Hi, I'm back! Thank you so much for your lovely comments (they really brighten up my day) and for taking the time to read :)

The Audition

It was a crisp Wednesday morning when Emily awoke to— oddly enough— the sound of hangers clanging together. It took only a moment before it was followed by the rustling of fabric and the unmistakable sound of boxes being shuffled around in the closet. She hears the curtains being pulled back. Beams of sunlight fill the room, so bright it made her eyes hurt. She blinks her vision slightly blurry, her mouth seemingly dry, and her heart feeling too heavy to carry. It must be time to get up she thinks, but her body would not cooperate.

The thing was she didn't get much sleep last night— a mere three hours and thirty minutes to be exact. There was a test today, and a paper due for her Politics class, and Emily was up forever just trying to get things done. She would have done these things earlier if she didn't insist on acting like a bloody ninja, sneaking into the house in the most inconvenient of ways and at the most ungodly of hours just to avoid any form of communication with her mother.

She was on a hunger strike. The idea had come to her one day in Politics class where Kieran went on for an hour talking about actively fasting as a form of protest during the early twentieth century in India. She figured that if it could work for a country then it would definitely work against her mum. It had been a week and a half now since her silent protest had begun. Emily no longer ate home cooked meals or deigned to sit with her family by the dinner table. She had this ridiculous notion that if she did, her mother would win, and for once she was not going to let that happen—although admittedly, she never really turned down Katie or James whenever they took pity on her and gave her morsels of food which they had managed to sneak past their mum.

"Wake the fuck up Ems!" It was then that Emily felt the covers being pulled away from her. She groaned and rolled over to the left. Thoughts of getting up rush through her mind but the bed was so warm and inviting that she closes her eyes again giving in to the temptation of having just few more minutes of undisturbed sleep.

"Okay, its either you get up or I'll drag you off the fucking bed!" Katie said, as she hurled a pillow a little too roughly at her sister. It was in part due to frustration (this was the fifth time she tried waking Emily up this morning) but mostly because they were already running late as it was (15 minutes left and Emily wasn't even up yet).

Emily was hit hard on the face, and she felt her nose burning from the pain as white stars started to flash before her eyes. All hope of her being in a good mood today had officially shriveled and died. A whimper escapes her lips, as she reels from the sheer shock of it all. She grabs a pillow and stands up ready to retaliate.

"Katie?" she yells but her sister was no longer there. Instead she sees clothes neatly laid out for her to wear, complete with a bow and matching pair of shoes.

"You're welcome!" she hears Katie shout sarcastically from the hall.

"Thank you," was all she could manage murmur.

Looks like she was going to school after all.

A few minutes later she came bounding down the steps expecting to see a royally pissed Katie waiting for her at the foot of the stairs, tapping her feet impatiently against the floor like she always did when she was made to wait. She imagined her sister's arms crossed, and a huffy expression plastered across her face, a large axe in her hands perhaps— whatever it was, Emily was prepared for the worst. To her surprise though, no one was there. What greeted her instead was the sweet smell of vanilla and butter wafting through the air. It made her mouth water; a grumble immediately rose from her stomach. She forgets herself for a moment and follows the delectable aroma all the way to the kitchen.

"Katie?" she calls out, no answer, but Emily hears the faint sound of kitchen utensils clinking against plates, and a soft chatter coming from the dining area.

"Katie! Katie we have to go or else we're going to be late for coll—"

"Ems, mum made warfles fur breakfash." Katie tried her best to say with a mouthful of waffles. Emily glared at her. Traitor.

"Sit down dear," Jenna Fitch instructs her youngest daughter, "I made enough for everyone."

Emily refused, her feet rooted to the spot. Her eyes followed her mother as she expertly carried a plate full of golden, crisp, perfectly cooked waffles from the kitchen counter to the dining table. Steam slowly rose from the dish and the same sweet intoxicating scent drifted through the air. Butter melted into the grooves before it mixed and swirled with the syrup which slowly collected into a pool at the bottom of the plate. There were all sorts of jams, spreads, berries, and fruits arranged across the table. Katie and James had already helped themselves to some Nutella and banana slices, their mouths full and their eyes guilty.

It took all of Emily's strength to remind herself that this was war, "I'm not hungry mum."

"She's on a hunger strike like the Dalai Lama." Katie says matter-of-factly before she takes a sip of her orange juice.

