Embry

Fairfield Prep’s Annual Snowflake Ball 2018

Perched at the window sill, the common room filled with sounds behind her, Embry couldn’t hear them, though she knew her fellow students were there, wreaking havoc or playing games. Some studious enough to pretend to do their homework. Watching the snow fall, she was both happy to be back, as well as she missed her family. Especially her young cousins. She had never been surrounded by family before. This Christmas though, she had experienced that, as well as such love and acceptance, unlike anything she had expected. Her young cousins had mostly been girls, and staying with them, playing with them, had been amazing. Back at school she felt a bit.. forlorn. Lonely. Which was a ugly feeling Embry was very familiar with, yet hadn’t acknowledged in a very long time. Hearing a now slightly familiar voice, she turned her head, smiling a bit at Felix. “Taking a break are you?”

Reading students files was something Emery had the power to do, but it was also something she refrained from unless it was truly necessary. She did however have a list of students who were troubled (all in different ways), and she’d made sure to keep tabs on a few of them. Embry Moore was one of these students on the list. One thing she actually didn’t expect, though, was for the redhead herself to come knocking on her door on her own. Maybe it was because the girl’s story related so much to Emery’s own past so much, but the head of security had a gut instinct that she knew exactly how to approach the situation. “Absolutely, I can always make time for students.” She turned back to the phone in her hand, giving a quick ‘I’ll call you back’ to her boss before hanging up. As much as Emery was trying to play it cool, the effects of Halloween had seriously damaged her reputation… which was precisely why they had taken on more security guards, more helping hands to ensure the students safety. But the phone call hadn’t been about the new guards–it had been about a new piece of evidence that had been uncovered after Halloween. “Have a seat, Embry. Unless you’d prefer to stand?” She asked casually, clearing a few papers from her desk.

There were several reasons for her to be reluctant in entering this office. While Embry was working on herself daily, trying to overcome the suspicions and mistrust she had, the fears and reluctance, she was not entirely rid of certain views she had grown up with. Long before any terrorist organization had gotten a hold of her. Adults weren’t usually trust worthy in her experience. From her own mother, to foster parents, to social workers or orphanage staff, none had shown to be reliable and worthy of her trust. All had either ignored her, treated her like shit or let her royally down. Her own mother hadn’t wanted her, foster parents had abused and used her for money, social workers had downplayed her pleas and desperate queries for help. A school employee wasn’t too far from the others. Another adult of authority. But her uncle and her shrink kept telling her she had to give people a chance, that no one here was out to get her or wanted to harm her. And since Halloween she had been increasingly anxious. Teetering on this invisible edge, her body constantly tense and prepared for a fight. Her ribs still bothered her and she often had migraines now after being attacked. And so she had figured that if anyone was going to take her fears seriously, and be able to reassure her about the current security at this school, it was Miss Newman. Giving a small nod, Embry came inside, shuffling her feet, unsure whether to sit down or stay upright, what to say or not to say. How to begin? Taking a deep breath, the redhead nodded again. “Okay sure..” she said, carefully seating herself on the chair in front of the desk, clasping her hands awkwardly in her lap. “I just.. thought I’d come cause.. well I haven’t been doing so well since Halloween and I figured you might be able to help.” Embry bit her lip, unsure how to precisely ask for this type of help. She already struggled with being open and forthcoming with the tenacious psychologist she was assigned to see. Besides asking for help was so.. weak. She had been taught to process and handle her emotions in silence, only able to truly talk freely with Jake. Jake she had trusted. Eying the head of security with hesitance, she sort of hoped the older female would say something that might get her to ask further.

“Ah… A minor thing really. A disagreement if you will.” Offering a smile Casper folds his hands behind his back. “My son Felix is back. So if you see him in the hall make sure to introduce yourself.” Sure it wasn’t the truth. But it wasn’t exactly a lie. If he needed to keep a small amount of information from Embry, he would do so. There were certain things Felix and Embry didn’t need to know about each other. “You both have a lot of catching up to do.”

