#emmie lou

Emmie Lou left the meeting (still in progress ten minutes after Shelby had left) without a word. She ran straight to his room.

Maybe she could get him to make her some food while he told her what was wrong.

Emmie Lou opened the door to his room; the first thing she saw was Shelby packing a bag. He glared at her. "Ever heard of knocking?"

She'd seen a lot in her life - enough not to care for other people's privacy. "Shelby! Where are you going?"

He returned to packing. Gruffly, he said, "I have to find someone. He's in trouble."

"Oh, who?"

"Don't worry about it."

She was going to worry about it, but for now, she was hungry, and this could be her last chance to eat some of Shelby's cooking. "Hey, would you pretty please make some food for me before you go?" She heaved a mighty sigh. "I'm going to miss your cooking. A lot."

Shelby eyed her. He scratched his head. He hated to admit it, but he was easily flattered when a compliment involved his cooking. Besides, he knew what she really wanted.

"You want to come along, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Very well then. I've not any time to spare right now, so quickly go pack."

"Okay! I'll be right back! Don't leave without me, or I'll be sad!"

Emmie Lou sped of to her own room. She was glad to be leaving it; it was too small. She began to toss clothes, handheld electronics, and finally, a lone dog plushie onto her bed. She wrapped everything in her sheet once she was pretty sure she could survive with what she'd picked.

By the time she'd tied it off, Shelby was leaning against her door frame.

"We're looking for a Black Hole who sent me a message. He's sick."

She regarded him with awe. "A sick Black Hole contacted you? And you're not dying?"

"Yeah, why would I be?"

She grimaced.

"Anyway, I'm not sure exactly how to find this particular Black Hole. I don't know his name or where he's at. Any ideas?"

"One. They can contact each other, right?"

"Right."

"So we find one and ask for help."

"Easier said than done." He led the way out of the building. "We still have to find one."

"We can just take the back-up rocket! It should have maps!"

"Where is it, then?"