Uncharted

by Nikki Thornton

  She hung her art throughout her apartment and added the slip covers to the couch and chairs, followed by the various accent pillows and throws. She moved the coffee table and put down the rug she had bought for the living room. The office got its own, as did the bedroom.

  Finished, finally. It was after midnight. She took a moment to breathe before she retreated to the shower. Her body was aching and covered in paint. She took a long, hot shower, almost falling asleep a few times. The rush of cold air when she came out from behind the breeze-blocking curtain shocked her awake.

  Before going to bed, she took a moment to check her email. It occurred to her that she had not told anyone she was back, so she sent a mass email. Can it be considered mass if it is only to four people, one being your mother?

  Just as she was about to sign out and shut down her computer, she received an email telling her Claire had accepted her friendship. The note with it said, “Kennedy, I haven’t heard from Em, so I have no idea what you’re talking about that happened between the two of you, but I won’t press it. Regardless of your guys’…interaction…it won’t be weird for me if you and I become friends.”

  Kennedy smiled. Claire was such a sweetheart, of course she wouldn’t mind. Her eyes could barely stay open, but Kennedy wanted to check out Claire’s page. She logged in and began browsing.

  Claire was cute. Blonde and blue-eyed—not at all like Emmerick. And she was apparently very popular. She had more friends on her profile than the number of students Kennedy had in her graduating class. She had hundreds of photos, but for the moment Kennedy was only interested in one album. It was titled “My Family.” There were pictures of all her sisters and of Emmerick, even some younger pictures from when he could not have been older than ten.

  A message box popped up on the bottom of Kennedy’s screen. It was from Claire.

  “You’re up late.”

  “Yeah. I’m exhausted, just got done redecorating my apartment.”

  “Oh man, do you like it?”

  “I do, actually, it’s very…bold…not at all my normal style, but I love it.”

  “Cool, you’ll have to post some pictures of it. And of your trip.”

  “I will, but not today. I gotta get some sleep. Need to recover before I start my new job on Monday.”

  “New job? Doing what?”

  “Don’t laugh too hard, but, you’re speaking to a brand new travel journalist.”

  “Hehe (that doesn’t count as laughing).”

  “Well, I gotta get to bed, but before I go, can you promise me something?”

  “Depends.”

  “Well, I’d just appreciate if our conversation stayed that way. You know, ours.”

  “I don’t think I follow.”

  “Without getting too much into it, Emmerick will probably ask you a lot of questions if you tell him that we’re talking. And I just think it’s best that he doesn’t know that we’re talking.”

  “I’m guessing this has to do with what you don’t want to talk about?”

  “Yeah. And I mean, I’m sure he’ll find out we’re friends on here, but if we could just keep the private messages (like this and the non-wall posts) private, then it would just be better.”

  “I think I can promise that.”

  “Thanks, Claire. You’re the best. Goodnight.”

  “Night.”

  Kennedy felt relieved. She didn’t want to think of the kind of things Emmerick might ask Claire about if he knew they had been talking. They would be personal questions, extremely personal, and she didn’t know if she wanted Claire to know about all that had happened.

  She shut her computer down and passed out on her bed. She didn’t even manage to change out of her towel or get under the covers. She was much too tired for any of that.

  The Dinner

  As Emmerick pulled up to his parents’ house, he was a little disappointed to see that he was the last to arrive. That meant the girls had time to talk and gossip about what might have happened.

  Upon entering the house, Emmerick heard the hushed voices of his family. Even his father was contemplating the mystery of the Kennedy situation. He was surprised by this; his father never seemed to take much notice of the kids’ love lives. The whispers ceased when they heard Emmerick close the door.

  His mother, Rebecca, was the first to great him. “Emmerick! You’re so tan!” She hugged him. “How are you?” She let him out of the hug but held on to him as she examined his figure. “You look as though you haven’t eaten in a month!”

  “I’m fine, mom. Chill out.” He pulled out of her grip. “I thought you said everyone would be here at five?”

  Claire entered the room. “Well we all had to talk about you before you got here, didn’t we?”

  “Oh hush, Claire.” Rebecca turned back to Emmerick. “Now come have a seat. You can explain what happened.”

  “Can’t we eat first?” He had skipped lunch and was absolutely ravenous.

  “Dinner won’t be finished for another half hour.” She smiled. Obviously this had been her plan all along. “Now sit.”

  Claire chimed in, “And spill!”

  Their father spoke up, “Claire, you be nice now.”

  Emmerick gave him a puzzled look. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

  “Can’t a father have an interest in his son’s affairs?” He grinned a similar grin to the one Emmerick usually wore.

  Emmerick didn’t answer. Only his family would make such a big deal out of someone they had never met.

  Rachel appeared out of the kitchen. “Start talking.”

  “Is Emma hiding anywhere?”

