Emerald Princess - Revised Edition - Epilogue (5/18/2023)

[BabySofia]

22 hours ago, FloridaKid said:

I had to chuckle because I’ve said that before. My kids just roll their eyes…?

One of my favorite sayings when I know things are going to fall apart! ?

22 hours ago, FloridaKid said:

Thanks again for the frequency of your posts. An almost daily BabySofia fix…my eyes are practically glassy.

Thank you for your comments!!! I appreciate it! ?

[littlepinkdargon]

?

[BabySofia]

5 minutes ago, littlepinkdargon said:

?

?

[inconkit]

Hey sorry I didn't comment earlier. Loving the story. For the martial art stuff, I think making the teacher Japanese would indeed make more sense if he's going to use Japanese terminology! You could even add in a cheeky little moment where Sofia mistakenly uses Korean terminology and gets corrected by the teacher! Speaking of which, I remember you wrote something about Sofia being unfamiliar with the stance being used, which does make a lot of sense since Taekwondo has a stance which is very different from the typical Japanese martial art stance. 

Keep it up, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest unfold! 

[LittleFenny]

The mean ol' world of work has finally allowed me a chance to catch up again and what a ride. The mysterious man on the train, I bet he's the New England Binky Bandit who steals poor innocent kids binkies! Who doesn't even steal them to use but just to hang in his collection. Sofia should probably zap him and search his pockets just in case!

Well, he could be. But I guess he might not be. Okay. Fine, Sophia should just keep an eye on him.

[BabySofia]

Chapter 35: Whittle Baby

 

I WOKE UP in Caireen’s arms in a rocking chair, “Shhh,” she said to me as she patted me gently. “We both had a long day here yesterday.”

I nodded. It couldn’t last, though, as a knock came at the door of my room, “Your Majesty, may I come in?”

She spoke clearly, “Yes, come in.”

“Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty, but we just received word that King Camulus is on the march again.” Caireen’s top general, General Slane, came in with a facial expression that was as somber as a funeral.

“Any idea what his endgame is?”

“Our spies and scouts believe he is heading here, Your Majesty.”

“Well, at least he’s not dilly-dallying,” she said while holding me tighter. “When can we expect him to make it here?”

“I believe it will be four to six weeks, Your Majesty. We’ll try to delay them with our forces, but there’s no way to know.”

I shifted my body to where I could look up at Caireen, “That should be long enough to plan an ambush, shouldn’t it?”

“Maybe…”

“How large are his forces?”

“He is marching twenty-thousand troops, Your Majesty.”

“How many do we have?” I asked Caireen nervously.

“Ten-thousand - if we lose, no one stopping them from advancing.”

“I need to think about this; if you have any ideas, draw up your plans. I want to see you and all senior commanders in the throne room just after noon. Take that time to plan and figure out what we need to know to survive this and kill that monster.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I looked up at Caireen and saw a nervous fear on her face, “We can make it through this,” I reassured her.

“Oh, Sofia, you are indeed the daughter I always wanted. Unfortunately, I’m not as certain as you are here. Too many things in play.”

“Well, let’s figure out that plan and get things sorted out!” I told her confidently.

She tickled me, “I guess you’re right. I bet you’re hungry, though, first!”

I was fed and changed, and we again headed to the dungeon practice room. We stayed down there for hours working on spells. Our only breaks were for Caireen to nurse and change me. I noticed that it seemed she had almost a class schedule approach to teaching me now. First, we would practice gathering more manna from ley lines. At this point, I could only laugh at the amount I had begun with, as it seemed limitless now. Like at Bechtel, her castle ran over a major artery that would scare the other students in my class with the amount of power available. I could now tap into that without effort, which meant that my spells became more and more powerful - and destructive.

Caireen would then move into a session on healing spells for a while. Next, onto wards, some more practical spells for cleaning and other mundane tasks, and finally, she finished with combat techniques.

“Okay, Sofia, this is the last one I want to teach you today,” she said as I breathed a little heavily from creating a magical napalm torch. “The Asian cultures have always talked about the Yin and the Yang bringing balance to life?” She asked.

I nodded, “My Tae Kwon Do sensei was big into that back in Los Alamos.”

She smiled, “This is basically looking at the Yang to fire. You always need to be able to switch tactics to something opposite what you’re doing if an opponent keeps evading your attacks.”

I nodded, “Yeah… so Yang to Fire… Water?”

She smiled, “Think further…?”

I thought briefly about how Fire was highly energetic with particles highly energized. ‘What’s the opposite?’

“Ice?” I asked.

She smiled and patted my head. “Good girl!”

A couple weeks ago, that would have made me blush, but instead, I felt pride at being told that. ‘I sort of wish she’d even give me a sticker!’ I smirked to myself. “So, what about Ice? You’ve already taught me how to freeze water?”

She smiled, “This’ll be very much the same thing. So tell me, what are human bodies made up of?”

I felt the blood drain from my face, “Water… you want me to freeze the water in their bodies?”

She nodded, “It is a little cold of a tactic to use,” I forced a smirk at her lousy pun, “but it takes less energy than a fire spell.”

For another hour, she instructed me by bringing in a few pigs, chickens, and other animals for me to try on. Initially, I had been reluctant until she told me they were for the servants’ dinner. It was scarily easy to do so with the animals. “People… They’re the same?” I said. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of bile up the back of my throat.

“Yes, the exact same.”

“Why does this feel crueler than so many other attacks?” I asked her.

She shook her head, “I do not know the answer to that, Sofia, other than maybe it speaks to a deep-down fear you have?”

After a bit longer, she said, “Come, my little princess, we need to get you fed and changed, and then I need to have a chat with my generals while you take a nap.”

 

 

IT WAS ALWAYS startling to wake up immediately after getting comfortable in one world. Still, it was even more so when I woke up in Camille’s arms instead of Hannah’s. I squeaked a little, “Shhh… It’s okay, Sofia; Auntie has you.”

I groaned when it came back but kept up the good baby act and squirmed a little. My diaper was really soggy, and I wanted a new one soon. If I was really going to be pretending to be a baby, there really was only one way to ask for a fresh diaper, and so I started crying.

“Oh, shhh baby,” Camille said softly, “I’m guessing you want a new diapee, huh?” She tickled my side.

My body was on autopilot now, and I just started crying more. Camille picked me up, took me back to the bathroom, and quickly changed me on the changing table.

“There, all dry now!” She said to me while giving me a hug a few minutes later.

Several minutes later, we were back in our seats, with her holding a bottle of warmed milk for me. “Better now?” She asked when I finished.

I nodded.

“Ready to see your grammy?” She asked me with a smile.

I whispered, “My grammy?”

“Well, if I’m Auntie, you’re my non-existent sister’s daughter…?”

