Emily I'm Sorry; Yellowjackets

sixteen

(Emily, I'm Sorry)
ACT ONE—CHAPTER SIXTEEN

2021

"Did you see Tai's press conference?" Emily asked stepping past Natalie through the door.

Natalie nodded, "Yeah— I saw." she gently shut the door, "Do you want coffee, or water or anything?"

Emily smiled, "How could I ever say no to coffee?"

Within a few minutes the two women sat down, sipping coffee out of mugs.

"So, are we going to act like the other night never happened?"

Emily sighed, "Nat—look we were drunk. We kissed. We talked about it...sort of. Can't we just leave it at that?"

The brunette frowned, "I just— I have to ask."

"That preface never leads to anything good," Emily muttered, taking a sip of coffee.

The blonde looked back up into Natalie's eyes when the woman didn't continue speaking right away.

"Do you hate me?"

Natalie's voice was so quiet, her eyes quickly moving away from Emily's. She had clearly been really nervous to ask the question, and Emily was a bit stunned by it.

Emily could never hate her.

"I—" the blonde paused, "I could never hate you."

Natalie's shoulders seemed to visibly relax following the other woman's words. After their fight the other night, Natalie couldn't help but think that Emily hated her.

Hated her for breaking her heart.

A short laugh escaped Emily's lips and Natalie arched an eyebrow at her, "Something funny?"

"It's just ironic," Emily shook her head, "I never stopped loving you, Nat."

Her words definitely surprised Natalie. Emily watched as the other woman's eyes grew wide.

"I don't think I can." Emily added on quietly, fidgeting with the small cross necklace. She didn't even know why she still wore the damn thing.

It didn't represent anything but the ghost of who she used to be...who she might still be if that plane hadn't crashed.

If she hadn't fallen for the girl with the bleached hair.

"Emy—" Natalie finally started to say something when presumably Taissa Turner knocked at the door.

"Since my press conference, my phone has not stopped ringing with folks trying to interview me. So tell me, why am I here?"  Taissa started speaking as soon as the door opened, her words only faltered slightly, surprised to see Emily in the room.

"Em, hi," Taissa smiled, a twinge of confusion in her voice.

"Hey," Emily smiled, "Coffee?"

Taissa shook her head declining the offer.

Natalie wordlessly motioned to the table, where the images forming a certain symbol were laid out.

"What is that?"

"It's the floor, of the barn where they found Travis' body." Natalie explained, "The police are saying that it's a suicide but there were candles underneath him arranged like that, Tai."

The woman shook her head wordlessly, "Someone burned them, and took them away."

"Who would do that and why?"

Emily pulled her hair back out of her face, "That's what we've been trying to figure out."

Natalie's phone went off with a message, followed by both Taissa's and Emily's.