  “No, she’s on vacation with her family. She doesn’t even know about Kennedy,” his mother answered.

  Claire added, “Yeah but only because no one could get ahold of her.” She laughed.

  Emmerick sighed. “All right. Here’s what happened.”

  He went into how he met Kennedy and how he threw himself into her trip. He talked about convincing her to ride on the back of his bike in the mountains and about how she eventually turned in her rental car and they rode the coast together on his bike. He left out the details they didn’t need to know, like that they shared a bed a few times and that he punched a guy to defend her honor.

  He also left the details out of the ending. “And we had a good day, almost date like, and when I woke up the next morning, she was gone.”

  “Did she leave a note?” Claire wondered aloud.

  “No. She didn’t leave anything behind. And I don’t know her last name; she wouldn’t give me her number. I don’t even know where she lives. All I have is a photo I took from her without her knowledge.”

  He pulled the picture out of his coat pocket and gave it to his mother.

  “Oh, Em.” Claire felt awful for him. She wished she could tell him that she was still in contact with Kennedy.

  Emmerick just sighed.

  Out of nowhere, Rachel asked, “Do you love her?”

  Claire’s eyes widened and their mother looked up from the photo, curious to know the answer.

  “Only you would ask that question, Rach.”

  Their father finally spoke up, “Well? Do you?”

  “Dad! I’m not answering that.”

  “Oooh, I think he does!” Claire teased.

  Emmerick put his hand to his forehead, frustrated. “Is it time to eat yet?”

  Rebecca ignored his question. “This is a great photo of you two. Really does her much better justice than the one she sent to Claire’s phone.”

  Claire peered across the table at the photo, “Yeah, they look like they’re in looove.”

  Emmerick didn’t even hear Claire’s childish remark. He was preoccupied by his thoughts. Of course! “Claire!”

  “What!” She was startled by his abruptness.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. You have her number. Call her. Find out why she left.”

  “Em, I—”

  Their father
cut in, “Wait, she and Claire are friends?”

  Emmerick answered quickly, “My phone was ringing off the hook one day, and Kennedy answered it. Her and Claire talked for hours.” He turned to Claire, “Please Claire, you have to. Or give me the number and I’ll call, but she’ll probably be more honest with you.”

  “Em…I…it’s not a good idea.” She nervously played with her hair as she said it.

  It was her tell.

  “Claire. Are you holding out on me? Have you talked to her after she left?”

  “No.” She said it more like a question. “I haven’t talked to her since the day you guys were at that beach.”

  She’s gonna be like that, huh. He reworded his question, “Have you had contact with her since she disappeared on me?”

  “I,” she started. She looked to her mother for help, but she was equally as anxious to know as Emmerick. “Em, she made me promise not to tell you.”

  Emmerick looked shocked and slightly betrayed by his sister. “How could you not tell me? You! Of all people!”

  “She made me promise! She thought it would be better. She didn’t want you asking me questions about her disappearance. I think she was afraid her personal business would get aired for everyone to hear.”

  “She didn’t explain any of it?”

  “No, she said she didn’t want to talk about it, and I respected that.”

  “Well then, you just have to show me her profile. That’s how you guys are communicating right? I heard you talk about Facebook one day.”

  “I don’t know, Em.”

  “Come on, Claire. I gotta try to find her, talk to her.”

  “It won’t help you find her. There’s no info on where she lives or anything. There isn’t even an email address listed.”

  Emmerick gave her the most pathetic look he could muster until she agreed. They went to the computer in the study. He made everyone else stay downstairs. He would at least respect her privacy in that regard.

  She checked her messages before showing Emmerick Kennedy’s profile. He was annoyed until he saw there was an unread one from Kennedy. “What does it say?”

  Claire opened the message and read it out loud. “Claire, I started my new job today! I absolutely love it! It’s busy and hectic and my boss is hilarious. The girl I sit across from is about my age so we get along pretty good. Remember how I wanted to relax all day Sunday after my remodel? No such luck. My parents decided to show up uninvited since they knew I was home. Of course they didn’t like the new colors. I think my mom is seriously afraid of color. But I still like it. I think I like it even more than I did right after it was finished. Well I’d better get going. I just wanted to let you know how the job went since you’re really the only person who knew about it. Kennedy J.”

  Emmerick could barely contain himself. “Job? What job? What’s she doing? What did she remodel? I can’t believe she put her last initial. J.” He pondered the possible last names but stopped pretty quickly, as there were too many.

  “Em! That’s exactly why she didn’t want you to know we were talking. I’m not your personal line to Kennedy. I’m not going to ask her questions for you. If she wants to talk to you, she’ll see you on my profile and request your friendship.”

  Emmerick sighed. “You’re impossible. At least show me her page.”

  Claire clicked the mouse a few times until she ended up at Kennedy’s profile.

