Hello readers, it's me again with a new chapter for this story. If you've the last chapter then you know Emma is in deep trouble and that has caused her to remember her first encounter with a monster. This chapter is how Emma became determined to take down any bad guys and how she lost her star career as gymnast. Next chapter is where it all goes down, more action and definitely more drama. Thanks again for the reviews, favorites and follows it means the world to me. Enjoy reading. P.S. Daredevil belongs to Marvel and 'Tag you're it' belongs to Melanie Martinez. P.S.S. if you guys really want to experience the story then make sure to listen to the music I quote here and every chapter, it really helped get me in the mood.
"Looking at me through your window/He said let me take you for a joy ride..." – Melanie Martinez
It was seven years ago I had just celebrated my big sweet sixteen. Well as sweet as it can get in a small backyard facing a freeway with just your family and two closest friends. I was finishing up my fifth piece of birthday cake when Liv and my Cousin Naddy (weird cousin #2) had walked in engaged in a heated conversation.
"Yes she can, watch." Liv told her and turned to me and smiled her 'I need you to do something' smile. Uh oh. That smile once put a cast on both my arm and leg back in second grade.
"Emmy you know how you're the most fearless person in the world right?" She started to say looking at me to see if I was buttered up yet. I was not buttered up yet I did like where she was going so I let her continue.
"I was thinking since Naddy and Taddy haven't seen your fearless stunts. Why don't you perform some now while they're still in town?" Liv finished her proposal. My aunt Caddy (real name I have a weird family) and cousin Naddy and Taddy move to a different community every year, this year is the Amish community. I think my aunt is still trying to rebel against Grandma Wendy, rest her soul.
I didn't need to think about it since there was one other thing I loved more than being a gymnast and that's showing off my skills to people. I agreed to do it after I finished my slice and a cupcake, you only turn sixteen once, we told our parents a little white lie and dragged Reid with us. He's never been a fan of seeing me 'risk my life' as he puts it.
Once we made it to my favorite spot, everyone quickly went to their places. Them on the ground right in the gap between the two buildings and me in the air. I climbed the side ladder to one of the buildings and made my way to the roof. These buildings had been abandon in our town for years and I discovered after my first gymnast practice. I remembered thinking how awesome it would be to jump the gap between the two buildings. When I told my mom she scolded me for saying that, telling me the gap between the two is too big and I would surely die. Well that was enough to fuel my fire to jump buildings for the hundred leaps. After this day, though, I never looked at another building the same way.
I walked over to make sure they were in the best spot and there they were right in the middle of the gap looking up to me. I smiled and waved only my cousin and Liv waved back. I took a few steps back and got in the zone. I closed my eyes and started to breath on the counts of 3,4,7 to calm my heart beat and I got inside my head to quite outside distractions (Like Reid yelling that I'm a reckless monkey). My muscles relaxed, my breathing slowed and I could hear my heart calm down to its necessary pulse rate. I was ready.
I opened my eyes and ran to the edge. I've made this jump a million times but when there is someone watching it always makes that much sweeter. As soon as I felt my feet hit the ground I flipped my body and did a few summer salts just to show off. From where they were standing my audience should have been able to see all my moves. When I dismounted on my last flip I paused waiting for what's to come. And I heard it: applause, cheer and some of Reid's booing. I smiled, though, happy for another successful show of my gymnastic abilities. I was the best in my gym hell I competed to know I was the best in my state. Only earning the gold and first place no second or bronze for this girl and I was ready to take it to the Olympics. What stopped me? The envelope I found the roof of the building I landed on that day.
I didn't notice at first until I was preparing myself to jump back to the first building. I started to step back when I heard an unfamiliar sound under my feet. I lifted my leg to see a white, fat envelope with 'EMMA' in big bold black letters on the front. My eyes widened then I smiled thinking it's probably birthday money from Reid or Liv. They knew I liked money and that would explain Liv's instance on me jumping. I smiled and picked up the envelope hoping to see a familiar green face in there. Instead I opened to see my face, hundreds of them. Now I lost my balance and landed on my butt. I looked at each picture there some of me from as early as last week and old as me after my first competition as a child. All the photos had something in common they each said 'ALL PLAY AND NO WORK MAKES EMMA MY BEST GIRL'.
