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I really just want to post chapters more often now... so yeah, here you go.
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"I'm sorry, what?" Jo asked, shocked. Emery could tell that all of them were. She never wanted anyone to know who her family was.
But here she was.
"Oh, has Emery not told you about us." Her mother, Elvira, pierced her eyes on Emery before looking at everyone. "I'm her mother, Elvira, but you can call me Ellie. This is my husband, Emery's father, Robert. And my oldest daughter, Lilith." Lilith smiled her sweet smile, her eyes on Josh. Emery wanted to move in front of him, but her mother still held her in her place. "I have a son, but he couldn't make it, business reasons."
"Oh, how disappointing." Karen said, smiling stiffly.
"Yes, very. Lilith is a wonderful violinist and as a family, we support each other. Isn't that right, Emery?" Emery glared at her mother, removing her hands from her, shocking mostly everyone. Jo was there to back her up. Her mother was mean, yes. But she was more worried about Lilith. She could get anything she ever wanted, and at the moment, she wanted Josh. "Now, now."
"Elvira, dear," Robert stated, "we need to leave. I have a business meeting to get too."
Elvira stared down her daughter for a moment before smiling, "Yes, we do. It was nice meeting all of you. Excuse us."
"Sister," Lilith spoke.
"Lilith."
"Tu as l'air aussi gros que jamais." Emery wanted to laugh. She was below her average weight. She just wanted to get under her skin.
"Oh? Is that a wrinkle I see." Lilith glared at her.
Josh suddenly laughed, "What was that, Em?"
"Oh, nothing."
Karen spoke, "We should get going. The traffic might be bad. It was nice meeting you Lilith. You did wonderful."
"Thank you." She looked back at Emery. "Je vois tout." That's when Emery knew. She was watching her. That's how she knew that they would be there. "Oh, tu devrais me remercier pour le ticket supplémentaire." Emery had yet another sickening feeling. She never had a life away from her family. They watched everything she did.
Josh grabbed her hand, pulling her away. "Come on, Em."
"It was very nice meeting you, Josh." Lilith smiled, fluttering her eyes that made most men fall. But Josh seem unaffected. Well, Josh wasn't most men. But it was too late for Emery, the spell was broken.
"Not for me." Emery was swept away by Josh and was in the car. "Emery?" He whispered.
"Huh?"
"What was that? Were they really your family?"
She nodded.
All the way back to Frankenmuth, they were quiet. The teasing mood they had before gone. The night felt like it was ruined. It was. Emery was heartbroken. She hadn't run away far enough. But then she wouldn't have met so many people or Josh. It was a double edged sword. When they came to the house, Emery sat on the couch. Her pups were happy to see them, but stuck close to Emery, reading her mood.
"Emery," Karen started, "are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm okay." She kept staring at the floor, her hands tucked within each other.
"I'm sorry."
Emery's head whipped to Karen, "What, no. This is not your fault. My mother," She spat, "is at fault."
"How did she even know you were there? I mean, it just seemed odd." Jo shrugged, sitting down on one of the couches.
"And she even spoke french. Did anyone understand what she was saying?" Josh commented.
"Yeah," Emery answered. Josh raised his eyebrows in surprise. She chuckled, "There are some things you don't know about me."
"Yeah, and I've know you for, what, three years?" Jo asked.
"Sounds about right."
"So, what did she say?" Ronnie asked.
"She called me fat and said that I should thank her for the extra ticket."
"Wait, are you telling me she was the one who bought the extra ticket?" Kelly exclaimed.
"Apparently." She suddenly started to laugh, and they were a little worried. Her mental state was breaking. She really needed therapy. "They've been watching me. Oh, god." Josh held her in his arms, once again comforting her. This was the first time she cried in front of more than one person. They all pitied her; she could feel it. "I want to go home," she whispered.
"Okay." He stood up with her still in his arms.
"I'll meet you there." Jo promised.
Emery nodded. The dogs followed them to the car, and jumped into the back. "Will you stay with me for awhile?"
"Of course. I was planning on it anyways." He reached for her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. When they got to her home, she unlocked the door, and turned on the living room lights. She went up to her room, but stopped halfway, looking at Josh. He followed after her. He entered her room and expected nothing less. Her room was neat, but not too neat. There were clothes on the floor that she had forgotten to clean up, but she didn't care at the moment. One wall was painted a light blue, so light that it didn't even look like it was there. She had a white bed spread with a light gray soft blanket for looks. "I like your room."
"Thank you." She said softly. She took of her shoes and then went to her bed. She laid back so that she was looking up at the ceiling. He did the same, their shoulders touching only a hair. They were quiet for what seemed like an eternity. She felt like screaming and pulling out her hair. She wanted to do something so much that her chest constricted.
They heard Jo come into the house. Her shoes clacked against the vinyl floor and she stopped at the open door. "I brought the clothes you left, Em and I brought you some extra clothes, Josh."
"Thanks." He replied. Jo came in, setting it on her dresser.
"Well, get some rest." Jo smiled stiffly. Emery closed her eyes. She didn't want to see that look in her eyes. She wanted to back to the way things were. When she was oblivious and happy. But was she really? She had caused herself to lose weight. It had nothing to do with her family.
When she opened her eyes, she confessed. "I want to scream. So badly."
Josh looked at her for a moment and then at his phone. It was two in the morning. "Then let's do it."