  It really didn’t tell him much he didn’t already know. She listed a few favorite books and movies in the area designated for such things. He moved Claire in the chair away from the desk so that he could navigate. He went to her picture section. There were a few from her road trip that he recognized from the prints she had developed, but none of him, none of them together.

  Without him realizing it, Claire left the room. He was too engrossed in the photos and his search for more information that he did not hear his mother call that dinner was ready. Rachel had to come fish him from the study.

  “Hey, I thought you were starved.”

  “What? Oh, is dinner done?” He looked as though his mind was far away.

  “You ok?” Rachel was genuinely concerned. She was the one person he knew he could open up to without judgment or mockery.

  “We slept together. That last night.” His head hung low. “I just don’t understand why she left. We were perfect together.”

  Rachel put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Maybe she just got scared. But you can’t put Claire in the middle of this. If they’re friends, that’s separate from what you and she had.”

  “Yeah. You’re right. As always.” Emmerick stood.

  “It might be best if you forget about her and move on.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that, Rach. She’s amazing. The most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

  “You’ll just have to try.” Rachel headed toward the door. “Now let’s go eat.”

  They managed to get through dinner without mention of Kennedy. It seemed Claire told the family to drop it and they agreed it was probably best to do so. It was obvious how much Emmerick liked the girl, and it was also obvious that there was no way for him to contact her.

  Normal conversation began, along with the usual teasing amongst the siblings. Rachel didn’t usually resort to this behavior, but considering the situation, she joined Claire and Emmerick, siding with each as they attacked the other. After a while, Claire and Emmerick teamed up against Rachel, mostly making fun of her husband, who was home with their children.

  When their parents weren’t looking, the “kids” broke into the liquor cabinet. Family functions were always more fun when drinking was involved, especially when they spiked their mom’s drink.

  They sat around the table for hours catching up. They almost always did this when they all gathered together. For Rachel it was a shame that Emma was not there, but to Emmerick it didn’t make much difference. He had not grown up with her in the house, so this was the normal family dinner to him.

  By the time Emmerick was ready to depart, his mother decided that he would start to work with his dad in the family business. Emmerick didn’t like the idea. He wasn’t sure about having his dad for a boss, and he didn’t have much interest in the business. Nevertheless, he agreed to it, but only until he was able to find a job of his own.

  He drove home slowly. It was past midnight but he still wasn’t very tired. He thought of Kennedy and her odd request of Claire. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to have an explanation for her behavior? She should have to explain what she did. She had led him on. Was it not her who first said they would be great together? Did she not declare her like for him? Wasn’t it her who wanted the second round?

  He developed a headache while contemplating the complex workings of Kennedy’s brain. He vowed that if he ever spoke to her again he would demand answers to his questions, but he doubted he would ever get the chance.

  * * *

  The next day, Emmerick started his new job. Mostly older people worked there, people who had been with the company since its inception. Emmerick was surprised at the number of employees who knew anything about him. Multiple people made reference to his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. He had not realized his father spoke of him to his colleagues.

  Being that he was the owners’ son, the woman at the front desk showed him to a private office. He thanked her, but as soon as she was out of sight he left the oversized office in search of an empty cubicle among the “commoners.”

  He eventually found one on the edge of the cube farm. It was one of the furthest from the printers and break room, but it was also the furthest from his father’s office.

  He needed to call the IT department and ask them to deliver his computer to the cubicle instead of the office. Apparently he also had to ask them for a phone. He would have to borrow a neighbor’s for now.

  The occupant of the desk to his right was nowhere to be seen, so he tried the one to the left. He knocked on the outside of the cube and said, �
��Hi.”

  The girl spun around in her chair to greet him. He could not help but notice that she was cute, with red hair and green eyes. He also noticed that she was very petite—a little too thin in his opinion.

  “Mind if I use your phone?” She looked confused, so he explained, “I’m Emmerick. I’m moving in next door but IT doesn’t know that yet.” He gave her his half smile, unaware of its effect.

  Comprehension dawned on her heart-shaped face. “Oh! You must be Mr. Callahan’s kid.” She smiled. “I’m Stephanie.”

  “Hi, Stephanie. Mind if I use your phone?”

  “Oh, sure thing. You should totally call Brian. He’s, like, the fastest IT guy ever.” She let out a child-like giggle and slid her phone toward him.

  He smiled politely. “Thanks,” he said as he picked up the receiver.

  While he was distracted with his call, Stephanie seized the opportunity to check her hair and makeup in a small mirror that she pulled out of her desk drawer. Flawless, as usual. She crossed her long legs and turned back toward him while he finished the call.

  “Thanks Brian. I really appreciate it.” He hung up the phone and thanked Stephanie for letting him use it.

  As he turned to leave, she asked, “So, um, I thought you were, like, supposed to be in one of the offices?”