Reflections of Light

Crossroads

Emilia was feeling claustrophobic.

She hated this place. Everything was all too compact, too built up.
She missed having open space.

Maybe this had all been stupid. She'd charged down here without a plan, just wounded honour and a desire for revenge, and now was just... Stuck.

The rage had cooled, and now she had no idea what to do.

Pulling up her hoodie around her face, she strode swiftly down the road, mind racing as she thought everything over.

Sighing, she turned her mind to other questions.

Maddie. Now there was a story that was difficult to piece together.
None of it quite seemed to match up to the next, and Emilia had the strong feeling that large chunks of the girls story of a return to health and home was being edited out.

Not that Emilia couldn't respect a secret if that's the way Maddie wanted it.

It was just, the Shadowhunter girl had been the only somewhat interesting one in that hive of PTA mums and sticky fingered children, with or without the dud leg.

She felt like she was being suffocated under it all by staying there, the way all those people just were was stifling.

No, it was definitely time to get back on track.
No distractions this time.

Except for the fact she had no idea where to start.
Just a minor setback there.

Agitatedly, she turned the corner of the road, striding off down the pavement at a brisk pace.

"Psst."

She stopped in her tracks, glancing around and wondering who had hissed at her.

"Oi, over here, sunshine!"

Turning, she saw a somewhat familiar girl perched on a low wall, separating the side of someone's wrap-around garden from the road, munching on a rosy red apple.

"You lost?"

Emilia gave her a confused, slightly weirded out look, not really sure why this girl was talking to her.
"Uh, not really, no. Thanks anyway."

"You sure?" The girl said, voice flat, almost in a tone that implied 'You're wrong.'

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I'd know if I was lost." Emilia was getting a bit annoyed now, her hot temper starting to get the better of her.

"So, know where you're going, do you, Sunshine?"

"For a walk." Emilia replied flatly.

"So, that's a no then. But you do know where you want to go, which is a start.
So, who ticked you off enough to have you charge all the way down here after them?
Really wouldn't fancy being them."

Emilia crosses her arms. "And you would know that because...?"

"A few little giveaways. Your accent. Your general angry demeanour. The muttering furiously to yourself about it as you came down the road."

She chomped noisily on the apple.

Emilia squinted at her. "I know you. You're that friend of Maddie's..."

"Not quite friend, as such." Alysha said, musingly. "More like really close acquaintance, at least at the moment. But hey, we're not talking about Maddie, we're talking about you.
And hey, I'm in a nice mood today. Why don't you tell me what the issue is, and perhaps I can help..."

Meant to have this up yesterday, but shit happened. I'm sorry.
But hopefully the rising intrigue creates by this chapter will make up for it?