“Oh,” I said.

We quickly found my stroller and our luggage when we pulled into the train station. I was fastened rapidly into the harness for the stroller, and we were off to find Camille’s parents. I could tell when she had found them as she sped up a bit in her excitement to see them.

“Come here!” her mom said, and I watched from my seat as she hugged her mom and dad. Her dad was holding her baby sister, so she also got her own hug.

“Cassidy, I want you to meet someone!” Camille said as she took her from her dad, “this is Sofia!”

Suddenly I had a taller toddler in a cute purple dress coat and pigtails staring inquisitively at me. “Hi,” she said to me shyly, “she’s a wittle baby!” she said excitedly while jumping up and down to her sister.

“Why yes, she is! Not a big girl like you!” Her mom said as she came down to my level. “It’s nice to meet you, Sofia. Camille has told me all about you.”

I blushed, “Nice to meet you, too,” I said softly.

“Shhh…” she said, “we’ll talk more when we get to our hotel.”

“Do you have everything, Camille?” her dad asked.

“I think so,” she said.

“Ready, Cassidy Bug?” Camille asked her little sister.

“Uh-huh!” She said excitedly, “Uppy Cami!”

“I need to push Sofia,” she started to say, but her mom interrupted.

“I’ve got Sofia; you can hold Cassidy,” her mom told her.

“Okay,” Camille said and looked at my face to ensure I was okay. I gave her a slight nod and zoned out as I was pushed through the train station. I was just wondering how we were getting to the hotel when I realized we were at the entrance to a subway. Then, without warning, hands appeared out of my view and picked me up, and I found myself in the hands of my’ grammy.’

“You are so light!” she told me quietly before bouncing me up and down. “Honey, can you get the stroller folded up?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” her husband said.

I looked at her more closely from my view from being held on her hip. Camille’s mom didn’t really look that much like her. While Camille was pretty petite, her mother, while not severely obese, was more rounded than her. Her face was kind, with her hair styled very nicely down below her shoulders. She was apparently dressed expensively based on how the clothes flattered her larger frame. When Camille emerged, I knew she had changed to look more like an elf, but I could tell she had her mother’s chin and nose still.

I watched as she placed a pass for the subway through the card reader before carrying me through. I had read the sign that said children under forty-four inches were free, so I had no doubt that applied to me. But then, I felt fingers tickle my side, and she asked, “Ready for a ride?”

I gulped as a subway car screeched to a halt in front of us. I knew a baby would behave in one of two ways, cry and hide or smile and be excited. A large part of me was nervous about it for some reason, but I chose option B. “Yay, Grammy!” I said with a smile.

She shifted my position as she found a seat sitting across from Camille and Cassidy. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Camille tickle and play with her sister, whom she hadn’t seen since the beginning of the school year. It reminded me of how I used to be with Lily and made me homesick suddenly.

Camille noticed my look and worriedly mouthed, ‘Are you okay?’

I nodded. Before I could even think of somehow pretending to be a baby and telling her how depressed I was, her mom began playing patty cake with my hands. After a while, she followed that with a game of peek-a-boo and then several other embarrassing baby games before we reached our subway station for the hotel. I pretended to have a blast while she played with me, giggling and smiling. ‘Good girl,’ Caireen told me.

As we got off the subway, I caught signs that we were at 59th Street - wherever that was. Then, just before we boarded another train, I felt the intruding hand from Camille’s mom checking my diaper. I was pretty sure it was wet by now, “Aww… you’re wet, aren’t you, Sofia?” she squeezed me. “We’ll get you out of that wet diaper when we get to the hotel!”

Like my own mom, she couldn’t keep her comments about my toileting quiet. Camille looked sympathetic and apologized with her eyes. Cassidy said, “It’s okay; you’re just a baby Sofia,” she told me. “One day, you wear big girl panties wike me!” And with all the discretion a toddler has, she pulled her dress up to show me her dry pull-up.

“Cassidy,” Camille scolded lightly and pushed her dress back down, “Big girls don’t show everyone their panties.”

“Sowwy Cammy…”

Camille hugged her, so she knew she wasn’t mad, and we boarded the next train. I watched the people as the subway car sped toward wherever our next stop was. A teenage girl about our age smiled at me and waved. I shyly smiled at her and waved back with as awkward of a motion as I could.

“She’s adorable!” the girl said to Camille’s mom.

“Thanks,” she told her with a smile.

“How old is she?”

“Eighteen months,” she said with a smile. “Learning all sorts of things now and running around with nothing that slows her down.” She squeezed me for a moment.

A ding announced that we were at 5th Avenue and 59th Street, and everyone stood up, with Camille’s mom placing me on her hip. ‘Cassidy really missed Camille,’ I said to Caireen.

‘Yes, I think she did.’ Caireen told me, ‘you may be spending a lot of time in ‘Grammy’s’ arms on this little vacation.’ I sensed a smile behind her voice.

‘What?’ I asked.

‘I do believe you’re finally getting in the spirit of things here, Sofia,’ she said. She didn’t elaborate anymore as we moved through the crowds toward an escalator.

I just played my role as the good baby and looked around. An older lady in front of us smiled at me and waved nicely. A guy behind Camille glared at me the whole time, and I wondered if I had gone in my diaper without realizing it. As I looked at him more, there was something that seemed vaguely familiar about him, but I felt confident I didn’t know him. Camille’s mom bounced me in her arms as we neared the top, and she asked, “Want to ride in your stroller now?”

I just nodded. I didn’t really care one way or another. Walking around on my own in New York City was probably not a good idea, I decided, as the crowds seemed to thin a little. I looked around some more and realized we were in front of a huge hotel that I recognized even before I saw the name - it was the Plaza! I remembered watching a movie about Eloise at the Plaza as a kid. I couldn’t deny that I was extremely excited to stay there! Camille must have felt the same way, “We’re staying at the Plaza?” She asked excitedly.

“I figured if we were going to meet you in New York City for Thanksgiving, it would be a good place to stay,” her dad said with a smile.

“I can’t believe it!” Camille said, obviously excited.

‘What’s the significance of this hotel?’ Caireen asked.

‘You’re asking me a question?’ I asked, kind of startled. ‘You have access to my memories?’

‘It’s kind of jumbled there…?’

I smiled again inwardly, ‘Probably because I had to pretend not to like that movie and the books... Eloise was a fictional little girl who lived at the Plaza full-time and caused all sorts of mischief. She and this hotel have almost become synonymous, I guess… I remember as a little girl wanting to come here… They have a special suite with her name on it. I’m sure we’re not staying there, though.’

‘Hmm… You said when you were a little girl?’

I turned red, ‘I was certain I was really a girl by the time I was five or six, I think… too bad I had to emerge as a baby to become one.’

