Page 31 of The Finder

Madison laughed. “I’m going to tell him you said that.”

“Please do,” Emma responded.

“Let me get out of here so you can get some sleep. I left more clothes in the bathroom for you. Let me know if you need anything else,” Madison said and stood up.

“Hey Madison, I’ve been wondering, do you think maybe Kyle would be willing to train me to fight better? I learned how to fight for survival, but I want to be better trained to defend myself,” Emma said.

Madison nodded. “I know he would, but I’ll ask him. Maybe I could help too.”

Emma looked at her in surprise. “You know how to fight?”

Madison laughed. “I’ve trained quite a bit over the years.”

“That’s awesome. Would you be willing to train me?”

“Of course. Let’s start tomorrow when you get home from work,” she suggested.

“That would be perfect.” Emma paused for a moment. “Thanks for everything you’re doing for me,” Emma said.

Madison nodded, looking sad once again. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through.”

Emma choked up at her words. “Thank you,” she finally said.

Madison reached out and gave her a hug, then left the room. Emma changed into the pajamas Madison left for her and worked on getting ready for bed. A few minutes later, she crawled into bed and smiled. “This is so soft,” she muttered out loud. Snuggling deep under the covers, Emma sighed and relaxed. Images of her attack in the woods came to mind, but she stubbornly pushed them away. She knew it was from rehashing everything tonight. She hoped the nightmares wouldn’t plague her in her sleep.

No such luck. Emma screamed when someone shook her. “Emma, wake up. It’s okay.” Emma sat up, wild-eyed, trying to figure out where she was. “Shh, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream,” she heard someone say. After another moment, Emma finally realized it was Madison.

She took several deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. Madison put her hand on Emma’s back and rubbed it soothingly. “Just breathe. Everything’s okay,” she said in a calm, soothing voice.

“I’m sorry,” Emma said quietly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I heard you screaming and knew I had to wake you up. I couldn’t let you endure that,” Madison said in a voice that spoke of her sadness for Emma.

“I’m okay now,” Emma said.

“Do you want me to stay in here?”

“No, I’m okay. You go back to Kyle. Thank you for waking me up,” Emma said sincerely.

Emma felt the bed shift as Madison stood up. Emma lay back down and tucked the covers around her. She heard Kyle’s low voice in the hallway and Madison responding to him. A few minutes later, it was quiet again. Emma glanced at the clock and groaned. It was only a little after midnight. It was going to be a long night. She felt too scared to go back to sleep, but she didn’t want to keep Kyle and Madison up. So, she just lay there quietly, trying to think about anything but her nightmares.

She thought about the shop, about Helen, and about trying to turn business around. She thought through her cinnamon rolls and what she needed to do in the morning. Her mind finally landed on Garrett. She wondered where he had disappeared to and when she would see him again. It shouldn’t bother her that he wasn’t around, or at least that’s what she tried to tell herself.

The time passed slowly; Emma dozed off and on. Finally, it was time to get up. Emma slipped out of bed and got dressed for the day. She tried on a pair of jeans Madison had given her, but they were too big. She settled for black leggings again. She paired them with a long-sleeved gray shirt of Madison’s. She undid her braid and fingered her hair. Then she pulled it up into a high ponytail for the day. She finished getting ready and made her bed. She made her way out into the hallway and down the stairs into the living room. It was still dark out, but the light over the stove was on in the kitchen so Emma could see where she was going.

“Good morning, Emma,” she heard and jumped. She hadn’t heard Kyle come downstairs. “Sorry to startle you,” he said.

“Whew, no worries,” Emma said, still trying to catch her breath.

“Do you want coffee or breakfast or anything?” Kyle asked.

“I’m good. Thank you,” Emma responded.

“Okay, let’s go then. Levi’s out front,” Kyle said and pointed towards the door. Emma walked towards the front door. “Hold up. Let me go first,” he said.

Emma stepped back and let him go first before following. She closed the door tightly, making sure it was locked behind her. Outside, she shivered in the cold and walked quickly towards the car. Kyle opened the back door for her and she slid in.

“Morning,” she said to Levi in the front seat. He just grunted in response.

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