Chapter 2

I don't mind spending everyday, out on your corner in the pouring rain. Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay a while.

"Kristoph, where's Mama?" I asked impatiently, not for the first time today.

"I don't know" Kristoph said sternly, gripping my hand tighter "I've already told you I don't know."

"I'm only eight" I muttered under my breath, shoving my free hand into the pocket of my shorts. Kristoph had taken me to the park for the day to offer my parents some time after an argument they had had earlier. Our Mother had said she would pick us up early in the afternoon but no one came.

We waited and waited until I began to complain I was tired and I wanted to go home. Kristoph, being the responsible older brother he was, decided to walk me home himself. But my legs felt weak and it was hard to keep up with his big steps, meaning he was practically dragging me along the sidewalk.

"Klavier, please pick your feet up" Kristoph scowled "our house is just round the corner and then you can…" His sentence was cut short as he stopped dead in his tracks, jolting me forward.

I looked up at my brother who was frozen still, his eyes wide with fear, his mouth on a hinge. I stared at his face for a moment before I followed his gaze. I felt my heart turn to ice inside my chest as I stared at the sight in front of me.

It couldn't be…not our…house.

Thick, black fumes flooded the sky as they rose from the fiery pit, standing right where our house had once stood. Fire-fighters crowded around the scene, making a poor effort to try douse the flames. I could feel tears well in my eyes, shock stiffen my body.

My brother was the opposite, however, as he grabbed me swiftly by the hand and pulled me up into his arms, sprinting towards the fire engines. I could feel his heart pounding against me as he ran, sending more fear through me. When Kristoph was scared, I was scared.

"What's going on?" He cried, grabbing the nearest fire-fighter he could. The man was wide eyed as he stared at us and explained how damage to a gas pipe had caused a fire in the house.

My brother said nothing the whole time, his eyes clouded over as if he weren't really with us at all. I simply leaned my face into his neck and cried, my tears soaking into his shirt.

"Do you live here?" The man asked quickly, looking at me as he did.

"Y-Yes, we do" Kristoph said shakily, holding me tighter.

"Look, son" He said softly, placing a hand on my brothers shoulder "The flames are too high for us to go in yet. Your parents are still trapped inside." His words rang through my head, deep into my brain like a scratched record. Your parents are still trapped inside. Trapped.

I stared up at the roaring flames, gazing into what was once my bedroom window and thinking only of the fear my parents must be feeling. But staring at the horrific scene now, it was pointless to think they could still be alive.

I shook my head fiercely, trying desperately to shake off memories I had been suppressing all these years. Realising that I had simply been standing and staring at the same cracked tile in the sidewalk, I quickly regained the pace to my car.

The rain became heavier as the orange glow of the setting sun began to fade. The sound inside my head as each raindrop hit me, it was like a thousand drums beating inside my mind. It made me feel dizzy, it made me feel tired.

As I turned the last corner, my new silver sports car came into view, only just recognisable through the rain. I began fumbling around in my pocket for my keys, my pace quickening as I imagined curling up on the warm couch at home.

I was grateful I hadn't taken my motorbike to work today, though I was already soaked to the bone. I unlocked the car and, as I reached for the door handle, looked up for a brief second.

I would have simply opened the door and drove home but something caught my eye in that quick glance that held my attention.

I stared through the small alleyway opposite and managed to make out a figure, leaning idly against the wall. As I squinted further through the rain, I managed to make out long, brunette hair contrasting beautifully with a bone white lab coat.

I grinned widely, slamming my car door shut and locking it quickly, ignoring the fact I was now dripping wet. Without thinking, I crossed quickly to the alleyway, closing in on the unsuspecting young lady.

"Hey, Fräulein detective" I called, my smile growing as I came up behind . She jumped a little before turning to face me.

At just the sight of me she sighed loudly and rolled her eyes but I continued to grin enthusiastically.

"What are you doing here, fop?" She asked, her voice sounding just as agitated as always when we met.

A few raindrops dripped onto her cheek from the usual pink glasses that sat perfectly on her head. Her face was pale and slightly blue in the weak evening light. She looked physically exhausted.

"I came to visit my brother at the detention centre" I answered, leaning against the damp brick wall. I saw her body flinch slightly as she began to turn towards me, but she quickly stopped herself. It was silent for a moment, with only the sound of the rain thumping against the concrete.

