She flinched at her presence, always becoming tense and uncomfortable when Madeline was around, and always refusing to speak. She pressed herself against the wall, saying nothing.
She glared at her, hating her face and her way of cowering when she approached. "You know what we all think of you, right?" she seethed. "You're a dog. A dumb, mute, stupid dog."
Madeline recovered and wrenched her arm behind her back painfully. "Who the Hell do you think you are, huh?" she hissed, squeezing Rory's jaw to make her open her mouth. "Maybe I'll cut out your tongue. Do everyone a favor."
At that moment, Emerson opened the door, flipping through some papers thoughtfully as he stepped out. He paused, looking up at the two of them and frowning, looking confused. Madeline dropped Rory in an instant, straightening up almost in fear. "Emerson," she said hastily."Hi." Emerson's brow furrowed and he looked over at Rory, holding out a hand to her in concern. "Come here, Rory," he said, his voice deadly quiet.
She darted over to him, taking his hand and standing a bit behind him. She was shaking and there were tears in her eyes.
He looked at her with concern, using his fingertips to gently lift her jaw to look at him. When he saw the red marks on her face, his eyes narrowed and he looked up at Madeline. "Madeline," he said, his voice deadly quiet, "you've been with me for quite some time now." At these words, her eyes widened and she glanced at Rory. "But... but... Emerson, she's not even in our clan! She doesn't count. She doesn't count!" "You know," he said, a growl in his chest. "You know the Creed. You know the punishment." "I've been here almost since the beginning," she said, her voice beginning to shake. "You can't... you can't do this..."
Rory wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she kept behind Emerson, reaching up and wiping her eyes. Her other hand was holding onto him.
He watched her for a moment, squeezing Rory's hand tightly for a moment. "You're done," he said quietly. "You will be escorted to the holding cages before being brought out to the Plaguelands by your fellow scouts. You will not be allowed to return." Tears were filling Madeline's eyes. "B...but... Emerson... I won't make it out there. I won't survive." "You're done," was all he said, turning and placing a hand on Rory's back, gesturing towards the office. Before they left, a wretched scream tore itself from her throat. "You're just going to do this to me?" she screeched. "For...for... for some dog?!"
She flinched at the name that Madeline had associated with her, but said nothing, her eyes on the floor.
There was a silence for a moment as Emerson paused before gently pushing Rory into the room and closing the door behind her, putting a barrier between them as he dealt with Madeline. Her wretched screams faded. as if she were being pulled away.
He watched her, his brows furrowed for a moment before rubbing her back gently. "That's okay. We don't have to talk."
He sighed, wrapping his strong arms around her and pulling her closer, his head resting on top of hers. "I'm sorry this happened."
