Kathryn was incredibly understanding when Emma called her to tell her she was going home. Emma told her that school had been too overwhelming and she had experienced a minor panic attack when she got crushed in the crowded hallway. She told Emma that after such a traumatic event it was perfectly normal to need some time to readjust. So Emma spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in her room watching television. Kathryn had meetings with clients until four that night so Emma was home alone when the doorbell rang at 3:00.
Emma opened the door, slightly surprised to see Jason standing on her doorway. He looked as darkly handsome as ever, wearing a black jacket over his fitted grey shirt and dark wash jeans. Emma tugged self-consciously at her over-sized comfy t-shirt and sweats. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and she knew she looked like a total scrub. Jason looked her up and down, noticing every detail of her appearance.
“Okay, let’s go.” He said abruptly, turning to leave.
Emma blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?” She said. She didn’t make any move to walk out of the door, she just stared at Jason when he turned back to look at her impatiently.
“We’re meeting Mark at my house.” Jason said patiently, as if Emma should have already known about this.
Emma paused, waiting for him to explain more. When Jason didn’t say anything else Emma decided to prompt him. “Why?” She said slowly.
“To talk about the Loraine situation.” Jason replied, equally slowly. “Come on, let’s go.” His voice was suddenly brisk again. He tried to reach through the doorway to grasp her arm but Emma shifted out of his reach.
“Dressed like this? No way.” Emma said, shaking her head adamantly.
Jason gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Then change.” He replied curtly, crossing his arms.
Emma sprinted up the stairs and Jason yelled up after her. “You have five minutes!” Eight minutes later Emma jogged down the stairs, wearing a nice pair of jeans and a cute top.
Emma paused in the entryway to check her hair, before grabbing her purse from the entryway table.
“Okay, I’m ready!” She announced, stopping in front of Jason.
Jason looked at her curiously. “You don’t care if I see you in sweats but as soon as I mentioned going to see Mark you ran off to make yourself look cute? Is there something going on between you two I need to know about?”
Emma rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. “No!” She said, drawing the word out. “I never leave the house in my sweats. You never know who you’ll see.”
“Yeah.” Jason agreed sarcastically, turning to walk out the door. “You might see Mark!”
Emma followed Jason in her own car as he drove to his house on the other side of town. Since they were keeping Loraine in Jason’s basement they had decided that it would be a good idea if Mark stayed there during the day to keep an eye on Loraine until they were ready to let her go. They didn’t want Loraine to escape and warn Greco that they were going to try to rescue Tyler. When Emma had asked him what they were going to do with Loraine after they had rescued Tyler he had just shrugged.
Pulling up to Jason’s house Emma was surprised with how normal it looked. It was a small box house, one story from what she could see but Jason had mentioned that it had an underground basement. The house was painted white with a blue trim that looked like it was in need of repainting. The yard was a small square of dying grass that was mottled green and brown. The two windows at the front of the house had the curtains closed so no one could see inside. All in all it was very plain and unremarkable. She was a little disappointed, she had been expecting something a little more like a super hero lair. Instead Jason’s house was a small place on the outskirts of town, not really nice but not dumpy either. It was so normal that no one would look twice at it.
Parking in the small driveway Emma got out of her car and followed Jason to the front door, managing to trip over a tuft of grass growing through a crack in the concrete as she did. Opening the front door Jason paused for a moment and turned to look back at Emma, who quickly straightened up. Emma blushed a little when Jason raised an eyebrow at her.
“Don’t mind the burn marks.” Was all he said before turning and walking inside.
Emma looked at the mundane doorway suspiciously. Curious as to what he meant Emma followed him, pausing on the threshold as she looked inside. The front door opened into a small entryway with the living room on the right. The living room was small, it had a couch, a lazy boy and a television. Straight back from the front door was the kitchen that Emma only caught a glance of through the doorframe. In the little area next to the kitchen and the living room was a small table with four chairs around it that didn’t look like it was used very much.
Emma looked back at the living room, taking more notice of the furniture in it. The couch and the armchair both looked old and well worn. The leather was faded and scratched in areas but the cushions looked deep and inviting. It made Emma think of her favorite pair of old tennis shoes, they didn’t look like much but nothing was more comfortable. In front of the couch and the armchair was a beat up coffee table. Sturdy wood, plain design, it was made for kicking up your feet and relaxing.
In fact, the only things Emma could see that weren't old and beat up was the television and the stereo system. The television was a nice 40 inch LED flat screen that looked like it was new. Next to it was an impressive stereo system set against the wall. Emma didn’t know enough about stereos to know if that was a good brand or not but she could tell that it was expensive just by looking at it. A very complicated looking universal remote lay on the coffee table within easy reach of the couch and the armchair. Emma shook her head. Boys and their toys.
