#convo:e

                          “ well, um... i-if you’d like to ta-ta-alk about it, we could go get a c-cup of coffee? it might he-help us focus? ” the suggestion came not without nerves pulsing through her and causing her palms-- concealed in the sleeves of her cardigan-- to sweat. for some reason the innocent proposal felt more akin to asking the other out on a date, though it wasn’t at all. just a way to ease into having to work together for school.

               emica did a double take, her brown eyes widening. “ i uh.. wuh-wuh... what did you j-just say? ”

                “ sluh-sleep-deprived, I greet th-the day. won't b-b-be easy to do... are you th-this restless too? ”

               with a groan, the girl stirred. her head pounded fiercely and her vision was going in and out. she tried to move her arms, but she found they were tightly restrained behind her back. with a whimper she tried her legs, and they too were bound together with... what was it... rope? water was all around her, dripping, soaking her in her thin cardigan and sun dress and stockings, hair matted to her face. she was missing a shoe. it was raining, and she could smell thick, damp earth... she was outside. her senses were coming to her so slowly. a shiver passed over her like lightening and she began to shake.                how... how did she get to this place? the sounds of birds calling, insects chirping, water was rushing nearby, and was that... a wolf howling? she tried to sit up, but to no avail. she’d always been frail and birdlike, but never very flexible or remotely strong. her muscles failed her miserably, and she laid limp on the ground. it was no use...                  then, the memory flooded back to her. the morning, the necklace, the plane ride, the pain, her father’s smile... emica gasped loudly, the images in her mind jolting her. every part of her body ached all at once then and she cried out in pain. oh god, had her father done this to her? she craned her head around to try and look around. she was in the middle of nothing but greenery. no sounds of people, no cars, no construction or trains, no city smells. she was thrown to the ground, tied up, discarded in the middle of nowhere, like garbage.                emica began to weep. she should’ve known. he hadn’t changed, he wasn’t ever going to. he never loved her. that man had left her there to die... the sounds of her cries grew amongst the mostly silent environment around her. she was going to die there, cold, with no one around, forgotten, invisible, alone... the sound of something in the brush nearing her made her cry even harder. she didn’t want to die, god, she didn’t want to die...

               “ ah, well, that was um... rather sudden? ” emica chuckled and smiled at kayden. she sat down on her knees beside him on the bed,  her nightgown billowing a bit as she did so.“ what pr-prompted that? ”

emica: i picked flowers for you today!emica: you’re not allergic to any are you?

               as she listened to him, emica couldn’t help but to smile. he was all of those same things for her and more. she didn’t say it much, but he’d become her literal sunshine and warmth; she couldn’t imagine a life now without him. she was nervous, that was sure as hell, but it wasn’t the usual nerves for her. these were good, these nerves made her excited. her eyes stung as he bent down and she covered her face with her hands, a grin just behind. “ o-of course i will... ” she mused, a couple tears escaping-- happy, joyful tears.

             as soon as the words “ your dad” passed through kayden’s lips, emica’s already wide and worried eyes grew even wider. panic began to creep onto her heart as she began to process everything he was telling her. “ yuh-y-you... i-- kuh-kayden you shuh-shouldn’t have d-d-done... ” she had to stop talking, she could feel herself beginning to shake, her emotions overtaking her. she couldn’t look at him all of a sudden, couldn’t handle in the moment that he’d done that. he was hurt and bleeding right now, in physical pain over her-- no, because of her. somewhere in her head there was a calm rational voice telling her that it wasn’t her fault. he made his own choice to go and defend her, he had been brave, he did it because he didn’t want her to hurt anymore... but an even louder voice in her head screamed                         THIS IS YOUR FAULT. LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO HIM, WHAT YOU MADE HIM DO! DO YOU SEE WHAT HE PUT HIMSELF THROUGH FOR YOU? YOU’RE HURTING HIM! YOU!               it felt like she’d pushed him into the case, like she had threatened his life. she covered her mouth with a pale, trembling hand and felt tears cloud her eyes. “ i’m suh-s-so sorry... ”