Liar, Liar, Tripps on Fire

I'm back at home now, safe and sound- and away from Gerard. But not for long. They've got another meeting soon, and I'll have to wear a wig and some makeup to disguise myself this time. I almost feel like Sidney Bristow from Alias, but it's kind of fun.

We got out of the food court quick and went to the only place we could think of- Hot Topic. See, Chris explained that she told Gerard her mother was coming, and he got out of there "like he was Snape and I just said 'shampoo'". We couldn't risk him doubling back, though, so we hid in Hot Topic. The clerk did ask us why we were there, but I improv-ed up some story about a freaky ex-boyfriend who was abusing Chris. She said we could hide in the store as long as we needed to. Yes, I'm a liar, but I'm a living liar. So it all pays off. I just hope God won't zap me yet. After all, I still need to find Elaine.

Chris told me that Gerard just wanted to keep meeting at the food court for now.
"He talked about the commune where he lives." she said. "I think he wants me to join eventually."
"If you do, I'll kill you." I said. "Better yet, I'll rescue you."
She smiled. "You do that."
We got out of there pretty fast after that, but I did set up another mall date for next Saturday. I'll write soon as I get any news, or when I pick out another character.

~Stacie

Live from the Castleton Food Court...

Hey all, it's Stacie. I'm sitting in the Castleton Mall food court, waiting for Gerard. I've been here for an hour, with only a Hot Topic shopping bag and my dad's laptop for company. Chris is about ten tables over, and she's looking for Gerard.

I picked out my disguise last night, and I absolutely LOVE it!! It's sort of Army/punk, I got the idea off a dolling website. I wore this really tight olive-green top over a long-sleeved black shirt, with a camo miniskirt, fishnets, and a pair of lace-up boots from Goodwill. The final touch was a black cap, and I wore my hair in a messy bun.

Oh, wait- OMG. Chris just saw this guy walk in, and he's holding a book that looks like it might be 1984. She's getting up, she's walking towards him- they're talking. Just chatting really. I think I'll go buy a smoothie and try to listen in...

I'm back. They're just chatting right now, but Chris met my eyes briefly and I think she'll try to get to a table where I can overhear. She just moved into the line for Subway, but Gerard's not getting anything. On another topic, the smoothie is really good- peach.

Okay, they're moving to a table near me... no such luck. Gerard's going over to this corner on the other side of the room. If you've never seen the Castleton food court before (and chances are you probably haven't), there are lines for different food places on two walls, with Galyan's on the other side and then a hallway to access the main mall. In the middle is this play area for little kids, and Gerard's just moved to the other side. I can't see him anymore, and Chris just followed. Time for a bit of espionage.

Back again, people. I snuck around the kiddie area, crossed my arms, put on my best emo face, and slouched across the food court to greet Chris and Gerard. Chris was certainly surprised.
"Narcissa!" she cried. I cringed mentally. Oh, crap. Of course, the first thing that would pop into her head was Bellatrix- thankfully that name was taken.
"Hey." I said in my best angsty-depressed-teenager voice. "'Sup?"
"I'm just talking with my friend Gerard." she said. "Gerard, this is Narcissa."
Gerard extended his hand. "Narcissa...?"
"Mal- Maltran!" I cried. Oh dear Lord, I almost said Malfoy!
He smiled. "Lovely to meet you. And how do you know Christina?"
"We go to school together." I said flatly, then turned to Chris. "Umm, so are you two, like, a couple?"
"No!" said Chris.
"Yes!" said Gerard at the same time.
"Yes!" agreed Chris a second later.
I raised an eyebrow in what I hoped was a casual manner. "Whatev. I'll be at Hot Topic if you need me, Tina."
I never called Chris "Tina". Ever. But I guess "Narcissa" would. So here I am, drinking a smoothie and trying to catch a glimpse of my best friend in case the kidnapper lives up to his name. I think I'll send her a text, she said after ten minutes to get her out of there.

It's done- I texted her "Your ten minutes are up." And here she comes. I'll fill you in on how we got out of this later, but now we need to escape before Gerard changes his mind.

~Stacie

one... more... day...

It's decided: I'll be seeing Gerard on Saturday.

Why have I not written? Simple: life goes on, even when your sister is missing. I've had homework (stupid physics!) and Mom's not been sleeping (neither has Dad, but he hides it well) because of Elaine. I hate her in those moments, hate her for making us suffer. After all, I'm the one risking my butt to see Gerard incognito.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna wear- probably something crazy or emo. After all, it's supposed to be different then me.

