Born 01 - Born

He's my boyfriend. Eric, honey, this is Emma. Emma. EMMA!"
    I ignore her and smash his head down on the soft cushy pillows. I wish it were a rock.
    Leo leans in closer. I understand his anxiousness. He knows this pervert has been taking advantage of Meg. She probably kicked him out of the tent. I want to throw up thinking about this asshole hurting her.
    "EMMA!" A man's angry voice fills the tent.I feel arms grabbing me. Strong hands lift me off of him but I kick. My boot lands square in his face. I hear the crunch. Blood gushes from his face. His hands fly to protect his face but I get a few more kicks off before I'm dragged from the man's body.
    Meg is in my face, slapping me. "STOP, EMMA! STOP!"
    I growl, "He's an old man, Meg. He's taking advantage of you."
    Mary is in my face. She pets my cheeks. "Emma, Meg's turned sixteen. She is allowed to choose her lovers at sixteen."
    I kick Meg in the thigh with my boot. "She lied to you. She doesn’t turn sixteen yet. She's still fifteen."
    Mary looks at Meg who blushes. Mary looks pissed at her but looks back at me. "You have no right to attack anyone, Emma. Not here. We are a peace camp."
    Will shakes me from behind and grips my arms tighter. "Emma, call him off." I can still see the tent wiggling. I know Leo is probably eating the bleeding man. I wait and let him suffer for a few more seconds.
    Will grips me harder, and I scream as my arms go up my back. Leo is out of the tent before I have to call him. He jumps at Will and knocks us both to the ground. He is growling in Will's face.
    Meg cries, "Leave him be, Emma! You ain't my momma! Eric? Baby?"
    I look at her and point. "Get him out of my tent. I will kill him before you turn sixteen, Meg." I get back on my feet. Leo still has Will on the ground.
    The bleeding, half naked man stumbles out of the tent. His arm has a good bite mark on it that is seeping in a slow stream of blood.
    He glares at me. "Crazy bitch."
    "Fucking pervert," I spit at him.
    He comes at me but I am ready. I punch him in the eye. He screams again and stumbles back. I leap at him but my body is caught mid air. Jake holds me to him and covers my face.
    Will growls, "Meg is it? Get your friend out of here."
    Meg is on her knees crying. I want to choke her, not to death, just till she loses her memory and forgets he exists.
    Mary steps in the way. "No, let me. Eric and I have some talking to do. This isn’t his first offense in this area."
    Will gets Leo off of him and grabs my arm, ripping me out of Jake's embrace. "Jesus Christ, you are insane sometimes."
    Jake laughs, "She was raised by wolves, Willy boy. What do you expect?"
    I laugh. It isn’t bitter or angry; it is a real laugh. It bolts from my body and I double over from it. It feels like a release, similar to crying. I feel a cramp in my guts I laugh so hard. Leo looks scared and nudges me. He has never seen me laugh like this. Tears pour from my eyes.
    Will shoves me. "You are insane."
    Jake catches me. I don’t feel the pain of the rejection from Will. I know I will later but for now I laugh and it feels good.

Chapter Eighteen

    Her tears bother me. I can't stand that she's upset that they can't be together.
    "You're not like Romeo and Juliet, moron. He's, like, an old man and shit. He's a pervert." Anna is trying to talk sense to her. She sounds like Jake as she talks. Meg ignores her and howls in pain. Sarah holds her tightly and strokes her head.
    "It ain't easy to find a good man who'll take care of you."
    I feel my nails cutting into my palms. "You don’t need a man. I'll take care of you."
    Meg cries louder, "I hate you, Emma."
    I sigh and look at Sarah. "You ready for a swim?"
    She nods. She seems intimidated again.
    "The same thing is going to happen to you if you date old guys. I kill old perverts."
    Sarah frowns. "What's a pervert?"
    I sigh, "Let's go swim, kid."
    I leave the camp area and walk the path that I have thought of a million times. Every branch and stone is burned into my memory. It's the first time I felt something amazing enough to make this kind of a mark on my mind, a positive one.
    I have no words for what Sarah is about to see and I don’t want to ruin it for her. I want her to see the whole thing the way I did. It feels more dramatic at night.
    We crest the hill and walk down the slope. Sarah is behind me. We walk into the clearing and the swimming hole is visible to the right of us. I see the awe on her face. She takes a breath and takes it all