Dynasty ~ Final Book in the Elite Series

Chapter 20

Over the course of the past twelve days,
Emma had read, and then re-read Newt's letter so many times she almost knew every sentence, every word of it by heart.

What Thomas told her was true, reading it had helped, and made the wait a little easier to bare, in some ways.
But, in most ways.....it was still hard.
She missed Newt more and more with each day that passed, and even though he was right there and alive, she still missed him.

She did her best to do as Newt had asked, to keep on living, every day.

The most difficult part of all of it was having the willingness to let others take care of Newt, so that she could do other things.

Gardening, helping prepare food, assisting in the designs and plans of houses which would eventually replace the tents and hammocks.
Learning to sew and knit from Andrea.

Emma had already finished knitting two pairs of socks, just the right size for a new baby, she hoped.
She was still working on the second pair, and thought she was doing much better then she had on the first ones.

As the days had passed, if it wasn't Newt on her mind, it was that of their children growing inside of her.
The light flutters and brief touches were gradually becoming soft jabs and kicks, filling her with a tingly, joyful awe every time they occurred.
But she couldn't deny that she was sad about the fact that Newt was missing them.

"What's a soulmate?"
Summer asked one evening.

The question made Emma pause for a moment as she was brushing the small child's copper colored hair.
"A soulmate?"

"When Andrea was teaching us our words earlier, it was one of the words in her poem book.
I don't know what it means, but it made her sad, so I didn't want to ask her about it."

Smiling softly, the young woman continued to brush Summer's hair as she explained.
"Well, a soulmate is like a best friend, but more. It's the one person in the whole world that knows you better than anyone else."

"The whole world?"
The little girl seemed almost awed, wondering.

"Mhmm. And they make you a better person. Actually," Emma corrected herself, "they don't make you a better person, you do that yourself. Because they inspire you."

He's right, it doesn't matter, any of it. Because the people we were before the Maze, they don't even exist anymore......but what does matter is who we are right now, and what we do, right now.

Smiling a little at the memory, she continued.

"A soulmate, is someone who you can carry with you forever, who believes in you, even when you have trouble believing in yourself.
Or when you're afraid....it seems as though they always know just the right words to say."

If anything Emmy, you are the most brave, amazing and beautiful person I know. You'll get through this.

"And they love you, in spite of your faults or what you might have done, and then, no matter what happens....you'll always love them," her voice cracked, she coughed, swallowing to try and cover it up.

Summer didn't say anything to point it out, but she knew.
Turning around in her seat, she got up and gave Emma a hug, comforting her in the best way she knew how.

Late that night, she was woken from a deep slumber by a frantic Summer, and the sound of a high pitched, teeny alarm.
At first she was trying to figure out why the little girl was even in there, then remembered that she now slept on a cot in the other room.