At first, the loud sounds and the fake roars and screams, mirrored by real ones, had put Embry entirely on edge. Her senses had felt as if they were on complete overload, her ears ringing, her head swimming, her nose picking up every little smell, her body tense with nerves and fright. Eventually, the redhead had sought out the only solace she could think of. Alcohol. The strong kick of the punch dulled her senses, freed her from their crippling hold on her body and instead left her unsteady and giggly. Emptying yet another cup, she was eying the blonde from across the room, though finally gathering up enough courage to make her way over, two cups in her hands, extending one to Quinn. “Want one?” Embry asked, all smiles, biting her bottom lip, her eyes all but glued to the girls face. Ohh why was she so pretty?

She could feel her heart beating in her head, the adrenaline pounding through the tips of her fingers. The ignorant look in her eyes gave her away. She knew she was busted. She had to. With her breath heavy and high in her chest, she tried to keep her cool. The seconds she took her phone and scrolled through her images seemed to last forever. Her eyes followed her fingers as they pressed the screen. It felt like a punch in the stomach to recognize her own face again. Her eyes shot to Embry with fire as she started to defend herself. Anastasia’s head seemed to hurt with the amount of tension she was carrying. “I have no clue Embry” she spits out, as the tears started to run down her cheeks. “I have absolutely no clue why you would want to taunt me”. With every word, she took a step closer. “I have absolutely no clue, why a fucking lunatic like you would have any business in my past, but yet here I am!” she yelled as she pushed the redhead against her desk. She never recognized herself in those pictures. She saw that it was her face and her body, but it felt like it wasn’t human. Like it wasn’t her. In this moment, she had that exact same feeling. The mascara bit into her eyes as they mixed with her tears. This wasn;t supposed to happen at all…

@embryunhinged​

While ignoring the pricking in her eyes she stared at Embry with a disturbed look. The room went so silent, she could swear that she could hear her heart pounding. The clueless look of Embry’s eyes made her body tense. With a cynical laugh she scoffed. “Oh please”. Once again she scanned the ginger. The lunatic. “Don’t act so fucking innocent”. Shamelessly she looked through her room ending her gaze on her eyes. “You want me to tell you what this is?” she hissed threw her teeth. Her voice broke. While fixating her gaze on the fragile ginger she grabbed her phone. “Well, how about you tell me what this is, hm?”. She held the picture of the book on her iPhone right in front of her. As she stood there waiting for an answer, she tried to think what was best to do. She really tried to think of a good solution, but her thoughts were blurry. 

@embryunhinged​

“Oh, okay. It’s nice to meet you, Embry.” Although she wasn’t used to people introducing themselves to her this formally, Claire reached out to shake the girl’s hand. “It’s going well considering I haven’t been caught by a teacher or security yet and asked why I’m not in my room this close to lights-out.” And, to elaborate why she was, she added: “I’m just looking for something I forgot here earlier during cheer practice. Or lost … since I can’t seem to find it.” With her phone’s flashlight, the blonde illuminated the chairs next to them, but her bracelet was nowhere to be seen. “I really like your hair color by the way. Is it natural or dyed?” 

“You too.” She managed to keep her smile. It wasn’t much, the smallest hint of hesitation in the blonde’s eyes that had Embry question what she had just done. Was it wrong to go for a handshake? Too formal? Too stiff? All of a sudden she wanted to smack herself hard for the gesture, for giving Claire the smallest indication that she was unlike the other students. That she didn’t abide by the ‘normal’ codes of introduction among people her own age. Though she did her best to hide her the flux of emotions raging inside as their hands parted ways and she listened to what was being said. It was important to keep track of the conversation. Don’t let your mind slip. “They aren’t that vigilant down here at the oval, or so I think. I’ve been here for too long plenty of times and never been caught. Though one should abide by the rules..” she said, the second part drilled into her, making it impossible for her not to add it into her chosen comment. “Must be important if you’re risking being caught out here. What is it that you lost? Maybe I can help?” She offered, thinking how two pair of eyes were better than one. Her hair? Embry blushed slightly, subconsciously reaching to touch a lock of her own ponytail. “Thank you. Its natural, I was born with it. I actually haven’t done anything with it in.. years.” She admitted. No hair cut, no products put in, nothing used on her long strands.