on of the polka dots moved. I freaked out and fell forward then the white dot stood up and yawned.

It was Ace!
"Ace!" I exclaimed.
I hugged him and kissed his little furry head but he seemed distant. He kept tugging at my pants as if he wanted me to follow him, so I just went along. I followed him down the stairs, and outside to the front yard. Oddly enough, there were no cars, there was always traffic but now, not even a street cleaner. Ace steered me to the right corner of our fence, he barked thrice then sat down hard, nothing happened, then a circle appeared around me and Ace and it started sinking lower and lower into the earth.
****************************************************

I'd like to say I handled it well but I can't lie, I was freaking out, clawing at the walls around me, trying to pull myself up but I gave up around the 18th time.
"Where are we going? What did you do?" I asked Ace, he tilted his head as if saying, "Why are you talking to a dog?" Then he barked.
"Great, I'm losing it so bad, I'm talking to a dog."
"I have a name you know." Said a voice.
"Who said that?"
"Right here."
"Ace!?"
"I'll have you know my name is not Ace, it's Crimson."
"I'll still call you Ace." Crimson sighed. "As you wish."
"Now that I can understand you, where are we going?"
"I think Percy should explain. It would be less disturbing."
"Hey, no offense."

"Oh, non taken." And with that the floor stopped sinking and a big chunk of dirt in front of me opened up like a garage door, revealing a giant, endless laboratory.
I could have stayed wide-eyed and open-mouthed forever until Ace gently bit me in the foot. I was still marveled by the great room with its hundred fur chairs on the right, desks on the right with equipment that could make a mad scientist drop dead and a t.v. that spread across the entire room but it bothered me that there was only one boy in the room, looking through a microscope and checking things off a list. He had curly dark blonde hair and was wearing a gray shirt under a snowboarding jacket, black jeans and combat boots. He turned and faced Ace.

"Hello Crimson, was the mission a-" But he never finished once he saw me. "I see."
"Wait a minute-" I started. "What mission? What the heck is going on?"
The boy landed his intense kelp green eyes on me. I wanted to go hide but I wasn't about to let a stupid (what maybe13 year old) boy walk all over me.
"All in good time but first we must test your powers."
Ace left the way we came.
"Come with me, Emma."
"Wait, how did you know my-oh, forget it."
I followed Percy down a long hallway with big double doors every few centimeters. Percy kept quiet except when he mentioned his powers, it was something like spreading fear. He would look at someone meaning to scare them and they would run crying to their mommies, it worked about 99/100 times. Then Percy stopped so suddenly I bumped into him and fell forward. I would've broken my nose but Percy caught me around the waist and pulled me up. "Are you always this clumsy?"
I folded my arms and raised my eyebrows.

"Only when I get home to find my dog talking then taking me to this place where I'm supposed to have special magical powers."
He made a face that looked like sympathy? Annoyance? He opened the door and I forgot how to breathe. The room was... it was, picture the biggest, most amazing place you can imagine, then multiply it by 100 then you'd have a small picture of the room. The room was flooded with people, (but the room was so big, they looked like ants) I was above so I could only see their hair, about 50 blondes, a ton of brunettes, 20 black and some had two or more hair colors but there was one that caught my eye, a redhead. Could it be?
"Annabella!" I exclaimed and ran down the stairs, and ran towards her. Percy followed without any enthusiasm. The redhead turned at her name and her mouth dropped, she hugged me.
"How did you find me?" She asked.

Annabella was exactly my age, weight, skin and height but finding her in a crowd of people is too easy. She had her shoulder length hair dyed red this time, too much eye shadow on her electric blue eyes. She always dressed like a mini Avril Lavigne with a pink plaid skirt, dark blue boots, a yellow plaid shirt with a black tie.
"You're easy to find but the question is what are you doing here?"
"I have no idea, I came home and found my cat, Jade, taking me here and, Emma, she actually talked."
"Dido."
"Ah, so you know each other." Said Percy who had just caught up.
"We're best friends." We said together.
"So you'll be taking the test together then?
"What test?"
"Come."

