Lady Midnight

Chapter 27

When Emma woke up she only thought about one thing. Mark. Emma never thought in a million years that she would kiss Mark Blackthorn. She might have had a small crush on him when she was little, but that was absolutely tiny compared to the feelings she had towards Jules. Her love for Jules was on a whole other level.

At the moment, she felt as if Mark was more of a brother. Any love she had for Mark was strictly brotherly. But she did kiss Mark. And...he kissed her back. Does that mean he likes her? All of these thoughts clouded Emma's mind and tried to force them away.

She rolled onto her side and opened her eyes. The light was so bright it was almost blinding. In all of the time she was away in that underground prison, she didn't get to see very much light. The sunlight pooled through the large windows of the Institute infirmary. It cast the rays over her pristine white bed.

Everything seemed like a dream. Emma believed it too good to be true. Was she dead? Was kissing Mark and seeing Jules all part of a dream before she died? Was this what death was like? The settings around seemed like it.

Emma had the theory in her mind until she turned her head and saw Livvy in the bed next to her. Livvy was deathly pale with her dark hair spilling over the pillow. Her chest was falling and rising. She's alive. Emma had relief flowing through her. She had been so scared that Livvy and Taylor were dead. She saw Taylor lying on the bed after Livvy's.

The doors swung open and three tall cloaked figures stepped in. They went to Emma's bed and peered down at her. One of the Silent Brothers spoke in her mind.

Emma Cordelia Carstairs. You've been unconscious the entire night. Your friends over there were in critical care when they were brought in. We have stabilized them, but it will take quite a bit of time for them to recover. It has come to our attention that your Parabatai bond has been severed with Julian Blackthorn has it not?

Emma nodded.

We have informed the Clave of that situation. We regret to inform you that once you have been bonded with you Parabatai, you may not choose another. Your bond is forever severed between you and Julian.

She had to suppress the big smile that was going to appear on her face.

You have had dark magic put on you. Runes that are unspeakable to the human and angelic tongue. They should not exist except for in the deepest, darkest pits of Edom. We do not know much of what tool they used on you...

Emma immediately blurted, "A demonic stele. Gwyn ap Nudd of the Wild Hunt was the one who kidnapped us and tortured us with these markings." Her voice was raw and cracked. The Silent Brothers pondered that for a moment.

Once you are healthy and well again we shall question you more on this matter. Right now, you must rest. We will request that some food be brought in for you. Until we see you again Miss Carstairs, farewell.

And with that, they swept out of the infirmary. Whenever Emma saw them, a chill went down her neck. They could see so easily inside a person's mind in ways that made her cringe. She wondered if they knew what happened with Mark and her feelings for Jules. She prayed to the angel that they didn't.

The doors opened shortly after. Tina ran in with a huge tray in her arms. Food, food, and more food. Emma's mouth watered at the thought.

Tina set the tray on Emma's lap and helped prop her up on her pillows before smashing her into a bear hug. Emma coughed, "Tina...can't...breathe." She quickly let go, "sorry, sorry."

Emma quickly took in the tray of deliciousness in front of her. She was happy it wasn't the bread slice and decomposed apple. There was a huge omelet with all of her favorite ingredients, orange juice, and a bowl of berries, buttered toast, and a blueberry muffin.

To Emma, this was the most delicious meal that ever existed. She quickly started devouring the muffin. "Whoa, Emma. Slow down, you might puke if you eat that fast," said Christina. Emma slowed her pace, but still ate like a Neanderthal.

She was halfway through her omelet before she remembered her manners, "Thanks for the food, Tina. You are literally a life-saver. You are an angel sent from heaven to take care of me."

Tina laughed, "I didn't make it. Mark made it." Emma nearly choked at the mention of Mark. What did he think of the kiss? Did he tell Jules about it? She hoped Julian wouldn't find out.

She slowed her eating and said, "Where's Jules?" She felt a little hurt that Julian wasn't beside her when she woke up. If he had been hurt, she would have sat beside him the whole night.

Tina said, "the Silent Brothers sent him and away. I could tell that they didn't want to leave you guys. I guess they didn't tell anyone except for me that you were awake. I told Mark when I went to get you some food from the kitchen and he volunteered to make you food. He was really eager about it."

Emma didn't know what to make of that reaction. Maybe he just wanted to do something nice for after all of the torture she suffered. Tina asked, "Do you want me to go and get Jules?" Emma shook her head, "No, it's fine. I'm feeling really tired, so I'm just going to rest for a little bit."

She put her head back down onto her pillows and snuggled into her warm, comfy blankets. Tina rested her hand on Emma's, "I hope you feel better. Get some rest, Em." Christina rose and picked up the empty tray Emma had left. She walked out of the infirmary, leaving it in a comfortable silence.

Emma didn't really feel that tired, she just didn't want to talk to anyone at the current moment. More specifically, Jules. Not after kissing his brother.

She was about to run her hand over her hair to smooth it out, but she saw something else.  She raised her hands in front of her face. Dirt and grime was caked underneath her nails and spread around her hands. Feeling disgusted, Emma wanted to go to the bathroom to wash the dirt off of her skin.

It proved to be a struggle getting to the infirmary bathroom. Emma had swung her legs to hang off of the edge of the bed and tried to push herself into a standing position. Her head felt a wave of nausea pass over it. She got up a little too fast.

She gripped the foot of the bed for balance she hesitantly took one step. While it was unsteady, she was able to not fall over. Fortunately, the bathroom wasn't very far from her bed. She took slow, unbalanced steps. It felt like forever, but Emma finally reached the bathroom. She pushed the door open and went to turn on the water to the bath tub. As she was setting the temperature, she ran her hand through the water. It felt warm and welcoming.

After Emma emerged from the bathroom, she felt like a new person. Her skin had felt like it was wrapped up in a blanket of filth before the bath. Now, she felt like a brand new person. She had used every single soap within her reach. Her skin was nearly scrubbed raw.

Her fair hair had to be washed twice to all of the gunk out of it. Having to wash long, thick hair thoroughly was a struggle. Her hair fell all the way down to her waist. It was harder to dry it all. She had left her hair dryer upstairs in her bedroom, so she had to towel dry her hair.

Emma was now wrapped in a soft fluffy robe. She came out and saw that there was a new set of clothes by her bed the entire time. She picked it up and carried it to the bathroom to change. It was comforting to have clean clothing. She crawled back into bed, because she had used up all of her energy walking to and from the bathroom.

Exhaustion consumed her. Her eyelids felt very heavy. Some rest would do Emma some good. Her head was nestled against the pillow. Before she fell asleep, she heard the faintest ring of the Institute's front doorbell. She was too tired to think anything of it.

It was good to finally be home and away from her torture chamber.