Page 44 of Emerge

Blake: ...

Me: Just fucking tell me.

Blake: Your parents are here.

I stared at my phone, my hand tightening around it as I read his message over and over. My nose suddenly burned and the words swam in my vision as tears filled my eyes.

"Morgan, are you okay?" Riley's heeled feet came into view and I looked up at her. Concern was etched on her face as she sat down next to me and placed a hand on my back.

"We need to go." Somehow, I managed to talk despite the swell of emotion that threatened to choke me. I felt like I couldn't get enough air and shut my eyes.

"What is it?" Riley sounded panicked.

"My parents... they're back." My parents were in my house. I didn't know how or why, but they were back from being imprisoned. They might as well have been back from the dead.

When Finn had revealed that they weren't dead but were in prison, for a moment, I let myself hope that I would see them again someday. Someday had arrived and I felt like puking.

I don't remember changing my shoes, getting in the car, or the drive back to the house. Riley turned off the car once we were in the garage and put her hand on my thigh.

"Are you ready?" She gave my thigh a squeeze and then got out of the car before I could tell her no.

What was I going to say to them? Was everyone going to be watching us as we reunited? Why had they wanted me to believe they had died?

I followed Riley into the house where laughter from the television greeted us. My heart was beating erratically, anticipating seeing my mom and dad again. I could hardly remember what they looked like. Would they even still look the same?

I half-expected them to be lounging on the couch. In my anxiousness, I didn't even think about my mom not being able to shift; they would be down in the cave.

Jax, Blake, and Olivia sat on the couch and turned to look at us as we came to a stop near the island. I shut my eyes, and when I opened them, Jax was standing in front of me. He put his hands on both biceps and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "They're in the cave."

He let me go, and I walked to the elevator and pressed the button once I was inside. My hands trembled as I took off my clothes before I arrived at the platform.

I didn't know why I was so scared to see them, but I was shaking like a seal that's spotted a shark. They might have changed a lot in the ten years since I'd seen them. I'd only heard about Poseidon's prison, but it was a lonely place where prisoners spent their days in solitude.

I dove into the water, too focused on seeing my parents to pay attention to the pain in my legs and tail as I shifted. I looked around the cave and we spotted each other at the same time.

I swam closer and their eyes fell to my tail. They looked older than I remembered, like they had lived a hundred years during their ten-year absence. I stopped several feet from them, not sure if I should hug them or yell at them.

"Momo." My mom choked on a sob and rushed toward me, hugging me with arms I hadn't felt in so long. I'd dreamed about her arms wrapping around me and her fingers brushing the hair from my forehead when I needed comfort.

"Mom." My arms went around her and I shut my eyes, burying my face in her hair. It was long and flowing just like it had always been and I smiled as it tickled my face.

My dad joined our hug, not saying a word. I could tell he had a lot to say by the way he was clenching his jaw. Was it how sorry he was? Had he heard about my recklessness and injury?

"I thought you were dead." I pulled back but took both of their hands in mine. "For ten years I thought you were dead, and I was all alone."

My dad led us over to the underwater lounge area that we never used. We sat on a long flat rock with them on either side of me.

"Your tail... what happened, son?" My dad's eyes held genuine concern, and I felt guilty for all the shit I'd done over the past decade. I'd been reckless with my body and my mind.

Once upon a time I was a good kid, always following the rules and doing my best not to disappoint them. When they left my life, I acted out by making the stupidest decisions possible without crossing any lines that would get me demoted from my high ranking.

"I crashed on a motorcycle and shifted with my pants and shoes on." My mom gasped and squeezed my hand so hard I thought some bones might break. "Jax and Blake got me to the water quickly."

"Thank the sea stars for that." My dad patted my tail where my knee was.

There was an awkward silence before I addressed the sea elephant in the room. "Why?" It was the only word needed.

My mom was already crying, and it broke my heart all over again. I was happy to have them back, but at the same time, wanted to tear the cave apart and yell at them.

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