Jamie wanted to leave. She felt redness creeping up her cheeks. She had been waiting at the door for about five minutes. The sun was already higher in the sky then when she arrived.
   She had decided to get up a little early that morning. She had taken extra initiative to go over to the new neighbours'. Her mother had allowed her promptly, and Jamie had found herself trudging over in the frosty morning air.
   After her first knock, whoever was in the house had called, "Stay right there! I'll be over in a moment," in an urgent tone.
   It had been five minutes.
   Jamie was still waiting.
   She was tempted to leave. At least the woman who had called to her wouldn't know it was the new girl next door who had knocked. But if she left, would the lady think that someone was playing pranks on her? It wasn't nice to knock on someone's door, then run away. So Jamie stood there, committed, until the door swung open.
   Jamie's throat constricted, and she paused. For a moment, the woman's eyes widened too, but she covered her shock well.
   "Ah, Miss Foster. It's lovely to see you!" The stranger spoke as if they were long lost friends.
   Jamie momentary wondered how this person knew her last name. As if reading her mind, the woman told her.
   "The previous owner of this house told me that a pleasant family called the Fosters lived next door. He said that they had a daughter about your age. Forgive me if I mistook you for her."
   Jamie shifted her weight awkwardly. She hadn't even said anything, and the lady was already speaking nonstop. But somehow her words sounded natural, and crawled from her lips elegantly. She had a similar crisp accent to Lilly.
   "Oh, yeah. I'm Jamie Foster. I guess you're the new neighbour?"
   The stranger nodded. She didn't seem the least bit surprised, anymore. Her beauty was different from Lilly's. This lady was harsh, and she seemed very proper, as if she were a queen.
   "Pleased to meet you, Jamie. I go by Ms. Gisela."
   Jamie wondered if she should state bluntly that she had seen her disappear when she was six. But first impressions were important. Even more important, was that Jamie had to get out of this strange business as fast as she could.
   Magic was something only from books. People only disappeared in to thin air, in stories. And even if this was some messed up reality, where magic really did happen, she knew that it was none of her business. If people wanted to do dangerous things, they could do that on their own.
   Jamie wondered if maybe the woman didn't recognize her. It had been five years ago. She had been a lot smaller then.
   But as she pondered, in that single awkward millisecond, Jamie knew the truth. From the slight dilation in Ms. Gisela's eyes, when she first saw Jamie. From the oddness of it all.
   "Nice to meet you too."
   "Would you like to come inside? We can speak in there, and keep you from the cold."
   Jamie's heart thumped loudly against her chest. "No, I'd better be going. My, uh, mother is expecting me home for breakfast."
   "Alrighty, have a good day. And tell your parents if they ever need something, I'm always home."
   Jamie had no plan to tell her parents about Mrs. Gisela's offer, but she nodded anyway, and fake smiled.
   "See you soon," Gisela's cold voice chilled her more than the weather.
   "Goodbye."
   Jamie nearly skipped back to her door. She went inside, taking care to close the door behind her.
   "So, how were they?"
   Her mother stood over a steaming pan of eggs, perfectly sunny-side-up, the yolks still runny. Jamie's mouth watered.
   "She was nice. I think I—" Jamie paused, choosing her words carefully. "I think I've seen her somewhere before."
   "Oh?" her mother questioned simply.
   "Yeah. But— she was really nice, though I feel like she recognizes me too." Jamie was about to continue, when car horns honked outside.
   "That would be Dad," Abby told her daughter, after flicking the dial on the stove, and turning it off.
   "C'mon!" Jamie called, already pulling on shoes.
    She ran outside, to see her father.
   "Dad!" she called.
   Felix Foster looked up, and smiled at his panting daughter.
   "Hey Jamie," he replied, as she flew into his arms. "How are you?"
   "I'm good, Dad. And even better now that you're home."
   Her father smiled. "Well, could you grab that bag from the backseat?"
   Jamie ran over and picked it up obediently.
   They walked in silence back up to the house, grinning at each other, and breathing hard from their heavy loads.
   "Welcome back, honey," Jamie's mother called.
   "Hey Abby. How have you been? Long time no see." He said the last part sarcastically.
   "I've been fine. Breakfast is ready."
   They all found their way inside, and Jamie's father's luggage was all put away. They sat down to breakfast.
   After the meal was over, and many words were shared. Jamie understood that her father was starting work in two days, and her mother was going to a job interview the following day.
   "So, you'll both be gone?" Her voice shook a little.
   "Yeah," her parents said in unison.
   "Well, if you are looking for someone for me to stay with for the day—" she paused in thought, "—the new neighbour, Ms. Gisela said that if we needed anything, she was right next door." She swallowed, imagining spending a day with that creepy lady. "Maybe you can ask her, y'know, if I can hang out with her for the day?"
   "Oh, that's an awesome idea!" Her father said. Jamie gulped. She didn't expect her parents to be so enthusiastic.
   "Yeah. We'll definitely go chat with her."
   Jamie cursed herself for making the suggestion. The last thing she wanted to do was spend a day with the woman she saw disappear when she was six.
   She would rather hang out with Coco. But that thought stirred up another memory, though it was still fresh in her mind.
   She interrupted her parents' conversation. "What happened to Coco?"
   Her mother's face fell, and her father went quiet.
   "Coco Mozale either ran away from home, or was kidnapped, three days ago. We don't know what happened exactly. We just know that after awhile Nora realized that she wasn't coming home, and called the police in panic.
   "Oh." It was lame, but Jamie felt really bad for thinking badly of Coco, even though she was a jerk. Even though she had bullied her, that put nothing on being kidnapped.
   So now Mr. Forkle and Coco Mozale were gone. Who was going to go next?

1123 Words!

BIG chapter. Well, hope you liked it. I'm not going to be one of those people who begs you to vote in every author's note, but I do want to say, if you liked it, feel free to comment and vote.
I hope you are enjoying the story.

—Wawawa