chapter3

$hmur

Did you honestly think that would work?" He asked. Emma gathered herself and stood. She brushed the dirt off her clothes and smiled. "We will be leaving now." even Madame looked slightly surprised at the events. Madame just smiled. "I do not think that that is possible, my dear Emma. Gray, clean up that mess." Behind them, the doors slammed shut. "Soldiers dismissed." They flooded out of the room so fast that it was hard to register that they had been there at all. Gray, of course, completely ignored Madame's order, and turned to Emma instead. His eyes asked what his words did not- are you okay? She nodded her eyes only portrayed the shock that he gave a f**k. Madame daintily cleared her throat. Gray clenched his fists. "I have some..unfortunate news." She simpered, behind her veil. She never took it off, at least, not around others. Gray had often joked that an old harpy like her'd probably kill people if she did.

"You two are waking up. Becoming what you used to be. That isn't supposed to happen." Emma looked at her, puzzled. "What are you talking about?" "Come closer." She glanced at Grayson cautiously and he nodded. She took a tentative step forword. "Tell me, Emma, my dear. What bird do you see?" Madame held a hand out, and a small orb began to form in her perfect palm. It shifted, swirled, ebbed and grew. Emma felt an unreasonable chill go through her. Something light tapped her shoulder- she jumped, and her hand flew up, just in time to catch the feather that was floating down. "Emma." Madame snapped, but she ignored her, and turned her eyes to the cieling. There was a sillouhete of a bird there- but not just any bird. A hawk. She felt her knees buckle underneath her breath catch "Emma!" Madame barked again. This time it caought her attention. Shestared at the veil where her face would be. Her eyes where still a deep purple but they where blank and wide. The feathers in her hand where soft and light. "Look at my hand" Madame said. Emma didn't respond. She stood there frozen her eyes only took in few things from the outside world. A dimming sky, dark trees, the feathers, and the hawk consumed most of her vision. She could smell smoke- it drifted to her, enveloped her like a warm hand. She could feel faint, flickering warmth on her face. The room surrounding began to fade, and then it vanished completely. For a moment, Emma hung amongst emptiness- above and below and inside a void. It faded, rippled, changed. Abrubtly she found herself standing in the center of a small, cozy room. There was a little hearth before her, that sheltered the little fire that she had felt. At her feet lay a pile of bedding, and beside the hearth stood a rough stool. There was an icebox in the corner, and, seated on top of this, was the hawk, preening its feathers. Emma inhaled sharply, looking around wildly. She was alone in the little cabin, save for the bird. She still clutched the feather
s, and now, she opened her hand and let them go. As they fluttered to the ground, the hawk froze, and slowly lifted it's head. It eyed her, feathers fluffing. Both watched one another for what felt like eternity, until Emma finally broke the silence. "What...are you?" She asked, shakily. It blinked, and then the whispers came back. Approach... they sighed. Slowly, calmly. Approach the king, the saviour, the light. Approach. Emma swallowed hard and took a cautious step toward the bird. She felt a equally cold and warm draft that ran through her body from fingers to toes. Without realizing what she was doing, she reached out and touched the hawk. Its feathers were like silk, and it was insanely warm. Its warmth traveled through her, bit by bit, overtaking her. Her skin flooded with color as it went. The hawk began to glow it's feathers turning from a rich brown to a light gold. The light gold turned to white, and the white feathers became white hair. She found herself looking up into clear, kind grey eyes that were warmer than any others she had ever seen. "Emma...you've changed." She pulled her hand back with a gasp. Standing before her was Gray- but a different Gray. Instead of a hightech jumpsuit, this Gray wore deerskin and wool. Instead of harsh, hard green eyes, this Gray had kind, soft grey ones. There were no scars marring his face, and his skin was light bronze instead of deathly pale. He was warm, not cold, and there was more emotion in his eyes then she could possibly believe. "Gray?" She paused her face contorted with puzzlement. "Gray is that you? It can't be!" She stepped back. Her hands shook violently and her mouth hung open. She tentatively reached forward to touch his cheek. It was warm. Much more so then the Gray she grown used to. She gasped. Gray chuckled slightly. "It is me." He carefully took her hand in his own, and pulled it away from his cheek to examine it. The color was already fading. "What have they done to you?" He asked, softly, quiet h
eartbreak threading through his words. "Wha do you mean what have they done to me?"she circled him, studying him carefully. "What happened to you!?" "Nothing. I haven't changed." He let her look, waiting patietly until she came around to face him again. "You have changed, Emma. You are something...different." Emma shook her head, and inhaled deeply. What she smelled stopped her cold- fear. Gray w"as afraid of her, and trying to hide it. She looked at him. "You are afraid. You are never afraid. Why are you afraid?" Her words came out fast, too fast, almost stumbling over each other. Clear grey eyes considered her, and then dropped. "I feel like I am prey to you. I feel like my Emma, the girl I love, has been taken from me." She could smell anger now, but it was weak anger, nothing like what it usually was. "L-love?" She stuttered. "Yes, love. I love you, don't you remember? You are the girl I saved from the city. You are my first, my only. You, Emma, have become the reason I exist, and you were taken from me!" His voice rose to a shout that echoed amongst the rafters. Tears were rolling silently down his cheeks and his fists her clenched in rage. "I lost you to that accursed place and now you've become a...a..." He tried to find the correct word, but failed. His hands unclenched and he turned his back to her, shoulders shaking faintly. Her mouth hung open. she fumbled his words where lost on her. she gently touched her hthe mair. It seemed unusual now. It never had before. "I-I" she stumbled. "Do you even remember me?" He asked, softly, as he slowly turned back to face her. "Do you remember the bow lessons? Or the time we ran from the bear?" She shook her head. "I remember you...but you-you have green eyes

And your hair...your beautifull hair." She ran a lock of his hair through her fingers. "What's wrong with white?" "Nothing! it was just the most amazing gold color. I miss it." He ruffled his hair, and then raised his eyebrows. "I could dye it with honey..." she smiled despite herself. "Don't do that" In that instant, both relaxed. Grayson dropped his hand, and then suddenly threw his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. His warmth was addicting. Her eyes widened and she tensed slightly but she didn't pull away. Out of nowhere she collapsed. Memories came flooding back to her in a rush. Gray...the old Gray screaming as she lost consciousness general keesh chasing her, her first kiss, and even before she had been found, the experiments. They came back in particular order, only rushing in at once in a wave. She felt herself go numb and collapse. She could faintly hear Madame laughing. It was schreechy and unnerving, and slowly brought Emma back from her comatose state. Her eyelids opened slowly, heavily, as though weighed down. Just in time, as well. Gray was standing in front of Madame, hand on the orb she held out. His body was beginning to flicker and fade as though nothing more than an image. She was erasing him.

Author's Note

Grammar ignore