The Mis-Fits Among the Mis-Fits

Emalyn's POV

I watched in surprise as Bela kisses Jacob and brushes it off as though it didn't happen. I catch a glimpse of Thomas out of the corner of my eye and I quickly say, "Gotta go. See ya later." Aya gives me a weird look as I run off in the direction of the door. I quickly slip past the large crowd into the hallway and wander off in the general direction of one of the gardens. When I reach the small sanctuary tended to by the greenwarden's of house Welle, my black dress suddenly feels suffocating in the vastness of the star-filled sky above. I stare for a while at the constellation Canis Major. The stars remind me of my half-sister and her wolf. Bela has always been strong and independent and all I can do is stare at her shadow just beyond my own brother's back. Cal's the furthest from my reach. I could never live up to the expectations laid down by the three siblings ahead of me. I feel a pang of sadness in the bottom of my invisible heart. I think of Aya and Tom and realize, I'm in their shadows too. Why would any of them give me a second glance. I'm the weak one. The one who can't control her powers. The daughter of the second wife of Tiberius VI. The last one. I'm always in last. I hear footsteps in this direction but I can't push myself to move my feet. "Emma," I hear Tom whisper behind me. I don't acknowledge him in anyway as he moves closer to me. All I can think about is how far behind I am. All I can see is his back, next to Aya's and Maven's. I feel a gentle hand being placed on my shoulder before I'm turned around and pulled into a tight embrace. I don't move my arms as they rest at my sides. I expect him to let go and leave if I wait long enough but no matter how long I wait he doesn't move. He doesn't stop whispering apologies to me. His figure in the distance turns ever so slightly in my direction. When he finally pulls away enough to look at my face. When he sees the lack of emotion on my face, it looks as if something broke inside of him. My eyes widen as I realize the situation I'm in. I stare into Tom's emerald green eyes and they soften as he realizes what I'm thinking. I lift a shaky hand up to Tom's face and place it on his cheek. Tom moves his head closer to mine and my mind shuts off. He stops, centimeters away and I hold my breath. After what seemed like forever, I moved closer and our lips met. For what felt like years, we stood there in our own world. When we finally pulled away from each other, the world remained silent. Neither of us knew what to say. Ahead of me, the shadow of Tom's back turned to face me and held out his hand for me to grab. So I took it. And I was no longer behind him.