Emma looked at the long white staircase right before her for a while, and then turned back for the second time to take in the final glance of Freya and Aiden before she walked up to the aeroplane.
Freya’s eyes were laden with tears and mixed emotions. Emma didn’t believe that she would miss the girl that looked so much like her in this way the first time they had met.
But she vowed within herself that before they met again, she would have uncovered everything concerning both of them, including the mystery surrounding her and her powers. She didn’t know how she was going to do so in a town filled with just ordinary people, but she will through any means necessary. And of course, she still had Prescott.
Looking down at the squirrel right in her arms, a short unfeeling smile crawled along her lips. He would be a huge asset to her research.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Prescott asked Emma after seeing the lame smile on her lips. He was thinking that perhaps she was rethinking her decision to travel. If only he knew the true purpose behind the smile.
“Not at all.” Emma replied, the smile on her lips widening a bit, as she waved her right hand at Freya and Aiden, who returned the gesture.
Emma bit her lips, as she watched Freya turn aside and lean into the arms of Aiden.
Emma knew that her friend was crying.
“She will miss you a lot.” Prescott muttered, also watching the scene.
“Yeah…” Emma concurred, sighing wistfully, as she remembered Freya’s words that morning before she had arranged her belongings for the trip.
*****Rewind*****
“Can you not go? We can buy another house outside the pack. We can go to another school if you want-I will work my transfer from my previous college by tomorrow. You don’t have to see him again if you don’t want to. We can also work together to find how and why we look alike. We can accomplish things faster together than alone, you know that right??? Emma, are you listening to me? You don’t have to go!”
*******
Freya hadn’t wanted her to go. She had given profitable reasons but Emma knew that her resolution to leave had stemmed from the fact that she couldn’t trust herself not to go crazy and storm into Derek’s pack so far as she was living a near distance from them. That was why she concluded that changing locations was the best. That way she wouldn’t be tempted to even book a ticket to travel back here.
But she would miss her new friend so much for they had bonded well later last night, and hours this morning. Freya had even trusted her with her traumas and misgivings about herself. They still had a lot to talk about, but those topics propagated questions which both have no answers to. And so, they had let it go till they had done some research.
At least, she had left her phone number with Freya. They can still communicate.
Emma also wished she could say a final goodbye to Maya, Eva and Ava. Even though she had told the girls that she would be travelling, she would have been happier if she had gotten a chance to wave them goodbye for the last time.
“You will see them again.” She heard Prescott mutter, and nodded, turning around from the sight of Aiden and Freya, and stepping onto the staircase that led up to the entrance of the plane.
She didn’t turn back again until the door had slid shut behind her. She had been the last person to walk into the plane.
As she stepped around the cabin to locate her seat in the first class level secured by Aiden for her, she was aware of the lone tear that slid down her cheek.
****
“Should we help the Black Moon’s pack heal their Alpha?” Ketura asked Tempest who was eating whilst reading a spell book.
“That wouldn’t be necessary. They have appointed a new Alpha after all.” Tempest replied monotonically, not taking her eyes off the book she was reading, hee legs curled up together on the medium sized bed.
“But…” Ketura was about to say, when Tempest raised her fork and waved it in a side to side motion.
“There are other things to be done. Have you checked on Margo yet? Any findings? What about Emma and Freya?” Tempest asked, before resuming her eating activity.
“Well, Margo’s release might have to wait-security is quite tight at Leonarya’s territory at the moment. I think something happened though, perhaps an important soldier of hers died or something. They were all wearing black whilst pouring ashes on something.” Ketura answered, thin lines stretching across the expanse of her forehead.
Tempest looked up then, away from the book, her eyebrows furrowed.
“Pouring ashes on something??? Hmm… I hope it is not what I am thinking.” She said, uncurling her legs and getting out of the bed, the empty plate in her hand.
She dropped the book on a table nearby, before strolling to the small kitchen by the sitting room and depositing the plate inside the sink.
“What do you mean? What could they be doing?” Ketura asked, stepping into the kitchen which could barely contain two moving people.
“My sister is heartless. She cares for no one. So, I doubt that she would concern herself with burying one of hers no matter who the person is or how close the person is to her. She would rather throw the person into the river or dump the person into a pit. But a burial ritual, I highly doubt that.” Tempest stated, filling the sink with water and soap, getting ready to wash the dishes.
“So, if not a burial…what could they be doing?” Ketura asked carefully, already having an evil feeling about the whole thing.
“She might be trying to call his spirit up. This time though, he would be her puppet, a slave to her whims. Any idea who the soldier could be?” Tempest asked, unaware of the ashen look on Ketura’s face.
“I heard his name was Casper. He had been Emma’s friend at one time.” Ketura managed to spit out, not surprised the next second when Tempest fisted her hands over the surface of the foamy water.