The Perfect Emma

Chapter Thirty-One

Emma Mabel

Emma remained relatively quiet almost the entire time Zach was talking to her about the apartment. She merely nodded her head as he explained an officer would always be placed outside of the door to her apartment for her own safety.

Then, Zach took her to the grocery store for food. Emma merely remained quiet and nodded her head as Zach walked through the aisles to grab food that would stock her for at least a few days. Eventually, approaching an aisle full of hair products, Emma stopped. With her eyes staring at the hair dye, Zach got the picture. "Want to dye your hair?"

Emma nodded her head and turned down the aisle. Letting her pick out her natural hair color, the pair eventually made their way out towards check out. Emma remained quiet, merely watching Zach from the side as he pushed out all of the groceries and hair dye to the car. Emma politely helped place the bags into the car as they drove off towards the apartment.

The apartment itself was nice - it was similar to Aaron's basement in the sense that it had one bedroom, bathroom, living room, and a kitchen. The door had a peep hole, which was nice for Emma to look out, and it was on the first floor - which she both liked and hated at the same time.

"So," Zach began to help Emma put the groceries in the fridge. "Not sure how long you'll be here but, like I said, completely safe. The first officer is already outside the door and will be watching you. You just make yourself feel at home and don't worry yourself in the slightest."

Getting the feeling that Zach was going to leave, Emma wasn't all too happy. She didn't trust Zach, not nearly as much as she trusted Grayson, but she at least trusted Zach a smidge. Because Gray seemed to trust him, Emma felt like she could trust him as well. However, outside that door was likely an officer she had never seen before. That she didn't trust.

Remaining quiet, like Aaron had hounded into her, she merely watched as Zach made his way over to the door with a smile. He began to open it before freezing and turning around. He pulled a cellphone out of his pocket and set it on the counter. "Here you go - figured you would need one of these, just in case. It has some emergency numbers already pre-programmed into it. We'll get you all set up with your own phone in future once everything is figured out."

Zach waved his hand and left before Emma could protest. She stood in the middle of the unfamiliar apartment watching a closed door with a frown on her lips. Rubbing her knees together for a moment, Emma gradually made her way over to the counter. She picked up the phone that he had set down and opened it up out of curiosity. It was a flip phone - definitely a cheap phone for quick and easy uses.

Skimming through the contact, Emma noted that there was an abundance of numbers in here - though none happened to be Grayson's phone number. It agitated her. The one person she trusted she couldn't even contact if she wanted to.

Emma let a shaky sigh slip from her throat out of fear. She stepped over to the front door and placed her hand on the doorknob. Slowly, she pulled it open. Staring out into the hallway, Emma saw a man dressed in a uniform with short brown curly hair. Hearing the door open, he turned his head and gave a smile towards Emma. Despite seeming kind, Emma immediately shut the door and locked it. She felt her heart pounding in her chest.

Police uniforms just didn't seem... friendly to her anymore. It wasn't safe to her.

The woman backed away from the door and made her way towards the kitchen. She stared at the grocery bags with non-refrigerated items and tilted her head slightly. A part of Emma felt this urge to put it away but another part of Emma knew that no one was coming in here if she didn't want them to. Not. Even. Aaron.

With that thought in mind, Emma gave a soft smile. She rubbed her cheek with her hand but stepped over to the counter. She began to put the items away, but not because she felt like she had to out of fear. She put them away because she wanted to.

Putting away the objects briefly took Emma's mind off of the fact that a police officer was standing by the front door of the apartment. She frowned softly and jumped in surprise when she heard a knock on the door. Shakily, Emma shuffled over to the door and opened it up. The officer with brown, curly hair smiled towards her. "Just checking in," He said with a nod to his head. "I'll be doing this periodically to make sure you're safe - so will other officers. Don't be alarmed. Alright?"

She was alarmed. Emma merely nodded her head as she shut the door, her heart pounding in her chest again. Though she knew she was supposed to feel safer here... she wasn't feeling it. If anything, she felt like she was back in Aaron's basement - him poking his head in as he pleased to monitor her. Except, instead of Aaron, it was any officer that felt the need to check on her during his or her shift.

Emma frowned and shook her head, trying once again to erase the scary thoughts from her mind. Her eyes casted over to the counter only to find the box of hair dye. From that glance alone, Emma made up her mind.

Stepping over to the box, Emma snatched it up with her fingers and stepped into the bathroom. Readying all of the products that she would need, the woman began to bleach and dye her hair back to the normal color she was used to. Emma would never dye her hair again - not if she could help it.

Finishing out her shower with the newly bought soap, shampoo, and conditioner, Emma stared at herself in the mirror. Though she had short hair it was odd to see herself in the mirror. Slowly, she raised her hand up to her face. Running her fingers through her short, blonde hair and across the scar on her face she felt... nostalgic. Though Emma knows she was staring at herself it didn't feel like herself. It felt like someone in the past. Someone nonexistent.

It wasn't Emily, that's for sure.

Having stared at herself in the mirror for what felt like twenty minutes, Emma stepped away. She changed and poked her head out the front door once more to the man with brown curly hair. Feeling her heartbeat faster in her chest, Emma muttered something about going to sleep and shutting the door.

Perhaps if she said she was going to sleep he would leave her alone...

Though the idea of sleep felt nice.

With her new blonde hair, Emma curled herself into the unfamiliar bed and hugged a pillow against her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting herself eventually fall asleep... only to be woken by a nightmare about Aaron hours later.

Emma felt tears running down her face as she sat up in slight panic. She scrubbed at the tears and glanced over towards the window. The sun was down and the clock on the nightstand blinked that it was ten at night. She slept a lot longer than she thought she would... but that was good. Sleep was good.

Eventually, Emma pushed herself up to her feet out of the bed. Having not changed out of her daytime outfit, Emma merely stepped into the kitchen and splashed some water on her face. It didn't wash away the nightmare... but it was a nice gesture.

The woman let out a sigh as she crossed her arms. Being in an apartment alone was an odd feeling - one she wasn't familiar with in the slightest. However, despite technically having the apartment to herself, she didn't feel alone. Emma quietly made her way over to the front door and pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, peeking out the peephole to look at the brown haired officer standing at her door.

Except... that wasn't the officer standing there.

Instead, a man with shaggy blond hair in a uniform stood outside the door.

A man that reminded Emma of Aaron.

Emma's heart began to beat faster and faster as she stared at the man. Though her mind screamed at her that it wasn't Aaron her body was reacting otherwise. Emma stumbled back for the door and began to panic. "A-Aaron." Emma murmured and ran her hand through her short, blonde hair.

Blonde hair.

"Oh God." Emma whimpered in fear, knowing full well that Aaron would be pissed to know that she dyed her hair any other color than brunette. Therefore, without even thinking twice about her actions, Emma stepped over to one of the large windows in the apartment. Ditching her gifted phone from Zach entirely, Emma pull open the large window and climbed out. After shutting the window silently behind herself, Emma began to sneak away.