I'll be sure to write Saturday night, but now I've got to go to bed. It's pretty late in Westfield.

~Stacie

Trapping the Kidnapper

Chris, I love you. You're brave, smart, and your flair for the dramatic astounds me.

Last night, Gerard called promptly at eight. I set up a tape recorder to capture his voice, so I'd be prepared for the police. We both huddled around the phone, which was on speaker, and I tried not to yell as my best friend talked to a kidnapper. Here's how it went:

Chris: Hello?
Gerard: Hey Chris, how are you?
Chris: (grimacing) I'm... okay. You?
Gerard: Missing you.
Chris: Really? That's...erm, sweet.
Gerard: Sweet but true, my dear. When are you going to see me?
(By this point I was feeling sick. Had he seduced my sister just like this?)
Chris: Umm... uh, not soon.
Gerard: (clearly upset) What?
Chris:(Improvising and very freaked out) That's right! Not soon. I'm, uhh... mourning the death of my sister... in law! Sister-in-law!
Gerard: You're... married? (He pronounced the last word like it was some kind of disease) Aren't you a little... young?
Chris: Um, uh- it's not me! It's my brother! My older brother. (she sighs with relief and collects herself) He just lost his wife of two years to... a brain aneurysm. (she didn't sound very convincing. I winced.)
Gerard: (not convinced) I see. What was her name?
Chris: Umm... (her eyes flew around the room, settling on her computer with the Bellatrix Lestrange wallpaper. She's crazy about Bellatrix for some reason.)...it was Bella! Bella Black. (It was our luck that Chris's last name is Black. I just hoped Gerard wasn't a Harry Potter fan.)
Gerard: Oh! (he sounded convinced, and at least faking sorrow) I'm sorry, Chris. When is the funeral?
Chris: Tomorrow.
Gerard: That's too bad. Next weekend, perhaps?
Chris: (breathing hard and very scared) Perhaps.
Gerard: I'll be at the Castleton mall, in the food court, and I'll be reading a copy of 1984. (I glared. It's one of my favorite books.)
Chris: Okay... um, bye!
Gerard: Goodbye.
(He hung up, but I didn't turn the tape recorder off. I figured we'd want a record of our plan, if we developed one.)
Me: That was genius, Chris! (I high-fived her) You rock!
Chris: (laughs) I try, Stacie. But now, what do we do?
Me: We can't go to the police. We don't have evidence that he did it.
Chris: You have that note-
Me: But who's to say it's the same Gerard?
Chris: Good point, I guess. Hey! Why don't I go meet him?
Me: WHAT?!
Chris: I'll meet him, and you'll be in disguise watching us! If he makes a move toward me, I'll signal you or something, and you can pretend to be someone else who knows me from school!
Me: I don't know, it sounds really risky...
Chris: Come on, what have we got to lose? It's a public place, it's not like he can just grab me and make off. And there are security guards everywhere.
Me: (I sigh) Fine. We'll do it. Now let's do something fun while we still can.

And there you have it- our plans for trapping Gerard. I don't know what we'll do when we see him, I guess this meeting's just a "get-to-know-you" kind of thing. But seriously Chris, I am in awe of you.

~Stacie

New Evidence

I said I wouldn't write until I'd made a decision, but this is important.

Today at lunch, Chris (my closest friend) told us that she'd been getting weird calls on her cell phone.

"He calls at like 9 every night, and he says that he saw my deviantArt account and he wants to go out with me." she said. I asked how he'd traced her account to her (DA requires a screen name, and Chris hadn't given out any personal information), and she said she didn't know. Then, my friend John asked her what his name was.

"It's Gerard." she said. "Like from MCR." My Chemical Romance is her favorite band, and Elaine's too. But this didn't stop me from freaking out.

"WHAT?" (That's me, with my jaw hanging open.)
"I said his name's Gerard."
"Chris, don't go to meet him."
She looked at me funny. "Why?"
"Because," I said, "he's the one who kidnapped my sister." I explained about the diary and showed her Gerard's note (I've been keeping it in my hoodie pocket for safety). She was freaked out.
"You mean, she disappeared? Like, actually disappeared?"
I nodded. "Don't meet him, Chris."
She nodded back. "I won't. He sounds dangerous."
At that moment, the bell rang, and I didn't see Chris for the rest of the day. But she called me after school, and I'm going to her house for dinner (and to listen in on Gerard's call). I'll post what happens as soon as I can.