Before our conversation could go any further, we walked through the doors and into a fantastic hotel. “Why don’t we go up to our rooms and change Sofia and drop your stuff off,” her mom directed.

“Can we come back down to the Eloise shop then?” Camille asked. With her giddiness, she looked like she had regressed ten years of age right then. 

Her mom laughed, “yes, then we’ll get a bite to eat.”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you for reading! Please press the ‘Like’ Button if you’ve enjoyed it! Comments are always super appreciated as well!

Emerald will now be posted on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sundays until it is completely posted to work around Friday postings of ‘Lights, Camera, …What?!?’ 

If you're someone who must finish a good story 'now,' consider purchasing the full book on Amazon Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTBTTGX1  I will be posting a chapter about every other day until the complete 62 Chapters and the Epilogue are reposted.
 

[LittleFenny]

Yay! More!

Boo! The New England Binky Bandit is following them! Zap him!

What a wonderful Thursday, I catch up on Emerald, read the LCW chapter that was posted, and then got another chapter of Emerald. Thank you!

[BabySofia]

9 minutes ago, LittleFenny said:

What a wonderful Thursday, I catch up on Emerald, read the LCW chapter that was posted, and then got another chapter of Emerald. Thank you!

? Thanks for the comments! Another LCW chapter will come tomorrow! ?

[littlepinkdargon]

Woohoo loving this l! Except creepy dude....he can go stub his toes.

[BabySofia]

5 hours ago, littlepinkdargon said:

Woohoo loving this l! Except creepy dude....he can go stub his toes.

Thanks! ?

[BabySofia]

This is a repost since my other one was lost today 😥 Please feel free to repost any comments on LCW or this one. I'm not going to lie and say I don't want to cry at losing some of the great ones from today!

 

Chapter 36: Plaza

 

I SUCKED ON my pacifier as my stroller was pushed down halls they obviously had gotten to know before we arrived. An elevator ride later, we were pushed down to a set of adjoining rooms. Sadly, it wasn’t THE suite! I saw a portable crib in one of the rooms and knew I would be sleeping in it. Looking at it, I couldn’t help but notice it was plain compared to my others!

“Cassidy, why don’t you go potty?” Camille’s mom asked as soon as we got in the door.

“Cammy help?” She said as she dragged her sister towards the bathroom in the other room.

“Mom, Sofia’s diapers and stuff are all in the bag,” Camille said.

“I figured,” she told her with a smile as I was lifted from the stroller and placed on the couch. Camille’s mom laid out my changing pad and laid me back on it. “So, Sofia, how are you doing? Your mom is worried about you.”

I smiled at her, grateful for a chance to not pretend for a few moments while Cassidy was elsewhere. “I guess I’m doing okay. It’s really weird not being with Hannah right now… and missing my family for Thanksgiving is already making me feel a bit lonely.” I realized that was the first time I had admitted that.

She nodded as she wiped me gently, “I hope you’ll think of us as your extended family this week. Have you ever been to New York?”

I shook my head, “No, I’m really excited to see things.”

“I hope we’ll be able to see a lot of those things this week! We came here to visit with my sister’s family - they live in the Upper West Side, not from here, right along Central Park. So we’ll go to their apartment for Thanksgiving Day. Tomorrow we’ll go out to Ellis Island and Liberty Island so you can see the Statue of Liberty. Hopefully, tonight we’ll be able to go ice skating.”

“Cool!” I told her. “Do they make ice skates small enough for me?”

“If they don’t, I’m sure you or Camille can magic some up?” She smiled as she finished dressing me and Cassidy walked in. She simultaneously pushed my pacifier in my mouth as she picked me up. “Were you a good girl?” She asked her.

“Yes, mommy, I peed and pooed!” She pointed towards Camille, “Cammy saw me!”

Camille smiled and looked at me, “Is Sofia all clean and dry now?”

I held my arms out to her, and she grabbed me from her mom and hugged me. “Yes,” I told her.

Before I was forced to do any more acting, her dad reappeared from somewhere and said, “Everyone ready?”

After an elevator ride downstairs, we went to the Eloise shop. They had left the stroller upstairs, and Camille carried me and the diaper bag for a few moments before I wriggled, saying, “Down!”

I walked up to a display of cloth dolls and instantly fell in love with them for some reason. “Aww…” Her mom cooed above me as Cassidy also joined me.

“Mommy?” She asked.

“I don’t know…?” She said with a smile. I watched her also take and look at the tags for ages and thought for a moment. Her eyes latched on mine for a moment.

“Pwease?!?” Cassidy begged.

She would probably have gone into a total toddler meltdown if she hadn’t said, “Well, I guess I’ll have to buy one for all three of my little girls, huh?” I looked up at her and noticed Camille was beaming - apparently happy not to be left out. A few other items were picked up, like some books, before we checked out, and I was once again carried by Camille’s mom while holding the doll.

“Thank you,” I told her.

“You’re very welcome,” she said as she hugged me, “what are grandchildren good for if you can’t spoil them!”

Apparently, dinner was to be in one of the hotel restaurants that night. Her dad had reservations, and we were quickly seated with just a couple glares from the Maître D. A highchair was brought over for me. Still, Camille’s mom held me instead of putting me in immediately, “Cammy, can you give me one of her bottles?”

“Sure, mom,” she told her. I watched as she reached into the bag, found one of my milk bottles, and discreetly performed a quick spell to heat it. “Here,” she told her.

Her mom seemed surprised that it was warm and glanced at her. She sat it on the table before us while the waiter took our food orders. I wasn’t asked, and I guessed I would have to share with her mom. Camille stopped the waiter, though, and asked, “Can we get an extra plate of pasta for my niece,” she said, pointing towards me.

“Certainly,” he said and walked away. Camille’s mom shifted me into the crook of her arms as she popped the cover off the bottle. I watched as she instinctually tested it on her wrist before pulling my pacifier from my mouth and replacing it with the bottle. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was and ravenously nursed. Camille had passed over a bib she used as a burp cloth when I finished.

I was cuddled for a moment before finding myself strapped into the high chair with the bib around my neck. I became a spectator as Camille’s dad, whose name I discovered was Jack, began pressing her about how things were going. “So, how are your classes going?”

“Good,” she answered as she nibbled on a piece of the bread left at the table. Camille’s mom, Ashley, passed me a smaller part after giving one to Cassidy. Cassidy sat in her booster seat, quietly coloring a coloring book her mom had handed her.

“Just good?” her mom asked.

Camille sighed, “I have extra help all the time, you know… it’s really not that hard for me.”

‘Hmm… I really should talk to Camille more about being an avatar,’ I thought to myself.

‘She is a very similar young lady,’ Caireen replied.

