Part 33 (1/2)
”Since the rain, he's been on the other side of the world. You know how it is for him when someone feels only one thing. He feels the full extent of that. Sometimes it's more than he can handle. Only way he could function is to get some distance. Emmy's pain is so concentrated-”
”I know about her pain, Jay.”
”My bad,” he says, walking off.
I text Miku and tell her to take credit should Emmy ask who did it. Miku tells me I should stay away. She says it's unhealthy for me to watch Emmy suffer. She thinks it's a way of torturing myself. I don't know if she's right or not. I'm not sure it matters. I'm not sure anything matters really.
Days later, after feeding Ms. Charlotte, I walk into the room, invisible as usual, and find Emmy on the phone. It's only now I realize how much I miss hearing her voice. Does this mean she's okay now?
Are you okay after only a few days?
I ask myself. But this is different. Emmy is strong. In many ways, she's stronger than me. She just doesn't know it. I listen carefully to her conversation.
”No, not later. I need to see you now. Please, Rio?”
She waits for his response.
”Great. Thank you!” She puts the phone down and bites her lip. I know what she wants to ask him. She's about to be hurt yet again.
d.a.m.n...
Half an hour later, Rio comes over to Emmy's apartment. He knows I'm there because he reads my Waves in the room.
”I'm thinking maybe Marcus is under some kind of spell. Ya know like something someone found at the Market?”
”He's not,” Rio says gently.
”How do you know?”
”The Market doesn't really deal with matters of love.”
”Oh. Maybe he's just afraid because we won't be able to spend more than a day together. And maybe he doesn't want me to be alone.”
”That's not it.”
”Then what is it?”
”He loves Ameana.”
”Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?”
”Yes. I'm sorry.”
”Does he have any feelings for me?”
”He cares about you-a lot.”
”You know what I mean.”
”No, he doesn't love you anymore.”
”Thank you for being honest with me, Rio.”
Rio takes her hand and sits beside her in bed.
”How are you?” he asks her.
”Don't you know already?”
”Yeah. But it's rude not to ask.”
”I'm okay. You guys are sweet to bring me food and stuff. Thank you.”
He raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.
”I feel so...unwanted.”
”You're not unwanted. We love you. You know what an unbelievably great person you are, right? You helped save billions of lives.”
”Yeah.”
”C'mon, let me take you out.”
”Another time,” she says, as she crawls back into bed.
Rio heads out the door. I appear before him in the hallway.
”Marcus, it's not fair to her. Let the girl grieve in peace,” Rio insists.
”I just want her to be okay.”
”Well, that's not gonna happen. You broke her heart. I know the reasons you did it. That doesn't change the fact that she has to go through this. Give the girl some privacy. d.a.m.n.”
Rio doesn't usually get p.i.s.sed off. I guess he sees something in her Wave that tells him she really needs to be alone. I nod and take off to the Green Mountains.
Once there, I sit on the highest peak and look down at the world below.
”Angels make horrible suicide jumpers,” Jay says.
”Who told you I was here?”
”Rio.”