Okay now I lost it. I felt a knot in my chest get tighter and tighter, my vision blurred slightly from either sweat or tears and I couldn't hear anything except my heart pumping blood. I looked through all the photos to make sure I saw what I thought I saw. I did.
My mind raced with thoughts about who could have taken these photos. Maybe some girls liked to be watch from afar by a stranger but not this girl. The thought of someone following me, watching me: getting dressed, eating, or going to the gym. Made my skin burn from the inside and that message on each photo was making the cake and punch in my stomach rise up in my throat.
I guess I was up here too long because I could hear voices getting closer to me that sounded like Reid and Liv. When I looked up from the photos I saw Reid's head popping up where the ladder is.
'Oh no if they see the photos. They going to want to go to the police and I don't to turn this stalker in I want to take him down myself.' I shoved the photos back in the envelope and put it in my pocket.
"What happened Emma? Don't tell me your conscious finally busted out of that cell you've been keeping it in?" Reid yelled at me from the top of the stairs and smirked like he was such a smart ass.
I rolled my eyes, walked over to him as he made it up the stairs and told him the lie I prepared in my head.
Once we headed home unsatisfied since Naddy was not happy with missing half the show. I rushed to my room after thanking all my guest for showing to wish me a happy birthday. I locked my door for good measure when I noticed my windows were wide open I quickly covered it with curtains. I don't know if he is out there tonight but I can't risk it.
I sat on my bed, took out the envelope and dropped all the photos on my Justin Timberlake comforter. I went to desk and pulled out my geology lab school supplies looking for my magnifying glass. I founded it under some stones I kept from my last fieldtrip. I walked over to my bed to study one of the photos on my bed. Veronica Mars, I am not. Still I watched a lot of 'Murder She Wrote' episodes and I know the key to solving a case is to observe.
So I observed the photos: looking at angle, at the weather, what I was wearing, the smell of the marker and any special marks on the photos. Many photos focused on me jumping my buildings so I focused on those. Those photos had several things in common: the angles, the sun was setting and they were printed at the photo hut in down town. Good job Emma.
"Emma come down to help clean up, please?" My mom called from downstairs and that 'please' was because it's my birthday. I ran down the stairs to see my mom pulling down the streamer from the ceiling. At this spot you can see the beautiful woman my mom is from her dark chestnut hair, to her soft pale complexion my mom is a true beauty from here. When she turned to face, she smiled and I tried not flinch. On the left side of her face is pulsing red flesh from the burns she got when I was four.
As I said my mom is beautiful and that kind of beauty tends to attract beasts. Before the attack my mom took me to a park where all the children from our old neighborhood played. I used to spend hours at that park as my mom would talk to the parents or whoever was around but then we stopped. I didn't know why and I grow angry at my mom for taking that fun away from me. When my parents announced a move, I got even madder and decided to run away while my mom was packing. I went to the park to play with the few children there but then a man in a uniform approached me. He said my mom was a friend and she sent him to pick me up. I was embarrassed but I went with him to my house. As soon as we reached the door, the man ran and I heard my mom scream. I've never heard such awful sounds before so I froze scarred by noise coming from behind the door. I stood there until the police came along with my neighbors. After the officers dragged the man away I saw a glimpse of my mom through the door, she was in a ball covering her face with her hands. When I got older I learned that the man was park employee who had become obsessed with my mom. When my parents discussed a restraining order and my dad decided the move. I was too young to know all this since they wanted me to enjoy my childhood. I repaid them by letting a horrible man into our home and destroying my mom's face.
That's why I am determined to take this guy down, myself. I don't want to put any more of the people I love in harm's way. During the party clean up I devised a plan.
The next day was Monday but no classes for a district meeting. I told my parents I was going to my video arcade before practice. Instead I went to the photo hut where the photos were taken. I was in luck the cashier remembered the guy and gave me a description. Tall, black hair, pale skin and a nasty scar on his neck.
As I ran to practice I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise up. I kept running but looked around for the black hair man with a scarred neck. I made it just time to have my coach yell at for being late. As punishment I was to watch all the other girls practice and he would ask me what they were doing right. The right answer was they weren't late.
