"Yep. Really."

"Hmmmm, maybe you can get me to live with her next," Emery joked. Stella Murphy seemed larger than life, but what Emery remembered from the interview was that she seemed like someone made of steel. Emery could use that kind of role model.

"Nope," Rachel replied. "She's a ball buster and pretty fucking focused on herself. She's a big time attorney up in DC now too. She and my dad talk shop every time they're together. It's annoying."

"You'll never know how much I appreciate what you're doing for me, Rachel," Emery changed the subject. "I don't know why you're doing this...I'll probably never understand why, but I owe you everything."

Rachel stared out at the blurred lines of the highway for a minute before answering. "Em, remember when we met? I told you I knew that we would be friends, that you were important to me. When we met, we clicked, and you're broken. Your eyes are broken. Your soul is in pieces and your heart is wrecked. You're one of my best friends and I do anything I can to help my friends. We may not have known each other for very long, but I'll stand by you. I'll do whatever I need to do to make that fucker pay for what he did to you."

Emery reached across the seat and grabbed Rachel's hand. "I love you, Rachel. You saved my life tonight."

CHAPTER SEVEN.

That's a Gorgeous Gun

It was a little after two in the morning when Rachel pulled Derrick's SUV into a tree-lined neighborhood near Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

"So, your cousin's cool with all of this?"

"Em, all he knows is that you've been in an abusive relationship and you're getting out of it." Rachel opened the door and walked to the back. "You're just cooling your heels here for a while."

"Oh." Emery met Rachel at the back of the SUV. "That works."

"I told him you're eighteen and just quit Georgia State to get away from your abusive boyfriend."

Emery nodded. "Parents?"

"Died in a car accident two years ago. You have money from life insurance."

"Got it."

Emery grabbed one bag and Rachel grabbed the other. They walked together through the parking lot to the condo that would be her new home for who knows how long. It was dark so she couldn't really tell anything about the neighborhood itself, but it looked like there were two condos per building and there were at least eight buildings. They looked relatively new with their brick exteriors and cheerful bright-colored doors.

"So I think you being in an abusive relationship will keep him away from you," Rachel commented, "but if he starts to sneak in, call me and I'll cut his balls off."

Emery laughed nervously. "What do you mean 'sneak in'?"

"Noah is charming," Rachel said and rolled her eyes. "He's a football player and girls throw their panties at him on a regular basis. I don't want him aiming that gun at you. You'll flinch."

"Rachel..." Emery touched Rachel's arm to stop her from walking. "This will sound weird, but I'm not interested in anyone. I've cut myself off from people for so long...I don't care about looks or charm or guns." She sighed. "I'm a void. He'll look at me and see that. I haven't even kissed a boy."

This admission caused a choking sound to escape Rachel's mouth. She cleared her throat and looked down for a second. When she looked up, there was determination on her face. "Oh, Em! I'm so sorry that all of that was taken from you. You deserve to have that thirteen-year-old first extremely bad kiss that's all teeth and hands. You deserve to get those chills of anticipation when you look at someone's lips and wonder how they'll feel on you...everywhere."

"Don't..." Emery started. This rant reminded her of all the things she'd lost-no, they'd been stolen. She didn't want to be reminded of that right now, she wanted to figure out who Emily Sanders would be. What would she love or hate? What would she study? What would her laugh sound like?

"Emery Shaw, you deserve to be loved, adored, and touched so that you won't cringe when someone wants to hug you. And so does Emily Sanders."

Okay, so Rachel had noticed that she didn't want to be touched, by anyone, anywhere.

"I'm too broken for that," Emery said, exasperated. "Too damaged...damaged beyond repair."

"No, Em. You're not." Rachel leaned into Emery's side and bumped her shoulder. "You are totally lovable and when you're ready to love someone it will be a wonderful thing to see."

"Whatever," Emery muttered and started walking again. They fell in stride together as they approached what Emery assumed would be her first step away from the nightmare that never went away.

"Don't whatever me," Rachel said, shifting the bag she was carrying to the other shoulder. "Here it is. Let's get inside. I need alcohol or weed. Either will do."

"Does your cousin smoke?"

"No, but he doesn't care if we do." Rachel's smile widened as the royal blue door opened to reveal a guy in a white wife-beater tank top and gray sweatpants.

Emery looked away after she realized she was staring. Her eyes were drawn to his muscles and she took a moment to memorize his body. He was handsome in an all-star athlete kind of way, with stereotypical all-American good looks and straight teeth. His dark hair was a little shaggy and hung past his ears, his smile was genuine, and Rachel ran toward him.

"Noah!" she squealed.

"Rach! Glad y'all got here okay." He picked her up in a bear hug and looked at Emery. "You must be Emily."

Emery nodded. Emily. She was Emily now.

"Well, y'all get in here," he said, grabbing the bags from their hands and throwing them inside the door. "You want a beer?"

Emery followed them in as they chatted about family stuff, only half listening. When she got all the way in to the apartment, it hit her.

This was happening.