“How about friends?” her mom asked.

“Well, Esmie and I…” I sat on the sidelines and was entertained to hear about Bechtel from her eyes. Of course, she didn’t tell any secrets or anything ordinary people who weren’t at Bechtel shouldn’t know. Still, she had plenty of stories I’d yet to hear.

As the conversation petered off, her dad asked, “So, any boys?”

I watched her nearly choke on her water right then. Thankfully for her sake, she was saved by food being sat down in front of everyone. Camille’s mom directed them to put my plate in front of her and Camille. I really wanted to just bring out my silverware. Still, I knew if I was trying to pretend to be eighteen months, I probably wouldn’t be that coordinated. So instead, I let Camille and her mom trade turns feeding me the small alfredo plate.

Annoyingly I was still hungry when I finished the plate. Unfortunately, the idea of a baby my age finishing the dish wasn’t typical. Two plates would just paint the Mergent picture on me. So I found my pacifier hanging from my shirt and began nursing it, hoping it would help my hunger.

“She’s a really good eater!” the waiter smiled. He had a very grandfatherly way about himself.

“She didn’t eat much for lunch today,” Camille told him.

“Yes, I remember my daughter used to skip a few meals and then suddenly eat. Toddlers never make sense!”

Camille’s mom laughed, “My kids have all been the same way!”

Camille picked me up out of the high chair and felt my diaper. “Mom, we need to change Sofia. Should we go upstairs to the room or find a bathroom down here?”

“Why don’t we go upstairs, change her, and grab their strollers. Then I thought we could stroll down 5th Avenue towards Rockefeller Center.”

“Any chance we could go up to the top of Rockefeller?” Camille asked.

Her mom shook her head, “Not tonight; I think we can do that tomorrow - we bought tickets for everyone this morning.”

“Cool!”

I sat contentedly on her hip as she carried me back upstairs while her mom held her sister. Camille wasted no time laying me on the bed on my changing mat. Cassidy had quickly been taken potty before she climbed on the bed next to me just as she pulled the second tape from my diaper. “She’s poopy!” she told her.

“Just a little,” Camille said, agreeing.

I hadn’t even noticed, but I just turned off caring about my embarrassment. Babies my age don’t do anything else, and I had to get over that. Once she had a new diaper on me, she ran to the bathroom to pee and wash her hands. Cassidy played with her new doll, and I wondered where mine was. I looked and saw it peeking out of my diaper bag, so I pulled it out and held mine too.

Cassidy was miming changing a non-existent diaper on her doll. I was about to pretend to copy her when Camille returned, and her parents pushed our strollers. “Come on, baby, let’s put you in your stroller so we can go for a walk!” Camille cooed.

I let myself be threaded into the stroller’s harness and let my pacifier drop. “Baba!”

“Oh, are you hungry still?” She asked me with a smile. It sounded like Cassidy wasn’t going into her stroller as quietly as I was.

“Pwease,” I told her.

She dug around in the diaper bag and handed me another warm bottle, and we were off. Along the route, we somehow mixed in with a tour group whose guide explained that the city was laid out on a grid and very consistent in spacing. I listened to him explain that the saying ‘New York Minute’ meant how long it took to walk a block.

I quickly grew bored sitting in the stroller since I could only see so much from down there. I squirmed a bit, and Camille checked on me as we were stopped at a street waiting for a crosswalk. “Uppie!” I told her as I pulled my empty bottle out of my mouth.

She sighed, “I’ll get you out when we get there. Only a few more minutes, I think…?”

I groaned as she put the pacifier back in my mouth and took the empty bottle. I sulked a little as we walked down the street. I could see this gigantic church looming over the road when she finally pulled me out of the stroller and placed me on her hip. “Daddy, can you push her stroller?”

Of course, since I wanted out, so did Cassidy. The crosswalk allowed us to cross, and I watched us near a Lego store! “Can we go?” I whispered to Camille.

“I knew you were going to say that…” she said quietly.

“Mom, I need to get a gift for a friend at school. May we stop by here real quick?”

Her mom looked at her and then at me. I blushed a little, but she smiled and said, “sure!”

That led to a walk around the store and the fantastic displays there. Finally, we walked out of there with a set of Duplo blocks for Cassidy, a second set for me, and then a big Disney Princess castle set for Camille’s ‘friend.’ I was all smiles as I was deposited back into my stroller and buckled in. Before I knew it, we were now at Rockefeller Plaza and walking towards the skating rink. Her dad picked me up from the stroller while her mom carried Cassidy. Camille managed the strollers and headed to rent some skates with tickets. It turns out this was planned for quite a while, as I learned while waiting that only a hundred and fifty people were allowed on the rink at a time.

Camille leaned the stroller back to being almost a bed and then quickly lay me in there before covering the stroller with a blanket. “We need to change your diaper before you go out there,” she told me.

“I’ve never ice skated before,” I told her quietly.

“You’re a baby; why would you have?” She smiled at me.

After a quick and discreet diaper change, she laced the skates onto my feet, and I was carried over to the ice rink. Here, I learned Camille was almost as much of a novice as I was, but her mom was a master! She was soon teaching Camille, Cassidy, and me in turns. I fell on my butt several times and, for once, was grateful for a diaper as it cushioned my fall. One of the times, a nearby teenage girl came over and said, “Oh, is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” Camille said from a few feet away as she tried to get to me.

I just smiled, “I good!” I stood shakily back up and started skating again. With my short height and Mergent powers, it wasn’t like I would be hurt! With that realization, I became the fearless toddler I had seen on ski slopes for so much of my life.

Camille became frustrated that she couldn’t keep up, calling, “Sofia get back here!”

Her mom laughed at her, “I’ll go get her.”

I had been so focused on getting faster and faster that I hadn’t noticed Camille calling my name. So it was a bit of a shock when I was suddenly picked up and hugged, “You’re a natural!”

I smiled when I realized who it was, but for a moment, I almost panicked. Finally, I returned the hug around ‘Grammy’s’ neck and quietly asked, “You grew up skating?”

She nodded as we skated back towards the others, “I was competitive with figure skating until high school.”

“Cool!” I told her. “How come Camille, is so bad?”

“She’s always been scared to go ice skating and would scream as a kid if I tried on the rare occasion we were near a rink. So finally, I gave up,” she shrugged a little.

We had just made it back to the edge of the rink where Camille held onto the rail when I caught a massive flash of an explosion destroying the Statue of Prometheus above us!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you for reading! Please press the ‘Like’ Button if you’ve enjoyed it! Comments are always super appreciated as well!

Emerald will now be posted on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sundays until it is completely posted to work around Friday postings of ‘Lights, Camera, …What?!?’ 

