Chapter 6

Emma's POV:

I turned the water faucet as far as it could go right. I wanted the water to be scolding hot. I wanted the hot water to melt everything away. My stress, troubles, worries, to just wash away, go down the drain and never be able to crawl its way back up. My body has never been overrun by this many emotions before. The only thing I could do was to shut down. Shut everyone out. I feel bad for being dismissive and shutting Mila out, but in order to let her in, I'd have to let in and face everything I was trying to avoid feeling.

The reflection of me was blurred as the mirror fogged up. I turned towards the shower and saw the steam rising. I knew the water was at the perfect temperature. I made my way into the shower and welcomed the searing hot water with open arms. I tried not to let any unwanted thoughts in, but more than that, I tried not to let any thoughts in at all.

It takes exactly 3 hours and 48 minutes of running the shower until the water becomes cold. The cold water caused dread to spread throughout my whole body. I knew it was time for me to get out, but I don't want to sleep. I don't want to face Mila. I'm such a coward. I can't face my emotions; I can't even face my wife, who's literally my soulmate. An explosion went off inside of me, and I went to punch the shower wall, but right before I did, I stopped. I couldn't project the destruction that was happening within me.

I took a deep breath as I shut off the shower. Stepping out, I grabbed my towel and hurriedly dried off. I was glad when I looked over to the mirror; it still blurred my face. I don't think I can look myself in the eyes. Others may not be able to see how I'm really feeling, but I knew I could see the truth. Facing myself in the mirror would be a confirmation of how broken I was, and I wasn't ready to face that.

I put my ear up to the bathroom door to see if Mila was still awake. Luckily it was silent, so I quietly opened the bathroom door and started tiptoeing to the bed. However, when I got close, I realized Mila wasn't in bed sleeping. The bed was still perfectly made, like how I left it this morning. I wonder where she is? She wasn't there when I woke up yesterday morning either. I was having an inner battle... Part of me wanted to find out where she was, but the other wanted to leave her alone, so I could be left alone to my own devices. She would just give me that concerned look that only makes me frustrated.

I decided to just go to bed on my own. Yet, sleep never seemed to come. I laid there for hours staring up at the ceiling. I watched the darkness of the room slowly be overtaken by the light from the rising sun. I looked at the space beside me, untouched. Mila didn't ever come to our room. I used all the strength and motivation I could muster at that moment to propel myself out of bed.

Once I was ready, I made my way downstairs. Once I hit the bottom of the stairs, I took in the smell of bacon and coffee. I could hear the kids talking about how they were excited to start 2nd grade soon. Then, I heard Mila's voice filter through, and it stopped me in my tracks. I could hear feigned happiness in her voice. I gathered myself and continued my way to the kitchen.

"Mommy! It's about time you got here. You've basically missed breakfast." Alyx looked at me a little sad. I looked down at my watch and realized I did take longer than usual to get down here. I would only have another 5 minutes with them before we all would have to leave to start our days.

"I'm sorry, sweety. Wednesdays have always been harder for me to get up out of my comfy bed. The bed begs me to stay, and how could I tell them no?" She shook her head in amusement.

"You're a silly mommy." She said with a giggle. I kissed her on the top of the head and looked at Aleksey with a smile, which he returned. I finally looked up to the one person I was trying to avoid eye contact with. She was taking a drink of her coffee and peering over the mug at me. I was expecting to see concern flood into her eyes, but it never came. In fact, no emotion made their presence within her eyes. She brought her drink down from her lips and pointed over to the edge of the island.

"I put some blood in your Yeti, so you can drink it on the way to work." I looked over to where she had pointed and made my way over to it. I grabbed it and looked back up at her.

"Thank you," I said timidly. She looked down at her watch, then placed her coffee mug into the sink.

"No problem." Her voice was monotone. "Come on, kids. It's time to go to school." They shot up from their seats and made their way towards the front door. As Mila was walking past me, I grabbed her arm gently.

"What's wrong with you?" She huffed out in response to my question. When she looked at me, I could tell she was upset.

"Maybe you should ask yourself that question instead of me." She broke her arm from my grip and brushed past me. I stood there looking at her retreating figure making its way towards the door. I watched the door close behind her, and instead of walking after her, I stood there frozen. By the time I snapped out of it and made my way outside, they were already pulling out of the driveway. I didn't get to say goodbye to any of them; not even I love you.

"Hey, Em! Oh, what's wrong?" Lance's smile quickly disappeared when he saw my face.

"I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just get in there, see if they've made any progress, and then conduct those interviews." He just nodded his head. He knew I didn't like when people pry, so he remained silent till we got down to the lab.

