Chapter 32

Emma

She went back to work again while Liam and Ela were talking. She told Emma to help Alexa in the library.

Emma went there and found Alexa cleaning the shelves and arranging the books. Alexa noticed her and passed her a warm smile.

"Hey Emma, I bet Ela sent you here," she nodded her head in agreement.

She chuckled. "I could tell, I am almost done with my work. Whenever there's any family member of King's, she always 'shoos' us away so, that none of us would make ourselves look like idiots."

That was pretty weird, we are not kids anymore.

Emma shrugged it off and asked Alexa if she needed her help with anything. "I am done with almost everything actually, you can just help me with those books," she pointed at the pile of books lying on the table right ahead.

"Can you please put them back on the shelf?" Emma nodded and picked up half of the books while Alexa picked the other half. She started sorting out the books in their respective sections according to their serial numbers.

There were books of numerous genres. One of them was about Sherlock Holmes. She wondered how it was.

She had always enjoyed reading and was eager to explore new novels. She used to go to the local library to read the books she enjoyed while she lived with Garcia. She couldn't bring them home or buy them since she didn't have enough money at the moment. She left that book in the section and went in search of another. "Five Feet Apart," it stated, and she recalled that one. That was something she had read at a local library. She genuinely enjoyed the narrative and went nostalgic for a little period, then Emma snapped back to reality, extended a heartfelt smile, and restored it. She had almost finished sorting the books when she got to the last one. She took a closer look at it. It seemed odd. The cover of that book was distinct from the covers of the other books. It was eye-catching, black in hue, and rather substantial. She grimaced but placed it on the shelf in the library's corner.

"Emma! I'm done! Come outside when you're finished up. I will be waiting for you", Alexa yelled and got out of there.

"Yeah, I will be there", she yelled back to her, hurriedly putting the books on the shelf.

Her finger hit the shelf accidentally and she whimpered, dropping the same odd book on the floor. She sighed in frustration and bent down to pick it up. She saw that some of the pages in the unusual-looking book she described before were not properly aligned with the rest of the pages, which were all held together by a thread on the edge. Her brow wrinkled in concentration. What will I do with these now? I have no idea how the pages were ordered.

She picked it up anyway and noticed that the writings on the pages were handwritten. "Strange", she thought to herself. She looked at the pages.

The handwriting was exquisite, and the phrases were elegantly penned. She couldn't take her eyes off it. She didn't even read what was written; she simply marveled at the sheer beauty of each letter. A photograph dropped down on her knees while she was flipping the pages over. She picked it up and immediately recognized who she was looking at. It had to be Alexander. The photograph was older, and he appeared younger than he was at the time. She didn't know what it was about the picture that drew her attention to it, but she couldn't take her gaze away from it. He appeared to be different. In all of his previous photographs, he appeared to be a different person.

True, his eyes had retained the same hardness in the images that had sent shivers down her spine. But his face structure was unusual, and his eyes were both chilly and melancholy. She put the photo and returned her attention to the pages.

"12th March 2008."

It said on the first page. Before she could look at anything, someone startled her from behind, making her jump.

"Emma!" Alexa was coming to her. "I was waiting for you, Emma. What are you doing?" She put the picture and the pages inside the cover and stood up.

"Sorry, I dropped these so..." Alexa noticed the book in Emma's hands. "Oh this book doesn't belong here", she said pointing to the book.

"Oh, where should I put this?"

"It's always in master's private books section. No one takes the books from there, I don't know how it got here, maybe someone accidentally put it with the other books. Give it to me, let me put it back," she grabbed it from Emma and went to the other side of the library. There was a small table with a few drawers, and she kept the book in one of them. They both exited the room after that, closing the door behind them. "Oh by the way Emma, Ela told me to grab something from the store, do you want to come with me?" Emma looked at her and frowned.

Are we even allowed to go?

Alexa raised her eyebrows at her. "Can we... go outside? I mean, wouldn't master get mad?" She chucked. "Hon, don't worry, we are not running away, we are going to the store to buy essentials."

"B-but will Ela let me come with you?" Emma asked her. "Well, I hope so, come on, let's go and ask her," she rushed out of there to Martha who was still with Liam in the living room.

The two girls approached her there and Alexa asked.

"Miss Ela, I am going to the store now," Ela looked up at her and nodded her head. "Okay, be back early," she simply stated.

Alexa shook her head yes. "Erm, can Emma come with me?" Emma gulped. She didn't know how Alexa asked her so calmly. "Why do you want her to accompany you?" Ela asked. Liam wasn't there with them that time, Emma saw him near the window, talking to someone on the phone.