If you're someone who must finish a good story 'now,' consider purchasing the full book on Amazon Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTBTTGX1  I will be posting a chapter about every other day until the complete 62 Chapters and the Epilogue are reposted.

[Guilend]

Did we lose a lot in regards to stories posted? I only noticed maybe one or two new stories that had only one chapter or a short story, but mostly I noticed was maybe a chapter and a lot of comments from stories. I don't think it was as massive as it could've been. 

[littlepinkdargon]

Oh no! Evil doers are about. Will Emerald Baby come to the rescue? Will Camille learn to skate?

 

Tune in next time to find out! Same baby time, same baby channel!

 

2 minutes ago, Guilend said:

Did we lose a lot in regards to stories posted? I only noticed maybe one or two new stories that had only one chapter or a short story, but mostly I noticed was maybe a chapter and a lot of comments from stories. I don't think it was as massive as it could've been. 

Anything posted after 9am board time was lost unfortunately.

[BabySofia]

7 minutes ago, Guilend said:

Did we lose a lot in regards to stories posted? I only noticed maybe one or two new stories that had only one chapter or a short story, but mostly I noticed was maybe a chapter and a lot of comments from stories. I don't think it was as massive as it could've been. 

It's not as bad as it was a few years ago for certain. It was about 16 hours of posts/replies/likes I think.

 

7 minutes ago, littlepinkdargon said:

Tune in next time to find out! Same baby time, same baby channel!

🙂 Thank you this was one of the ones I was sad to lose! 💜

[littlepinkdargon]

Happy to repost! I thought I had angered a mod or something at first.

[BabySofia]

59 minutes ago, littlepinkdargon said:

Happy to repost! I thought I had angered a mod or something at first.

There must be angry cranky gremlins in the hard drives. Someone didn't give them a good spanking or something... Hopefully they're gone! 

[FloridaKid]

I love this whole story, but we’re in the thick of things now!

[BabySofia]

12 hours ago, FloridaKid said:

I love this whole story, but we’re in the thick of things now!

🙂 Thanks for commenting again!

[BabySofia]

Chapter 37: Worlds Collide

WITHOUT HESITATING, I quickly threw a shield spell around Camille’s family and myself! I instinctively knew Camille had to have done the same time. However, even still, there was a shower of sparks, and I felt my shield lose some energy as a blast wave of metal and concrete hit my shield.

All around us, people were screaming in pain, babies were crying, and total chaos reigned around the rink. Then, finally, I noticed that the ice had cracked in a couple places and that we were the only ones that seemed to have escaped the attack unharmed.

“What the hell is going on?” her dad screamed.

Camille looked at him from the ground and said, “Shut up, Daddy and get Mom and Cassidy out of here!”

I was just debating whether it was wise to go ahead and unveil myself as a Mergent when Caireen decided for me. Then, I felt my new costume materialize, complete with my pacifier face mask.

“I thought you were pretending…?” Camille’s mom started to say as I leaped out of her arms.

“Screw that,” I said. “I can’t let people die!”

I watched Camille quickly perform a spell to remove her ice skates as she magically put on her costume. As I watched her, I realized my ice skates were gone too, and I just hoped my shoes would keep traction on the ice. I began scanning for the enemies that would attack this place. ‘Terrorists? Mergents?’ I asked myself. I found myself drawn to a single figure that curdled my blood and caused Caireen to scream in rage within me.

Impossibly amidst the chaos above us, standing where the statue had been, stood… Rosemerta!

I found myself moving quickly across the ice towards the remnants of the statue, tuning out the bodies I had to jump over. I silently hoped that not everyone around us was dead. As I reached the end, I watched heavily armed police officers shoot their automatic weapons at her. She just laughed them off and kept her eyes on me. “Princess, that’s right, come to me!”

She leaped off the ledge that remained, and I watched her arms morph into wings to glide in front of me.

‘Do not underestimate her, Sofia,’ Caireen urged. ‘We must hold nothing back here!’

I nodded internally to her and used one of my blasts spells to attack her. Impossibly she dodged the spell and laughed, “Oh baby, is that all your mommy has taught you?”

I swore and began trying several other attacks that Caireen had been teaching me. All of them were ineffective, or she dodged them. Suddenly Camille was there, and I watched as she attempted a spell to bind her with golden tendrils of magic. It reminded me of the cage she must have slipped out of in the castle. Sure enough, she laughed, and it vanished with the swipe of her hand.

Impossibly a second later, the cage rematerialized around Camille. She stepped back towards me, and I closed to attempt to kick her in the knee. I failed to move fast enough, though! Rosemerta caught my foot, then grappled with me, turning me over her knee, “Bad Baby!” She screamed at me while bruising my butt with her swat. Before she could land another swat, I charged my skin with magic, and she dropped me.

“Gah!!!” She screamed! I noticed I caused her hands, where she had been holding me, to start smoldering.

Some more cops began shooting at her as she started to come at me again. “Stupid mortals,” she said, and without warning, she flew off and up toward the group of officers.

“Watch out!!!!” Camille tried to warn them, but it was too late by the time she rid herself of her bonds. She killed seven officers in seconds and returned to us.

“We have to end this now!” I told her.

She nodded, “Any ideas?”

Rosemerta landed in front of us and began coming closer to me. “I can’t wait to spank that bottom of yours for real, Princess – that was just a taste of the punishment coming your way. I can’t believe you’ve been so lucky!”

She was within a couple paces now, “It’s not luck,” I told her.

“What do you call it?”

“Courage,” Camille answered for me.

I looked down at the ice beneath her feet. With that, I knew there was only one spell I had not yet tried against her, and I shuddered with the hopelessness it brought me. I didn’t stop to think about it anymore, though, and invoked the spell Caireen had taught me to freeze a person.

“Wha?!?!” She had enough time to say before her whole body turned solid.

I looked at Rosemerta and wondered if she would be dead or just temporarily disabled. That was when several bullets went through her frozen head, and gory shards of iced brains exploded everywhere.

I looked up at Camille with tears and my arms held up to her. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I just caught sight of a familiar-looking man wearing a hat running away from the edge of the upstairs area. ‘He was on the train!’

 

CAMILLE HAD HELD me for several long moments while I cried before we became aware of the police officers that had guns leveled at us. “Identify yourselves!” One officer commanded.

“I’m Sora, and this is Emerald Baby,” she said calmly.

“Why did you destroy the statue?” One screamed at us.

I was flabbergasted and about to respond when a costumed superhero appeared. “Officer, I believe you are wrongly accusing these heroes.”

I twisted my head, and my jaw dropped! A lady who appeared to be the heroine called Tigress from the Liberty Watch superhero group stood just feet from me! “They were right here when it happened!”

“Yes, we were here, but we were just skating,” Camille said calmly.