~Stacie

Decisions, Decisions

Did some research today in the library at school during lunch. Couldn't find anything about a Gerard D., but I did find records of other weird disappearances online. Like there was this Eskimo village in 1930, and all the people disappeared. That's 2,000 people just up and gone. Not that it helps me much, (most of this stuff is more paranormal than I need) but at least there are other occurrences.

There were a couple of interesting things from Vermont- an 18-year old student disappearing while hiking and an 8-year-old vanishing off his parents' farm- but they all happened from 1920 to 1950. Here is where I found records of that.

I'm not really sure what to think of Elaine- I guess most people would say to call the police and report the note and her disappearance, but I can't do it. Part of me desperately wants to get her back (and quickly, too!) but something makes me wonder that there might be more to this than meets the eye.

I moved to abductions and found some seriously creepy stuff, like this story of Eloise Worledge, a little girl from Australia who was kidnapped in the middle of the night. I'd tend to lean more towards something like this happening, but clearly Elaine left of her own free will (Elaine? Eloise? Anybody else a little creeped at that?) and she wasn't snatched from her bed.

So, what do I do? Do I (a. take the note, diary, and security tape to the police and ask for their help [which Mom and Dad have yet to do for some reason, probably Dad's distrust of the police chief] or (b. strike out on my own, armed with the evidence and a desire for truth?

I guess I'll think it over, maybe bring some friends into my plans. I'll write once I've reached a decision.

~Stacie

The Very Secret Diary

Well, I did it. The one thing no self-respecting sibling is ever ever EVER supposed to do. And I did it for Elaine.

What is it, you may ask? What is this horrible crime? Simple: I read her diary. Not just any diary, either. Normal people have diaries. Elaine has a VERY SECRET DIARY with a computerized voice-recognition lock. Luckily, I can imitate her real well. And her password was easy, too- Edward. What else from my crazy sister?

I skipped past her first entries documenting her seventh-grade year, flipped through the random sketches of Edward and other people she's had crushes on. I don't know what I was lookign for- maybe a plan. Or a note. Or anything that gave her a reason to run.

I don't know what I was looking for, but I found it. It was tucked between a sketch of Edward and herself kissing and a brief outline of the coming week- a short note, only a few words long: Meet me tomorrow. Come alone. G.D. I glanced at the outline of the week- this week. And on Sunday, the words Meet Gerard at 4.

All the other days were blank.

I shut the diary and replaced it on her shelf, taking the note with me. I can't tell Mom or Dad- they'd flip. Probably call the police, and then Elaine might never come back. So in the end, my heinous crime didn't really accomplish much. I got one answer, but with it comes two new questions:

1. Who the heck is Gerard?
2. What did he do with my sister?

~Stacie

Still not funny

Elaine's not back yet. It's like 8 p.m. here. Mom and Dad are getting worried. I just wish she'd come home, I'm sure they'd un-ground her.

~Stacie

Completely un-funny

I have to give the kid credit, she's got guts.

Who, you ask? Why, Elaine, the world's biggest Cullen addict. She's gone. Ran away. I found out when I went to tell her to come get her clean laundry and found her room empty. Mom checked the cam from outside her window and found out she ran away a little after lunch. I don't get it, but that's Elaine for you.

Elaine, if you're at Lindsay's or Delaney's and you're reading this, we aren't laughing. Not at all. This isn't funny. Come home NOW or Mom's gonna flip and we'll be stuck inside this house 'til we graduate.

Sorry, people. Just had to take the chance. Of course, we called Lindsay and Delaney, but they claimed she "wasn't there." Not that I believe them. They'd lie for Elaine any day. We actually tried going out and looking for her, but she's nowhere to be found.

If one of you people out there have any idea where she is, please please please tell me. I don't care if it's a crazy half-baked idea, or where your little sister hid when she got busted for dating the wrong kind of guy, just tell me.

Not that I'm worried or anything. Not yet, anyway.

~Stacie

The Dark Knight RULES!!

As I've said before, I love love LOVE The Dark Knight. Why? One word: Heath Ledger. He's the best Joker ever. Scary, but true. (The dude even messed with my nightmares)

I've seen it nine times (beating my previous record of five for Batman Begins), and it gets better every time. When I'm not watching it, I'm vidding footage from trailers to Children 18:3 songs. My best one is All My Balloons. I'll post it here sometime.

Oh, yeah- Elaine's threatened to run away again. Says she's got friends who'll take care of her. It's just because she got grounded for sneaking out to go to a party. Heck, I did that, but I finally gave up 'cause Mom kept catching me (Note to all would-be rebels: Check for security cams outside your windows). She'll get over it, but she's pretty mad as of right now. Probably writing fanfics in which Edward comes to rescue her and Mom and Dad get killed by the Volturi. Not much I can do about that, though.