"I was thinking she could help me carry the stuff we're going to buy," Ela didn't say anything for a minute then sighed.

"Okay you can take her, but do not take time, go to the nearby store and come back quickly," Alexa nodded and grinned at Emma. She nervously smiled back at her.

They left the living room and went out of the house. "See? I told you. It's nothing," Emma thanked her.

"Did you grab everything we need?" Emma asked her. "Yeah, I already have the money Ela gave me, we just need a few more things. We will go to the store down the road. Come on, we can walk there," Emma followed her behind.

Thankfully the shoes weren't that uncomfortable, and neither was the outfit. She was feeling pretty cozy. After 15 minutes or so, they reached the store, it was big.

They entered and bought everything that was needed, it only took them 10 minutes.

"I told you, we only need a few things," she said. A few things included some dishwashers, some cereal packets, and slices of bread. She handed the money to the cashier. They picked the bags up and left.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Emm6 looked at Alexa with a confused look. "What do you mean? We have to get back," she said quietly.

"Yeah! But, look, we still have some time, do you wanna grab some coffee?" Her eyes became wide. "A-are you crazy? Ela will get mad, Alexa," she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Emma no one will find out. It won't take us long, please. It's been so long since I had coffee outside!" She whined like a little kid. Everyone was staring at them. Emma looked down, blushing.

She sighed and said, "Fine! We will grab it and go home right away. Is that fine with you? We are not going to sit there," she finally gave up and said yes. It wasn't like she had a choice. The café was not close by but they managed to catch a bus and reached there within 15 minutes.

Emma was scared. All the way she couldn't stop thinking about the consequences they might face if Ela found out, but Alexa assured her nothing would happen. She tried hard not to think too much about it.

They got off the bus. The café looked expensive, she nervously looked at Alexa who was continuously grinning. "Alexa... this looks so expensive, how are we going to buy anything from here?" Emma whispered to her.

"No worries Emma, I've got my saved up money with me, my family sends me money for extra expenses. I have enough, Emma. Don't worry," she dragged Emma inside without giving her a chance to say anything. Emma gave up. The café appeared to be picturesque. It wasn't particularly large or spectacular, but it wasn't for people like her.

It was teeming with customers. Some people were seated alongside friends, relatives, and spouses. Her gaze was drawn to a family sitting at one of the family tables. They appeared to be overjoyed. She was disheartened and realized how much she desired to spend time with people she could name 'parents'. Her heart wrenched at the thought of her parents. She didn't want to cry in front of such a large crowd. She followed Alexa to the cash register. Alexa inquired as to what she desired to order. Prices may not be exorbitant for other people, but they were for Emma. She fixed her gaze on Alexa.

"Alexa, these all look so expensive!" She muttered to her. Alexa rolled her eyes again. "Please love, don't look at the price. Just order. I told you, I have enough," Emma looked at the menu hesitantly. She wanted to get something cheap and was confused about what to get. She went to the dessert option and saw donuts.

I have always liked donuts.

"How about donuts?" Emma asked her.

"Hmm. Let me see. Oh, they look good. Which flavor do you want?" The chocolate chip flavor was noticed by Emma. She didn't want to look at any more possibilities because they were more expensive. She made the decision to purchase that one. Alexa got herself a hot chocolate coffee. She paid for the order, and they were seated on one of the few available seats. They were advised to wait for a few minutes by the staff. Alexa told Emma about her past life, the one she had before arriving in the hell-hole. Emma couldn't stop herself from smiling. She was relieved to have made some new friends after Vanessa. The waiter delivered on their promises, and they received it after around ten minutes. Emma took the doughnut box. It had a wonderful aroma.

They were done and about to leave. Just at that time, Alexa's phone rang.

"Oh Emma, wait a moment. Ela is calling. Stay here, I will talk to her," Emma gave her a nod as she rushed to the other side of the café as that part was too noisy. She began to glance about and take in the surroundings. The café was incredibly stunning and well-decorated, with little tubs of flowers and plants swinging from three of the lanes creating a picturesque ambiance within. The servers were rushing around collecting orders and providing food to the customers.

Her head began to throb from wearing her hair in a bun all day. She removed the rubber band from her hair and slid it back over her shoulders and back. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice a figure approaching their table.

She could hear footsteps coming from where she was seated. Emma began to feel apprehensive for no apparent reason, and her heart began to beat faster. She felt a touch on her shoulder at that point. She frowned and rose from her seat. When she turned around, she spotted someone she hadn't expected to see. Alexander. Her throat was becoming parched. She had no idea what she should have done at the moment. She just stood there, not saying anything. He looked angry, and she knew why "M-master.." she muttered out.