The Grove (Ravens #1)

xvii. the winter of our discontent

A/N we all need a happier chapter by now...

Lily arrived back at her cabin without any issues, and Emma was eager to hear how her mission went. She was desperate for some news about her friends and brother, and longed to know how they were doing. She had seen the way Sebastian broke when they lost their father; it was something she never wanted to witness again. She couldn't help but fear that his reaction to losing her might be similar.

"Is he alright?" Emma asked impatiently, the more she'd been thinking about her brother, the worse she felt. She was killing him slowly inside by pretending she was gone. This was why she asked Lily to send him that message—she couldn't let him feel that pain.

"It didn't sound good," Lily sighed, "He passed his power off to some other kid. Aiden, maybe? Hudson?"

"Hayden," Emma shook her head, "Why the hell would he choose Hayden? I love that kid, but he's only seventeen."

"You're only seventeen," Lily pointed out.

"And I'm not a leader," Emma added, "Sebastian can't think that Hayden will handle all that pressure. That's ridiculous." She paused after that, realizing that Sebastian didn't know everything about the boy he chose as his successor. Hayden's life during the plague had one of the most dramatic changes of anyone she knew, and he was forced into the wild a year before the cities built their walls. Before the Grove was inhabited. The details of his adventures were kept secret, and only Emma knew the entire truth. At least, she knew the most about his past. She knew there was more that he wasn't willing to share.

"Emma, it seems like your death is really taking a toll on your friends," Lily advised, "Are you sure you want to stay away from them?" The other girl did not have a chance to respond, however, as they heard a fist knocking on the door. Emma ran into the back closet, as it would be dark enough to hide. There was also a crawl space underneath the floorboards, but she didn't have the time to successfully enter the dusty small area.

"Mai!" Lily exclaimed loudly when she opened the door. She wanted to make sure that Emma could hear who the visitors were. She then turned to the boy at her friend's side. He was tall and seemed nervous, darting his brown eyes around the room anxiously. Lily could tell his breath was shaky, and the way he held himself showed that a deep terror that he may not find what he was looking for lurked inside of him. "You must be Sebastian!"

"Yeah," the boy nodded. When she heard his voice, Emma gasped. Although she knew that she missed her brother dearly over the past few excruciating weeks, she hadn't realized how much it hurt to be without him.

"Emma. Is she here?" Mai asked quickly. She too could see her partner's nervousness, and wanted to limit the anticipation. If they were wrong with their suspicions, she wanted Lily to break the news as quickly as possible. She feared the idea of raising Sebastian's hopes any higher than they already were.

At this, Emma physically could not stand it any longer. She pushed open the closet door and ran into the main room, clutching her brother tightly. Sebastian didn't seem to comprehend what was happening at first, and was almost confused by the girl hugging him. But once it sank in that yes, this was Emma, this was his little sister, his heart raced and he nuzzled his chin against the top of her head and he was instantly in tears.

"I thought you were dead," he wheezed out, squeezing her close. Emma didn't know how to respond, since in this moment, surrounded by the warmth of her brother's arms, she had lost all her composure. Tears trickled down her face like a heavy storm, and she struggled to keep her breath under control. She was finally letting down her guard, feeling safe for the first time in what felt like forever. Mai smiled, watching the two siblings reunite, as it was an extremely moving force. It struck her that this was the first time she'd ever seen Emma cry. In fact, it was quite possible this was the first time since entering the forest where she had let another person see these emotions. Emma was tough, too tough sometimes, but there was always a breaking point. Sebastian was hers.