When practice ended I knew what I had to do. I looked through my gym bag to make sure it was still there. I saw it and pulled out to put it in my left pocket. As I walked to my buildings I made sure to watch every person on the streets, every car that pass by me and all the people in buildings. I searched their faces for any telltale sign of the man but no luck so I marched on to my spot.
When I made it, I stopped in my steps and pulled out one of the photos of me. I looked at it to remember the angle. Once I remembered, I looked over to that location and I knew he was there. I decided to give him a show before I gave him a taste of what I had in my left pocket. I climbed the stairs to the roof and made sure to not take my eyes off his location. Once I climbed all the way to the roof, it was then I noticed I was not alone.
There standing a few feet from me was not just the black hair man with a scarred neck but the man who scarred my mom. The breakfast I had this morning was threatening to rise up.
'Stay calm Emma. You have the advantage remember you have the gun.' I thought to myself but the gun suddenly felt so light in my pocket.
"Hello Emma it's so nice to see you again." He spoke. His voice just as raspy as I remembered it. While he moved closer to me I stood my ground.
"What no 'hello' or 'good to see you too'. You were such a nice girl. Always such a nice girl." His words stung a little. I was nice enough to trust him and nice enough to stand by while he tortured my mom. That nice girl is dead.
I pulled out my gun and aimed at him. He took a step back but didn't seem surprise.
"Is that how you greet an old friend?" He asked me not looking at the gun but into my eyes. I had to break eye contact because I couldn't take staring at that man's eyes.
"Friend! You're no friend of mine!" I yelled at him steading my hand to make sure I hit his heart. "You're a creep who became obsessed with my mom and hurt her. You are not my friend." I hissed at him wanting my words to pierce through his thick skull.
He blinked then he started to laugh. What?! What the hell is wrong with that man? I should just shoot him now. I was about to pull the trigger when he spoke.
"There's been a misunderstanding Emma. I've never been interested in that old hag of your mother." He told me laughing in between like it was the best joke in the world. "I've always wanted you and only you." He looked at me making sure his words pierced my skull.
They did and they felt like a knife sliced right through me. He never wanted my mom, just me. But why did he attack my mom?
"Because she kept us apart Emma." He explained as if reading my mind. "She took you away when I made it to clear of my feelings for you but you found me just as I knew you would and I made sure that bitch paid for keeping us apart." He took a step forward and I was too stuck in my head to notice.
Me. It's always been about me. I'm the one he wanted. I'm the one who brought this monster to my home where my mother was. I'm the one who hurt my mom in the worst way. All this time she lied to keep some guilt away from me but her scars that my albatross to carry. Now it's time I kill this bird off.
As soon as I felt his breath on my neck I took the shot. It didn't sound like I thought it would loud and furious instead the shot sounded quiet and meek. But the impact was strong because I saw his eyes widened and his breathing shook.
He stumbled back, looked down at his wound and covered the bloody spot on his stomach with his hand. He looked at me and he was pissed.
"This is what you do!? You little slut! You shoot me after all I did for you! For us!" He screamed at me. I gasped and aimed the gun right him again. That did it for him.
He charged right at me, I fired him again and again but I kept missing. Finally his body slammed right at me and he grabbed me mid-air.
He whispered to me right before we crashed through the widow of the second building.
"If I'm dying I'm taking you with me." Then our bodies hit the stone.
Lucky for me the street across from the building is busy during these hours and some Good Samaritan saw us fly into the widow and called 911 later. I was unconscious the entire time until I was laid down on the safety of a hospital. I was unconscious as the police and the ambulance arrived. I was unconscious as they removed his body from atop of mine. I remember when I woke up that my mom's first words to me were the same from the day of the man attacked.
"Why?" She cried through the tears clinging my scarred hand in the hospital as I opened my eyes for what felt like years.
I was dead for five minutes they told me. I was too injured to do gymnastics for two years they told me. When they asked what I did I told them, he attacked me so I shot him in self-defense. They accepted it and eventually that's the story I told anyone who asked about that day. It was true I was defending myself, my mom and the four year old girl who had to watch her mom get destroyed by a monster. I did what I had to do and I survived. I survived that and I can survive Lester.
So Emma, wake up and be a survivor for Matt.