The Assignment

Chapter 8: Advised (Part 2)

Tears prickled my eyes at the memory of my mom. She died in this world, this terrible, no good world, but at least she had a good life with the one she loved. I'm glad that her life wasn't lived in vain. She was the kindest, most generous woman anyone could ever meet. And she was my mom.

"I love you, son." Dad smiles at me through his tears.

"I love you too, Dad." I smile back.

Just then, Christopher walks in with Emmaline's suitcase, interrupting our father son moment. He looks around, seemingly confused. "Where'd the girls go?" He asks.

"Oh, they just went to pack Kia's bags. A little get-to-know each other kind of thing. It appears as though they've left us some bonding time of our own." Dad explains in a rush. "Let's take some time for ourselves, shall we? Have a seat, Chris."

Christopher places the magenta bag by the wall and opts to sit across from me. He doesn't make eye contact; my glare was intimidating.

"Haden, stop" My dad says, noticing the look that I was giving Chris. I'll admit, it was mainly jealousy that provoked my actions. It was agonizingly torturous not knowing how she was yesterday. I just wanted to make sure that he didn't hurt Em in any way.

"Was she okay last night?" I asked him, calming down a bit per my father's request.

"She was fine. We watched a movie on the couch, and I took her back to bed. I chose to sleep out on the sofa. She kept telling me that she missed you."

"Oh. Okay."

"Yeah."

Chris remained silent for the rest of the time, while my dad and I made small talk. The girls were taking a while, no doubt talking about us. I wanted them to hurry up so that they could get out of here and leave Emmaline and I alone.

It was ten or so more minutes before Emmaline and Kia came back into the kitchen. They were chattering and laughing, like they'd been friends since they were little. It was amazing how well that they got along.

"Hey. I'm ready to go." Kia said, somewhat happily. She gave us a half-hearted smile. Almost as if she wasn't ready, she wasn't sure.

"Okay," Dad says, smiling. "Grab something quick to eat, just in case we can't get back to the house for the night. Once you've got that and you've said your goodbyes, we can leave. Be quick, though."

Kia moves over by Christopher and takes his arm. She leads him over to the pantry, where they take some protein bars and an apple each. Shutting the door, they come back over to us.

"Bye, Haden. Bye, Emmaline." She says, tearing up a bit. "It was nice meeting both of you."

Chris nods, agreeing with her. He smiles for both of us. "Thank you, for keeping my cousin safe." He says in a whisper, patting me on the shoulder. I hug him, and thank him for being good to Emmaline. "You're welcome." He replies.

"Okay, kids, let's get going. I've been here long enough. We've got to get going before they catch us." My dad urged, ushering Chris and Kia away from us. "We have to go."

He quickly leads Kia and Chris into the darkening foyer. "Let's go." Chris and Kia were practically pushed out of the door. My father looks back at me. "Goodbye, son." He murmurs. Then, he turns out the door and leaves Emmaline and I standing there, not knowing what would happen to our friends. Little did I know it would be the last time that I saw him.

Later that night, when it was just Emmaline and I, we started preparing for the next day. We packed my duffel bag full of my clothes, toiletries and also some non-perishables. It would be at least a half days hike to the county line from here, through the woods. We had to be prepared.

After packing, we talked endlessly and enjoyed each others company. It was so good to be completely alone with Emmaline after the years of sneaking in at night. We could laugh, play, watch movies or do whatever we wanted to without worry, for the most part. I imagined it was like how marriages used to be.

"I love you, Haden." She says to me while we were cuddling on the couch, watching her favorite movie for the second time that night. It made me smile and feel a warmth from deep in my heart. We could say that without restriction now.

"I love you too, Emmaline. So much."

She made a small sound of contentment and snuggled farther into my chest. I held her closer to me, never wanting to let her go again. This moment was so utterly perfect.

I carried her back to bed that night, upon her request. She'd told me that she and Kia had changed the sheets on the bed earlier. That was nice of her. I carried Emmaline down the hall, whispering sweet little nothings into her ear. It made her so undeniably happy. I could see it in her sleepy, tired eyes.

"Goodnight, princess." I whispered, laying her down on the soft sheets. Covering her with the thick, down blanket. "I love you so much."

She smiled, smiled her beautiful smile, the one that I fell in love with on day one. I kissed her forehead and climbed into bed next to her. Pulled her close into my chest.

"Goodnight," she murmured, drifting off into a deep, heavy sleep.

^_^_^_^_^

A/N: aw what a cute ending to a really long chapter. The reason it took so long it because wattpad made me lose part of this chapter. I made it extra long for you guys this time. (About 3,900 words and 16 pages long!) I hope everyone likes it!

Pic on the side it an alternate cover for this book. I think it gives away too much for the next chapter..

The next chapter will be super fun to write! Should be done by Wenesday at the latest, I hope..

Comment, vote, fan or share. If anyone wants to make me a cover/banner, it would be greatly appreciated! Bye for now, loves!

♡~Ken