Why is it that I post something under a title that eventually has nothing to do with the post itself? I don't know... just something I do, I guess. So much for me.

Until next time!
~Stacie

Techie Woes

Tech hasn't started yet.

I hate that.

Why, you ask? It's because my whole school life is built around theatre, and when there's no theatre, Stacie's not a happy girl. I tried alleviating the pain by reading reviews of The Dark Knight (which, by the way, is awesome), but it didn't work. So I read New Moon instead, bringing us to a whole new subject: Twilight.

I love, love, love Twilight. And its sequels. I haven't got Breaking Dawn yet (but it's in the mail from Amazon!!), and I can't wait to find out what happens. But not because of Edward. Oh no. Not that I hate him, but I'm not in love with him like the rest of teen girl America. I think he's cool, but something about him seems too... perfect, I guess. I prefer my crushes flawed. Like Erik (Phantom of the Opera)- a good heart but in need of some rescuing. Edward's just too good.

Elaine doesn't agree- she's in the midst of a major Cullen obsession, and it's all Mom & Dad can do to keep her from running away to find them in Washington. She says she's perfectly aware that vampires aren't real- or compliant with our Christian faith- but I think she wants to believe that our parents are the crazy ones. Once, she threatened to run away in search of Edward, with only her sketchbook to keep her company. She later said she was joking, but I wonder...

Oh, yeah- sketchbook. Elaine's a budding manga artist, and her skills are perfectly suited for sketching Edward night and day. I used to admire her drawings and help her color them, but I got bored of Edward all the time.

Speaking of Phantom, our choir is doing a medley from the show, and I'm singing Christine in the "Think of Me" part.

Well, I guess I better go. Not much to do on a Saturday like this one, but dinner's almost ready and my stomach's demanding food... see ya!

~Stacie

Hello again

I'm back, and I have one thing to say: ugh. I love my sister, but she's really a pain so much of the time. The little creep thought I'd stolen her stupid camera. Oh well. I finally managed to find the thing and extricate it from under a huge pile of dirty laundry. (And when I say huge, I mean huge. Both my parents work, so we're lucky if laundry gets done once a month. It all just accumulates in the basement and forms this mountain range of soiled clothing.) She owes me five dollars- I bet her I'd find it- and now we don't hate each other as much as we used to.

It's about 9:50 at night (I know the blog time is different, haven't set the stupid thing to eastern time yet), and I'm full of thoughts. Don't know why. Maybe actually having a place to put them is what does it.

An idea occurred to me whilst I was buried beneath Mt. Apparel: why not hire myself out as a laundress? I know enough about the chore from assisting in our monthly basement cleanout, and I'm a pretty fast sorter. You know, lights & darks and that sort of thing. I'd probably be world-famous if I practiced weekly. Or maybe I'd start a reality show: So You Think You Can Sort. Contestants would have to navigate a pile of clothing, and they'd be timed. Whoever did it the fastest would win.

On second thought, that's stupid. Nobody'd watch it at all. Or maybe they would, but it doesn't matter.

urgh... I'm getting tired. See you people tomorrow.

~Stacie

Hey, I'm Stacie!!

Hello people, I'm Stacie!! I'm kind of nervous (this is my first blog), and I really don't know what to write. Do I journal? Post art? I've got no clue.

Might as well tell you about getting this blog. (I didn't really want it) It was my friend Sylvia's idea of a joke. She always talks about how I'm so lo-tech because I don't have an iPod, and I'm always like, "what? I have an mp3 player, and it plays music!" But she wanted me to have this, so I'm writing.

Do you people out there want to know about me? Not much to tell, let's see now... Oh yeah! I'm from the U.S.A., but I'm not rich or spoiled or anything like that. We're sort of poor (which is why I'm iPod-less) as people in Westfield, Indiana go, but I don't care. I get new clothes when I need them, and we're never hungry, so count your blessings, right? Am I rambling? Oh, gosh, I'm so bad at this.

Anyways, I live in Westfield with my two parents and my younger sister Elaine. She's not really younger, except by ten months, but I still lord it over her:) I go to school at Westfield High and am a Thespian (that's drama club). I'm a sophomore of fifteen years. Anything else you're dying to know...?

Oh, got to go. Elaine's bugging me about the loss of her camera. Not just any camera, her photography class camera she bought with her own money. So I've got to sign off. But I'll be back on later hopefully. (It's almost exciting, having a blog).

Bye!
~Stacie