Together With You

Grom Part 1

"You should have seen them that day. They really looked like a couple. You know they never let go of each other's hands. Even when we got on the rides they made a point of staying close to each other. Emira had been planning for months how to tell them and I was going to help her. I almost messed things up for them, you know, but I was able to fix it." I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. All that pain I had been holding back all these years began to force its way out. "We had a plan. We were going to grow up together. Em was going to marry Hunter so we could officially be a family. But instead, I lost my best friend and Emira hasn't been the same since."

"Why hadn't I been told before?" she asked. I looked at her and saw that there were tears in her eyes as well.

"Emira blamed herself for Hunter leaving. She felt she deserved to be punished for how things ended and made me promise not to tell. Every mean thing you said to her were things she had said to herself over a hundred times." Amity looked devastated and I can only imagine what she must be feeling right now, but it's only fair that she knows.

"You don't think Emira would do anything to hurt herself, do you?" she asked sounding scared. "What if what I said to her this morning...?"

Amity looked panicked and honestly, the thought hadn't occurred to me but what if was true? What if Emira had hurt herself? She's never gone to school by herself. We always go together. We go everywhere together, even when we skip school. Had she been planning something? I didn't answer Amity's question and instead ran out of my room. What if Emira was somewhere hurt or worse? I had to find her. I hurried down the stairs and, as I did so, I could hear Amity's footsteps as she ran after me. I didn't wait for her. I couldn't. I had already wasted the whole day and now that it was dark we couldn't waste any more time.

When I reached the front door I yanked it open and ran out without bothering to close it behind me. As soon as my feet touched the gravel, I stopped running. Soon after, Amity collided with me. I could hear her say something to me, but it only sounded like a noise. All my attention was on the two people walking up our driveway. Amity must have noticed their presence because she also became quiet. Walking down the gravel path was Emira and next to her was the golden guard.

I felt my heart drop when I saw him. Had Emira gotten herself into some kind of trouble? What could she have done to have gotten the gold guard involved? Amity and I stood in silence not knowing what to do. Until Emira saw us. She latched onto the golden guard's arm and started running towards us with him in tow. She had a big smile on her face that I hadn't seen since we were kids.

"Hey, guys! Guess who I found!" she shouted excitedly. Amity and I didn't move. Em definitely lost her mind. There's no way a sane person would drag the gold guard around like that. When they finally reached us we stood there in shock. I looked at Amity but she looked as stunned as I was. "What's wrong?"

Emira looked at us and then at the golden guard. Then she did something completely crazy. She leaned over and pulled his mask off. When she did, I saw my life flash before my eyes. This had to be some kind of major crime with real consequences. The kind that no amount of influence or money could ever get you out of. I closed my eyes and looked away. Maybe if I didn't look I wouldn't get in trouble.

"Ed, open your eyes," Emira said, sounding a little annoyed.

"It's okay Em, I don't blame him for not wanting to look at me," did he just call her Em? Golden guard or not, what makes this guy think it's okay to be so familiar with Emira?

"Hunter," Amity whispered next to me, "Hunter? I opened my eyes and looked at the gold guard.

It was him. He was taller and looked like he needed some sleep, but it was him. My body moved on its own and before I knew it I was hugging him tightly and crying into his cloak. "We miss you so much." He hugged me back hugging me as tightly as I was hugging him. He really was here.