Transformation

Just Like the Movies

Emily's POV

I stared at the letter in my locker, just the same as the last one. Veronica was watching me as I read it, and my face paled as I scanned over the clumsily stuck on letters. The threat was clear, and struck close to my heart. I had the worst feeling that they meant it, and the fingerprint match that Officer Colnes had carried out had come back negative. They'd found nothing.

They knew I'd gone to the police, and they said that if I didn't come within a week, they'd kill everyone I cared about. I could feel Matthew's eyes on me as I read, and I tried to keep the tears back. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't endanger him. Not ever. My body was shielding what I was doing, but I knew he would be suspicious if I spent too long staring into my locker.

I folded the page over and slipped it into the back pocket of my bag. I plastered a neutral expression on my face as I replaced the padlock on my locker, and twirled the digits shakily. Matthew smiled, and reached for my hand. I was worried that he'd notice that I was shaking, but it would make him more suspicious if I rejected him.

The two of us left the school in silence, and walked down the familiar roads home, hand in hand all the while. Matthew hummed softly, and I focused on listening to his voice.

"Do you fancy going somewhere this weekend?" he asked.

"It's Saturday tomorrow," I stated, "Um, ok. What d'you have in mind?"

"Up to you. We could go and see something, or go walking in the forest?"

"How about both? We could go tomorrow night and walking Sunday morning?" I suggested.

He nodded, smiling, and kissed my nose stupidly. I giggled, most unlike me, and bid him goodbye as we reached the split in our paths. He frowned.

"Don't you want me to walk home with you?" he asked, and I cursed myself.

He always walked me home, and here I was, forgetting all that because of the threats. If he didn't already know something was going on, he did now. I didn't answer, but didn't stop him when he carried on walking with me. He was watching me carefully, and his brow was creased.

"Ok Emily. What's going on?" he asked at last.

I just shook my head.

"Please don't Emily. Tell me, please. It's obviously troubling you," he said sensibly.

I knew he was right, but under the circumstances I didn't want to risk his life. So again, I shook my head, tears running down my face as I did so.

"Why won't you tell me?" he asked softly, "I won't be angry, whatever it is."

It was almost impossible not to blurt everything out, and let him comfort me like he wanted to. Almost, but not quite. I shook my head again, helplessly and dropped my hand from his, burying my face in my hands, ashamed.

I felt him wrap his arms around me, and I sobbed into his chest. He murmured gently to me, rubbing up and down my back soothingly, but the tears wouldn't stop. He kissed my head gently, and tried everything that had never before failed to calm me. But nothing could stop the tears.

Matthew pulled me gently away from the path, and sat me down on a bench at the side. He pulled me into his lap like a child, and continued trying to comfort me. I knew that tears freaked Matthew a little, and I felt guilty for making him uncomfortable. I held my breath, and the tears began to cease. I tried to calm my breathing to his, and the combination of controlled breathing and Matthew's comfort calmed me enough to walk the remaining distance home.

"D'you want me to come in?" he asked while I unlocked the door with shaky hands.

I cursed as the key slipped, and nodded in answer to his question. He wrapped my hands in one of his, and opened the door easily. He handed the key back to me, and the two of us headed straight upstairs to my room. I had very little homework that night, as I'd finished several essays already. I just had a few pages of biology to do, and that took me less than an hour.