Before he could speak again, another man in a suit came towards us, “Agent Carmichael, FBI,” he identified himself to the others.

One of the officers started, “This is…!”

“Officer, you will stop there. Emerald is a member of the Agency, and we have no doubt that she was only protecting her family and other civilians. You may meet us at our office to ask her for more details, but understand she will not be detained under any circumstances.”

“Agent Emerald,” he said, looking at me. “We have Sora’s family in a vehicle up on the street level. We’d like to go to the office and get an official statement.”

“Sir, we had to change rather quickly into our costumes. Would you be able to lock down the security footage?” Camille asked.

“It’s already done. Emerald’s identity must be kept secret.”

I nodded.

Camille carried me up to the street level. All around us was chaos as paramedics performed triage and did their best to treat the wounded from Rosemerta’s attacks. Sadly, I saw several sheets being dragged across individuals. A paramedic was screaming as he realized the futility of treatment with a little girl who was Lily’s age. I found fresh tears across my face, ‘Caireen, how could she do this?’

‘She was a monster,’ she responded.

‘Is she really dead?’

‘Maybe…’ she said simply.

‘Is there anything I can do for…’

‘Sofia, one of the sad things with monsters is they will always exist. You can only attempt to extinguish them before they harm too many. Today could have been much worse.’

‘She was there for me, wasn’t she?’

‘Yes.’

“Sofia?” Camille asked. “Are you hurt?”

I looked up at her and saw her own tear-streaked face. “Not too bad physically,” I responded as we had a door of a black suburban opened for us.

“Camille!!!” Her mom practically screamed in relief as she hugged her.

Her dad did his best to do the same while holding a shaking Cassidy, who I saw had an accident with everything but seemed to be fine otherwise. I used a spell to change her clothes to a new set and dried her. Her dad and mom looked at Camille, who pointed at me.

“Sorry, I know wet clothes are no fun.”

“Neither are stinky pants?” Camille asked me.

I shook my head, “Anyone happen to grab my bag?”

Camille’s mom looked guilty, “Sorry, sweetie.”

I sighed, ‘Any chance Caireen?’

I felt her thinking, ‘For now, just this one time. You know how to do it.’

‘Really?!?!?!’ I asked excitedly.

‘Really. Don’t forget to include the cleaning spell!’

I thought to myself for a moment to ensure I wouldn’t mess up the spell before using it. Camille looked at me in shock; she had felt the change since she’d been holding my bottom at the time. “You changed yourself?” She asked.

“She said this one time she would let me!” I smiled and hugged her.

Camille’s parents looked a little lost about the whole thing. Cassidy was lost to the world in shock while nursing her thumb. “She hasn’t been allowed to change herself,” Camille told her mom.

“But you just did?”

“My spirit finally let me!!!!!” I smiled and squealed a bit. “Maybe someday I won’t have to depend on everyone else for that.”

The ride after that was noticeably less aromatic for everyone else, so I’m sure they were all quite content with the results. Finally, our crowded vehicle pulled to a stop in front of the building where the FBI’s main offices in New York City were headquartered, and I felt a little in awe. The door was opened for us, and Camille carried me on her hip to the first security point. After an eternity checking our identities out, we were all through, and everyone was given visitor badges except me.

I almost squealed again as it was cool to be given a tag instead that said ‘Agent Emerald.’

“Please come this way,” an agent said while directing us to a bank of elevators.

When we exited them and were led to a waiting room. Looking at Camille’s parents, he said, “I’m sure one of you will want to be in the room as we debrief your daughter and ‘granddaughter.’ Would the other mind staying here with your other daughter?”

Camille’s mom and dad seemed to do some sort of mental conversation before he passed Cassidy over to her, “I’ll go in with them.”

“Thanks,” he said simply, and we were led further down past open office bullpen areas and to another conference room. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?” he asked.

“Juice?” I asked tentatively.

“Does she need a bottle for that?” he asked Camille.

“She’ll be fine with whatever you have - Emerald’s older than she looks,” she said with a smile.

Camille sat in a chair beside her dad and squeezed me tight, “Hannah is going to kill me!”

“Oh shit, she’ll find out from the news…?” I said, panicked.

“No, I texted her on the way,” she told me.

I hadn’t even noticed - that was sad.

The door opened again, and an older agent held out his hand, “I’m Agent Caruthers; I’m in charge of this office for the Bureau.”

“I’m Sora, this is Emerald, and this is my father,” Camille introduced.

“Also known as Camille and Sofia,” he said with a smile.

“Sir, you know you aren’t supposed to…?” Camille’s dad said.

“Don’t worry; this room has been swept twice today. I need to get Sofia up to speed on some changes in her assignment while she’s here. That’s how we made it to the scene so fast; we were supposed to be contacting her… We’ll only use their codenames when the wonderful officer from NYPD and the EPC representative show up in a minute.”

“EPC?” I asked nervously.

“Don’t worry; you’re safe from arrest due to your credentials, Emerald,” he told me. “Oh, I see they gave you a name badge, but they didn’t give you a proper badge and shield yet, did they?” He smiled.

He handed me a folder badge like I had seen on TV all my life. When I opened it, I read my code name and saw the golden shield with an eagle at the top. ‘Federal Bureau of Investigation’ and ‘Department of Justice’ below it with the picture from my GEID. I felt a bit in shock as it blew my mind to have one. “This is…”

“Really cool?” He finished for me. “I must have practiced flipping that open a hundred times the first day I got mine.” His smile was genuine, and I was grateful to have an ally in that room.

I smiled back at him, “Thank you, sir.”

“You might put that away for now, but I think you’ll need it when the local EPC idiot gets here.”

I gaped at him, “I see you have as low of an opinion of them as I do.”

“Probably lower,” he admitted. “Depending on the officer the NYPD sends down, they could be worse! Be careful; there are too many on the Sanguis Primum rosters right now.”

I nodded, “The one that tried to accuse us initially is probably one of those.”

Barely two seconds after I had placed it in the same small purse that I carried my GEID in, the door opened again. Two men walked in at the same time, one dressed in a suit and the other more casually with an NYPD Detective’s shield on his belt. “Detective, let’s get this fugitive in handcuffs already and get her out of here!” The man in the suit commanded.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you for reading! Please press the ‘Like’ Button if you’ve enjoyed it! Comments are always super appreciated as well! (Hopefully the gremlins don't eat them today!!!!)

Emerald will now be posted on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sundays until it is completely posted to work around Friday postings of ‘Lights, Camera, …What?!?’ 

If you're someone who must finish a good story 'now,' consider purchasing the full book on Amazon Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTBTTGX1  I will be posting a chapter about every other day until the complete 62 Chapters and the Epilogue are reposted.

