Troubled Child

A Special Locket

"It's so nice that you and Holly became friends instead of you beating her up." Riley said to Emily as she set down a plate of crackers and cheese.

"Yeah, anyone willing to take a punch just to help me keep my rep is a friend of mine." Emily smiled swinging her arm around Holly's shoulders.

Riley nearly spit out her tea. "You took a punch? Why didn't you tell me?"

Holly chuckled. "No no, Aunt Riley, I didn't take a punch, but I was willing. I just wanted her to know she had a friend if she wanted one." She said putting her arm around Emily's waist.

Emily moved her hair to the side revealing a golden locket around her neck. "I've never been invited to an actual tea party so if my manners suck I'm sorry, I guess." She shrugged.

Riley gave her a smile, then she noticed the locket dangling from the young girl's neck. "That's a beautiful locket. Where did you get it?"

Emily smiled. "The woman at the orphanage said I had it with me when she found me on the porch. I guess it was something my mother wanted me to have." Her smile faded. "I used to hope that it was a sign that she really did want me and she would come get me, but-" She sighed. "Hope is for suckers." She frowned. Holly pulled her in for a side hug and laid her head on Emily's shoulder to comfort her.

Riley blinked, staring at the child in wonder. The locket reminded her of Maya's locket her mother gave her for her 14th birthday, the one Shawn helped her mother pay for. Then when she heard the little girl say something exactly like Maya once said it clicked. This Emily girl reminded her of Maya. The long blonde hair, the bright blue eyes, the way her smile was never complete like something was missing in her life so she could never fully be happy, and then Riley saw a glimpse of something else, someone else. Holly made Emily laugh to cheer her up and her face lit up much like the face of a friend of her's.

"Is there anything in the locket?" Holly asked curiously.

Emily shrugged. "Just some picture. I hoped it would be a picture of my parents or even just my mom." She sighed and cracked it open so Holly could see the picture inside the locket. "But it's just some girl and some lady, but they are smiling. I don't know, I kind of like it. When I was little I pretended it was a mother and her daughter and they were smiling because even though it was just the two of them they were still whole."

"That's a nice way of thinking."

"Yeah, but I grew up. I know now that they are probably two models posing for a picture and it's fake. Even if it was a mother and a daughter they're not whole. They're broken." Emily shrugged. "But so am I so I keep it."

Holly patted her arm. "You're not broken, you're just a missing piece."

"I think you mean I'm missing pieces."

Holly shook her head. "No, I mean there is puzzle out there that is missing a piece and that piece is you." She smiled. "Maybe you're a missing piece in my puzzle. I already have this huge family made up of family friends maybe you're just meant to be with us, part of our family of friends."

Emily let out a bitter laugh. "Sure, and maybe I don't belong anywhere."

Holly took her hand. "I think you belong here, with me and my family. Right, Aunt Riley?" She smiled.

Riley shook her head to bring herself out of her daze. "Huh? Of- Of course. Could I see this picture? In-In your locket?" Riley stuttered out nicely.

Emily shrugged and took her locket off, then she handed it to Riley.

Riley smiled. "Thank you." She opened it up and gasped at the image. Her hands shook, but she didn't want to let go of the locket. Tears came to her eyes as she looked up at Emily again.

"Aunt Riley? Is something wrong?" Holly asked feeling worried by the mistiness in Riley's brown eyes.

"N-No." Riley's voice cracked. "It's right. It's so very right." She looked down at the picture once more.

Holly and Emily stared at her partly confused and partly concerned.

"Aunt Riley, you're acting weird, weirder than usual. Are you okay? Should I call my mom or dad?"

Riley wiped away a tear and sniffed. She wanted to wrap her arms around the little girl in front of her and never let go, but she knew something like this had to be handled delicately. She handed back the locket and threw a smile on her face. "It's a beautiful locket and a beautiful picture. It reminds me of a picture I have." She stood excusing herself from the table.

"Your aunt is really weird."

Holly nodded. "Yeah, but she's usually not this weird. Something's going on."

Emily looked down at the picture again. "Do you think it has something to do with the picture?" She asked.

"Maybe, or just the locket, it wouldn't be the first time my Aunt Riley cried because she thought a piece of jewelry was beautiful." Holly laughed. She looked at the picture in the locket again. "Hey, did you notice this?"

"Notice what?"

Holly pointed to the young girl in the picture. "She's holding this locket."

"What?" Emily looked over at the picture. "I-I guess they're not models."

"Nope. She had this locket before you. It was her locket and I think it was your mother's locket." Holly gave Emily a small smile. "Your mother is the little girl in the picture."

Emily stared at the picture of the girl. "I never noticed before. I guess I was too young to see it and, to be honest, I haven't opened this in years. When I started to think it was fake I decided to never open it again because I didn't want to get my hopes up that it meant something." Emily wiped at her eyes.

"Now, you're getting misty."

She sniffed and chuckled. "Yeah, stupid emotions, I thought I locked those away years ago." She laughed.

Holly chuckled. "Hey, doesn't that girl look familiar? She's looks a little like-"

Emily gasped. "Like that girl in the picture.. On our teacher's mantle.. What- What was her name again?"

Holly was staring at the picture with her jaw slightly agape. "Maya."