Falling to Pieces(Kit and Ty)

Chapter 12

Faerie was truly beautiful, but Cristina understood why the Blackthorns didn't like it. There was an equal amount of danger to beauty. Some people didn't stop to take in the beautiful surroundings. Of course, they were in stressful situations and Cristina understood why they didn't take a moment to look around.
It had been too long since Cristina had last seen Emma. They talked on the phone every day, but it wasn't the same as seeing her in person. She missed their adventures, not the stressful parts, obviously. Emma would always be Cristina's best friend, even if they didn't see each other often.
When Cristina got the call about Kit and Ty being kept in Faerie, she had gotten to the Los Angeles Institute as fast as she possibly could. She remembered Ty, Livvy, and Kit being great friends. Poor Livvy, Cristina thought. May she rest in peace.
     Emma, Julian, Mark, and Dru had come to Faerie with her. Julian had argued with Dru about allowing her to come, but she had won. She was sixteen now. Cristina couldn't believe how grown up she was. Tavvy was at the Institute with Helen and Aline. He hadn't argued about staying. He was too busy playing games with Mina, Jem and Tessa's child.
     It was nighttime in Faerie. The moon was shining brightly in the dark sky. It was truly beautiful, but Cristina didn't have much time to enjoy it. She had to get some sleep, so she wouldn't be too tired in the morning. They planned on getting up early, and walking all day. Cristina hated the idea of Kit and Ty being alone, somewhere in the Seelie Queen's land. They were eighteen now. She couldn't believe how fast time flew by.
     Cristina offered to take first watch while everyone else slept. She would have more time to enjoy the evening, after all. The Blackthorns found a spot to sleep, and Cristina sat under a large tree nearby. The night was cool, but Cristina didn't mind. A slight breeze blew through the trees, making the leaves rustle. She could fall asleep to the sounds of nature, but forced herself to stay awake. Anything could come at any moment, and Cristina needed to be ready. Cristina felt a light tap on her shoulder, and quickly whipped around. It was Emma.
     "It's been a few hours," she whispered, trying not to wake the Blackthorns. "You should get some sleep."
     Cristina nodded. "Thanks, Emma." She stood and went off to find a place to sleep. Cristina looked up at the moon one last time, appreciating its beauty, before closing her eyes.

