The Chosen Path

Chapter Four

"Oh, we've known each other since kindergarten, but we didn't really become good friends until high school," Emily said, breaking into his imagining of her in high school. "Raven and Tony actually became friends first, and then later Raven introduced me to him. She tries to be rough and tough like Tony, but she's a real sweetheart too," she said with a fond smile.

"And Ray and George? Did they go to high school with you, too?" Jake asked.

"No. I actually met them at a parapsychology conference in Denver sometime my senior year...I forget when now. Before my parents died, I think. We kept in touch mostly over email, and they decided to come to the same college as me. Well, more because of the parapsychology classes they offer here. But I invited them to come and stay here, and they came right after graduation," she explained.

"And then there was me," Jake said with a smile and put his legs up on the railing of the deck next to hers.

"You're a whole 'nother story, Jake." she said, patting his bare shoulder. "A whole 'nother story."

He laughed.

"Can I show you something?" Jake asked her softly, after a while of them just sitting in a comfortable silence.

"Yeah. Of course," Emily answered with a soft smile. It was easy to forget what he'd even asked her.

"I'll be right back," he said nervously and got up. He went back down to his room.

He brought back the notebook he'd been sketching in and handed it to her.

Emily opened it up and studied the pictures carefully. "This was your dream," she said in awe to him, not looking up from the sketches.

"Yeah," he said nervously, shuffling his feet.

"I look pretty good in a bikini, huh?" she asked with a smile.

He blushed. "Turn the page," he said, reaching over to turn it for her, embarrassed.

She studied the pictures of her pulling Jake down to the bottom of the pool. "You know I'd never do that," she said to him softly but with conviction.

"I know that," he said, putting his arm gently around her.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and turned the pages again. "We have to get that thing," she said to him fiercely as she stared at the fog monster with red eyes.

"Yeah, but how?" he asked.

"We'll figure out something. We have to," she said back to him. She wiped tears from her eyes. "Sorry."

Jake rubbed her arm. "No, it's fine." 

"Do you mind if I burn this?" she asked him suddenly.

"Sure, go right ahead," he said surprised, but he was willing to trash the thing. He had thought about it many times since he drew them.

She jumped up from her chair and hurried into her room. He followed her in.

Looking around, he took in her room, seeing it for the first time.

To the right was her bedroom set, a queen size bed with a white and yellow flowered comforter, and covered with dozens of pillows of various sizes.

She had a couple of dressers painted white in an alcove on the opposite side of the room. Between the alcove and the bed, was a hallway.

To the left of him, was a living room set. The couch, love-seat and arm chairs were white and yellow striped. More pillows were on them, as well.

"You're obsessed with pillows, you know that?" he told her.

"I like to be comfortable," she said and headed over to the fireplace in the left corner. She threw the book inside and flipped a switch. The fireplace lit up and the book burned to ashes. She switched it off with a satisfied look on her face.

"Feel better?" he asked her.

"Yes. Much. Fire is cleansing," she said, hopping onto the couch. "You want to sit?" she asked him, patting the seat next to her.

"Sure," he said, sitting next to her.

Jake loved spending time with her. Talking with her. This was the first real time they'd spent any real length of time alone together.

"Want to watch some TV?" she asked.

Jake looked around but didn't see one. "Can you pop in a TV, like a genie?" he asked with a smile.

She got up from the couch and walked to the wall next to the fireplace. He thought she was going to walk down the stairs that were to the right.

Emily turned to him and folded her arms across each other and blinked like the TV Jeanie. She put her hand on the wall, and the wall opened up to reveal a big screen TV.

"Nice! You really do like comfort, don't you?" he said as she walked back to the couch. "You have a sweet setup up here."

"My grandmother liked to spoil me," she said with a grin, and slipped back onto the couch next to him. She pulled up pillows searching for something, and finally pulled out a black remote and switched on the TV.

"I'm sorry about your grandmother, Em. And your parents. Man, you've really had it rough, haven't you?"

"Thanks. Yes, it's been really hard ...but I have Brian and my friends...I've managed," she said, lifting her chin.

"Brian? Our teacher Brian? You've known him a while?" he asked.

She nodded and looked away. "I don't know what I would have done without Tony, Raven, George and Ray; they've really stuck by me this whole time."

"You're tougher than you look, Em," he said, taking her by the chin to turn her head so he could look at her face. "I really admire that about you. You would have been just fine, even without them."

"That's really sweet of you to say, Jake," she replied, looking away with an embarrassed smile.

He dropped his hand from her chin. Was she uncomfortable with him? Or with the praise?

They fell into a comfortable silence and watched the TV show.

"How come you can't sleep?" he asked her after a while.

"I don't know. Just can't," she said with a sigh, and then yawned loudly. He laughed. She put her head on his shoulder. He sucked in his breath at the contact "Mmm. You make a good pillow," she said sleepily.

He let out his breath. "You too," he said with a smile, putting his head against hers.

He breathed the smell of her in. She smelled like the ocean and fresh cut flowers. She was soft and warm against him.

After a few minutes, Jake realized she'd fallen asleep. He carefully got up, holding the back of her head in the cradle of his hand. He laid her down putting a pillow under her head.

Jake looked at her sleeping. He hadn't realized how long her golden blonde eyelashes were. They curled slightly at the ends. She looked to him like a fairy tale, like "Sleeping Beauty".

He gently touched her long hair so as not to wake her. It was as soft as silk. Jake even more gently ran the back of his index finger across her cheek. It was as equally, if not more, soft. She didn't stir in her sleep.

Jake leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. He jumped back quickly but she didn't wake. Jake silently cursed himself for touching her without her permission while she slept. Was that a creepy thing to do? He didn't know how to act around girls. Especially one that he liked so much. He didn't get much opportunity to find out.

He stood up quickly. There was a light yellow blanket at the end of her bed. He went over to the bed, grabbed it and covered her with it.

Jake locked the glass sliding door and went down the stairs to the right of her living room. He turned off the light when he got to the bottom and closed the door behind him.

He headed to his room and climbed into his own bed. Jake thought of Emily, and her softness and her sweet smell, as he pulled the covers over him. He smiled. She was softer than his cotton sheets. How he was going to fall asleep now, he didn't know. But he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.