(Missed Part 2? Read it here)
As the days slowly passed, Emma learned quickly with whom she was and was not allowed to speak. Mayhew made it quite clear that some of the residents of Grey Island were less than others, and she was instructed to avoid them, which proved to be difficult since everyone on Grey Island lived in the same castle. Annabelle, in particular, seemed to be around every corner, which was starting to make Emma uncomfortable. She found herself believing more and more that Mayhew was right when he said she was dangerous.
“Emma!” Mayhew burst into the dinning room as Emma quietly ate her breakfast with some other residents. “Emma, I’m so sorry.”
“What is it?” She spotted a letter in his hand. “Is that from my father? I knew he would write to me. I knew he couldn’t turn his back on me completely.” She tried to take the letter, but Mayhew pulled it back. He wadded it up into a ball and ignited it with his powers. “What are you doing?” she demanded.
Mayhew placed a hand on her shoulder and frowned. “Emma, that wasn’t from your father, but it was about your father.”
The grim look on his face sent shivers down her arms. “What is it?”
“I’m so sorry, but your father was killed. He was murdered by people who found out what you were. They said he was contaminated by magic.”
“No.” Emma failed to find any other words. She had felt hatred toward her father for a moment when he willingly gave her to Mayhew, but she never really hated him. She had always loved him, and she understood he only did what he had to do. She honestly had faith she would see him again one day.
“I’m so sorry,” he repeated and hugged her tightly. “This is why our kind has to stay together.”
Emma was a still as a statue. She was aware his arms were around her, but she could not feel them. All she felt was the pain in the pit of her stomach that made her want to tear the entire castle apart with her bare hands.
“You’re handling this better than I thought you would,” Mayhew said as he pulled away from her. “Perhaps you’re still in shock.”
She nodded although she hadn’t exactly heard what he had said.
“I’ll give you some time, but there is something important I must discuss with you,” Mayhew said. He stood to leave. “I think you’ll be happy to hear what I have to say.”
Happy? She wasn’t sure she knew the meaning of the word anymore. “I have to go!” She jumped to her feet and fled as the tears began to pour.
Emma spent the rest day locked in her room sobbing. However, as the moon began to rise into the sky, her tears dried, and a new emotion wrapped itself around her heart: hatred. It was a powerful hatred that gave her the motivation to keep living, so she embraced it.
As if sensing the change in her mood, Mayhew arrived to check on her. “How are you?” he asked.
She turned to face him, gnashing her teeth. “I want revenge on the one who killed him. They killed him for something I am, and I want to make them suffer for it.”
Mayhew smiled. “I know, and that’s what I want to talk with you about. Revenge on them is one thing, but they are only a few.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “You won’t allow me to punish them?”
Mayhew’s smile widened. “Emma, you know you aren’t allowed to leave the island. I’m the only one who can leave, and that’s only to retrieve one of our own.” He walked over to her bed and sat down. He patted the spot beside him.
She sat down next to him. “I feel like there’s more you want to say.”
“Emma, there is nothing wrong with us. They are the ones who are wrong. Everyone hates us, and everyone should be punished.” He patted her head. “Of course I will allow you to leave and get your revenge, but I want more from you. I want you to join my army. I want you to fight alongside us when we declare war on those without magic.”
In a rational state of mind, Emma would never agree to Mayhew’s words, but she was not in a rational state. Mayhew saw to that. In her current state of mind, Mayhew’s words were the only thing that made sense, and they gave her life focus.
“Of course I will join,” she said. “I’ll show them what we are capable of.”
TO BE CONTINUED