"There have been discussions of buying out the property next door so that we can move the quarantine quarters there. Make it into a hospital too." He mentioned as we were getting closer to where everyone was being quarantined.

"I know. I got the email too. I think it's a good idea. That's what I told the council." We had come to a stop right in front of the bubble.

"That's what I told them too." I didn't say anything in response to him. I just made my way forward to find Dr. Hein was waiting there for us. The closer I got to her, the more I could tell how sick she truly was. She looked way worse than what she did yesterday.

"Dr. Hein. You look..." I paused, trying to find the words.

"Worse than yesterday? Yeah, I know. I feel worse too. It seems the virus is progressing faster for me. I don't know why that is, but I have a theory." I perked up at this.

"Do share." She sat on the ground. I could tell she was exhausted.

"I believe the speed at which the virus spreads is dependent upon the species of the supernatural being." I brought myself down to the floor to where I was sitting on the ground with her.

"I've noticed a pattern. Most of the werewolves that I've seen and read research on have stayed alive close to or at a week—Vampires the same amount of time. Witches closer to a couple of weeks. Then there are fae like me and...." She stopped talking, looking away from me and letting out a shaky breath. "Most of them died within the first few days." I could see a couple of tears hit the floor. She then looked back up at me, and all the emotions in her eyes were crashing over me like a tidal wave. I'm glad I had my abilities shut off, or I feel as though I wouldn't be able to breathe; to function.

"My time is running out quickly. Everyone's loved ones that have tested negative for the virus are coming tomorrow to see them, and I'm panicking because I might not make it through the night. I may never see my daughter again before I die." I looked at her, surprised.

"I didn't know you had a daughter." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, I do. She's 7. She has the most gorgeous curly red hair. I still remember how happy and excited she was this Monday when I took her to school for her first day of second grade. I can see her smile right now, bringing out her cute little dimples on each side of her face; I can see that smile reach all the way up to her beautiful grey eyes, lighting them up as if they were the sun themselves." She said this with tears in her eyes, looking off in the distance, recalling every detail of this memory. I could see the sad smile when she described her little girl's smiles, but soon that smile was completely gone.

"That's going to be the last memory I have of her." Her voice broke as the tears came down her face quicker and with more abundance. "I don't know. Maybe it's for the best." She shrugged her shoulders at her statement. "That way, I can die letting the memory of how happy she was in that moment be my last thought. That way, she wouldn't see me dying right in front of her and the last memory I have with her is one where she's crying and broken." I couldn't stop my heart from wrenching. Every pulse of my heart hurt my chest.

"Melissa. You should see your daughter one last time. I know you don't want her to see you like this and see how it breaks her, but she'll need closure. She needs to be able to say goodbye, and so do you. I watched my mother die in front of me. Before life finally left her eyes, she was able to tell me that she loved me. Even though I remember that moment vividly, the part that always stood out to me the most was her saying that she loved me." I felt a tear escape down my cheek. It was the only one that was able to fight hard enough to make it past my defenses.

"She would have to come in today because I don't know if I'll be here tomorrow." I nodded and picked myself up off the floor.

"She goes to the same elementary school as my kids, correct?" I'm pretty sure I remember us finding that out on Monday.

"Yes, she does." She weakly picked herself up off the floor. I wish I could help her. I know she needed it.

"What's her name? I'll have Mila pick her up from school and bring her here." She brought out a piece of paper or something from her pocket and started unfolding it.

"Her name is Asha." She held up what she had taken out of her pocket; it was a picture. "This is what she looks like. I'll call the school and let them know Mila will be picking her up today instead of her grandma." She was about to walk away but paused. "Oh, and one more thing. We have a code phrase, "Ich denke, also bin ich." Make sure to have Mila say that so my daughter knows that she can trust her. She'll know that I actually sent for, and she's not some stranger there to kidnap her." I nodded my head. With that, she walked away.

"Hmm... German, nice. Does Mila know how to speak German?" I looked at him as if he was stupid.

"Of course she does, Lance. She's a freaking genius. She knows at least 5 or 6 languages now. Now come on, those interviews aren't going to conduct themselves." With that, we made our way upstairs to where the candidates were. I am hoping and wishing with every fiber of my being that they'll be the ones to find the cure.

Mila's POV:

I had just walked into work when I heard my phone go off inside my purse. It was the ringtone I had set for whenever Emma texted me. I could feel my eyes roll involuntarily. I keep thinking back to this morning. The audacity of her to ask me the question she did; "What's wrong with you?" Are you serious... I scoffed out loud.

"Mmm... Someone's in a mood today." Lori looked up at me with curious eyes. "What's going on?" Lori wasn't a supernatural being, and even though she lived with us a full year, she never found out about my family and me.

