old friends (p)

Remy followed Liam's car through the streets of New Rome. It was fairly busy today, with adults and teenagers alike walking around and socializing. They passed some cafes that Remy remembered, as well as some office buildings and stores. In the distance she could see the gates of New Rome University, where students walked in and out.

It all seemed so surreal to her, being back. She never really thought she'd see these streets again.

They ended up driving along one of the outer neighborhoods, where classic Italian villas stood. Most of them were on the smaller side. The bigger villas were closer to the center of New Rome. These were probably mostly college students or new parents. Then they came upon a small villa, made entirely of black marble. She didn't have to guess that this was their destination.

Remy hopped off her motorcycle, pulling her helmet off and looking up at the small villa. She felt somewhat apprehensive. Although she had stayed in contact with Gem longer than everyone else at camp, there was still a small part of her that was worried that he wouldn't want to see her.

Remy started to approach the door, telling herself that she could do it. It was Gem, they were best friends. Nothing could go wrong. That was when a shadow materialized 6 feet in front of her, and out popped the man himself. He was older now. Obviously. She had last seen him face to face when she was fifteen years old and about to leave camp for Brooklyn. It had been nine years.

"Hi there." Remy said, giving him a small smile. That smile grew wider when he hugged her.

"I'm sorry." She said, knowing full well what message he meant. A week after her mother was killed, Remy texted him saying "I can't get out.". She had to dump the phone afterwards, after one of her bosses realized she had it. They kept a close eye on her after that. "I'm so sorry, Gem. I wanted to contact you but I couldn't. They were watching me. It took me forever to get away." She realized she was probably saying too much with Liam in the area, so she left it at that.

Remy nodded, "Later." She repeated. She looked back around at Liam, who was leaning against his car. She realized he probably heard everything, including the thing he wasn't supposed to hear. She didn't want everyone to know right away, especially with the consequences it could bring.

"Whatever you just heard, can I trust you not to tell anyone?" Many things could go wrong if the word got out. It could get her kicked out of New Rome, arrested, and depending on how far word got, it could lead to her death. Its not that she didn't trust Liam, it was more that she had problems trusting just about anyone. Except Gem of course.

Remy nodded, "Thanks." She said as she sat down on the couch. She looked around the living room a bit. It all seemed very Gem.

"So," Remy started, "What have you two been up to in the past nine years?" She realized why she had been gone, life had been continuing for them. Probably fairly normal compared to what she experienced. She wondered for a moment, what her life would've been like if she had stayed. She could've finished her service, maybe even climbed some ranks. She could've attended college. It all seemed so weird to her, the thought of a normal life.

Remy took the beer and used the pocket knife around her neck to open it. She took a sip, listening to Gem.
"I'm sorry to hear that Gem. For what its worth, he probably didn't deserve you." It felt a little odd, to miss this much. She and Gem used to tell each other everything, and now she's missed a whole relationship of his. Then again he did miss one of hers. Maybe they were even now.

"Gods, I remember your dad. Really intense. He still doing that thing where he takes you out to the woods and leaves you there?" Remy had only met Liam's dad once or twice, but she picked up on his personality pretty quickly.

"Jesus christ." Remy commented. Her dad used to be somewhat concerned about safety and preparedness and the like. It made sense to her, since he had always been chased by monsters due to his father. He had taught her some basic things, like what to do when a monster is following you, how to not let mortals think you're a murderer et cetera. Still, dropping your kids off in the woods and letting them figure out how to survive is on a whole different level.