//Clipped wings// Mama Emma///

☯//Chapter 7// ☯

Norman had never felt so helpless before. 

Emma left by his side attentively. a smile gracing her pretty face. let wasn't a fake small plastered smile on for his sake. 

No, that wasn't Emma. She was the most genuine person he had ever met. if she was truly upset at her situation, it would have shown. 

But no, she was smiling. Why was she smiling?

 They were going to take her from him. They wanted lot rip her out of his grasp, consume her as though she was nothing. They were laking her and they couldn't have her. She wasn't theirs.

 "Do you need anything?" asked Emma, perched in her seat "Water? Food?"

 Norman's bottom lip trembled against his will. "Stay" he pleased, reaching for her hand with his uninjured one.

 It was all he could say. He couldn't lose her. he couldn't. "Please." She took his hand obligingly, playmg with his fingers. "I'd love to" she admitted quietly. "But me and you both know that I can't: He did know it and that made the churning in his stomach worse.

They could tell to hide Emma, disable her tracker and keep her concealed in the forest until they had the chance to escape. But the problem was Isabella. Her eyes were on them; there was no way they could properly communicate with Emma without their mother noticing.

And even if they somehow managed to do that. who was to say someone else wouldnt be chosen in her place? 

Norman was certain he wouldn't considering his broken wrist. They were precious merchandise a her all. But that would mean Ray would be next Sure, they could break Ray's am,, but if not him, then Don or Gilda. If not them, then Anna or Nat,He couldn't protect everyone Not without sacrificing the most important person in the world to him.

 "Hey" said Emma gently. taking his face ,in  her soft hands. She was still smiling, the smile he had sworn to protect, The smile that was being ripped away from him.

 "It'll be okay. You and Ray are gonna save everyone, right? You'll all escape and live happily"' A lump formed In Nomian's throat.

 "I.... I can't." he told her "Not without you." The door harshly swung open. Ray stood there, anger and detennmation and desperation flashing across his face.

 "Alright, morons, here's the plan"he snapped. He shoved the device toward Emma.

 "Tomorrow, you're using that to disable your tracker. You'll hide, we'll wait until Norman's healed, and then-" Emma stood from Norman's side and approached Ray. Without warning, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Ray's visible eye widened and his body visibly tensed. Emma laughed, "I'm gonna miss how bossy you are. you jerk" she said easily Ray roughly shoved her off of him. 

"Dumbass"he hissed venomously. This was the angriest Norman had ever seen him. 

"I Just told you. you're not getting shipped out"· Emma's smiled didn't faltered. "The one thing I want more than anything In the world is for all of you to be free," she told them. 'I want you guys to live long, happy lives "

 "But Emma -" implored Norman quietly. He didn't quite trust himself to speak. afraid he would burst Into tears.

"Don't you think we want that for you too?" She laughed again.

 "Probably,' she agreed. 'But ,In chess, you have to sacrifice a few pieces to win, right?"

 Losing Emma had been the worst day of Norman's life. 

But it had also been his biggest motivation. Norman was under no illusion of grandeur; he was a monster. 

Blood stained his hands; he had probably taken more lives than Isabella at that point, both demon and human.