Emerald

"'Cause I'm in too deep and I'm trying to keep up above in my head, instead of going under..."

My eyelids flutter open at the soft, low voice that seems to be singing Sum 41.

"Emerald?" Someone whispers into my ear, shifting underneath me and I realise I'm lying on top of someone. I feel their clothed chest underneath me as I close my eyes. They smell of pine-needles and sleep. I bury my face in the shirt and I hear a sort of thumping noise start to speed up until I think it might explode. I move my hand up the chest, to the face of the person slowly and as the hand moves the thumping speeds up even more.

With a gasp I realise the thumping is a heart.

I slowly raise my head, my eyes catching the eyes of...

William Benedict...

My

Soulfinder?

My

Soulfinder.

My

Soulfinder!

My

Soulfinder?!

No.

No!

No?!

Definitely not.

I shoot off his chest like a rocket, landing on unsteady legs where I then trip over myself, landing hard on my ass.

"Shit!" Will swears, leaping up and coming to my rescue. Before I can even blink Will has picked me up, swinging me around in his arms as his scent overwhelms me. Making me sleepy and needy.

I want him...

Dead.

Yes, yes. Dead. I mean... how could I want him any other way? Yeah... yeah... dead.

Insert nervous laughter here.

Will sets me on one side of the bed and then he goes and sits on the other, making it clear he doesn't want me near him and that he, too, is not accepting this...

LIE!

Because it has to be a lie, doesn't it? The Cosmos is just trying to trick us. We are not soulfinders. No way.

I glance down at myself and gasp when I realise I'm wearing Will's clothes.

Holy shit, do soulfinders have to dress like each other?

No... and we're not soulfinders!

My subconscious seems to think I'm lying.

"What did you do?!" I demand, snapping my head to him. He looks to me, his expression blank but still looking kind of... sad. Depressed even.

"Shut up, everyone's still sleeping." He hisses, while still remaining expressionless. He sighs, leaning against the wall as he closes his eyes. He brings his knees up to his chest and rests his arms on them. I settle in, waiting for the story of what happened after I fainted.

My face burns as I think of the word.

Fainted...

"After you went down I heard people waking up, I knew they were coming here to figure out what all the noise was about. So, as I was having a frickin' panic attack as you had a nice sleep I saw that you were wearing a big T-shirt that barely covered your ass."

Well, I thought I'd be killing you. It didn't really matter what I wore, did it?

"So I just shoved some of my pants on you. Then I quickly lifted you up and put you on my chair near my desk, all slumped over and stuff so it looked like you had fallen asleep while talking or whatever. My dad and brothers came in. I told them you had come around midnight, wanting to apologise and that you were still just trying to wrap your head around the fact that you're alone. But then we both kind of dozed off and the shouting was coming from you because you were having night terrors." He shrugs. "Luckily they were too tired to ask any real questions, like why I let a murderer into my bedroom in the middle of the night."

I glare at him.

"What?"

"I'm not a murderer." I hiss.

He shrugs, lazily. "Whatever, I couldn't care less."

And for some unknown reason my eyes started watering, my vision blurring and my hands starting to shake as a lump forms in my throat.

I try to swallow, but nothing works. I end up choking back a sob.

I put the back of my hand to my mouth, appalled at what's happening. The last time I cried was when I realised that I would be staying in solitary confinement for a very long time.

I thought I'd be there for the rest of my life.

Will looks seriously alarmed. He quickly comes towards me, practically bounding over the space that separates us on the bed. He comes to me, taking my hand from my mouth and I shake my head.

Idiot! I scream into his head and he winces, his head snapping back as I start sobbing.

Some really broken-hearted sobs that wrack and shake my whole body, tears squeezing out of my eyes, everyone of them stinging and painful. Will recovers from my telepathy attack and picks me up easily, as if I weigh nothing. He brings me to his chest, tucking me in and cradling me. My sobs carry on. Making my whole body quake with tremors as I hiccup between them. He hands me a tissue he pulled out from God only knows where and gives it to me. I blow my nose and hurl it into the trash can by the door.

Soon my sobs turn to cries and my cries turn to pathetic little whimpers until all I'm left with is a blotchy face, swollen eyes, an aching throat and the hiccups. Will hands me another tissue and I wipe my face, calming my hiccups down.

Will gives a mirthless laugh. "I've only just found you and already I'm making my soulfinder cry." He murmurs, more to himself than to me.

But I hear it.

NO! He thinks we're soulfinders...

I break out of his arms and run. Not even pausing to think.

And I don't stop, not even when I burst through the front door and out into the chilly night.

Not even when I hear Will pounding after me.

Not even when my throat swells, bile rising up as I remember how unfit I am because I was kidnapped.

And every night I prayed for my soulfinder to save me when I was in my padded Hell.

And he did.

I just didn't realise I'd hate him so much for doing it.