“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s clear to see my bodyischanging because of the medicine. It’s making me gain weight. My body doesn’t look like my own anymore,” Emma said in frustration. “And not just the medicine, but the disease as a whole. It’s more difficult to breathe, and some days, it’s hard just to walk down the hall without getting winded. It’s like I’m losing pieces of myself bit by bit, and it’s hard, because I’m not even old. I’m young. I’m not supposed to feel like this. It’s killing me to be a grandma in a twenty-year-old’s body.”
“You shouldn’t worry. All that matters is that you’re alive.” It was the most important piece of her to me— her survival. I wouldn’t compromise it for anything, not even my own life.
“I am worried about it, Ethan. I’ve been an athlete my whole life, and now, my body is doing things I can’t understand or control. I used to have so much energy. I never used to get sick. Now a day doesn’t pass by where I’m not tired or ill.” She bit her lip nervously. “I don’t want the judges to notice. They expect a certain body type on the ice, and those that don’t fit the perception get lower points.”
“Don’t go down the same path Odette did. Skating’s not worth it.” Emma couldn’t get an eating disorder— with how sick she was already, something like that would surely kill her.
“I won’t end up like Odette. But win or lose the podium, I still want to keep skating. I want to keep those experiences in my life,” she said firmly. “But this disease I have… it changes everything. It changes how much I sleep, how much I eat… how I feel, how tired I am, hell, even what kind of mood I’m in. I hate that how much I can do alters on a day to day basis. It never stays consistent, and I’m left scrambling to try and keep up.”
“Have you asked Stefan’s mom for help?” She was Emma’s immunologist. Maybe she could fix this.
“I’ve talked to my doctor, and she says I’m doing everything I can. It doesn’t matter what I do to stop it. I can’t help it. My disease is turning my body into a vessel I don’t know. I stare into the mirror somedays, and I don’t know who’s looking back, because this body is one that I don’t recognize.” Emma’s voice was so torn, it nearly broke me.
“I don’t care what you look like, or what your body can or can’t do. No matter what, you’ll always be my Emma.” I reached up and brushed her hair back.
Emma blinked. “I just wish something in my life remained consistent. Even if it was just you and me.”
“Everything changes,onawilke. You’re doing your best. That’s all that counts.”
Emma nestled closer. Her head lay on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her.
We shouldn’t be doing this. We weren’t a couple. But we did anyway, because who knew what tomorrow would bring.
Emma drifted off, and I let her sleep. She needed it, and I needed this moment— to hold her while I still had the chance. Today might be the last opportunity I got.
A few hours passed, but they felt like mere moments to me. The daytime turned to sunset, and Emma finally stirred as a ray of orange crossed her face. She looked to me as if we were the only two people in the world.
Then she pulled out of my arms, and my soul cried. Emma got up and began stretching. She didn’t talk about the moment we’d had... just ignored it, as if it’d never happened at all.
“I think I need to exercise. It might make the cramps a little better,” she said.
I smiled. “I have the perfect plan, if you don’t mind putting on a mask.”
“What do you mean?”
“I took what you said to heart,” I told Emma as I got to my feet. “If the Phantom is sticking around, I might as well use him as a force for good.”
Emma tilted her head. “Ethan Nowak, what are you planning?”
“We’ll wait until midnight. We’re going to need the others.”
Emma leteveryone know to meet up in her dorm after the clock struck twelve. I was worried Odette and Theo wouldn’t show up, but they appeared right on time. Theo had a big smile on his face, and so did Odette, though her grin was far warier. She was wearing a brand-new pink dress, one with a fluffy skirt that looked like a cloud.
“How are you doing, Odette?” Emma asked in concern. Emma’s dorm was quite cramped with eight people standing inside, but we stepped apart to make more room as Odette and Theo entered.
“I’m fine,” Odette said. “You were right, Em. Igor was nothing but a big jerk. I’m done with him for good this time.”
Emma sighed in relief, then Odette said, “Anyway, what are we here for?”
Everyone looked at me, and I said, “I’ve been thinking. Vigilante work is great for beating up bad guys, but it doesn’t really serve the people. I’ve been fighting the Black Claw for over a year, and all my work hasn’t done anything to stop them. I’ve thought of a plan that will help the people of Malovia, but I need everyone’s help to pull this off.”
“Ooh, yes!” Odette peeped. “I’ve been waiting for this moment! Follow me!”
Before I could finish, Odette ran out of the room. She scurried to her own dorm, and the rest of us crept after her. We squeezed into Odette’s room, which was even more tight with all the sewing and crafting supplies she had packed inside.
“Since I quit ballet, I’ve had alotof time to work on these,” Odette gushed. “Here we are!”
