The Fallen

Episode 4

The sun was barely showing itself anymore in the sky as the dark blue of night began to take over while students boarded shuttle busses to bring them back to the dorming campus. Kenzie yawned. 

"Someone wiped out from her first day of work?" Ash teased. 

"So it isn't just me then? You feel like they're working us too?" she asked him and he got serious. 

"Yeah...I do. Technically, they would need our consent for us to mutually agree with them to go on a case and actually work, since the work is legally passing through the Circle to reach the school. But if they just turn the work into class time..." 

"It's a loophole" Kenzie nodded, agreeing. 

"That's probably where your moms been all day" he suggested. 

"Talking with the Circle? You think she's trying to reinstate our old schedule system? It is kind of limiting the chances of meeting a Partner for those who don't have one..." she thought out loud. He just shrugged. 

"It's possible. It's not like it's fair that they're making us work so hard to prepare for an attack that may or may not happen" 

"Yeah, well, since when is the Circle ever fair about anything?" 

"Hey, I thought you were all about serve and protect for the people and by the people to become the ultimate Guardian" Emmet argued as he jumped off one of the bus roofs and landed right in front of us. 

"And I thought you were going to stop eavesdropping" Kenzie countered. 

"How am I going to become the ultimate assassin warrior if I don't get in some practice here and there?" 

She just rolled her eyes. "Anyway, can I crash at your place tonight?" he asked and the look in his eye dimmed as his whole essence got shakey and timid. Something you never see in Emmet. 

"Dude, you do know that you have your own place, right?" Kenzie asked anyway. 

"Have you met my parents?" 

Yes, she has...not the nicest people.... 

"And can't you feel it?" he asked, his voice tight. She didn't understand the question at first until she realized he was referring to the air around them. A storm was coming.

"Yeah, you can hang at my place...I have nothing to eat there though so I'll just run to the store real quick" Kenzie got off the line to board the bus and started walking into town. 

"We'll go with..." Ash tried to insist while Emmet suddenly froze up in his spot. 

"Ash, even we need a break from each other sometimes. I think I can manage a quick grocery run on my own..." Kenzie joked and he rolled his eyes at her because he knew she was right. 

"Besides, since they moved the dorms closer, the convenient store is only a block away from here and from the room. Maybe I'll even make it there before you guys" she winked and then spun on her heel to run north. 

But all she kept thinking of was the feeling in her stomach which she recognized to be Emmet's strong, sturdy essence wavering, causing her insides to churn.

The wind started to pick up when she reached the store. She grabbed a basket and started to look for something easy and quick but also something that would calm Emmet's nerves. Ever since they were little Emmet always hated storms. It was almost like he identified himself with them: destructive, ruthless, scary. No one was ever there for him, or allowed to be there for him. He was always being isolated, feared by people who thought he would snap their neck if they even looked at him wrong. Kenzie was told he couldn't be trusted, and that he was a loose cannon, and could, even would, kill her without a second thought. They were wrong though. His essence wasn't insane and it wasnt meant to be kept bottled up and ignored. Kenzie tried being there for him, her mother even had him over for dinner a few times, but once the Circle found out, he was forced to isolate himself even more in fear of him snapping and killing a "highly respected Circle member and her family" and for the Circle to fear you and your abilities it meant there was a reason to be frightened. After that, even his parents isolated him, ignored him, made him feel unwanted and they made him feel dangerous.