We followed him to a room with mattresses for walls and floors and above it was a screen room where people inside could watch and control things from buttons. There was another girl in the mattress room, an 11 year old with stormy gray eyes, long black hair and a mischievous look. She had both fingers on her temple and her eyes closed, there was a surfer dude in front of her waiting. She finally opened her eyes and said, "You had a crush on a girl called Samantha when you were in the 10th grade." The dude blushed but nodded.

"Is she some sort of mind reader?" I whispered to Percy.
"That's her special power, plus sending mind messages and we're going to find out your power."
The girl was leaving but not before I caught her eye. I hear a voice in my head, "Hey, I'm Carly. Good luck and BTW he does." Then she winked and left. Annabella snapped me out of my daze.
"Alright-" Percy started. "Annabella, you're first."
"Why me?"
"Alphabetical order." Percy said as if it was so obvious.
"Good luck, Bella."
"I'll need it."
****************************************************

I'd always wished my life could be more exciting, but this was just too much to handle. Percy took a sample of both our DNA (Annabella wanted to spit but I told her a drop of blood was fine) and reported that Bella's skill was somewhere in the magic department (mine was in the weapons range). She got a wand and started saying old magic words like Abracadabra and Hocus Pocus until the surfer dude (Will) told her those were just make-believe.

"Then what are real words." She asked impatiently.
Will gave her a list, she scrolled through it, raised the ivory wand and spoke. "Sintarum."
Will was sent flying into the air, doing front flips and back flips in the air.
"Get me down!" He yelped.
Annabella searched hastily through the list. "Okay, um... alright, um, Silarum."
Will came down on a mattress in front of Annabella. They sighed in relief.
"I think you should keep the list." Said Will surprisingly without fear.
"Sorry," she replied in a small apologetic voice.
Percy checked her name off a checklist and turned to me.
"Your turn."

The door opened and a tall boy with brown hair, pale skin and tired green eyes walked in. His face looked disturbed and worried but I knew him too well. There was Xavier. So all my best friends and I had special powers.
***********************************************************

Chapter 2

I couldn't believe that Emma was actually here, in person, but I could never tell her the horrible truth. Even thinking about it made me want to scream like a baby but I have too much will power to seem so fragile. I need to tell her before she starts to dream, a part of my mind thought but I just pushed the thought away and watched Emma try to hold a sword that was much too heavy. She then took a bow and arrow and smile. "Now, this is more my style but I'll take a sword." She said taking a balanced sword.

Annabella and Xavier were talking next me and I thought they could see the way I was looking at Emma. So I just went back to analyzing Xavier's DNA sample.
"Well," I reported, "Xavier, looks like you're more of a martial artist."
Despite Xavier's tired expression, he did a dance. "Alright, this is going to be awesome! Thanks, Percy." Both Annabella and I started laughing, then Annabella's eyes got wide. "Whoa, I never knew Emma could do that." Emma was winning over Will like she had been doing this her entire life. She was perfect at lunges, graceful while parrying and riposted faster than a blink of an eye.

Wow! I thought See, she's a big girl, she can take it. I almost believed it. No, I won't. Not now. She disengaged Will's attack and he fell to the floor. She helped him up, and ran back to the room. "Did you guys see that!?" Was the first thing she said. Annabella, Xavier and Emma did some kind of hand shake then the girls faced Xavier and his smile melted.

"I'm going, I'm going." And he left to do his test. The girls kept their eyes on Xavier while my gaze was fixed on Emma. I kept feuding on whether to tell her or not. She has to know, to know why he disowned you, to know what he did after leaving. No, not until it is a requirement. Then a different voice came in his head.
Voice: It's okay, you don't have to tell her now, just replace your last name.
Percy: Carly, is that you? Keep out.
Carly: Hey, I can keep a secret.
Percy: I know, just get out and don't send a mind message to Emma about this. Got it?
Carly: My thoughts are sealed. About this at least.

