Spending the weekend with Alyssa left Emmalyn exhausted. It was only Saturday and they had to attend the demolition derby. Emmalyn was crawled into a ball when her phone's alarm rang. "Ugh, seriously?" she whimpered, rolling over to shut it off. She peered at her phone for a moment; she had apparently received a text message from her mother the night before. Ignoring the message, she placed the phone back on the bedside table and tucked herself underneath the plush comforter. She was attempting to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to after ten minutes of trying – she was wide awake.
Sitting upright, she could see her tousled hair in the mirror and a late evening sun dancing happily through the window. Emmalyn straightened her hair, tying it up with a band that was on her wrist and got out of bed. "I might as well shower." She sighed, examining her smeared make up. She sifted through her bag, finding appropriate items and headed towards the spare room's bathroom. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she put her clothing on the counter, strolled to the opposite side to the shower. Steam slowly crept through the room when she turned the knobs.
Gradually, she immersed her aching body in the hot water, exhaling in the relief it gave her. Emmalyn pressed her back against the wall in the shower, letting the water soak her body entirely. There she stood, for what seemed an eternity before leaving the shower to get dressed. She could hear soft bustling in the upstairs room by this time, the room in which Matt and Alyssa occupied. Hurriedly, she dressed herself and made her way back to the bedroom, making up the bed and laying across it. As she was staring blankly at the ceiling, recapping the events of the night before and soon there was a firm knock on her door. "I hope to God you're awake." Alyssa threatened childishly, letting herself into the room and shutting the door behind her. Alyssa skipped towards Emmalyn, jumping on the bed.
"Geez, I'm barely awake, yet I can't sleep. My body aches. I hate you." She sighed loudly. "Such a damn lightweight and you didn't even drink or smoke, "Alyssa mocked, "Anyway, come on and grab a bite to eat. We're going to the Ultor Dome." "Do you always stay on the move?" Emmalyn whined. "You'll get used to it." She snapped, ignoring her friend's appeals. Alyssa scooted off of the bed, heading towards the door before Emmalyn stopped her, "How come you never told me about Maero?" she questioned, now sitting on the edge. Alyssa rotated back to her, giving her a long winded sigh. "I didn't bother to tell you, because it was never a priority. I'm surprised you've stuck around after yesterday evening. I don't bond with other females too often." She responded, sparing her a weak grin.
"I…wouldn't have cared much. It doesn't really shock me." Emmalyn spoke skimpily. She had absolutely no idea if Maero or Alyssa even knew about her own secret. However, it wasn't a thing she would proudly admit to them either. Alyssa stood still for a moment, pondering on whether or not she would tell Emmalyn. Deciding against this, she smiled once more, motioned for her to follow her and the two left the room.
The remainder of the evening was spent goofing off in the underground corridors of the Ultor Dome – the main arena of Stilwater. Emmalyn had been here many times before, but not to attend a demolition derby. She and a few other Brotherhood members were scattered amongst various makeshift chairs and couches, passing the time. Flicking one another with scraps of paper and other items, a tiny sharp ball of paper hit Emmalyn in the eye, "Whoa! Do I need to come over there and fuck you up?" she reacted jokingly, shoving a couch pillow back at Manuel. "Aye, watch it!" he shrieked, ducking his head.
Matt and Alyssa were outside of the room, deep in heated conversation. "What do you expect me to do?" Alyssa jeered silently, her face flushing to crimson. Matt had his face buried in his hands; it was the first time since his childhood he was on the verge of tears. "I don't know, but I'm not ready for this okay! Just leave me alone." he hissed back, spinning on his heels to leave a dumbfounded Alyssa. "Are you kidding me? You're just going to walk away as if it's nothing at all?" she hollered after him. Matt was near the metal double doors before he stopped and turned to her, "I can't handle this. Like I told you, I'm nowhere near ready for this amount of responsibility. Find another guy to do this with." He snapped. Alyssa was much too stunned to reply to his harsh words. Hot tears strolled down her cheek. Gazing at the spot where he once existed, she spun around sharply and bumped into her brother.
"Watch it!" he yelled, not realizing the emotional despair occurring below. "Fuck off!" Alyssa responded angrily, pushing past him and exiting the building. Maero was baffled by her short outburst, but shrugged it off, joining the Brotherhood in the backstage room. "Having a war I see?" he commenting finding Emmalyn and another Brotherhood, Christina Romano, huddled behind the couch, holding close to their improvised ammunition – couch pillows and cushions. "What else would it look like?" Emmalyn rejoinder and tossed the pillow back at Miguel and knocking him in the head. Maero huffed and nodded his head for Emmalyn to come to the walkway with him. "What's up?" Emmalyn asked, scooting out of the way of Miguel's last attempt to retaliate. Maero sat lazily on a sturdy wooden table, Emmalyn standing next to him.
"You know what's wrong with Alyssa?" he requested, his arms crossed per usual. She shook her head in disagreement, "No, I have no idea." He mumbled gruffly, pushing the issue from reality momentarily. "Don't worry about that. I have a small job for you." He announced passively, whereas Emmalyn's eyes grew enormously. "What type of job?" she responded and tried to keep a composed self-possession. Maero shifted a bit before replying, "Nothing too major. Look, I need you to come with me. You're far more into diplomacy than I am, of course," he paused, "the Ronin have been setting off miniscule push backs and I need it to stop or I'll be forced to wipe that damn color from the map."
"So why don't you just tell Shogo that?" Emmalyn pondered aloud, her face contorting to a puzzled expression. "It doesn't take a genius to know that it won't take much for me to choke him. Most gang bosses would rather have personal one-on-one talks. I'm not seeking a gang war right now. You can do it, I know you can. Deal." He spoke and glanced at Emmalyn. "I didn't even say 'yes' or 'no'." she protested. Maero's heavy hand was on her shoulder, his brown eyes glued to hers. "You can. End of story. Now I have to go. Come home with Alyssa on Thanksgiving Break." He commanded, walking away without giving her the chance to object the issue any further.