"Gandhi." Emily said flatly, though she looked very upset.

"Whatev—"

... The door slammed before the sentence could finish.

It was late in the afternoon when classes were finally over. The day had been long and exhausting and all Naomi wanted to do right then was to head home and rest. But first things first, she had to have a smoke. The sun was slowly sinking as she walked by the bleachers, turning everything slightly golden and balmy. She was marveled at the huge expanse of grass which stretched out in front of her when all of a sudden she sees a familiar flash of red— Emily.

The girl had her elbows to her knees, with a candy bar in one hand and her chin propped against the other. A glum yet slightly vacant expression graced her features. Her eyes were somewhat puffy, skin a little splotchy, and her cheeks were clearly tear-streaked. Emily had been crying, Naomi realized and it tugged at her heart until it sank completely.

If they haven't spoken in these past few days... it wasn't a coincidence. The truth was it took just about all the effort in the world not to feel something that had already overcome you. Sometimes distance was better, it was easier to stay away... You're always left feeling safer somehow.

Naomi bites her thumb out of habit, her teeth grazing on the nail a little. She thinks perhaps she should just leave her alone, that maybe if she tried to talk she would be imposing on something... but her feet were already moving towards her as if they had a mind of their own.

"Are you alright?" she asks as she sits beside Emily.

"I... I'm fine." The flustered redhead sputters, her expression shifting almost in an instant, a genuine smile brightening up her face. Naomi stares at her for a while, trying her best to assess whether or not Emily was being truthful. It suddenly occurs to her that she had no plan, other than asking how Emily was, she had absolutely nothing.

A familiar sense of panic rushes through her, it was the kind you felt right before you make a total arse of yourself. She worries her bottom lip with her teeth, then she smiles nervously trying to think of something intelligent to say. In the end she simply shrugs and offers Emily a cigarette. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a while as smoke rose from their cigarettes like graceful little wisps of silk which intertwined right before completely vanishing into thin air. She and Emily watched the sky together. Naomi tried hard to focus on the clouds as they drifted lazily over them; careful not to gawk at Emily, or to let her eyes linger too long. It was a matter of control really, and she was determined to hold on to it.

"Look Naomi..."

She lost the battle immediately as soon as Emily spoke. It was her voice— that deep, sensual, raspy tone, which betrayed everything soft and innocent about her. If she wasn't sure before, it was definitely at this point that she knew Emily was dangerous.

"That one looks like a turtle," there was a certain dreaminess in the way Emily said it, almost like a child would. She leaned a little closer pointing at a large mass of clouds which floated elegantly to their right. Naomi scrunched her nose; it looked more like a swan than a turtle.

The trouble with hearing Emily's voice was it immediately drew attention to her lips, which were rather pink and luscious and thoughts of her lips lead to ideas of having those lips on hers. Not in a pervy way exactly, just enough to see how they felt, and find out if they were as soft as she had imagined— 'Fuck! Stop!' She catches herself, and pushes away the idea immediately. Friends do not do this to friends.

She closed her eyes; the thoughts had jolted her and made her skin burn. She peers down at her legs and her arms then realizes she was literally shaking. Thankfully, Emily didn't seem to notice, her full attention still with the sky.

Naomi took a deep breath and smiled; she tipped her head slightly, eyes squinting... the clouds looking like a squirrel to her now more than anything.

They smoked a few more fags, chatting occasionally before they fell back into a comfortable lull. She did not bring up Emily's tears, nor did she point out the sad look on Emily's face before she had arrived... though of course she wanted to know. Then as if reading her mind, Emily straightened up a little, "So my mum made me waffles," she began softly. Naomi raised her eyebrows, confused with the sudden change of topic, it certainly wasn't what she expected to hear, and so she said the next words very slowly, "She made you waffles?"

"Yeah," Emily gave a nervous chuckle, "It's a long story... never mind."

Naomi took a final drag from her cigarette which had almost burned down to the filter; the tip glowed red-orange as she inhaled. It was the last from her pack she realizes, and she mentally curses herself for not bringing more. She chucked the smoldering cigarette butt to the ground then crushed it with the heel of her shoe. It was growing dark now, and what she had intended to be a friendly five minute chat with Emily evolved into something else, though she wasn't quite sure what exactly.

