Interlude 2

(Emma Frost)

December 20th, 1996

Emma wasn’t happy, she had been walking on cloud nine for two whole months but then fate decided that she couldn’t have nice things because her boyfriend had died in a car accident one month ago. 

Emma had a secret, she was dating her teacher, Ian. He was a handsome brown haired man, with a square jaw, delicious amber eyes and a rock solid body; the man clearly took care of himself. At that point she was a telepath and couldn't stop herself from falling in love with how beautiful of a person he was inside. Thanks to Ian, Emma's grades went up as he helped her study or gave her tips. Emma didn't know how to make him know she was interested, but as a more mature man he had seen the signs and told her that he was older than her and her teacher and that they couldn’t be in a relationship. 

It hadn’t deterred her in the least and as a result, Emma practically hunted him. His seduction had been slow and subtle, Emma knew how he thought, what he liked, Emma could maneuver him however she wanted. Ian fell for her one month later. They had strived to keep their relationship secret. However, it seemed they hadn’t been as careful as they should. Somehow, Winston Frost, Emma's father, learned of his daughter’s escapades and interests. And it was a month later than Ian died from a car 'accident.'

Emma didn't believe in coincidences. Ian had died the day Emma had decided to give him her virginity. She had been inconsolable for a month, her grades had tanked and she didn’t seem interested by school, nor in socialization. Her father even dared to tell her that she was tarnishing the family name.

She was in his study, looking at his forehead to not watch him in the eyes. Winston Frost was being his asshole self like usual.

“You will straighten yourself, young lady! Your behavior has been inexcusable as of late." The spittle coming out of her father’s mouth as he shouted at her almost reached her.

Emma stayed silent and tried to look sufficiently chastised for him to be satisfied with his dressing down. “Yes father…”

Winston’s eyes narrowed, he sat on his chair and leaned into it; cold gaze on Emma. “Now get out of my sight.”

Emma stood tall, turned heel and left her father’s study. She hated the man, their majordomo was more of a father to her than that horrible man. On the way to her bedroom in the east-wing, Emma crossed paths with her father’s bodyguard. As usual she scanned his mind for dirt on her father, old habits die hard; what she learned made her stumble after passing the man. He felt smug and glowed over a job well done and hoped that her father would give him what he promised after he got rid of his gay kid...

The young brunette's eyes widened. *Christian… no!* Emma cried inside.

Emma walked faster through the corridor, and reached her bedroom, opened the door and once she was inside locked herself up. Leaning against the door, she slid down and sat. Putting her chin against her knees, she started to cry. She had to get out of here! This house! Her father was a monster! But first she needed to calm down and think. But just thinking about her brother being gone now, made it impossible.

January 15th, 1997

She had everything ready, an armored suitcase, her favorite clothes, her ID/driver licence and her passport; Emma had even siphoned money away from her trust fund to new accounts in the Bahamas. As a result, she had twenty grand in the bank and was about to leave. Emma put her hands on the steering wheel of the sports BMW, checked the fuel gauge, and put herself at ease.

This was her personal car and she was damned if she would leave it in the hands of her vile father. Wait, calling him father was too much for her. *Let's call him the sperm donor now.*

As usual, Emma left the house in her car, pretending to go shopping. None of the guards or her family knew that she intended this to be the last time they ever saw her. Emma had left letters for Cordelia, her sister and her mother, if she could be sober for one minute. Though she couldn't judge the woman now that she had her eyes open about the moral bankruptcy of the sperm donor.

She promised Cordelia and her mother that she would find a way to free them from him. Her elder sister, Adrienne could get fucked by the nearest elephant for all she cared, she was as monstrous and sadistic as their father. When Emma left Boston well behind her she sped up on the highway, grinning in victory as she was finally away from her family for good.

January 18th, 1997

Emma was taking the long road, she passed Watertown and stopped in Worcester, a somewhat big city in central Massachusetts where she changed her car’s license plates and gave it a new midnight black paint job. Emma then continued to take random directions until she ended up in Westchester county but something there made her wary of staying for long, as if someone was reaching out for her mind.

The brunette unconsciously batted away the reaching metaphysical hands that were seemingly trying to grab her. Then Emma realized that it was someone like her trying to scan her from afar, she quickly left the town of Bayville as fast as her sports car allowed.

January 21st, 1997

After staying in motels for a while, Emma finally reached New York. However, it was more expensive than she remembered. Now that she lived on a budget, she started to understand how the little people lived. She needed to find a job for the time being and a cheap apartment. Her travels stopped in Queens, in Middle Village where she found herself in a just renovated apartment complex between Juniper Valley road and the Metropolitan Avenue on 78th street.

It was a tall six-story residential building made of tan bricks. Its distinguishing feature was the round-arched windows on the third and sixth floors, with a “handsome unifying foliate band course.” On the ground floor was the Italian Cafe Signora, which had a cheery firehouse-red façade and blue awnings; some of her neighbors worked there as it belonged to the owner of the apartment complex as well. As for Emma, she was now living on the third floor, in apartment ten that was pre furnished. The telepath was now extremely suspicious as this apartment's rent was only $400 per month and strangely the other tenants were all women.

It seemed that there was a story there, and Emma got it when she mind surfed in her neighbors' heads. Most of the women had been freed from slavery and were ex-sex workers given a new lease on life by the two owners of this complex that had opened an organization to help young women in need. They were given work and the opportunity to finish their education, the lower price of the apartments' rent was to help get them situated. Emma realized that someone was doing her a huge favor and that somehow they knew that she needed this place. It scared her a bit but she had no choice now, she was committed.