"I can't really talk about it, Lori. I'm sorry." She just looked at me, confused.

"Can't or won't?" I sighed and leaned up against her desk.

"I can't. I wish I could tell you all that's going on. The only thing I can really say is that there is some strain between Emma and me right now. I can't go into detail as to why, though." She stood up and walked around her desk towards me. I looked at her very confused, till she engulfed me in a hug.

"I understand if you can't tell me everything, but always know that you can come to me." She pulled away from the hug and kept both of her hands on my shoulders, and stood an arm's length away from me now.

"Whatever is going on between you and Emma, it'll work itself out. I know this for a fact. I lived with you both for a year. I know when people are meant for each other when I see it, and I know you both are meant for each other. You are each other's other half. You complete one another. The body and mind are far from each other right now, but your heart and soul are still intertwined and completing one another." I looked at her, shocked. I would never have thought like this.

"Can't believe you're only about to be 19. Wise beyond your years. Thank you for saying that. I've felt so distant from her lately physically, but you bring up a good point. No matter what, our souls are intertwined together. No matter how much distance we may find ourselves from one another, whether it be physically or emotionally, we are still connected. A part of us hasn't distanced itself at all. Okay, before this gets any deeper, I need to go up and get ready for the first client of the day." We both smiled at each other and went our separate ways.

As I was setting everything up, I kept looking over at my purse. I kept debating on looking at what Emma sent me. I rolled my eyes and made my way over to my purse, and dug my phone out. There were 4 separate messages. Oh, Emma, why can't you just put everything in one text message? It's like she has to have an individual message for each thought she has.

Okay, I am picking up her co-worker's daughter from school. Her name is Asha Hein, and she's in the second grade. There's a picture of her. Awe, she's so adorable. Her little dimples are so cute. Alright, and the last thing I need to know is that there is a code phrase that I have to say for her to know I'm not some stranger trying to kidnap her. That's actually really smart... I'm going to do that with Aleksey and Alyx today after school.

"Ich denke, also bin ich." It's German for, I think therefore I am. I would have never thought of this as a code phrase. Maybe I'll ask her and her mom for permission to use this. It's unique. I texted Emma back, letting her know that I would do what she asked. I was putting my phone away just as my first client made their way upstairs. I put on my most convincing smile and got to work.

I was on my way to pick up the kids from school. Talking to the school this morning, it looks like the twins' first official day of second grade will start tomorrow. I hope they enjoy it more. Instead of pulling into the loop, I decided on parking in the parking lot to walk inside and find Asha. I went straight to the administrative office.

"Hi, there. My name is Mila Ambrogio. I'm Aleksey and Alyx's mom; we spoke this morning." The older woman looked at me with a warm smile.

"Yes, I remember you. It's always refreshing meeting parents who are fully invested in their children." I smiled back, and it was probably the closest one to being genuine. I'm glad she sees me as a good parent because I try to be the best one I can be.

"Thank you. I care a lot about them and only want the best for them. I'm actually here now because-" She cut me off and handed me a hand-drawn map.

"Because you're picking up Asha Hein today. Her mother called and informed us. This is where you're at, and this is how you get to her classroom. It's room 113." I thanked her and went on my way to the twins' classroom first to get them. I lightly knocked on the teacher's door and waited for her to say I could come in. Once I heard her say I could come in, I just peeked my head in and gave a shy smile. So many little humans were staring at me. All these eyes on me was kind of unnerving.

"Hi there, sorry to interrupt! I'm here to pick up Aleksey and Alyx a little early." The teacher waved me off.

"Don't be sorry. Aleksey and Alyx, you're free to go with your mom. I'll see you both around the school. Everyone wish them good luck in second grade." I heard everyone shout good luck to them, and I could see Aleksey blushing a little bit. I have never seen him blush before.

"Hey, momma! What are you doing here so early?" I looked down at the map the lady at the front desk had given me and turned down what I think is the right hallway.

"Momma needs to pick up mommy's co-worker's daughter. Since I have to find her classroom, I picked you both up early so you wouldn't go out to the loop wondering where I was." I followed the hallway down a bit more and finally found the classroom I was looking for.

"Why do you have to pick her up?" I looked at her briefly and then focused back on the classroom door, lightly knocking on it.

"I don't quite know, sweetie." The door opened to a very tall man looking down at me. I'm pretty sure he has to duck under the doorway, or he'd hit his head on the door frame.

"Can I help you?" I gave him a nervous smile.

"Yes, sorry to interrupt, but I'm here to pick up Asha Hein. Her mom Melissa asked me to. I'm Mila Ambrogio." He studied me and then noticed my kids.

