Chapter Twenty: Emergency
1642 Words
Emma sighed.
“Not again Bel.” She murmured. He raised his head when he heard her voice and looked at her. His expression was grim, and it settled her a bit.
“Do you want me to stay?” Cern asked softly. Emma patted his chest.
“No. I think he's been hanging around lately. He thinks I'm in danger, so he keeps popping up, saying he's trying to save me. But this seems... different. Maybe he's given up.” She squeezed Cern's hand and he returned the gesture, thinking of kissing her temple, but with another look at Bel, deciding he'd probably best avoid it.
“Call for me if you need me.” Cern instructed quietly, and Emma nodded. She walked forward with determination, striding towards the library doors with purpose.
“Emma wait!” Bel jumped up from the bench and grabbed her arm as she tried to pass him. “Have you checked on your Aunt today?” His frown was so deep it was causing wrinkles around his mouth. Emma froze.
“No. Why?” She responded.
“You should do that. I think something's happened to her you need to know about. She fell off my radar and when I went to check on her, she was surrounded by emergency personnel. I couldn't get close enough to her, but I sensed... Well, something's different.” Bel released Emma's arm and she frowned. Emma turned back to look for Cern but he was already gone. Her frown deepened and she pushed her way into the library swiftly.
“Emma? What's wrong?” Marc was leaning against the counter chatting with Iris. Bel froze and snatched Emma back swiftly with a growl.
“Emma?” Iris was looking at her curiously, and Emma realized she couldn't see Bel, but for a moment, she had been certain Marc had.
“I... I just got news that something happened to my Aunt. Do you think you can cover me for a bit while I try to get in touch with her?” Emma asked, staring at Marc, her eyes wide.
“Oh my God is she in the hospital?” Iris gasped. She was always looking for juicy gossip. Emma shook her head.
“I don't know for sure yet, I just need to find out. Somebody told me-called me to say when they'd been by the office there were EMTs all around her and they couldn't get close enough to find out what was going on. I'd really like to make a few calls to see what's up, if that's alright. Can you handle everything here for a little while?” Emma repeated. Her gaze had not left Marc. He had a look of concern on his face, but there seemed to be something, a small tightening around his mouth that almost looked like.. chagrin?
“Uhhh, yeah I guess.” Iris' gaze bounced back and forth between Emma and Marc.
“Thanks Iris. I promise, I'll only be a little while.” Emma looked at Iris quickly and smiled. Bel spun Emma around and she looked over her shoulder again to stare at Marc as he marched her out of the building.
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“What the Hell was that Bel?” Emma demanded as they appeared in the parking lot of a local hospital.
“That man-he's not who he says he is. Do you know him?” Bel spat.
“He's new, just applied for the job. Must have gotten it.” She shrugged. She thought Marc might have seen Bel, but she couldn't be sure. Maybe she had been seeing things. “Why? Who do you think he is?” Emma asked curiously.
“Who.” Bel responded derisively. “More like what. I can't tell, they've done a good job of hiding out, but that's not real, I've been around long enough to recognize a faux human skin like that.” Bel gripped Emma's arm and tugged her into the emergency room entrance.
“Bel...what exactly does that mean.. a human.. skin?” Emma shuddered with revulsion, horrifying things running through her mind. Bel paused and grasped both of her upper arms, looking into her eyes seriously.
“It's not too far off from what you're imagining, I don't suppose. Some of us are given the opportunity or the ability to blend with humanity. We are gifted a human form. If those forms are forgotten or fade away over time, or become compromised, well, let's just say.. some places that deal in the dead are not adverse to selling disguises. None of them are pleasant places.” Bel snarled.
“Wait.. I think I remember something.. some of the fables or stories I've read, the older translations, where a god was said to 'take the form of' or 'cover themselves in the form of', oh gods Bel... you don't mean.” Emma's knees felt weak. Bel's mouth tightened.
“Well, let's just say it's a good possibility that those weren't all simple transformations. Specifically, the latter translation.” Bel's expression became even more grim, if that was possible. He turned and continued to lead Emma across the Emergency waiting area, then down a hall.
“Bel wait, where are we going-we have to check in, get her room number-” Emma cried out, trying to free herself from his grasp. Bel looked at her like she was being incredibly dense. He marched her directly towards a nurse who didn't even flinch, only jerking her out of the way in the last second. “Oh, I forgot for a moment there.” Emma murmured.
“I would have let her walk through you, but I don't think you've experienced that yet, have you?” Bel asked. Emma shook her head and he nodded at the reaction. “It's.. an experience. Come on, I know where your Aunt is.”
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“Look, it was just a little bump on the head, you've x-rayed, MRI'd and billed me to death, can I please leave now?” Lynne was demanding harshly of the nurse in front of her.
“I'm sorry sweetie, but the doctor just wants to get your lab results back before he lets you go. We wanna make sure you didn't faint because of low blood sugar or somethin' babe.” The nurse plumped the pillow behind Lynne. Emma sighed with relief at the door hearing her Aunt's querulous voice. At least her Aunt was alive. The nurse bustled out and nearly ran into them. Bel swiftly sidestepped her and let Emma's arm go so she could slip inside the room.
“Aunt Lynne? Are you alright?” Emma hurried inside the room and rushed to her Aunt's side.
“Oh Emma, I'm glad you're here-could you go tell them that... Oh no, it didn't work...” Her Aunt's face fell.
“What didn't work Aunt Lynne?” Emma looked in the direction her Aunt was looking and saw Bel approaching from behind her. Lynne's gaze was locked on Bel, and her face had a deepening frown. “What, Aunt Lynne? What is it?”
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Mercury could have cursed when Belinus walked in behind Emma. He nearly blew his cover when Bel reacted to him, but he managed to keep his cool. He hadn't realized things were going to get this complicated. Belinus was still hanging around the girl? Why? What made her so.. special? Mercury kicked back in the chair he was in.
“You sure you don't want me to go and call her or something?” He asked Iris.
“No, she ain't got a cellphone honey.” Iris sighed. “But she sure was actin' weird wasn't she?” Iris had her chin supported in one hand, elbow on the counter, leaning so far forward in her chair he could see nearly every inch of her very generous bosom. Mercury shook his head wryly, if he had the time, he might consider pursuing a human or two... but he was supposed to be working...
“Well I haven't really known her all that long...” Mercury offered. Iris' gaze turned to him.
“Oh none of us really have hun. She came breezin' in here lookin' for a job one day, and she got it because she had experience, but it's been years since she's worked her last job. And I looked her up. She hasn't had an address, an ID, a car, a credit card, a phone number, in all that time. Where's she been then?” Iris challenged. Mercury shrugged, but leaned forward so his chair legs hit the floor and he looked interested in Iris' story. In all honesty, he was, he wanted as much information as the human could give him. It might help him at a later time. “Well I'll tell you this. She said she went overseas for some experimental medical treatment. Said she saved up all her money for it, and stayed there for a while, and only came back to the states recently to be with her family...” She popped her gum and Mercury widened his eyes, nodding to encourage her. “Well, here's the thing.. I looked her up. I didn't find no addresses for her overseas. Where was she stayin'? A person's gotta live somewhere, right? There's no records to show her comin' or goin'. It's like she dropped off the face of the earth, and then just popped back planet-side years later.” Iris smacked a manicured hand on the counter-top. “You know what I think it is?” Mercury shook his head. “Aliens. I think she was abducted by aliens.” Iris nodded her head, popping her gum again as Mercury stared at her in disbelief.
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