Xavier was doing okay but the end was the best. He tried to front kick Will but Will just side-stepped, then he tried to knock Will off with a foot swipe and luckily Will jumped, like a viper. Xavier got up and kicked Will (a little more than harmlessly) in the chest and Will fell down hard on his bum. Everyone smiled and clapped as Xavier took a bow.
They had done it. They had all passed the test, which meant they were ready, and I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing for them but he couldn't and wouldn't spoil the moment where everything was perfect. For now.
****************************************************

Emma couldn't believe they had all passed their tests and that she could fight with a sword. They were following Percy to their dorms. Every 3 people would be roommies. Annabella, Carly, and I would be roomies while Xavier would be roomie with Percy and Will. Xavier and Will were talking about karate moves, Annabella was memorizing the list of spells and trying them out with a white wand while I just kept playing around with the weapons they had given me. An imperial gold sword, a quiver full of silver arrows and a bow. My mind was racing with different thoughts but the one that kept popping back was, Why does Percy keep looking at me with a sad look? I would never look at him, but I could see it from the corner of my eye.

"Hey, check this out," Annabella said, pointing at her list. "There's a spell for mind reading, it's called-" She squinted. "Octusum."
"Can you cast that on Xavier?" I asked, implying it as a joke but Annabella smiled and recited the spell while pointing her wand at Xavier.
She listened hard and did her best not to laugh but it failed immediately, she laughed so hard, she doubled over.
"Is she okay?" Will asked. I shrugged.
It took Annabella almost 10 minutes to get up and then 10 more to stop laughing but her smile was larger than the Cheshire Cat's.
"Annabella breathe-" I advised. "What did you hear?"

"He just kept singing, "I passed the test. I passed the test." Over and over and I saw him doing a little dance in his head, you know the one, where you push your fists forward and keep spinning and then he asked himself, "I wonder if I'll be as good as Jackie Chan?"
I laughed. "Okay, it's funny but not doubling over funny."
"Hey, I'm weird, take it or leave it."
We stopped in front of a stone wall.
"What are we doing here?" Annabella asked.
"This is your room." Said Will mater-of-factually, and just to prove it, he pushed his arm in the wall. It went through. I blinked.
"Cool!" Annabella and I chorused and we went through without a moment's hesitation, but something kept bugging me.
I popped my head back out the wall and scared the boys.
"Hey, wait, we don't even have our clothes or toothbrushes or anything and what about our parents?"

Xavier nodded in agreement and Percy sighed.
"Your things have been moved here and your parents-" Percy took a shaky breath. "Know you have special powers, they keep you safe, sound and healthy. Every student here has a pet, and every pet's soul mission is to bring the student here and tell their parent it was a success, long story short: your parents know you're here and they know you're safe."

"Ok," I said simply and went back trough the wall with an unsatisfied look.
The room was... weird, that's the only word for it. A section of the room was my room, terrace and all, then another section was a room I knew too well. Annabella's room, an entire room of black and white with vans walls and a floor just like mine. She had a black bed, a white work table with a white chair and a black and white guitar, a black closet and a black Laptop. The last section of the room was a weird combination of colors, with pink on one part and blue on the other and yellow and green and so much more. There was a girl on the bed with long black hair and stormy gray eyes. Carly waved.
Annabella put down her list on her work table, grabbed her guitar and started rocking out, the music was so good, Carly and I started dancing around. For once nothing was on my mind.
****************************************************

I had never been so unsure of what to do. I was sitting on my bed.
I've never lived a very glamorous life, my room is just wooden floors and walls with a small dresser and a bed but since I am one of their best recruits I asked for a better bedroom. Now I have a bigger and fluffier bed, a big green closet and a treadmill. I liked the simpler life.
I was still fighting over what to tell Emma, I was so desperate to find answers. I was willing to ask Xavier but that would make 1 more person knowing and then he remembered his powers. Of course- I thought I'll ask him about how Emma takes seriously important confidential information and that will help me.

Xavier was in his room surfing the internet. I took a deep breath and walked over.
Hey, Xavier."
"Hi, roomie."
"So, your best friends are girls."
"I'm the only boy at that school I didn't even know it was an all girl school, and my folks won't transfer me."
"Relax, I just want to know more about the girls because I have a feeling it will come in handy."

Xavier shrugged. "Your choice. Well Annabella's role model is Avril Lavigne and she is extremely good at it. She can play guitar, she can sing, dance, she has the same style but she hates crowds. She can be around maybe 20 people but not more than that. Annabella is the one everyone goes to for relationship advice and knows more secrets than a person can imagine. She has a great sense of humor and can cook. She has an Egyptian Mau called Jade and don't be fooled by her look, she is too strong."
"You seem to know a lot about her."
He blushed. "I know more about Emma though."
"Go on."
"Well, Emma is amazing at every single instrument known literally. She is a vegetarian and she knows every language but she is too modest to even admit it. She can get any celebrity to do anything and she has the best sense of humor. She loves to read and is good with most animals. She and Annabella are straight A students and you have not lived until you see what she can do with... anything."

