She seemed momentarily bewildered, blinking hard as if to clear the visions of another world from her mind.

Azrael: "Good book?"
Emily: "It's strange. I feel like I've read it before but I can't really remember the plot or characters, but random pieces of the dialogue seem so familiar."

She continued to look at him puzzled for just a fraction of a second, absentmindedly closing the book in her lap. Her gaze made him feel slightly and oddly uncomfortable.

Emily: "Did you ever have red hair?"
Azrael: "Not at all. Whatever made you ask that?"

She hesitated, her eyebrows furrowing in momentary confusion.

Emily: "I have no idea. I must be remembering someone else, probably someone from when I was a kid."
Azrael: "Probably. You've been thinking a lot about the past lately, haven't you?"

Emily: "Yeah, it's funny how many little things you think you've forgotten about but were really just hiding."
Azrael: "Good memories, I hope?"
Emily: "Just memories."

Emily stood up and stretched languidly, leaving the book on the chair rather than returning it to the bookshelf. To Azrael she seemed to still be in another world, not yet fully emerged from the book she'd been reading.

Emily: "I'm absolutely starving. Have you eaten yet?"
Azrael: "Actually, no I haven't. What are you in the mood for?"

Emily: "Something terrible for me, with lots of grease and cheese. Pepperoni pizza?"
Azrael: "Would you prefer to order in or brave a restaurant?"

She seemed to ponder the choices for a few seconds, mulling over the pros and cons of each. Suddenly, once again she was pitching forward, screaming out in pain. Unlike before, this time Azrael was able to see the deep gashes in her forearms, the blood oozing out in scarlet ribbons. He cursed under his breath as he realized what was happening.

As quickly as it had appeared, the vision was gone. He was left only with a strange impression of things being slightly different than they'd been before. Emily staggered slightly, reaching out blindly through the pain and confusion. Azrael stepped forward and steadied her.

Emily: "What's going on? What's happening to me?"
Azrael: "Well for one you're exhausted."

Emily: "I'm scared… this feels like more than just being really tired."
Azrael: "You also need to eat something. I'm sure that Mary wouldn't be very happy if she knew you were letting yourself waste away."
Emily: "She'd probably yell at me."

Azrael: "I'll order us that pepperoni pizza and you can get some sleep, how does that sound?"
Emily: "If it'll make these dizzy spells go away, I'm all for it."
Azrael: "And if they continue, I'll set up a doctor's appointment for you as soon as possible."

He held her close, whispering soothing words to ease her fears while his mind raced. The Outsiders were getting closer. However, they had a long way to go yet--he had plenty of time to claim Emily's soul forever.