Her heart was so golden, it rivaled even the sun.
In which a girl is tired of living by everyone else's rules, so she decides to make her own.
[Outer Banks season 1]
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AFTER A LONG, tearful embrace, John B had told Emerson the story about Ward trying to kill him on the Druthers in more detail, then finally decided it was time to go to bed. Emerson had texted the group to let them know John B was back and it didn't appear he'd gone too far off the rails, so she said her goodbyes and dragged herself back to her house.
Sleep was hard to come by lately. The second Emerson stepped foot in her house she felt suffocated. She couldn't think, couldn't function, couldn't breathe. The place that was supposed to be her safe haven was now a prison filled with nightmares. All she thought about when she was there was finding her father's body on the floor.
After a restless night, Emerson decided to dare herself to enter the kitchen. She avoided it at all costs and most of the time she would just eat at John B's or buy snacks from Heyward's. But she knew she couldn't avoid her own kitchen and living room forever.
Ashley was already awake and dressed in her business suit, rummaging through a stack of papers at the kitchen table. Emerson hovered in the entryway, debating on just turning around and running out the door. Before she had the chance, Ashley turned around and flashed a fake smile at her daughter.
"Oh, Emerson," she hummed. "Good morning, dear. I haven't seen you lately."
"I've been around," Emerson shrugged, slowly stepping into the kitchen and sitting at the counter. "You're always working." She didn't mean to make a jab at her mother and immediately felt bad when Ashley's shoulders tensed, but she shrugged it off easily and went back to her work.
"Well yes," she chuckled breathily. "Someone's got to pay the bills around here."
Emerson sighed and stood up then, feeling the need to distract herself from looking at the spot where her father had died. She grabbed a banana and a pop tart and sat back down, playing with the foil wrapping. "Are you sure you don't want to take some time off?" She questioned gently. "I mean, you need to grieve, and we have to plan the funeral."
Ashley shook her head, waving her daughter off. "I'm completely alright," she said airily. "Working gives me a distraction. And as for the funeral, there won't be one."
Emerson nearly choked on her banana as she whipped around to gape at her mother. "What?" She squeaked.
"I had your father cremated," Ashley said simply. "I'm not wasting money on a funeral just so I have have half the town tell me how sorry they are for my loss. Life goes on." She sighed and disappeared into her office, returning a moment later with a folder. Emerson felt her anger boiling at her mother's complete disregard for Duncan's life or even her own daughter's feelings about the situation. Just as she was about to storm out, Ashley spoke again.
"Ward and Rose Cameron reached out to me early this morning," she hummed, tapping the folder on the counter. Emerson's stomach dropped at the mention of their names, being coldly reminded of John B's revelation that Ward killed his dad. "They bought the Crain house and asked me to finalize some of the paperwork for them. Isn't that crazy? That house has been standing longer than most of this island. Hopefully the Cameron's can restore it to its former glory."
