“Emma, you have to let him go, so that we can bury him.” Aiden said, squatting at that precise moment of his speech close to Emma who had refused to let Casper go. She clung unto his dead body, not still believing that she had killed someone, and worse, her brother. Yes, he had been her brother, and he had still loved her despite his act of betrayal. She understood now that his painful kicks against her ribcage had been a desperate act for survival, having known even then, that she wasn’t the Emma he had known and loved. She still blamed herself, and Derek for the death of Casper.
Derek will pay. She thought, repeating the statement over and over in her head like a mantra, such that she paid no heed to what Aiden was saying. Putting Casper into the ground would make his death so real. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She wasn’t sure she was ready to be termed a murderer.
“You are not a murderer.” She heard Prescott say in her mind, and furrowed her eyebrows, wondering how her mind shields had gone down. It must be her weak and pitiable state. She concluded. Her defenses were weakened by her mental state.
“Get out of my head.” She mentioned tiredly, not in a mood to banter with him.
“I will. But I have a preposition to make.” Prescott stated, and Emma stared at him, egging him to go on. The only reason his statement had caught her attention was because she was beginning to hope that whatever preposition that the squirrel was about to make, might proffer a solution to Casper’s condition. She was hoping that the squirrel would have some magic stuff to awaken Casper from the dead, since the former seemed to have a solution to everything.
“I think I can take him back to the community for a befitting burial. I could tell Queen Zipfarah that he had died saving you. That way he would be seen as a hero, not a foe… that would help his burial cause, as we all know the followers of Leonarya.” Prescott muttered, and Emma nodded gratefully. Although she had been expecting more, she was glad that at least Casper would receive a befitting burial, rather than being thrown into the soil unceremoniously like Aiden had suggested.
“I think that’s better.” She replied. “Thanks Prescott.”
Prescott nodded his head at Emma’s appreciation, before stepping towards Casper’s body, which laid halfly on Emma’s laps; his head was laying idly on her hand, under the fawning gaze of Emma, who caressed his handsome face at intervals.
Prescott held Casper by the hand, dropping a pitying look on Emma. She had to let him go, so that he could disappear with Casper dead, and start the burial arrangements over there. He also wanted to give Queen Zipfarah updates about what was happening here. And of course he would be back after that.
“We have to go now. I will be back soon. Till then, I believe your sis… friend, Freya, would take care of you. I trust them.” Prescott said, although telepathically, to Emma.
Emma nodded, before tearfully releasing her hold on Casper.
She gently laid his head on the grassy floor, before standing up tiredly from the ground.
She watched, tears slipping off her eyes, as Prescott tightened his hold on Casper’s cold hand and disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
She turned away from the sight, only to be engulfed in another hug by Freya.
“Shhhuhhshu, it’s okay. It’s alright.” Freya muttered intermittently, seeking to console Emma.
But if anything, Emma cried the more, her tears soaking Freya’s red crop top.
*
They were sitting on the sofas now… except Julius, who was making some salad in the kitchen. According to him, Emma needed to eat something. She was looking so frail and lost to the world. The twinkling light in her eyes and her cheerful and loquacious nature were all gone. She looked like a mourning widow, only that she wasn’t dressed as one. For one, her chunky boots, which housed her carelessly stretched out legs, had no mournfulness attached to it.
And her head was down on Freya’s shoulder, their hands entangled with each other.
Aiden and Yodah couldn’t stop themselves from staring at the alikeness of Emma and Freya. All that redness of hair. There was no way they weren’t related.
Yodah was already itching for his PC. He needed to do some research, and he was so good with computers.
A dangerous hacker.
If there was something about Emma on the internet, he wanted to find it. He knew he would find it. Just a PC and modem.
Julius walked out of the kitchen, with a plate of salad dressing and some slices of bread.
He bent a little and dropped the tray on the table, in front of Emma.
“You have to eat. You need it for strength.” He said, standing up to his full height, watching her with careful eyes.
But Emma raised her head from Freya’s shoulder, took a one second glimpse at the contents of the tray, and shook her head.
“I’m not hungry.” She said, resting her head back on Freya’s shoulder.
“But Emma…” Freya was saying, but Emma was having none of it.
“I said I’m not hungry. There is no appetite now. Maybe tomorrow morning. I feel sleepy now.” She mentioned, standing up from the sofa, and walking towards her room, unafraid of anything happening unlike the last time she had been here. She has changed, evolved rather.
“What are we going to do about her?” Yodah asked the others, after Emma had left the sitting room.
“I’m not sure. But I know we have to keep her safe. I think she is the one.” Julius replied, remembering the fight that had ensued between the girl and Casper. Literally, Emma had fought like she had been possessed by some being. He would have termed it a wolf, but the dynamics of her fight wasn’t just limited to a wolf’s. There was something else.
Aiden, getting Julius’ thoughts, sighed.
“She is talking about going to see her family. Are we to follow her then?” He asked, reclining deeply into the chair.
“I don’t think that is necessary. Prescott will be with her. I’m sure that he seeks for her protection first, before anything else. He is powerful enough to keep her safe.” Freya replied with a shrug.
The others nodded, agreeing with her suggestion.
“What about Derek?” Yodah asked tentatively, knowing that the topic was still a sore one. He shrinked back into the sofa, wishing he hadn’t asked the question, when Freya glared at him hardly. There was no trace of smile or humor in her face.
“Don’t mention that brat before me again, Yodah.” She stated, and Yodah gulped in nothing, nodding his head. Freya was barely angry, but when she was, she was really something else, a total opposite of her calm nature, a similar characteristic to Emma.
“About him…” Aiden started, not mentioning Derek’s name to avoid problems with his lifemate.
“We will act like nothing happened. We will also act like we don’t know them, since we will all be attending college tomorrow.” He said, and Julius shrugged. He was okay with it.
“You can apply as a professor… you can be close to her then.” Aiden advised Julius.
Julius nodded, already aware of that.
There was no way he would be leaving his lifemate, after finding her all these years.
No.. not possible. He wasn’t leaving her for anything. Even here, he was a bit uncomfortable even though he hadn’t claimed her yet( their bond hasn’t really been established)
“Are you two ready?” Aiden asked Freya and Yodah. They both had decided to attend college too.
“Yes.” They replied simultaneously.
“Okay then.” Aiden muttered happily. He had wondered how he would cope if Freya went back to the US. Already he had decided to go with her if she insisted. He would let his brother have the mission. He couldn’t forgo his life mate.
“So, our sleeping positions…?” Yodah trailed off, looking at each one of them.
“Freya… you will stay with Emma. Yodah can take the other room. I and Julius will find sleep within the soil, out back…” Aiden mentioned, knowing that Yodah, still a fledgling, could still sleep comfortably on a bed. The same with Freya. Unlike him and his twin.
**
“What about my daughter? Where is Freya?” Leonarya asked, after managing to calm herself down.
“She is with the girl. They are bonding fastly.” The phantom replied, and Leonarya cussed. Nothing was going well with her plans.
If Freya knows who she was, then the matter would get worse. She had to get her back. A plan was already forming in her mind.
“Bring her back here tomorrow morning.” She commanded, and the phantom bowed in obedience before disappearing, leaving a fuming Leonarya alone in the room.
She balled her right hand into a fist and stamped it hard on the arm of the chair, then stood up quickly; she needed to meet with some people. She would never lose this battle.