Leave a Trace: Book Two

Chapter Eight: Emma Scott; Part Three

Chapter Eight: Emma Scott; Part Three

Present Day

"I never saw her again." I whisper at the bathroom floor. "I searched for her for years, Zane. Years. I thought she got worse. I thought she killed herself. I was in therapy for a very long time after rehab because of Emma. I tried to find her to get my Mom to pay for her, and my parents were going to do it, but I couldn't find her." More tears slide down my cheeks. "She's the reason I am who I am today. That girl was with me at my absolute worst. There is nobody who knew me better. Nobody. She could tell what I was feeling before I could. She knew me so well. I thought she was dead!" My voice cracks and I bury my head in my hands. I feel Zane's arms wrap around me. His fingers run through my hair. I cry softly into his t-shirt.

"But she's not dead." Vanessa says calmly. "She's here. You found her. She's in your basement probably freaking the fuck out. Don't you want to know what happened to her? You've been wondering for years."

"What if she's different?" I sniffle, pulling away from my husband. "A lot of time has passed."

"Yes." Finn says, draping his arm around Vanessa's shoulders. "A lot of time has passed, but she seems really nice and Colton really loves her. I don't think she's that different."

"I can't go down there." I whisper. "Colton might not know her past."

"They've been together for six months." Zane says. "I'm sure he knows. How come you never told me about her before?"

"I don't talk about that part of my life." I sniffle. "I never talk about it."

"That's true." He murmurs, rubbing my back in slow circles.

"Do you think she would tell Colton?" Vanessa asks.

"I don't know." I mumble.

Vanessa crosses her arms over her chest.

"Rosabelle, you are a boss ass bitch. Walk your pregnant ass downstairs and ask her if Colton knows." Vanessa says strongly. "Let's go."

I wipe my tears, flick my hair over my shoulder, and march right downstairs.

Emma is talking quietly to Colton and she looks frustrated.

"Does Colton know?" I ask strongly. She stands up.

"Yeah." She says quietly. "He knows, and I filled him in on you. You didn't tell him about me?"

I rub my arm nervously and step further into the basement. Zane puts his hand comfortingly on my  shoulder.

"I don't talk about that time in my life." I say quietly.

She toes my carpet with her sneaker and sighs.

"I was right." She says finally.

"What?" I ask. In answer, she nods over to the wall of the basement where five gold Olympic medals are on the wall at the end of a very long line in order of when I got them, starting from when I was four years old.

"You're an Olympian."

"Was." I correct.

"You are an Olympian. Once an Olympian, always an Olympian, although you're not doing much of that nowadays." She looks at my belly and smiles a little.

I move closer to Zane.

"What happened to you, Emma? I thought you died. Dr. Wilson told me your parents couldn't afford your treatment?"

"Yeah, I told her to tell you that." She says quietly.

"Why?" I step closer to her.

"My Mom died." She mutters. "And my Dad, as you know, was a drunk. He pulled me out and forced me to move to England. I relapsed...um, and I almost died...twice, and then I turned eighteen and put myself into therapy. It wasn't enough to fix me completely, but it helped. I struggled until like, three years ago."