A/N: After a very long hiatus, I am back. Enjoy, & please read and review!
Emmaline's heart felt like it was stuck in her throat. Tears burned the brims of her eyes, but the furiously fought them off, not wanting to show any sign of weakness in front of these total strangers. "My mother doesn't have siblings," Emmaline tried to make her voice sound strong, but it even sounded pathetic to her own ears.
Fiona scoffed, putting her cigarette in the ashtray on the marble table beside her. "It's no surprise she told you that; my sister was always a real bitch."
Emmaline was suddenly filled with rage—sure, her mother could have bitchy tendencies, but no one was allowed to say that about her. "Don't talk about her like that," Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her hands gripped the cushions of the couch so hard, she was surprised her fingernails didn't tear the fabric.
Fiona leaned forward, looking Emmaline directly in the eye. "Or what?" She taunted. The rage inside Emmaline grew from a lit match to a house fire. Every lightbulb in the room suddenly busted. A scream escaped Cordelia's mouth, breaking Emmaline from her trance.
"Impressive," Fiona raised an eyebrow, lighting another cigarette.
"Mother, why must you taunt her?" Cordelia scoffed, standing from her spot. "Spalding!" She called. "We need the lights changed down here. Again."
"I have to go," Emmaline stood from her spot and headed toward the door. "I have someone I'm supposed to meet."
"We already called your little girlfriend; don't worry about her." Fiona took a long drag from her cigarette, staring up at the high ceilings. "She's going to meet you here tomorrow to say goodbye."
"Excuse me?" Emmaline retorted. "What do you mean goodbye?"
"We—and by we, I mean Cordelia—called your mother. She'll be here in the morning." A large puff of smoke escaped Fiona's lips, and Emmaline wanted nothing more than to shove that cigarette down her throat.
Emmaline turned her rage to Cordelia. "You had no right," She started. Cordelia put her hands on Emmaline's shoulders soothingly, sitting her back down on the couch.
"We called her to let her know you were safe, and suggest you stay here to get help controlling your abilities, but she was quite insistent on you going home." Cordelia rubbed Emmaline's back, and out of habit she wanted to lay her head on the older woman's shoulder. She resisted—although Cordelia was apparently her cousin, she knew it would be weird.
"I'll make sure I'm long gone before she gets here," Fiona interjected. Emmaline turned toward the woman, suddenly filled with annoyance again. She now understood why Constance had never mentioned her sister.
"Are you always this negative?" Emmaline asked.
"Yep," Fiona exhaled another cloud of smoke, turning to Emmaline and smiling a wicked smile.
