“Have you booked the flight yet?” Freya asked Emma and she nodded, her eyes unable to stop themselves from landing on Eva who was still sulking after she had learnt that she was travelling back home tomorrow morning.
“She really likes you. And she is going to miss you too.” Freya said, following the train of Emma’s eyes.
Emma sighed, and looked away. She will miss the little angel too. But what could she do? She could never stay here. After all they had banished her from the community, so she couldn’t even stay here. Her house was somehow included in the pack’s territory, and she was beginning to wonder how and why. According to Maya, humans never lived here, and were never allowed to buy houses here. So, how had her father gotten this apartment? Maya had also mentioned the beautiful woman that had always lived here, Sheila. She remembered that the name was just the same name that Melvina had called on that first day that they had met. Maya and Melvina had both said that the woman looked like her. But they didn’t know of her whereabouts. She had decided to find the woman though, once she got back home, already knowing that she wasn’t really human. Her father might have answers.
Eva was sandwiched between Maya and Ava who were also looking sullen. The vampires lounged around some other sofa. They had just finished eating the pancakes made by Maya.
“Are you going to ever come back?” Eva asked out loud, breaking the silence in the room.
Emma soughed. She knew that she had no plans of coming back here ever. But she knew that it would be insensitive of her to say exactly that, so she nodded, believing that the little girl would forget her as time went on.
“When?” Eva queried, hope literally shinning in her eyes.
“I’m not sure, beautiful. But it might take a while.” Emma replied, sighing again when she saw Eva’s countenance fall again. The girl would be good with emotional blackmail. She thought.
She looked at Maya and Ava. She would miss the two girls too, but they had to be gone now. it was already midday. She didn’t want any member of the pack coming here.
“You have to be going now. I don’t want anyone coming here, with the excuse of searching for you all.” She said, and Eva shook her head.
“I want to stay more.” She whined, and Emma looked at Maya. They had to be gone. Maya, understanding Emma’s condition and message, tapped Eva on the knee.
“Eva, we have to be going. Emma doesn’t anyone coming here to search for you. Do you want them to treat her badly again?” Maya asked Eva.
“No.” Eva replied, shaking her head, tears brimming in her eyes already.
Emma turned away from the sight, refusing to feel guilty for making the girl cry.
The next minute, Eva shot up from the sofa and ran to Emma, climbing on her lap, and hugging her tightly.
“I will miss you, Emma. Come back soon.” She said, her voice cracking at intervals.
Emma sniffed, letting her fingers run along the beautiful length of the former’s hair.
“I will miss you too, Eva.” She murmured, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
Eva sniffed, letting the tears run down now, before getting out of Emma’s laps. She walked to the door, and waited.
Maya and Ava, seeing this movement, stood up from the sofa they had been sitting on and walked toward Emma who was now standing up.
They each hugged her tightly, muttering ‘I miss you’ before turning around and walking toward the door where Eva was waiting.
A last look and a wave, and they walked through the door, unsure of when a next meet up will be.
Emma dropped down into the sofa wearily after they had left. Freya hugged her to herself.
“You will be okay. You are a strong woman.” The latter said, and Emma chuckled bitterly.
“I don’t think so.” She replied, her eyebrows furrowing the next second as she sensed a shift in the atmosphere.
“What is the matter?” Yodah asked, his eyes landing on Aiden and Julius who were also sniffing around.
“The phanthom is here.” Julius said, and Emma inhaled deeply, looking hardcore again. She never was the one to look weak in front of an enemy.
A minute or two after Julius’ declaration, the door to the sitting room opened on its own, and the being shimmered into the room, in the form of a beautiful white haired woman.
Emma scoffed, having seen the real face of the creature once. “What do you want, ugly?” she asked, before the others could say something to the creature.
The phanthom looked taken aback for a nanosecond, before recovering from the jab from the little girl whom Melvina had saved from it the other time.
“I’m here for Freya. Her mother wants her back.” It mentioned, stating its mission.
Emma looked at Freya to take over. This was not her own battle to fight.
“Phanthom, tell Leonarya that I will come back whenever I want to. But for now, it is a no.” Freya stated, looking at the being dead in the eye.
The phantom took some steps closer, and Emma snorted.
“You don’t want to do that, ugly. Her mate will rip you off before you come another feet close to her.” She said, and the phanthom furrowed its eyebrows, possibly not understanding how a witch would have a mate.
“I think you should go, or I might sue to them for trespassing.” Emma continued, pointing at the clique of Yodah, Julius and Aiden whose eyes were stuck on the phanthom.
The phanthom seeing that the battle wasn’t on its side today, took a last glance at the people in the room and then disappeared.
“Good riddance to bad rubbish.” Emma muttered, and Freya smiled, resting her head on Emma’s shoulders, feeling a wave of camaraderie, until Yodah spoke.