The bright headlights of a car were suddenly visible through the rain, to which Ema leant foreword eagerly, her eyes wide. But the car drove straight past her, it's driver trying desperately to see the road through the thick rain.

She sunk back against the wall, disappointed, her bottom lip pouting a little. She didn't look at me-as if she had forgotten I was there-she simply stared at the pavement.

"So, is there any reason you're standing out here in the rain?" I asked playfully, trying to make her smile "Is it to get away from me, perhaps?"

She smirked a little, just a little, before her lips quickly straightened and her eyes no longer gleamed.

"I wish" she muttered "it's impossible to get away from you." She folded her arms and, as she did, glanced at the watch on her wrist. She sighed deeply but I continued to remain silent, waiting for a proper answer. I'm sure she knew this.

"I'm waiting for my sister" Ema whispered, her eyes now focused on the metal staircase fastened to the apartment building, way above her head.

"You have a sister?" I asked, completely surprised for a moment. "Oh, wait! L-Lana, wasn't it? She used to be the head of prosecutors?"

"That's right" Ema nodded weakly "she's supposed to come and pick me up." I waited silently for a moment, now expecting a car to pull up and for my Fräulein detective to disappear. But Ema simply continued to stare upwards at the metal frame, wincing when a raindrop fell and hit her skin.

"You're close?" I asked, desperate to break the silence.

"Of course" Ema said, as if it were an obvious answer "She raised me, after all."

"She…raised you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Ema gave me a blank look, before she turned her attention to the road as another car drove past, much to her disappointment.

"Our parents died" Ema explained, shifting her feet uncomfortably "I was too young to remember, of course. So Lana raised me, trying to give me the most normal childhood that she could. Curfew, pocket money, she wanted to make sure that I fit in with the other kids, even though I was so different."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Fräulein" I muttered, hanging my head.

"S'okay" Ema mumbled simply, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"To tell you the truth" I said, lifting my head once again. She turned her head to face me, her earthy green eyes focused entirely on my face. "My parents died when I was young, so I was raised by my brother."

"Oh" Ema whispered, her eyes swimming. She knew what had happened to my brother, what he did. She'd been there, after all. She'd comforted me after the trial but it was hard to accept anyone at that time.

"How is he, by the way?" Ema whispered, her eyes still focused on me.

"He's…" I mused, trying to find an appropriate word "better." I took another look at Ema before I sighed heavily

"He's gotten used to it now, I suppose. I want to see him before Christmas but visiting times are really restricted now, even for prosecutors."

"Yeah" Ema replied, the corner of her lips pulling into a frown "I remember how hard it was getting to visit my sister."

Ah, that was right. Ema's sister had been in trouble once, a suspect to a murder trial. Of course, I had only heard that from other people.

I wanted to comfort Ema on this matter but I decided to hold my tongue. The atmosphere was awkward enough already.

My shirt was soaked through now, my hair becoming loose and tangled. My skin began to prick at the cold but, now that I noticed it, Ema was shivering violently. She must've been standing here for so much longer than I was.

"Are you sure she's coming?" I asked gently.

"She said she'd be here" Ema replied, glancing at her watch again "She's never normally this late."

"Can't you go home and call her later?" I asked, worried for the sake of Ema's health. Standing in the bitter chill and rain was draining her minute by minute.

"Do you really want me to leave?" Ema asked, raising an eyebrow "That's a first, isn't it?"

"No, it's not that" I insisted quickly "It's just" I felt my cheeks begin to burn as I spoke "well, you're getting cold."

"Well, I would" Ema sighed, ignoring my blush "But she has my apartment keys, that's why it's so important that she picks me up."

She gripped the sleeves of her lab coat and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She exhaled shakily, her breath swirling out in front of her.

I quickly glanced back around to my car and back to the Fräulein detective. Here was my chance, here I had the opportunity to say what I'd imagined saying since the first time I first laid eyes on Ema Skye.

'Don't mess it up, Klavier' I thought, over and over in my mind.

"Well, you could always come back to my place" I offered, nervously "I mean, at least we'll be inside, then you could call your sister from there, ja?"

I held my breath as Ema turned to face me, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. She rolled her eyes and groaned, to which I felt disappointment creep through me."This isn't just a trick to get me to your house, is it?" She asked.

"N-no, I just…well it was just a thought" I mumbled, embarrassed.

"Well, I don't suppose I can wait for her any longer" Fräulein sighed. She froze for a moment before she turned to me, a smile on her face "I guess I'll have to come home with you then."