Xavier had a stricken on his face.
"Emma and Annabella, are perfect." He said.
"Dude, are you ok?"
"Yeah."
"How good does Emma take secrets?"
"She just does this weird face and, something to see if you're telling the truth, then never brings it up with anyone except the person who told her and if she is allowed, she tells it to me and Annabella."
"Cool."
"Well good night."
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The next day began with an old woman coming in and waking us up at 9 a.m. with a loud gong. Carly woke in a happy mood as if this was all normal but Annabella and I woke wanting to hit something, and we did. Each other in the gut.
We all changed and followed Carly to a mattress room covered with practice dummies (there were over 500 rooms so everyone could use one.)
"Well," Carly began, "I think I'll leave you two to practice. I have to get to my practice session."
"Ok, see you later." Annabella said.
Carly left.

Annabella started practicing the magic words she had memorized last night, while I started practicing my archery on the dummies for an hour and a half, then I started practicing my sword skills while Annabella conjured her guitar and started rocking out.
A little later Percy and Xavier came in, they saw us dancing and joined in for 15 minutes then we returned to practicing for a few hours.
An announcement came over the P.A.
"Everyone please report to the auditorium, it's time for a quest."
We all turned to Percy.
"What quest?" Asked Xavier.

"Our ancestors, the ones with powers, contact us and pick four students to go on a quest for something vitally important, and now four people are going to get chosen. Don't worry, they rarely ever pick new students."
We sighed in relief and went along with Percy to a football stadium with a HUGE fire pit on the field. My friends and I stared in awe.
After our amazement, Percy ushered us to front row seats and sat next to me, the rest of the stadium quickly got filled. A man walked toward the fire pit and cast a spell. At first nothing happened then the entire pit lit up. Everyone cheered so loudly, I could barely hear the roar of the flames.
A picture of four people appeared in the fire, two men and two women.
And one of them looked exactly like me.
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I had never been so scared of a quest calling and I had fainted at my first one, but this one wanted to make me drop dead.
At the fire I could see four figures, and a man that looked like me but that wasn't the scary part. I had seen him many times but the others were the ones that scared me.
"Greetings." Said his ancestor, George.
I looked at my friends, they looked like nothing could surprise them ever again. He had felt the same way when I was still new here.
"Why is everything so quiet? Can't we shoot some fireworks?" Asked a woman who looked like Annabella's ancestor.

"No, Marcella!" The rest boomed.
Xavier stood up, one of the ancestors noticed this, "Good show Xavier, there's my boy. Do you know me? It's me Leonidas." Said Xavier's ancestor.
"What is going on?" Whispered Annabella. Emma was about to answer when Emma's ancestor cut in.
"Don't worry dear child, it's alright, but you and your friends have been chosen for the quest this time."
"But we just came yesterday." Complained Annabella.
"Yes dear, which makes you important. You see most children with powers come when they are 7, but you three came now, while you are thirteen-"

"I'm 14!" Cut in Xavier.
"Sorry, thirteen and fourteen. Anyway, that makes you skilled and you can learn fast. You are chosen for this quest and Percy will accompany you. And Emma my dear child don't worry things will sort out or my name isn't Loretta."
I stood, "Where do we go and what do we do?"
The four ancestors took each others hands and flew up into the air. Their eyes glowed white as they rotated in a circle. They spoke as one,
"You shall travel to city of love.
And see the most evil of all time.
Upon the largest threat, the clock reverse.
And life at end."

When the last word was spoken, the figures disappeared and the flames of the bonfire extinguished. Every single person in the stadium started talking at once but the buzzing in my ears sounded them out, and it had nothing to do with the quest. It was Carly's voice. She had sent him a mind message while the commotion was accruing. I kept repeating what she had said over and over.
It's time to confess. I'll be listening to your thoughts during the quest and if you don't tell her on the trip to Paris, I will.
I had no choice, I was about to tell her when Annabella shouted "Help! Help!"
Emma had fainted.