Carnations for Emily

Chapter 25: Not The Same

As Jamie, Jill and Emily got back home from their clash at the power plant, Hellen came bursting out the front door of Jamie and Jill's home.
"Oh kids, I'm so glad you're home safe!
Jill are you okay hun?" Hellen asked.
"I'm fine mom, just a little shook up." Jill nodded.
"Jack?" Hellen looked to Jamie, not knowing Jack no longer existed.
"Hmm, Emily?
Are you okay dear?" She looked to Emily, who wore an exhausted look on her face.
She smiled regardless and replied
"I'm fine, Hellen.
Just ready for bed" Emily giggled.

Hellen took Jill and the two of them went inside, it was late, the sun was starting to rise and for all of them it had been a long night...
Only Jamie and Emily were left on the porch.
"Jack I mean, Jamie...
Are you okay?
You've been distant since we left the power plant." Emily bumped into Jamie with her shoulder trying to coax him to speak.
"I'm fine Emily.
I just... I can't believe I'm awake again... after nearly two whole decades... and I come back to my world in this state." Jamie sounded like he was going to break down.
Then Emily wrapped her arms around him and pressed his head against her chest.
"E-Emily?!" Jamie stumbled over his words.
"You may not look, act or even sound the same... as Jack...
But you're still important to me just like him...
You still protected me... so...
I still care about you... Jamie." Emily smiled, not letting him go.
"Emily..." Jamie mumbled.
He then wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.
"I will protect you." He thought.

Jamie saw bits and pieces of the world through Jack's eyes as he began to awaken from slumber.
Every time, Jamie would see Emily...
He could feel what Jack felt, he understood that Jack loved her deeply.
Just like Jack asked before disappearing, Jamie promised to keep her, as well as anyone else dear to Jack, safe.
"Hey, can you hear it?" Emily's voice cut through Jamie's thoughts.
"Huh? Hear what?" Jamie asked.
Emily giggled
"Silly, my heart, Can you hear my heart beating?"
Jamie laid his head against Emily's chest and listened, he could hear Emily's heart quietly thumping away in her chest.
"It's still beating because you kept me safe, just like you saved Jill."
She smiled.
"You may be a completely different person, you may not even care for everyone like Jack once did, but just like I promised him...
I'll be with you no matter what." Emily gave Jamie her bright smile, making him feel lighter than air.
"Who are you?" Jamie thought.
A warmth swelled up inside him that he hadn't felt in years...
"After all you're my- I mean I still- uh never mind." Emily seemed to have something she wanted to say, but she stopped trying and blushed a bright red, leaving Jamie with a questioning glance on his face.

Then it dawned on him.
With a small smile on his lips, Jamie leaned off of Emily to look her in the eyes.
Emily blinked a couple times and returned a questioning look back at him.
"I understand now." Jamie still smiled.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked.
"I know how you feel, about me or moreover, about Jack." Jamie said.
"W-What are you talking about?" Emily stuttered.
"You love him." Jamie smiled.
As if a steam pipe burst in her head, Emily visibly shut down, her face turning into an even deeper shade of red.
"What? D-don't be silly, of course I don't." She stammered.
Jamie chuckled. "Don't lie to me, it's written all over your face."
Then he frowned and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"No matter what you feel towards him... It probably doesn't matter now, he's gone and won't be coming back.
He and I are not the same."
Light from the sun began to bloom over as sun rise became more prominent.
Silence filled the air around them.
A quiet morning...

Jamie saw out of the corner of his eye that Emily was rubbing her eyes.
"Everything okay?" He asked her.
The sunlight continued to peer over the horizon as it engulfed Emily.
She wore a big, bright smile, but had tears streaming down her face.
Jamie didn't quite understand why, but she looked positively radiant...
With a giggle Emily spoke:
"I understand that you two aren't the same person...
But even as the way you are now, I still see you as the boy I grew up with.
The one I fell in love with...
You may not feel the same, you may never even have felt the same...
And I'm okay with that.
Because no matter what, I'll always love you." Emily continued to smile, and place her hands over the center of her chest, but Jamie could tell she was about to breakdown.

The exhaustion from the night must've gotten to her for as soon as she finished her dearest words, Emily leaned into Jamie and fell asleep.
"Heh, come on.
Let's get you home." Jamie picked her up in a bridal style and carried her back to her home.
When Jamie knocked on the front door, he wasn't expecting either of Emily's parents to answer.
It was still pretty early, but to his surprise, Emily's father answered.
"Hmm? Oh, good morning Jack.
It's been a while.
Wait...
Whats wrong with my daughter?!"
"Nothings wrong with her sir, she's just tired is all." Jamie handed Emily over to Her father, who said thank you for bringing her home and took her up to her bedroom after saying goodbye.
Jamie then turned around and went back home himself.

When he got in the door, Jamie noticed Hellen sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee and watching T.V.
He tried to sneak by and get to his room but Helen caught him by the collar of his jacket.
"And where do you think you're going?" Hellen spoke confidently.
As strong as Jamie was, he wouldn't dare cross Hellen.
"Ya know, uh, just to my room.
It's been a long ni-"
Jamie's sentence was interrupted as Hellen wrapped him up in a hug.
"Thank you so much for bringing your sister home safe, Jackie.
I'm glad you're home safe too." She smiled.
"Mom..." Jamie trailed off, the last motherly love he had felt was before Hellen adopted him.
Before his biological mother died...
"I'm glad to be home..." he thought.
"Now, go off to bed. I'm sure you're tired, and I have to leave for work soon.
Jill isn't going to school and you said you're home for a little bit.
So feel free to do whatever you like." Hellen said.
Jamie nodded, turned heel and took off to his room.
As he walked past Jill's room Jamie heard: "Big brother..."
He leaned in the doorway to see what Jill wanted.
She was laying down but looking at him.
"Thank you..." She said.
Jamie once again nodded and continued on his way.
When he got to his bedroom he practically collapsed into his bed.
"So soft..." he mumbled.
Jamie looked off to his mirror in the room and saw his own face.
He had changed, again.
His right eye was a dull grey, his left shimmered a quiet red.
His hair was pitch black save for the tips.
The tips of his hair looked like embers for they were still red.
As dawn had officially risen, Jamie drifted off to sleep...

Chapter 25: End