Isla grabs a textbook from the back of her locker. “Chloe Stirling? I didn’t think you two were speaking?”
Someone’s playing a game with me. I know Laura and especially Chloe. Laura was there that night, and she’s been in this school, making my life hell.
I rummage through my locker again for anything linking Chloe or Laura to this school. A piece of paper with their name on it, a class timetable, or the recent outing to the visiting maritime sailboats schedule, but I come up empty. I’ve let this pass for too long. I must act.
Will she uncover the truth, or will she be the next innocent victim?
Today I have an extract to share with you.
Hasn’t she?
“Oh, nothing. Looking for a note from Chloe.”
Exactly, Chloe, who? I spin the wheel on the combination lock and tap my head. “Ignore me. Got to get the papers for Hunneford’s class. As per usual, he volunteered me. Catch you in a minute.”
As she searches for answers, she grapples with the lingering effects of a head injury, an unexpected forbidden romance, and a strange new reality that changes everything.
Jayne knows they’re gone, but no one else will acknowledge what’s happening.
It’s been a troubling week since that night with Laura. The storm which threatened to attack brushed us by, but the dark clouds linger in my head. My heart pounds during roll call each morning in school, as omitting Chloe and Laura’s names still goes without a hint of curiosity from anybody. Chloe should deliver her usual grunt to acknowledge she’s here when calling her name. Laura always responds with a “Present, Miss.”
Follow her at: Website: https://emae.church/blog/
I head for the third-floor admin office. I can tell what Isla’s thinking. But I had my accident over a year ago. My head trauma has gone. Hasn’t it? Just because I forget silly things like shopping lists, doesn’t mean I’ve invented classmates.
Emae Church’s debut novel, Earth 101: Time to Run was published Korudaz Ink on 25 April 2021.
One by one, they’re systematically erased from existence. No explanations. No missing person’s reports. No search parties.
Earth 101 is the debut novel from Emae Church, an emerging author, based in the South-West of England, who enjoys the adventure of life with two lovely children, when not saving the world.
About the Author
“Hey, Jayne. What’ve you lost?” Isla shoulders her locker next to mine.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmaeChurch
“Not this again, Jayne. Chloe, who?” Isla raises open hands, palms up to emphasise her question. There’s no malice from Isla.
And I’m running late. The session start bell insists I hurry along the empty courtyard to Hunneford’s Psychology class.
“No. Chloe Bates,” I respond with a heart-skip, as Isla’s expression drops into a frown. She dips her chin.
About the Book
Something sinister is afoot. Jayne can feel it in her bones. But uncovering the truth will prove difficult, especially when she discovers who and what is behind the devious plot.
But not today. Or any day.
A missing girl. A world of secrecy. A quest to expose the truth.