[littlepinkdargon]

Oh look, officer wingus and Mr dingus have arrived.

[BabySofia]

1 hour ago, littlepinkdargon said:

Oh look, officer wingus and Mr dingus have arrived.

🤣 Who's Wingus and which one's Dingus? 🤣  

[littlepinkdargon]

47 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

🤣 Who's Wingus and which one's Dingus? 🤣  

Interchangeable I think.

[bje]

18 hours ago, BabySofia said:

When we exited them and were led to a waiting room.

Then we exited them and were led to a waiting room?

[BabySofia]

Chapter 38: Questions

“DETECTIVE, YOU MIGHT want to disregard that order until you get all of the facts,” Agent Caruthers said as he interposed himself between us.

“This Mergent blew up a statue in Rockefeller Plaza! What more facts do you need?” The man in the suit argued.

“Sir, you are?” Camille’s dad asked coolly.

“Agent Kenton, EPC division head for New York City.” He turned his head for a moment and then looked back at Caruthers. “This Mergent also has an outstanding warrant for her arrest in connection with terrorist actions in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She and her accomplices attacked EPC agents as they fled and are responsible for the deaths of two agents and the destruction of millions of dollars of property!”

“Are you finished yet?” Camille’s dad asked.

‘Has Camille ever said what her dad does?’ Caireen asked.

I thought back hard, which with my improved memory didn’t take long, ‘I’m sure she’s never said.’

As if to prove a sudden gut feeling correct, he pulled out a folio badge and said, “I’m Jack Jennings, D.O.J. Special Counsel.”

I looked at Camille, who somehow looked both proud and embarrassed simultaneously.

The EPC agent looked back at him and said, “No, I’m not finished; I won’t be finished until she’s in our custody.”

“That won’t be happening,” I heard Agent Caruthers and her dad say simultaneously. “Let’s introduce everyone properly first.”

Somehow, I caught a little nod from him, so I pulled out my badge, “Agent Emerald, F.B.I.” I was proud of my flip-out with no practice and inwardly squealed.

“But…”

“And this is my daughter, Sora,” her dad said protectively, placing his hands on her shoulders. “She’s Agent Emerald’s friend, staying with us for the holidays.”

The NYPD detective seemed to have a bit more common sense, “I’m Detective Nance,” he had just said before the door opened again. This time Tigress came in and joined us.

“Hello again,” she said to everyone. I swore her gaze landed on Agent Kenton and bore through him.

“Now that everyone’s here, why don’t we take our seats?” Agent Caruthers motioned calmly around the conference table. Tigress sat next to Camille and me while her dad was on her other side. The detective and Agent Kenton sat across from us, and Caruthers sat at the head of the conference table.

“Now then,” he said, “I’m hoping we can all behave professionally to determine what happened here today. Agent Emerald, would you please start?”

I sighed, “Yes, sir,” I answered.

“How in the hell can you claim she’s an agent? She’s a baby!?!?!” Kenton seethed.

“If she’s a baby, how could you think to arrest her as a terrorist ten seconds ago?” Mr. Jennings asked smoothly.

“She’s a Mergent!”

“Well, perhaps she’s not just a baby then?” he asked. “You really do need to make up your mind; you can’t have things both ways? As it stands, Agent Emerald is eighteen years old; it’s unusual for the FBI to have an agent that young, but there is nothing against them doing so.”

He shut up and seemed to pout; I could imagine steam coming out of his ears.

“May I begin?” I directed toward the others. I decided this was a moment to shed the baby persona as much as possible. I jumped from Camille’s lap onto the table to stand in front of her. “I came here with Sora’s family for Thanksgiving Break when other plans fell through. So Sora and I arrived this afternoon. After dinner, we walked down from our hotel to the Plaza for some sightseeing. Her mom had arranged for us to ice skate tonight. We had been skating for a while, and I had gotten a little away from Sora.”

I tried to think back if there were any warning signs before then, “Her mom had just come to get me to rejoin her family when the statue overhead exploded. So I instinctively put up a magical shield around all of us to try and protect everyone.”

I looked at Camille, and she nodded her approval, “I did simultaneously as well. It’s good that both of us did it since that explosion was intense.”

“I’ll say Rockefeller and all nearby buildings are evacuated pending structural assessments. We think there’s significant damage to a couple of them.” Detective Nance said.

“I think they’ll be all repaired sufficiently for now,” Tigress said, “My team, and another, were working on it when I left.

I was a little bit intimidated then by the thought that a famous superhero group and I were now sort of working together.

“What happened next?” Tigress asked me gently while she seemed to be nervously doing something with a staff she carried.

“I ensured everyone was okay and changed into my costume to try and avoid recognition.” She smirked at that, but I continued, “As I jumped out of Sora’s mother’s arms, I noticed a figure who must have been responsible for the attack. She recognized me and began attacking me.”

“Recognized you?” Detective Nance asked, his eyes narrowing.

‘Careful, Sofia, you can’t let out too much.’

I sighed, “We’ve had some run-ins on another… astral plain of existence. I didn’t think that she could exist in the normal world.”

“Go on,” Mr. Jennings coaxed. In about ten more minutes, I told the whole fight story from my perspective. It was like the debriefings I’d heard some of the other kids talk about the last week from their combat simulator time, and just as frustrating to me.

A cell phone announcing a text sounded off, and I watched Agent Caruthers look. “Okay, let’s watch this video to confirm their story.”

What amazed me most about the video, shot from an NBC camera that always was directed at the Plaza, was the fight was really over so quickly. Just three minutes had elapsed from the explosion to the bullets to Rosemerta’s head. I looked at the edge of the screen and, sure enough, saw a man run as soon as he saw Rosemerta destroyed.

“Looks like it confirms their story to me,” Agent Caruthers said. “You have the remains of the villain in custody, correct?” he asked the EPC agent.

I could tell he was angry, “No, somehow she thawed out, regrew her head, turned into a bat, and flew away!”

I would have laughed if it wasn’t so familiar. “That’s not the first time I’ve seen her do something impossible like that,” I responded aloud.

“Who is she? And… what is she?” Detective Nance asked.

“Her name is Rosemerta, and she’s a vampire,” I told him.

Agent Kenton snorted, “There’s no such thing.”

“Not what you all have in your common myths. Vampires were real long ago, but they didn’t suck blood; they fed on manna from magic users they attacked. For her to be as powerful as she was – she has killed many people.”

“Why was she there?” Agent Caruthers asked.

“If I had to guess, it was probably to kill me,” I said honestly.

“What?” Mr. Jennings asked in tandem with every other voice in the room.

“In the other plane I spoke of, we have a war that just started. Rosemerta has tried to capture me several times there, and her King attempted to kill me in the last attempt. I never would have dreamed that she would be able to appear here. I wonder if that means others can too?”