"Do you want to get out of here?" she asks, as she smoothes down the fabric of her skirt and slings her bag over her shoulder. Emily looks at her for a moment, eyes wide and lips curled into a smile.

"Okay."

Maybe this was a bad idea... walking next to each other, and not knowing quite what to do. They strolled for a while, not saying anything. It was not a comfortable silence for Naomi, though it didn't show. Emily had an addictive personality she realized; the girl was just so warm and easy to be with that there wasn't much she could do about it really. Walking close to her, wanting to kiss her, but knowing she wouldn't was frustrating. It made her want to explode and implode all at once.

"...Today was... nice." Emily's words brought her out of her reverie.

Naomi smiles sheepishly at her, then bites at her bottom lip, "Well this is mine." She motions at the house in front of them.

"Right..." Emily looks at her as if a dozen thoughts were racing through her mind, "Thank you."

She leans forward and gives Naomi a hug. It wasn't the most intimate of things. For starters, they were both dressed in many layers, so there wasn't much to go on. It was nice, though, to get some measure of Emily's size. Even with all of the clothes Naomi could tell she was small and frail. She was maybe five inches shorter than she was, thin and angular feeling, yet soft and warm, delicate altogether.

They stayed that way for a while, and neither of them seemed to mind, until Naomi felt Emily's body pressing down on her, getting heavier and heavier, before slumping completely, her body going slack.

"Emily?" she cried, "Emily!"

Everything was dark as Emily lay there waiting for her senses to return. It felt to her as if her head had been split open, emptied and hollowed. Her lips were chapped, and it hurt just to breathe. More sleep her body demands... More sleep....

"Please be alright... please be alright... please be alright..." a voice reaches her, soft like a whisper, but desperate all at once.

"Hm?" was all she could muster. Her eyes flutter open to reveal the off-white ceiling hanging above her; though for some reason she automatically searches for blue. She was on a bed she realizes, but it was not her own. Lost and disoriented, she couldn't help but wonder how she got there. It was then that she felt someone squeeze on her hand, and then she knew, "Naomi?"

"Hi." the blonde said as she quickly took her hand from Emily, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with it, an involuntarily blush creeping onto her cheeks. She was relieved; a large smile slowly gracing her lips. Naomi looked beautiful when she was worried.

"Wha— what happened?"

"You fainted."

"I... what?" Emily tries to sit up and immediately regrets it. It was too soon.

"Here," she shoved a sandwich and a glass of milk into Emily's hands.

"But Naomi... I can't..." Emily tries to refuse. She was much too embarrassed from what happened earlier to take anything from Naomi at the moment; she'd already done so much.

"Look, I went through a lot of trouble getting you here," Naomi's eyes swept suggestively across Emily's body before she caught herself again. She purses her lips and rolls her eyes, "I mean for such a small person, you weigh a ton... the least you can do is eat your sandwich." Emily grew bright red just then; her eyes immediately shifting from Naomi to her hands. She was floored... speechless really— hell, she wanted to crawl under a rock and die of embarrassment if that were at all possible. But in the end all she could do was shrug. She met Naomi's expectant eyes, and gave her a sheepish grin before finally holding the sandwich up and taking a bite.

An hour after she left Naomi's Emily found herself at home, sitting in the backyard, waiting things out. The stars seemed endless tonight, and she was trying to count them just to pass the time. She'd like to think that out of all of them, there would be at least one that would take pity on her.

The cold night air had settled in and her breath steamed in the air. Her hunger strike idea had been a disaster. She was done fighting... because she simply couldn't anymore. The determination was there, but as she painfully witnessed today, her body could no longer keep up.

She thinks about how she would break the news to Effy and Naomi and everyone else... how she would handle the barrage of questions that came after and the look of disappointment that would flash across their faces. It made her feel so hopeless that she began to cry.

Suddenly the kitchen door creaked open, and the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer to where she was sitting. Emily looked over her shoulder to see her father looking at her with the kindest expression on his face. She smiled weakly but said nothing as he sat next to her, making no attempt to hide the tears which streaked down her face.

They sat there for a while as the distinctive sound of crickets and frog croaks filled the air. "This is really important to you isn't it?"

She sighs and gives him a faint smile, her eyes sparkling with tears, "Yes."

Her father ruffles her hair and gives her a one armed hug. "Then you're staying."