Never in a million years did Emi expect to be attending her Uncle Eli’s funeral. Not that she foresaw attending any of her aunts or uncles’ funerals, but Eli was the youngest (next to Aubrey, of course). It was a bizarre feeling, dressing in all black and preparing to see her uncle’s lifeless body. It made her blood crawl just thinking about it.
She’d never been very close to her uncle Eli, not the way she was close to her Uncle Rico and Aunt Ceci. Still, his death put a sting in her heart. He was family, after all, and on top of that, he was leaving behind his pretty wife and two daughters. They were so young! Only 4 and 5 years old. Emi couldn’t imagine losing a parent that young. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her parents now, at the age of 16. Maybe the worst part of the whole situation was that he’d been senselessly murdered. Mugged. And in country so, so far away from home. It actually made Emi a little frightened to walk the streets of Paris alone. True, India was far different than France, but still… She was sure that Eli hadn’t fathomed getting attacked in India. The atmosphere in London was heavy. A stark comparison to what it had been around Christmas time. The creepy part about that was that Eli had already been dead. It was just that no one knew it as yet, aside from Aelin. Emi sat with her parents and siblings, her hands reverently folded in her laps. She listened to the heart-wrenching eulogies, she watched the endless tears flow from the eyes of Eli’s many loved ones. With all her heart, Emi hoped that she wouldn’t have to attend another funeral for a long, long, very long time. She hoped that wherever Eli was, if he believed in some sort of afterlife, that it was treating him well.
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Emi’s summer in Paris had transformed into a 1-year scholarship at the Centre Danse du Marais. After the incident with Antoine, Emi had really kept her head in the game. No more foolishness. Complete focus. No time for boys or fun. Just dance, dance, dance. Anne-Laure thought she was ‘no fun’ but Emi couldn’t care less. At least she was proving herself as a competitor to be reckoned with. She was a threat to all those pretty, long-legged girls who thought they were better than everyone else.
Maybe her parents wouldn’t be too proud of who/what she’d become. Maybe it was a little stuck up that she rejected anything that wasn’t ballet, but the programme was cut-throat. It required more training and more focus than Emi had ever experienced in her life. Emi was grateful to go home for Christmas. It was a relief to just be herself again. To be friendly, and open. To see her younger siblings. Kobe, in just a few months they’re all grown so much. Nicco was losing his baby face and, for the first time, Emi realised that Angelo might get taller than she was. It was so strange to imagine, but she figured she better get used to the idea. Elia was growing up too. She was more mature, less hyper. In just a few months! Emi wondered if her being away forced her siblings to grow up. One thing she knew for sure was that even though Paris was where she lived during the school year, home was always where the family is. Soon, she’d return to Paris and continue her new life, but Christmas reminded her of who she was. |
Emilia at a glanceNames: Emilia Paris van Loon Archives
April 2017
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