She'd escaped.

She was free.

It was a release in a good and a bad way. Emery couldn't tell if she wanted to dance or cry.

"Emily, beer?" Noah asked.

Emery was just looking around, not used to the name yet, and didn't acknowledge Noah's question.

"Em..." Rachel said.

"Oh, sorry. What?"

"Beer?" Noah asked again.

She didn't really drink beer, but didn't want to be rude. "Sure, thanks."

"Emily, this is my favorite cousin, Noah. Noah, this is my best friend, Emily."

Emery walked over to where he was grabbing beers from the kitchen and shook his hand. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Noah. You're saving my life."

His eyebrows shot up and stood straight up.

"Really," she said softly as she took the beer from his hand.

"It's no problem. Mom and Dad bought this place and I'm without a roommate right now, so it's perfect."

They walked out of the kitchen and into the entranceway again. He started to put his hand on her back to guide her, but she skirted out of his reach.

"So...how much do I owe you a month?" she asked, taking in the apartment. The kitchen was shotgun style as you entered, and past that was a living room complete with a huge flat screen TV and two La-Z-Boy recliners. There was a saying on the wall.

"'It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything,'" she read out loud. "Fight Club?" Emery asked, pointing at the wall. She read a lot. She didn't have friends, so she read every fucked up book she could. She loved to read tales that were just as or more twisted than her own.

"Oh no," Rachel groaned. "Please don't get him started. He loves Chuck What's-His-Name."

"Chuck Palahniuk," Emery and Noah replied at the same time and smiled while Rachel made gagging noises.

"Me too," Emery said and looked at Noah with a grin. "What's your favorite?"

"Honestly, Fight Club." He grinned. "You?"

"Invisible Monsters."

He looked at Rachel. "I may be in love."

"Nope, there's no love here," Rachel asserted as she stretched out on the chair. "You need a couch, Noah."

"Yeah, I guess," he agreed and took the other chair. "Maybe Emily and I can go get one this week."

"Sure." Emery shrugged and sank to the floor facing the TV. She turned up her beer.

"So, Emily, do you know how long you'll be around?"

"Fuck, Noah. We got here like, two minutes ago," Rachel chastised.

He shrugged. "I was just wondering."

"Listen, I really appreciate you helping out and I'll stay out of your way," Emery assured him. "Just let me know if I need to find another place and I can make it happen."

"No, Noah said you could stay here and you're staying here," Rachel reminded them from her chair.

"It's really fine, Emily," he said. "I was just wondering."

"Noah," Rachel said, "she doesn't care who you bring home, okay?"

Emery blushed at the truth of the statement that hung in the air.

"Well, I've just never lived with a girl before. I-"

"Seriously, Noah," Emery said, holding up a hand. "You do what you always do; I'll stay out of your way."

He took a swig of his beer and turned up the football game. "Sounds good to me."

Waking up in a sleeping bag on the floor of an empty bedroom next to Rachel was a welcome departure. Emery's thoughts wandered to her sister and tears clouded her vision as she stared at the patterns in the ceiling. She didn't know what they were called, but with her eyes full of unshed tears, they sort of looked like flowers.

She blinked a few times before looking at the new phone Derrick had gotten her. There was no more checking it for emails and other updates. She no longer existed. A smile skirted her lips as she thought of her escape. Emery walked out of that house last night and she woke up Emily.

"Fuck," Rachel moaned. "We need a bed today. I cannot sleep on the floor again."

"You're a ray of sunshine in the morning," Emery commented.

"Tell me you don't feel like you got run over by a truck." Rachel sat up slowly, stretching her back to each side.

"I'm fine," Emery said. And she was fine. She was infinitely better than yesterday.

"I'm hungry. Let's raid the cold pizza." Rachel stood and pulled her long hair into a messy bun and pulled her shorts down her legs, her midriff showing in between her shorts and tank top.

As Emery and Rachel sat at the table eating cold pizza and talking about their plans for the day, the door opened and in walked Noah, accompanied by two other boys. Emery looked down at her phone. It was only nine am.

"They're getting ready for two-a-days," Rachel supplied, answering her unasked question.

"What's that?" Emery asked.

"It's where we have to practice football in the morning and again in the afternoon and we better be in good shape if we plan on not throwing up," a guy in a gray shirt and sweatpants stained with sweat answered. He stuck his hand out to Rachel first. "Jake Simmons. I heard you were living here now."

"Not me," Rachel responded.

"Oh, you must be Emily," Jake then stuck his hand out at Emery.

"Hi." She smiled.

"You guys ate all the pizza," Noah whined from the fridge.

"You don't need to eat it if you're getting in shape," Rachel retorted and walked to the bathroom. Emery chuckled as she noticed the new guys' eyes follow Rachel all the way until she shut the door.

"Emily, this is Meat," Noah introduced.

Emery stuck her hand out to the quiet, bigger guy in the corner. "Meat?"

"Nice to meet you, Emily," the guy said softly and then looked at Noah. "See you guys later."