More than Words

The passing weeks were agonizingly slow. Emily and her parents hadn't been back to the camp since her last encounter with Jared as her family had been busy with work and school. Emily normally enjoyed school, she had a thirst for hunger, but these weeks had been hard and she struggled to focus on anything but the memory of him. She knew they would be visiting camp for the fourth of July for their annual event, so she had just been counting down the days. She had texted him a few times, but he never replied. What exactly had happened that night? What exactly is he? She knew her curiosity was a dangerous trait, but she couldn't leave a mystery unsolved, it just wasn't in her nature.

A week before the camp event, Emily was in her bed reading a book after having finished her homework for the day. Her mother believed she was asleep, but as was typical for Emily, she stayed up to read well past her expected bedtime. She had been an insomniac ever since the trauma with her father, and had never quite conquered her fear to sleep, so she normally just fell asleep reading, escaping into the world of pages and out of her own.

This night, as she quietly flipped through her pages, she got a sudden jump when her cell phone began to vibrate on the nightstand beside her bed. Nobody ever contacted her, so a night call wasn't something she'd expect. She quickly grabbed her phone to stop the noise of the vibration and looked down to see that it was Jared calling...well, she hoped it was Jared anyway. She supposed she couldn't really know which one it was. She answered and rolled over, covering her head in blankets to muffle her sound better, she whispered, "H-Hello?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, as if he was unsure whether he should hang up or not. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentle, but sounded pained. "Emily...I am so sorry for...what happened. I didn't think he would..." he stopped himself, rethinking his words, struggling to explain and sighed in frustration, "I should have been able to stay in control. I just...I'm sorry.."

Emily's chest ached at his words, the turmoil within him was thick in his voice and she heard his guilt in them. She didn't know what to say, she had so many questions and built up emotional chaos that no response felt appropriate. There was a long pause, before he finally spoke again. "Emily....will you do me a favor? Will you sing for me?"

Her face went hot and she stammered out sheepishly, "Jared I can't just sing on cue. Besides, I'm supposed to be asleep!" She was still whispering, but her words were sharp and clear. "Why would you even want me to do that? Isn't that a bit...weird? You dont even spend that much time with me anyway, I don't understand you".

The other end went quiet again, she could hear his breathing, and it was oddly comforting for her. She felt close to him, huddled under these blankets in her own secret moment and suddenly she regretted how quickly she had refused his favor. She began to apologize but he spoke sadly, "I stayed away because I didn't want you to get hurt.... I tried, Emily. It doesn't matter now...Az has chosen you, I can't stop him anymore. Maybe I can try to protect you though...I hope I can. You're special, Emily". He paused again, waiting for her response briefly before continuing, "Please...sing for me? Just the once?"

Emily felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest, he was so sweet compared to that monster from the woods, she thought, and she wanted to keep him on the phone as long as possible. Nervously, she began to sing in a soft whisper, her voice trembling over words slightly as she grew embarrassed, but she continued for him, eager to impress him. She had always loved singing and had been trained much of her childhood to follow the footsteps of her mother, who led the Chamber Choir of the state. She was a confident singer in her solitude or school performances, but she had never sang for anyone personally. Still, for some reason she was desperate to make him happy and so she sang the four songs she was best at.

When she was finished she was prepared to be mocked or hung up on. Part of her anticipated that sort of behaviour because she still couldn't grasp his interest in her, but to her surprise she heard him whisper peacefully, "Thank you Emily...stay with me now, just a bit longer"? Unsure of what else to say, she simply nodded to herself and started to hum. Within a few moments, she could hear his rhythmic breathing turn into a steady snoring. She didn't hang up, though. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so alone, so she fell asleep listening to him sleeping.

When the fourth of July weekend rolled around Emily was anxious and a bit jittery. Her mother teased her happily, "It looks like someone actually DOES like people, hm? I told you, Emily sweetie, this Brotherhood community is a great thing" Her mother continued as she finished loading up the car, "You made a few friends, and we have a place to escape to every now and then. We really are very fortunate".

Emily loaded her bag and got into the truck, she had a two hour ride ahead of her, and all she could think about was seeing him once they got there. Her heart raced at the thought of dancing with him again, feeling his hand in hers, and she bit her lip and imagined it. She was scared of Azazel, though, but she didn't think it mattered to her anymore. She had to be with Jared again.