Golden Threads

Chapter 1: Santa Carla's New Arrivals

Mallory had always been odd as a child. When most people say "Oh they have a good gut feeling" they usually mean they were good at reading the room, reading a situation, even reading people.

And this is an ability that is common in people who grew up in tense household. A talent that forms from a sense of danger. Like a widened peripheral.

But Micheal, Mallory and Sam all had a good childhood for the most part. Oh yes, the last few years were rough with their parents marriage and the exposure of their father's treatment of their mother. But Lucy ALWAYS made sure to keep the worst of it away from her children.

So when the Emerson's had to explain to people that Mallory had a sixth sense, it wasn't from developing in a troubled home... no, it was more than that. She saw things that had yet to happen. A pet dying from eating a poisonous plant, a bad storm on a day that was meant to be clear, a girl asking Mallory's brother out on a date, the dead tree in their yard flowering after a heavy rain.

She saw them all, and weeks, if not days later, it would happen. And as such, the reputation of Mallory and her infamous 'Knowing' were looked at with more than a grain of salt. She was listened to for all that she was mostly soft spoken.

She had always been the calm to her twin brother's storm. Mallory joked that Micheal Emerson was reckless and wild enough for the both of them, and she wouldn't be wrong.  And so, Mallory grew up to be Lucy's responsible child. The calm presence that was needed to even out her twin's temper & stubbornness and her younger brother's naïveté & eagerness to be seen as a "big kid".

Mallory knew that while Sam echoed their mothers looks, the twins echoed their father. But all of them were lucky enough to have inherited their mothers blue eyes. However, sam's resemblance to their mother gave Mallory a particular soft spot for her youngest brother.

Now, Lucy loved all her children, but through the divorce, Mallory was her backbone and reasoning. Perhaps it was unwise to have your own child be in such a position, but Mallory understood what her mother needed and the Emerson siblings had known for a while that their father didn't treat their mother well. So, she agreed to be the shoulder to cry on, the one to talk to without needing to worry about judgement or a reckless reaction.

Now, as they drive to Santa Carla, Mallory watched the road carefully from the backseat with her twin and Nanook, fidgeting with her necklace as their mother flipped through the channels to her brother's behest. She laughed quietly at their antics, the movement causing the two charms in her bracelet to tink together.

"Keep going"

"Aw come on I liked that Song."

"Keep it going mom."

"Geez Sammy, since when have you been so picky about music?" Mallory reaches up from her position in the back middle seat to poke the blonde boy's cheek.

"Hey!" He bats her hand away before tilting his nose up at her. "And it's not being Picky, it's called having good taste."

Mallory rolls her eyes dramatically as so goes back to fidgeting with her necklace. "Yeah, sure it is."

Their mother flips it to a channel and an older song comes on the radio, causing her mothers eyes to light up. "Oooh!!"

Sam and Micheal look at each other. "Keep going"

"Wait wait! That's from my era!" She smiles and begins to sing along. "🎵 Groovin' on a sunny afternoon! 🎶"

Mallory smiles but joins her brothers when they share a look. "Keep going"

"Yeah, keep going, keep going." Their mom acquiesced.

Mallory reached over and runs her hand down Nanook's back has he looks out the window with his ears back. Never had a dog that enjoyed car rides like this one.