“Are you coming in?” Jason asked, pausing to look back at her.
Emma nodded and stepped into the house as Jason walked into the kitchen.
“Do you want anything to drink?” He called back to her from the kitchen. “I have water, soda, orange juice and milk.”
“Water would be great.” Emma replied.
Now that she was inside she began seeing scorch marks on the wall and on the couch. Emma wandered a few steps into the house, tracing her fingers over one of the scorch marks on the wall. The wallpaper had bubbled from the heat in some places. Emma poked at one of the bubbles experimentally but the wallpaper had hardened up again.
Losing interest in the wall Emma wandered over to the living room. Emma smiled as she trailed her fingers over the back of the couch, a little surprised by how soft and smooth the brown leather was. The trashcan next to the couch was empty except for the melted remains of another universal remote exactly like the one currently on the coffee table.
Snagging the melted remote from the trashcan Emma walked into the kitchen where Jason was getting them drinks. Jason pulled his head out of the refrigerator holding a bottle of water in one hand and a soda in the other.
“Here you go.” He said as he turned, pausing when he saw Emma holding up the remote.
“What happened to this?” Emma asked teasingly.
Jason scowled and put the soda down on the counter before snatching the remote from her hand. “Nothing.” He said, tossing it in the trashcan underneath the kitchen sink.
“Really? Did it spontaneously combust?” Emma asked skeptically.
“No.” Jason replied darkly, handing her the water bottle.
“Thank you.” Emma opened it and took a sip. “So what were you watching that got you so mad you melted the remote?”
“It isn’t just anger that causes me to randomly start shooting flames.” Jason told her, grabbing a cup from the cupboard. “Adrenaline does it too.”
“Okay,” Emma replied, leaning against the counter. “So what were you watching that got your adrenaline pumping?”
“I was watching an action movie, and the good guy was fighting the bad guy but he kept making stupid mistakes and he got his butt kicked.” Jason said, grabbing ice from the freezer to put in his cup. “The girl he was trying to impress saw the who
le thing. The whole fight scene I kept thinking about what I would have done instead and how I would have beaten up the bad guy.” Jason looked down at his hands for a moment before opening the soda and pouring it into the cup. “I guess I just got really into the movie. Anyways, the next thing I know I’m holding another melted remote in my hands.”
“Another?” Emma asked. “Does this happen often?”
Jason shrugged. “Usually about once every other month. More during football season.”
“Jason? Is that you?” Mark’s voice floated into the room.
Emma looked around, confused as to where he could be. Aside from the kitchen and living room there was a short hallway that led back to the bedroom and another door for the bathroom. The only other door in the hallway lead to what she thought was a closet but when Jason walked over and opened it she realized it was a stairway to the basement.
“It’s me.” Jason said. “Emma is here, too.”
Emma heard footsteps stomping up the stairs and seconds later Mark walked into the kitchen.
“Emma!” He exclaimed when he saw her. “What happened to your face?”
Mark rushed to the refrigerator and grabbed an ice pack, hurrying back to gently press it against her eye. Emma wrinkled her nose and leaned back, taking the ice pack out of Mark’s hand.
“I’m fine, Mark. Really.” She said, touching her slightly swollen black eye.
“Relax, Mark.” Jason said, putting a hand on Mark’s shoulder and pulling him away from Emma. “It’s just a black eye.”
Before Emma could tell Mark what had happened he whirled around and grabbed Jason, picking him up by the front of his shirt and slamming him into the wall a few inches off the ground.
“You said you’d keep her safe.” Mark’s voice was deadly soft. Emma froze. She had never seen this side of Mark before. He looked like he seriously wanted to hurt Jason.
“Mark!” Emma yelled. “Stop it! Put him down right now!”
Jason gripped Mark’s forearms with his hands and stared Mark in the eye, completely calm. “Let go of me.” He warned.
Mark shifted his grip, pulling Jason away from the wall and slamming him back against it, even higher.
“Mark, put him down!” Emma snapped. “It was just stupid school drama. I’m fine!”
Mark ignored her, keeping Jason pinned against the wall. Jason’s hands burst into flames, burning Mark where his hands were gripping. Mark never blinked, never looked away from Jason as his arms were burned. He shifted his grip again, sliding one hand up to wrap around Jason’s throat, sweat sprouting on his forehead as Jason’s fire flashed hotter.
“Jason, stop! Both of you knock it off!” Emma yelled, running over to them. Pushing against Mark’s shoulder with one hand she tried to yank Jason’s hand off of him with the other. Flames danced in Jason’s eyes. He was completely lost to the fire within him. His head turned so that his flame filled eyes regarded Emma. Slowly the flames began to creep up his arm to where Emma gripped his arm.
CHAPTER TWELVE