Chapter 3 Saving the Girl

Saving the girl

Emma's POV

The water of the sea washes my feet as I stand dangerously close to the sea. There is no point in continuing to live. There is no hope for me. Ava would have been alive if I was in my senses. This will be my punishment.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I notice a little girl playing near the water's edge. She seems to be filled with carefree laughter while I am drenched in hopelessness. But then my eyes catch sight of a gigantic wave surging forth. It sweeps her off her feet and drags her into the churning sea.

"Oh my Goddess!" My heart pounds in my chest as I race towards her. I dive straight into the wave, not letting my fear take over me. As I approach her, it shocks me to notice the odd sense of calmness in her, as if she has been waiting for me. Strange.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her close while fighting the strong currents of the sea. It takes me all my strength to swim against the current, the water pulling me like a pair of strong arms. Thank Goddess, I had taken my swimming classes seriously. Never thought they'll be put to use in this way. When we reach the shore, I gasp, taking in as much air as possible and then collapse onto the soft sand.

I hold her tightly, my heart racing like a horse, "Are you okay?"

The girl coughs out water from her mouth, and nods while her eyes are closed. A sense of relief washes over me.

I take her away from the shore, and she holds my hand the entire time. "You should not be playing in the water when the currents are this strong. What if something happened to you?" I scolded her. Why is she even here all by herself?

She smiles as she looks up at me, "But you came to save me." I place my hands on my hips and frown. From her looks and height, she won't be more than seven or eight. How can a little girl of her age be so calm after such a horrifying incident?

"I couldn't let you die there." I respond, and look back to the sea.

Her smile becomes bigger, and cheerful, "Many won't rescue someone in danger, because they fear losing their own lives." I scratch my head at her response. She seems to speak such deep words for a child. Her gaze shifts back to the sea, "Why did you come here?"

My body turns stiff. I can't tell her that I wasattempting suicide. It might make her uncomfortable or even frightened. So I stay silent. She steps closer to me, and stares at my eyes, "You were giving up on your life, weren't you?" My face turns pale at her words. Did she see me when I was on the beach? "It must have hurt a lot.

When we lose someone we love, and the one we trusted the most misunderstands us." My eyes turn wide, and I take a step back, "Wh-who are you?" How did she know about all of this?

She ignores my question and remains silent for a while. The girl steps closer, and holds my hand. With another smile, she says, "Fate never stays the same. Whatever you have gone through, it will get better." There is something strange in her voice. Something absurdly calming.

I pull my hand away, not sure whether to trust her or not. She might be making fun of me, or have heard about my situation from someone. After all, rumours spread fast. But why does it feel like she knows what she's talking about?

I shake off the idea. She is just a child. If I start to believe her words, then it means I have lost it. Blame the sea water getting into my brain. "Where's your family?" I ask, looking around the beach. How can her parents leave her on a beach all by herself? Especially on a day like this. It's dangerous out here.

"They are far from here. Will you take me back to them? Please?" She looks up at me pleadingly with her big doe-shaped green eyes. A small smile plays on my lips on seeing her cuteness.

It's strange, but after encountering and saving her, I don't feel all the pain I was feeling before. Maybe it's because my mind was occupied with protecting her more than my sorrows. "I will. But you have to promise me something. You won't do this again," I say in a stern voice.

She nods, and shows her little pinky finger, "Pinky promise. I won't have to since I found you." She mutters the second line under her breath, and I frown as I don't hear it properly.

I would have agreed to her request anyway, because she's a child and it's dangerous for her to be left on her own. People out here can have bad intentions or harm her.

"Good. Then let's go." I extend my hand for her to hold, and she takes it cheerfully. "What's your name?" I ask, realizing that I didn't know her name. I just can't keep calling her a little girl in my head. It's weird.

"Charlotte," she replies while skipping steps, "And you?"

"Emma."

She has a thoughtful look on her face, "Emma. That's such a nice name. Do you know what Emma means?"

I shrug, "I don't. Never really thought about it."

"It means universal or whole. But I like to think of it as something 'complete'. You'll complete my brother," she mutters.

"Huh? What did you say?" I whip my head at her, wondering if I heard her right.

"I said it means 'complete'. What did you hear?" she tilts her head up at me, and looks at me with an innocent look.

"Uh, that I'll complete your brother?" I answer, hesitant.

She chuckles, "Why will I say that? You don't even know my brother." "Yeah, right," I frown and look ahead. Was it my imagination? We walk the road in silence, and it starts to get a little awkward so I initiate conversation again. "Who's your brother?"

Maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, but I notice a subtle smirk on her lips, as if she was waiting for me to ask. "His name is Matthews. He is really nice and a gentleman.What's your age?"

"I just turned eighteen," The moment I answer, all those bad memories rush back to me. My eighteenth birthday changed everything for me. If I had known I'd lose Ava, the trust of Michael and my family then I would have wished that it never came.

"Oh! That means you are ready," she replies, and I raise a brow.

"Ready for what?"

She shrugs, "Nothing. Matthews is twenty four."

"Okay," I can't help but wonder, is there something weird about Charlotte? She looks very weak, and fragile, almost sick. Yet at the same time there's an air of wisdom around her even though she is just a child.

"Are you into older guys?" she asks out of the blue and I cough.

"What?! Why would you ask that?" I look at her with big, wide eyes.

She smiles, "Nothing, just curious."

She is definitely weird.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I did not notice the path we are on leads to the Junction. The main junction is the common place for three packs, including ours. It is the area where members of the different packs meet, and there are several complexes that are used for holding summits or meetings.

As we walk through the Junction, the air crackles with an electric tension, detectable even beneath the serene facade of the forest. Tall trees loom overhead, their branches intertwining to form a natural canopy that filters the sunlight into dappled patterns on the forest floor.

I swallow as I look around the place, then ask, "Are you sure this is the right direction?"

She nods, "Absolutely. I don't forget things easily." I bite my lower lip, wondering if I should trust her or not. Because if we keep walking, it will lead to a different pack. "Are you from a different pack?"

"Yes," She answers.

"Which pack?" I did not expect her to come from a different pack. What was she doing in our pack then? "The Night Howlers Pack," Her answer makes me freeze on the spot.