The Cabin

Chapter 44

Emma quietly bid everyone goodnight as she slipped out of the van and was escorted to her room by Vern. She unlocked her door and stepped into the room, turning on the light and letting the door slowly swing shut behind her. She leaned back against the door and sighed. She was mentally and physically exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and let the day be over with.

She pushed her back against the door and kicked off her shoes, then pulled off her socks and lifted her jumper over her head, dropping her clothes in a trail behind her as she walked to the bathroom. She pulled the elastics out of her hair and tossed it next to the sink, then sat on the edge of the bath and turned the water on, thinking a bubble bath would make her feel better.

She sat and watched the water fill the bath, allowing herself to zone out as she focused on the ripples in the water and the bubbles as they grew and filled the bath. She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality, and she turned off the water. She stepped into the bath and slowly sank beneath the water, enjoying the feeling of being completely engulfed in bubbles. She bent her knees and dipped her head back into the water, closing her eyes and listening to the water lap against the porcelain.

She pushed away all of the thoughts that kept rushing through her mind, wanting a moment of peace, a chance to not have to think about rehearsals, the last few weeks, or the guilt she was feeling for abandoning Melanie when she knew she needed her most.

Opening her eyes and staring up at the ceiling, she suddenly felt exposed. She knew she was alone, but something didn't feel right.

She had never done well on her own. She was very close with her mum and the two of them had spent most of their time together until Emma had been taken in as a member of Touch. She had immediately adopted the other girls as surrogate mums. She had gone to Geri first in floods of tears on her first night in their shared house in Maidenhead. Geri was the oldest and had a maternal air to her that drew Emma in. She was also the only one still up that night. Emma had never been that far away from her mum before and Geri happily took her under her wing. Melanie was the next one to jump in and take care of her. Emma had walked into the kitchen while Melanie was having breakfast the first morning. Melanie had taken one look at her and was immediately out of her chair and pulling Emma into her arms. She was really good at knowing when people needed a cuddle or a shoulder to cry on, which Emma needed a lot. She and Melanie had instantly become best friends.

Emma fought back tears. She wanted to call her mum, but she didn't want to tell her about Melanie or how she was avoiding her. She felt terrible about it. It was eating her up inside. But Melanie wasn't Melanie anymore. Whatever was happening to her was changing her. It was like someone else had completely taken over Melanie's body, leaving no trace of Melanie behind.

"You're so selfish," Emma whimpered, chastising herself for even allowing the thoughts to enter her mind. She sat back up, pushing the bubbles away to clear a space in the water so she could dip her hands in and splash water on her face. She rubbed her mascara off with her hands and washed her hair, then pulled the stopper from the drain to let the water out.

She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, staring guiltily at her reflection in the mirror across from her for a moment before stepping out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

"Hi, Emma."

Emma froze, forcing back a scream as terror rushed through her body.

Melanie was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Melanie?" Emma squeaked, her voice quivering. "What are you doing here?"

"I've missed you," Melanie replied, cocking her head to the side. "I feel like you've been avoiding me."