turps

Part 2

“I came back.” In a way she had, Emma had been reborn to a world of secrecy and lies, but to Mutant X, to Shalimar she’d been dead and would continue to be so.

“Not to us you didn’t.” Shalimar turned feral for an instant and Emma could sense the men on the boat tense. “You were dead, Emma. Still are to Jesse and Brennan. They’re at Sanctuary and they’re grieving for something that never happened. How could you?”

“I’m sorry. I had to go, we had to go.” Emma could tell the moment her words sank in, and a wave of anger exploded from the feral. “Adam’s with you? He abandoned us, the team he built and just left. How could he? Brennan said something was rotten and I didn’t want to believe him, but he was right all along.”

Emma flinched as the words hit home, they were true, at least to an extent, but Emma couldn’t explain and looking at Shalimar she knew she might as well have stayed dead. At least that way Shalimar would have mourned not hated. “I’m sorry, Adam is too, he would have come but he’s busy…”

“Busy!” Shalimar almost screamed the word. “Too busy for Mutant X, for his family?”

Stepping forward, Emma tried to reach for Shalimar then jerked her hand back as the feral hissed. “I missed you all so much. Missed you.”

“It looks like it.” Some of the anger drained from Shalimar and she slumped a little, staring at Emma. “We cried for you, Emma. Jesse cried, I cried, god even Brennan had red eyes one night. We missed you so much and now you think you can just come here and start again? It doesn’t work like that. We’ve moved on. Lexa’s not you or Adam but she’s Mutant X now.”

“I love you.”

“I know you do.” Shalimar reached for Emma at last, holding her hand. “I loved you too. I still do, but I can’t be near you just now. You have to understand.”

At those words Shalimar leaned forward, brushing her lips across Emma’s. “Give me time, Emma.”

With that Shalimar turned and ran away without a backward glance, and Emma started to walk slowly to the harbour. She’d made her choices the night of the collapse, now she had to live with them.