Chapter 2: Stars Like Police Badges

Emma's POV

The silence in my apartment feels suffocating after Jake leaves. I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the closed door, replaying every word we just exchanged. My hands won't stop shaking.

Slowly, I reach under my pillow and pull out something I haven't dared to touch in months. A delicate silver necklace with a small star pendant. In the dim lamplight, it sparkles just like it did when I was seventeen, when everything still made sense, when Jake and I believed we could save the world together.

I clutch the necklace tight, feeling tears drop onto the back of my hand.

"How did we get to this point? Jake..."

The words barely escape as a whisper. I close my eyes, letting the memories wash over me, taking me back to when that star meant everything.

We moved here when I was eight. Dad had just transferred from California to the St. Louis Police Department. Mom was a federal agent. We settled into Maple Street, right in the heart of the police community.

I still remember my first day at Jefferson Elementary. Some older kids were picking on me in the playground when this nine-year-old boy suddenly appeared.

"Hey, quit picking on the new kid!" he said, stepping between me and the bullies. "Her dad's a cop, my dad's a cop. We stick together!"

That was Jake Morrison. His father, Captain Thomas Morrison, ran the entire precinct. His mother, Detective Lisa Morrison, worked juvenile crimes. From that moment on, we were inseparable.

Our parents became close friends too. Those years were filled with backyard barbecues, the adults talking shop while Jake and I chased fireflies across the lawn.

I can still see us lying on the grass in the Morrison's backyard, maybe ten years old, looking up at the night sky.

"Emma, look at those stars!" Jake pointed upward.

"They're so bright..."

"Dad says those stars are like police badges, protecting everyone from up there. When bad guys try to do bad things, the stars light up to warn the good guys."

I nodded. "My dad says police officers are heroes for ordinary people."

"Then when we grow up, we'll be heroes too! We'll protect everyone!"

"Yes! Together!"

That's how we grew up. Together. We studied together, did homework together, dreamed about our future together. In high school, our friendship slowly became something deeper.

When we were seventeen and eighteen, walking down the school hallway with college applications in our hands, everything felt possible.

"Emma, are you really sure about majoring in criminal justice?" Jake asked, stopping by the lockers.

"Of course. I want to be like my parents. And..." I paused, looking at him. "I want to apply to Missouri State with you."

Jake stopped walking and took my hand. "Emma, we've grown up together. Every decision we've made together has been right. I want us to be partners. Not just work partners..."

I felt my cheeks burn. "Jake..."

"Emma, I want to protect you, and I want you to protect me. We'll guard this city together and spend the rest of our lives together."

My eyes filled with tears, but I was so happy. "Yes. We'll apply together and face the future together."

Standing there in that hallway, with Jake holding my hand while other students walked past us, we felt like nothing could ever tear us apart.

God, we were so naive then. We thought as long as we loved each other, we could stay together forever. We thought as long as we believed in justice, we could protect everyone we loved.

That evening, both families sat around the dinner table, talking about our futures.

Then everything changed.

Gunshots shattered the peaceful night.

"Sarah! Get Emma to the basement! Now!" Dad shouted.

"David, you—"

"Go! That's an order!"

Mom grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the basement, but I looked back to see Dad rushing toward the front door with his gun drawn. More shots rang out, and I heard Mom scream behind me before she collapsed on the stairs, blood pouring from her head.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed.

I wanted to run back and help them, but Dad's voice echoed through the house: "Emma! Hide! Don't come out!"

Then there was silence. Terrible silence.

I hid in that basement for three hours, listening to footsteps and voices upstairs. I didn't know if they were good guys or bad guys. I could only hug my knees and shake in the darkness.

Captain Rodriguez and other officers finally found me. They told me this had been an organized revenge attack against police families. Many families had been targeted. Jake's parents were both killed. My father had also sacrificed his life. Only my mother survived, but she suffered severe brain trauma and fell into a coma.

I remember collapsing in the hospital hallway, Jake holding me while we both sobbed.

"Emma... they're all dead... my parents..." Jake cried against my shoulder.

"My dad too... Mom's unconscious..." I choked out.

If Jake hadn't been there, I don't think I could have survived that night.

The next day, reporters swarmed us like vultures. Their cameras and microphones felt like weapons pointed at Jake. I saw the despair and fear in his eyes as they bombarded him with questions.

"Follow me!" I grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him through the crowd.

We ran all the way to Forest Park by the Missouri River.

The sun was setting, water sparkling in the fading light. He sat on the bench with his head in his hands.

"Emma, I don't know if I can still become a police officer. We were doing the right thing. Why are we being punished for it? Why do good people die while bad people live?"

I squeezed his hand tight. "Jake, do you remember what you told me when we were kids? The stars are like police badges, protecting everyone from up there. Your parents are those stars now. They'll always protect us."

Jake looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Emma, I love you. I know this isn't the right time to say this, but I can't lose anyone else."

I kissed his forehead. "I love you too, Jake. We'll get through this together."

But back at Jake's house, I made tea and secretly added sleeping pills.

He didn't know that before the reporters came, Captain Rodriguez had secretly met with me.

"Emma, the FBI and DEA are forming a special task force. We're planning long-term undercover operations to destroy the 'El Lobo' organization. We need you."

"Why me and not Jake?"

"Jake's psychological state is unstable right now. He's too impulsive. But you, Emma, you have your mother's composure and your father's resilience. However, this means you'll have to disappear for at least five years. No one can know your true identity, including Jake."

For justice, for revenge, for protecting Jake, I accepted that mission. I was willing to sacrifice everything.

"Jake, drink some tea to warm up," I said, forcing back tears.

"Emma, don't leave me, please..." As the pills began to take effect, Jake seemed to sense something. He looked at me with growing panic, his words becoming slurred.

I kissed his lips through my tears. "I'm sorry. I love you, Jake Morrison. I'll always love you."

After Jake fell asleep, I left a note on his nightstand: "Forget me. Live your own life. Don't come looking for me." Then I took a small suitcase and disappeared into the night.

After that, I was sent to an FBI training facility in Texas for a year of deep undercover preparation, while making contacts with El Lobo-connected groups to set up my eventual return to St. Louis.

That night, I lost everyone I loved. I lost my father, my mother, and I lost Jake. To protect him, I had to make him hate me. That was the path I chose.

Now I'm back, but I never imagined our reunion would be so cruel. He hates me, just like I hoped he would. But why does my heart hurt so much?

I grip the star necklace tighter, tears blurring my vision. The rain outside continues, just like it did that night that changed everything.

"Jake, my star, will I ever get the chance to tell you the truth?"

Thunder rolls outside, as if answering the pain in my heart. I press the necklace against my chest, that little star still glowing in the darkness, just like Jake once said, always watching over me.