The sunlight was dim under the protection of the trees. Emma hadn't been able to sleep last night. She had been too worried about their journey ahead, so she had let Cristina go to sleep before her watch was over. Cristina didn't know that, though. Being back in Faerie brought back old memories of being there with Julian. Emma hadn't thought of going back there, but here she was.
Emma remembered handing the Faerie she caught over to the Clave. She didn't know what happened to him after that. It had felt good to turn him in. After all, he had helped the Seelie Queen escape with Kit and Ty. But, that still didn't bring them back, and she felt worse than before.
Julian walked beside her, wearing his gear and weapons belt. Each person wore their gear and carried a small backpack full of supplies. The backpack was very light; Emma barely felt its presence. Mark was walking beside Cristina, Emma noticed. They were cute together, Cristina, Mark, and Kieran. She wondered how long it had been since they last saw Kieran. Everyone was less talkative than usual. Emma didn't really mind it. She wasn't in the mood for conversation, anyway. She preferred to focus on getting Kit and Ty back.
There wasn't necessarily a plan for getting into the Seelie Courts, which is where she assumed the Seelie Queen was holding them. The only plan they had was how to get into Faerie. That part of the plan was over. Now, they were making up a plan as they went along. Emma had done that many times, and had gotten used to it. Plans were overrated. If you don't have a plan, you don't have to freak out when something doesn't go according to plan. Emma had no idea where she was, exactly. She was in Faerie. That's about all she knew, but Mark seemed to have more knowledge of Faerie than Emma did.
"We're in Unseelie territory," Mark said.
An image of the former Unseelie King flashed before Emma's eyes. He was terrifying. Emma remembered fighting a Faerie who wore the face of her father. She hadn't even known until the Faerie had taken off his helmet, then she saw her father's face. But, it wasn't her father.
"How are we going to get to Seelie territory?" Dru asked.
"We have to pass through the Unseelie Courts."
Dru nodded in understanding. "So, you'll get to see Kieran?"
Mark blushed, and looked down at his feet. For some reason, that amused Emma. Cristina seemed to be embarrassed, too. Dru raised her eyebrows at Mark, but he didn't notice. He was too busy staring at his shoes. Emma imagined Dru, Ty, and Tavvy dating someone. They had grown up so fast. Tavvy wasn't quite old enough to want to date someone, but time flies. Emma wasn't ready for them to date. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready. They were her family, and she wasn't ready for them to grow up. But they already have, Emma thought. It was an unsettling thought, but it was true. They had grown so much over the years. It made Emma proud, but it also made her miss the younger Ty and Dru.
Emma looked up at the sky and realized that the sun was beginning to set. The group hadn't even stopped for lunch. They must've been starving by now. Emma hadn't even realized how hungry she was until she thought about it. She had been to focused on saving her family.
"Jules, I think we should take a break," Emma said, nodding towards the setting sun.
"It's already that late?" Emma nodded. "We should eat a quick dinner," he said, "and depending on how tired we are, maybe keep walking."
Julian took off his backpack, and lowered himself to the ground. Everyone else did the same. Emma searched through her backpack for her food, and found a sandwich. It was a simple peanut butter sandwich. She took a bite, then wolfed down the rest of it. She hadn't eaten much all day, so she had reason to be hungry. Emma was still hungry after eating the sandwich, but knew she needed to save her food. They had packed enough food for a few days, since they didn't want their backpacks to be heavy.
     Emma always had a hand on Cortana, just in case she needed to use it. She remembered that there were many creatures in Faerie; some were harmful, and some were not. Emma promised herself that she would protect her family from anything that threatened them. She was sure that they could defend themselves, but Emma still wanted to be there for them.
     "Em." Julian's voice brought her back to reality.
     "Yeah?"
     "We need to decide whether or not we're going to keep moving, or stay here for the night."
     Emma was fine with moving on. The more they walked, the faster they could save Kit and Ty. Her legs were tired, but she could push through it. "I'm fine with moving on, but if anyone is too tired, we should stay."
     Julian nodded in agreement. "Does anyone not want to keep walking?" He looked around at the group. No one said anything. "Let's get moving, then." The group began to get onto their feet, and put their backpacks on. Emma did the same, zipping up her backpack, and throwing it onto her shoulders. The sun was barely shining. She didn't mind the dark, but in Faerie, she feared it.
     The group continued forward, happier after having eaten a small meal. Emma knew they had a long way to go until they reached Kit and Ty. She hoped they wouldn't be too late. Emma would never forgive herself if something happened to them. What would she tell Jem and Tessa; that she couldn't take care of Kit for a few weeks? She prayed to the Angel—whether or not he was listening—that she could save them.
     "Everything will be alright, Emma," Cristina said. It was like she could read minds; Emma was slightly suspicious.
     "What if we don't find them?" There were so many 'what ifs.' They plagued Emma's thoughts. What if they didn't make it to the Seelie Courts? What if Kit and Ty were hurt? What if they couldn't get out of Faerie? Emma knew that worrying about failure wouldn't help her, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. Her family meant everything to her, and she couldn't lose anyone else. Livvy being gone was already hard enough. She had to save Ty and Kit, not just for herself, but for Livvy, her little sister. Livvy would want them to live, and Emma would grant her wish.
     "We won't stop until we do." Cristina's voice was strong, and sure. Emma believed what she said.
     "We'll find them," Emma said under her breath. The words meant everything to Emma. Even though they gave her false hope, she needed to hear them. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost Kit or Ty. Emma hoped she'd never have to be in that situation.