"Are those your kids?" I nodded and stepped back a bit to where they were more at my side.

"Yes, they are. Anyways, Asha." He hummed and opened the door wider, to where I could see most of the classroom. For the second time today, I had what felt like a million pairs of eyes on me. I hated that feeling.

"Asha. Your mom's friend, Mrs. Mila Ambrogio, is here to pick you up. Go ahead and grab your stuff; I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget we have a quiz tomorrow." She got up and looked at me, confused and guarded. Oh, right.

"Ich denke, also bin ich." I said out loud, and she seemed to relax a bit when I said that.

"See you tomorrow Mr. Young." She walked towards me, and she seemed a little nervous. She was very tall too. She'll most likely be taller than me like most people are. I'm not that short, but I'm also not that tall.

We got to the car, and everyone got in. Asha was sitting in the middle of the twins. They've grown another inch, literally overnight. With that and them holding a small presentation on why they don't need to ride in booster seats anymore, They no longer have booster seats. Like I said earlier, they probably didn't need them anymore, but I think I was just reluctant. I feel like they are growing up way too fast on me.

I glanced at Asha through the rearview mirror and noticed that she seemed nervous. She hasn't said a word to the twins or me. I don't know why but I wasn't comfortable with the silence going on in the car right now.

"How was school for everyone? Asha? Twins?" Asha looked up like a deer caught in headlights. She made eye contact with me, and she honestly looked terrified. I think she's just timid.

"Umm, it was fine Mrs. Ambrogio." I inwardly cringed. Being called Mrs. Ambrogio makes me feel so old.

"You can just call me Mila if you'd like. I'm glad your school day was fine. Twins, what about you?" Alyx jumped into the conversation, quickly answering enthusiastically.

"Great! The teacher let us have a pizza party for lunch, for Aleksey and me. I'm going to miss Miss Natalie. She's a very sweet lady." Aleksey chimed in after Alyx finished what she was saying.

"Any day is a good day when pizza is involved," he said casually. That little bit of information led to all three of them finally talking to one another in the back seat. I'm glad I could help Asha come out of her shell a little bit. Looking back in the rearview mirror, I saw all of them smiling and heard their little giggles. This made me genuinely smile.

"Alright, kids, we're here. Let's head in there." We all got out of the car, and Alyx started speeding off towards the building, making all of us quicken our steps to keep up with her. She was very excited to see her mommy. We made our way to the elevator and down to the lab, where Emma told me to meet her.

Once the doors opened, I immediately saw Emma and Lance waiting right there. Alyx just sprinted out and flung herself in the air at Emma. Emma, with her quick reflexes, caught her midair, securely pulling her into a hug. Emma looked at me kind of pointedly, and I looked at her confused. She put Alyx on the ground then brought me in for a hug. I froze for a moment, not expecting her to do this.

"Why did you bring the kids down here? I wanted you to just bring Asha." She whispered in my ear harshly. Of course, this wasn't a real hug. I pulled away from the hug and did my best not to snap at her. I looked down at the twins.

"Okay, my little bears, Mommy needs to get back to work. We should be heading home." I started walking towards the elevator to push the button but stopped just before hitting it, realizing that no one followed me.

"Come on, Aleksey, come on, Alyx." Alyx looked at me like she was going to cry.

"But momma, we want to stay with mommy." I sighed.

"I know, but your mommy...." I looked at Emma harshly before simmering down my temper and turning my gaze back to Alyx. "Says she doesn't want us here." I took a jab at Emma to try and get a reaction out of her. It worked. Emma scoffed and was about to say something when Aleksey inserted himself into the conversation quickly.

"Okay. We can leave then." He grabbed Alyx's hand. I could tell he gave it a heartbeat squeeze and was moving in my direction. She stopped him and grabbed Asha's hand. Asha wasn't prepared for this and looked like she was blushing.

"What about Asha, momma? We shouldn't leave her here." Emma got down to Alyx's eye level.

"She has to see her mommy really quick. So, how about you all go upstairs and check out our new fishes? I'll even have one of the employees let you feed them. While you're doing that, Asha will talk to her mom. Once she's done, she'll head back up, and you all can go home together." Alyx smiled at this.

"She's having dinner with us?" Emma nodded her head and looked up at me, asking with her expression if that was okay with me. I nodded my head in agreement. With that, the kids and I made our way up to where all the fish tanks were. Honestly, the hallway looked like a mini aquarium. I watched the kids feed the fish, but my mind kept drifting back to Asha. I had a feeling this conversation she had to have with her mom wasn't going to be a good one.