“I’m satisfied that Agent Emerald did nothing that makes it even possible for you to think of arresting her today,” Agent Caruthers said to Agent Nance.

“But what about the outstanding warrant?”

“She and all involved have been given immunity for all parts of the incident,” Mr. Jennings stated.

“By who?!?” He practically screamed.

“By the Attorney General for the United States of America,” Agent Caruthers answered coldly. “Detective Nance, I appreciate your much politer behavior than you’ve demonstrated in the past. We may be able to get along better in the future, thanks to that.” He nodded, “Would you please help escort Agent Kenton back to the scene so he may conclude his investigation?”

“Sure,” he said simply.

I could tell there was no love lost there, but apparently, maybe he was turning over a new leaf. I watched as Kenton spluttered but allowed himself to be led from the room.

“Now that he’s gone, what else is going on?” Mr. Jennings asked me.

‘What do I say?’ I asked Caireen.

‘You can trust them, but make them swear on the secret.’

“I will share everything with you, but only if you vow not to disclose it to anyone outside this room.”

Caruthers looked a little hesitant, but in the end, they all agreed to be bound by an enchanted oath I gave. After that, I spent a half-hour giving them all a cliff notes version of the war in Caireen’s Kingdom. When I was done, I said, “There may be a clue in that video. Can you zoom into video with this system?”

Caruthers nodded, “Technomages are handy to have around. Where?”

I pointed at the man, and as the image cleared and I got a good look at him, I shuddered. “He looks like an older version of King Camulus’s son that he wanted me to marry.”

“Not good,” Camille said.

“Not good at all,” I told her. “Are they like avatars or actually from the other realm?”

Camille’s voice changed to her spirit’s, “I can’t say, but either option is horrible for all of us. I know of his father, and he’s a ruthless man.”

“Just why are they so interested in you?” Tigress asked.

“My avatar spirit is a minor goddess,” I said. At me calling her a ‘minor goddess,’ I felt Caireen gripe. “In the other realm, she is the queen of a great kingdom. When she joined me, she chose to make me her daughter there. So I guess that means that I’m the heir to the kingdom. King Camulus wants me to marry his son so he can take over our lands.”

“He wants a baby to marry a grown man?!?” Tigress asked.

I sighed, “Well, he’d like to use some sort of magic to bring me back to my real age.”

“Even still, that would be awful,” Mr. Jennings said.

“Not going to lie, I’m not a fan of that plan – and neither is Caireen!” I scowled a bit at it all. “Should we go ahead and arrange for me to return to Bechtel? I hate to endanger your family.”

He shook his head, “No, you and Camille handled that just fine, and we’ll get some extra protection now from the Liberty Watch now if I had to guess.”

Tigress nodded, “You’re adorable; if anything happened to you here, it would be unacceptable to us.”

“What about the casualties from today?!?” I asked angrily.

Agent Caruthers shook his head, “It’s not the first time something like this has happened. You’ll notice that the whole thing took three minutes, and the police opened fire seventy seconds in. The casualties were from the initial blast and the police officers she attacked.”

“How many?” I asked coldly. I was sure that the chill in my voice was especially unnerving, given my size and its pitch.

“Fifteen dead, twenty in critical care, eighty-six in serious condition, and another hundred needed light care.”

I felt the tears run down my face and let Camille pick me up and hug me. I stayed there for a few moments before I calmed down some. I fought the urge to ask for a pacifier or place my thumb in my mouth. After I calmed down, I squeezed Camille and turned to look back at the rest of the group.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“Well, it’s late, and you probably should head back to your hotel,” Agent Caruthers said. “I need a few moments with you alone before you leave, Agent Emerald.”

I nodded and motioned for the others to go. Tigress came by and said, “This wasn’t your fault,” and gave me a hug before she left too.”

“Okay, Sofia, I don’t have much extra time to waste with everything here. Agent Sanders is on his way here to the city as we speak, and he needs to meet with you tomorrow. He said we need to get some time in for you at a range and maybe a few other quick training exercises in a simulator. Fortunately, you go to Bechtel and already had martial arts experience before then.”

“I think they said we would go to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty tomorrow.”

“I understand that’s your morning plans. I think we could go ahead at lunchtime and get Tigress to bring you back here first to meet with Agent Sanders, and then you can go back with her to the Liberty Watch’s headquarters. They have a good training facility there that you can work at.”

I nodded, “So, until then?”

“Tigress will escort you back to your hotel, and then another Watch member will take over for her there with being a bodyguard so she can get some rest.”

I sighed, “So much for thinking I could have a quiet holiday.”

He laughed, “Agent Emerald, you go to Bechtel! I swear we have a major incident from at least one of their students in this city every single holiday break!”

I laughed lightly, “I’ve heard plenty of stories.” I hated that mine was now one of them, and people had died. Their ghosts would probably haunt me forever.

He offered me his hand, which I took and shook it. “Sofia, you did nothing wrong; you can’t blame yourself for what happened. You can only keep pushing forward and do your best to stop things like this from worsening - which is what you did!”

“Thanks,” I told him awkwardly, and then I jumped off the table and walked to the door he opened for me.

Outside, Camille and Tigress waited. I held my hands up to Camille, and she carried me on her hip down the hallway to her parents and Cassidy. She felt my diaper and sighed, “You really need a new diaper Em.”

“Em?”

“Emerald is a lot to say!” She defended herself.

“Next thing, it’ll be Emmy!?!”

“Hmm… I like that!”

I groaned. “Unfortunately, my diaper bag and everything are still in the locker we put everything in?”

Camille’s mom was standing there and shook her head, “No, here you go,” she said and handed the missing bag to Camille. “One of the agents was kind enough to grab it for us. The stroller will be locked up in evidence forever, but at least you have everything else.”

I nodded and smiled a bit.

“Let’s go find somewhere to change that diapee,” she told me with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later, we returned to the Plaza in another unmarked suburban. I nursed a bottle on the trip back, doing my best not to burst into tears. I fell asleep sometime before we got to the hotel and didn’t remember them putting me to bed.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you for reading! Please press the ‘Like’ Button if you’ve enjoyed it! Comments are always super appreciated as well!

Emerald will now be posted on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sundays until it is completely posted to work around Friday postings of ‘Lights, Camera, …What?!?’ 

If you're someone who must finish a good story 'now,' consider purchasing the full book on Amazon Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTBTTGX1  I will be posting a chapter about every other day until the complete 62 Chapters and the Epilogue are reposted.

[littlepinkdargon]

Ok, if they had that camera footage why not just start with that. Suit dude is a real work...at least the agent seemed to not be a d.

 

Ooo and Em didn't think to change herself this time ....progress!