The Story of Emma Andrews

All Roads Lead Back to Thistle House

Emma stood behind Cheryl as the redhead sat in front of her vanity, admiring herself. Cheryl's eyes flickered to her friend as she began braiding her hair.

Emma had been relatively quiet during her stay at Thistle House. Cheryl knowing Emma was still shaken from the Shadow Lake incident, chose not to question it, but now the elephant in the room had grown and the redhead's curiosity with it.

"Emmie, are we ever going to talk about what thoughts plague your sweet mind?" Emma's eyes lifted from Cheryl's hair to her reflection.

"What do you mean?" Emma played dumb as she continued to work on Cheryl's hair.

Rolling her eyes, Cheryl huffed and looked at the strawberry blonde sternly, "Are you going to tell me what has you looking silent and disturbed or are we suppose to act like all is good?"

Emma shrugged.

Cheryl gave her a pointed look, waiting for her to start. "It's just... that night kind of brought up everything I wanted to forget. My problems with Jughead, Betty, the shooting at Pop's. It was like a one moment all was fine and the next everything came crashing down." Cheryl watched as the strawberry blond moved towards her bed and sat down and sighed.

"I don't think I can compete with Betty. It just feels like him and I are on the same page, moving along with one another. And then the next moment, she sweeps in and takes him. Yeah, they aren't together and he says he doesn't want her, but at the end of the day every action proves she might still."

"Emmie," Cheryl looked at her friend as she shook her head. Getting up to move towards her, Cheryl watched as Emma bowed her head at the redhead's movement.

"I know you don't like him, Cher, but am I wrong to feel like this? Is it just me?"

"No, it isn't." Cheryl said softly. "Maybe you should just talk to him. Dear cousin Betty has always been a longing lover, we saw it with Archie as creepy as that was." Emma laughed at the redhead's antics.

"Tell me about Shadow Lake, I heard about the whole hostage thing. As much as I do not like the leech, Veronica was smart."

Emma simply exhaled deeply in response.

Cheryl smiled at her softly, "I know it brought back memories, E."

Emma frowned, "When they first came into the house, I froze. Just seeing the gun brought me back. It was like I was in Pop's all over again. Cold barrel to my head, I could smell his musk." She shook her head as Cheryl looked at her intently.

"Then he shot my dad, and then me. It wasn't a sharp pain like most people would think or like it is in the movies. It was slow, hot- extremely hot and as the heat continued to rise, I began to feel numb. Then I turned to see Archie holding my dad and my body felt as though it was slowly beginning to freeze, like the coldness crept up on me."

Cheryl wiped a tear from her cheek as Emma continued, speaking in a small voice. "I don't remember much, Archie said I laid on the floor withering and crying out. That I held my dad's wound and smeared blood all over the hood of the car when I got out... but it was just dark to me."

"Oh, Emmie..." Cheryl said as she held her friend tightly in her arms.

Emma remained quiet, not crying just simply troubled by the thoughts that circulated her mind. That night, Cheryl attempted to distract Emma with talk about Toni and for a bit it worked.

Soon the thoughts would creep back in but to Emma, in Thistle House, through all of its twisted horrors and boarded up secrets, she felt safe from the world that lurked outside. More importantly, the man who lurked behind the shadows, the one she was sure of was unfounded.