Emma stared at the flickering flame in front of her. She took a deep breath, letting the tensions of the day slip away. A sense of calmness filled her mind. Emma loved this part of her day. It was a chance to finally be by herself, without all the emotions of other people crowding into her mind. She took another breath, letting the silence wash over her –

"Hey, Emma!"

Emma slowly, deliberately turned and favoured Brennan with a withering glare. "Yes?"

Brennan fidgeted awkwardly, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "Err…it can wait." He backed slowly out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Emma sighed, and turned back to the candle. Once again, she felt a wave of stillness fill her.

"Emma, do you know where the plug for the laptop is?"

Emma took a deep breath and let it out slowly before replying.

"It's in the cubby by the computer, Jesse," she said slowly and quietly, trying not the let her frustration show.

Jesse's gaze flickered from Emma to the candle and back to Emma again. "Oops, sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

Once Jesse had left, Emma turned back to her candle, trying to recapture her sense of calmness.

"Emma, can I borrow your red top?"

"You mean the one you're wearing?" Emma growled, sounding almost as feral as Shalimar was.

Shalimar looked down, then grinned sheepishly. "Whoopsie!" She smiled brightly, then flounced out of the room. Emma gritted her teeth, then turned and glared at the candle, her concentration completely broken. She could feel the assorted emotions of her teammates beginning to break through her temporary mental barrier. When the door to her room opened once again, Emma's frustration finally boiled over.

"Will you people leave me alone? All I ask for is half an hour a day to myself but no, you all have to keep interrupting me! I mean, I think the least you can do is let me have a little peace, after all I do for you! And didn't your parents ever teach you to knock before you come into the room? I mean, it is common courtesy. How would you like it if I barged into your room any old time I pleased? You don't even --- uh, hi Adam."

"Am I interrupting something? I don't want to intrude."

"No, don't worry about it. I'm just a little on edge today, that's all." Emma sighed.

Adam's smiling eyes regarded her sympathetically. "Tough day?"

Emma groaned, and sank back down to the ground. She looked at the candle, which had gone out.

"You don't know the half of it," she moaned. "I burned myself at breakfast, the New Mutant I was supposed to meet never showed, I ripped my favourite skirt, lost twenty dollars, almost got run over by a truck, had to fight off a six foot tall mugger, got a blister from my new boots, and now I can't even meditate in peace!"

Adam whistled. "Very tough day," he said.

Emma shrugged resignedly. "I'm putting it off to karmic payback for something – although I have no idea who I apparently murdered."

Adam chuckled, and rose to his feet. "I'll let you get back to your meditation – and I'll make sure nobody bothers you, even if I have to lock them all in the Dojo. They could use the combat practice, anyway."

Emma gave Adam a small, grateful smile. "Thanks."

Adam smiled back, then gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and left the room.

Emma turned back to the candle. She took a deep breath – then jumped in surprise as the candle came to life with a small poof. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Emma realized that the other 7 candles in her room had also lit. Her main attention, however, was focused on the flame in front of her. It seemed innocent enough – aside from having just lit itself – but Emma still found herself tensing, waiting for something, though she couldn't figure out what. For a moment, there was a dead silence in the world around her. Even time itself seemed to stop.

"Help me."

The voice was quiet, almost childlike, yet it seemed to echo through Emma's mind. Emma gasped as a surge of intense sadness passed through her. Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. She suddenly felt so alone, so vulnerable. She wanted to call for Adam, Shalimar, anybody, but her mouth just wouldn't co-operate.

As abruptly as it came, the feeling left. Once again, there was a moment of complete stillness, total silence. Then a searing pain ripped through Emma's mind. A ragged scream forced itself out of her throat, as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing in agony. Somewhere outside of the blackness enveloping her, Emma was vaguely aware of someone speaking.

"Emma? Emma, what's wrong? Can you hear me?"

"Adam?" Emma's throat felt raw and dry from the effort of her screams, and the word came out as a cracked whisper.

"It's going to be okay," Adam's voice was gentle, soothing. Instinctively, Emma pushed herself against him, seeking protection. She felt a cool hand press softly against her forehead. The pain subsided, and Emma let herself fall into a cocoon of darkness, aware of Adam carefully lifting her. The last thing she was aware of was the feeling of Adam's arms around her.