Children of Fire (Complete)

seventeen

Emerson

The next few days passed by in a long, monotonous blur. Wake up, go to work, sleep, repeat. I had made a decent amount of money in that time, and instead of spending it on useless things like I wanted to, I found a loose slat in the ceiling of my closet and stored it there-- just in case Gideon was serious about his threats to close the bar down should I not comply with his terms and conditions. I had only seen him once since the other night at the bar, and he had been cold and distant-- which shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did. I had spent time with Killian the past few days, and Gideon had all but ignored me. I should have been happy, glad to have him off my back, but something inside of me always pulled me towards him, even if my body didn't follow through with it.

Sunday found its way to me, bringing cool weather and rain along with its arrival. I couldn't say I was upset about it, though. I had always enjoyed the cooler weather, and rain always made me feel nostalgic and happy-- I could remember my mother and I standing in the sun room of our house.

"Emerson, the rain is always something that we welcome. Never be upset when your plans to play outside are ruined by the rain." My mother told me, a few stray hairs brushing against her temples as the wind made its way through the open window. The scent of fresh rain overcame me, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

"But mama, I was gonna ride my bike with Matthew." I whined, all I wanted to do was hang out with my neighbor and ride our bikes and discover new trails in the small wooded area behind our houses.

"I'm sorry Emma June, but look at what the rain does for our plants." My mom told me, gingerly touching the leaves of the overgrown fern hanging from the window. She had brought it into the sun room just before the storm came, and the open window allowed the mist from the rain to seep into the soil of the plant. "During the droughts, the plants wither and almost die. But they cling onto the last bit of life they have left until the rain comes. It comes and it brings the plants back to life."

I looked at my mother curiously, tilting my head to the side. She had always spoke in cryptic messages-- leaving her words to be interpreted however I saw fit.

"Plants may wither in the drought, but the rain brings about a new era for them, and they are reborn, better and stronger than ever." She told me, brushing my hair away from my face.

From that day forward, I would welcome the rain, and patiently wait to be reborn, stronger than ever.

------

"Hey, Em. You ready?" Killian asked me. He was standing in my doorway, his leather jacket hanging open and revealing the worn Def Leppard shirt he had on underneath. His hair was down, and I was wondering if he was planning on taking me shopping on the back of his bike. Certainly it was a bad idea considering the rain was coming down in sheets outside.

"Almost," I said, offering him a genuine smile. "Come inside, I'll just be another minute." He nodded at me and followed me into my apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. I watched as he plopped down on my couch and rested his arms on the back of it, the ultimate vision of leisure.

"No worries, take your time." He told me, "I'll be right here."

I gave him another smile and walked back into my bedroom, spritzing some of my mothers favorite perfume and slipping on my trusty combat boots. I was glad that I had decided to dress a bit more comfortable for our date today, considering he had too. I took a last glance in the full length mirror, judging if my appearance was alright enough to leave the house. My hair fell loosely in its normal waves, brushing over the shoulders of my own leather jacket. I had on a simple gray tank top and skin tight black jeans with a few rips in them. I grabbed my red lipstick and applied it quickly, making sure the rest of my makeup looked okay. I took a deep breath and grabbed my bag from the floor beside the bed. It was an unfamiliar weight, since I had used Killian's gun instead of my own today-- he never asked for it back, and I needed one that couldn't be traced back to me... just in case.