Ember Unspoken

After a year of her disappearance, Ember had changed completely. Soon enough, people will figure out what she truly was - A witch on the inside, a monster on the outside.

               Ember Blackthorn stood in front of the tall mirror that hung on the back of her closet door.  Her midnight black hair fell down in perfect, curly locks around her flawless, pale face. Piercing blue eyes outlined with black eye liner and mascara, stared into the mirror. Her small frame made her look fragile and weak, but she was much stronger than her body led on. The black skinny jeans she wore hugged her thighs and hips, and the red tank top clung to her sides, outlining her perfect curves. Her body was her weapon, at least that’s how she saw it. It was how she got her prey. But for the past year, she rarely fed. A promise she made to herself to keep herself under control. Of course Nathan disagreed, but instead of arguing about it, he let it go. The only times she really fed was when the burning in her throat had been so intense, she couldn’t take it any longer. With her living in a big mansion now, trees surrounded the whole place. Acres and acres of forest went in every direction, giving them the privacy to feed. On the perimeter of the place were fences, to keep her locked inside and to keep curious humans out.

          “You will come around sooner than later, Em.” She remembered he had said those words three months after the change. She refused drinking human blood, something she will never do. Nathan’s deep voice coursed its way through her body though as he spoke. She knew he was right, but instead, she promised herself she wouldn’t turn into a ruthless vampire like most newborns did. Internal strength and control is what held her together and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let her inner demon out to play. She was sticking with animal blood and no one was going to take that away from her. The thought of using a human being as a blood bag made her sick from the inside. If she ever killed someone, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. The guilt would tear her apart.  

          Standing in front of the mirror now, a year later, she was proud of herself. The past year had been one hell of a rollercoaster ride, but with Nathan by her side, she made it. Every day got easier. The pain and hunger subsided as months went by, and she learned to control her thirst. Not only was she one of the very few vampires to learn control this quickly, but she was also one of the few who had gained the power of magic when turned. No one understood how. Not even her-self.

          But of course her new found powers caused her to be the target for many clans all around the world. That frightened her. She remembered over hearing one night when Nathan had been talking to his father. A powerful vampire named Jeremiah had wanted her and to cause matters worse for them, he wasn’t going to stop until he had her. She had spoken later that night with Nathan and he had said everything was going to be ok, that his father would handle it in the morning. Falling asleep in his arms

          She heard the door open behind her as Nathan walked in. Meeting his golden eyes in the mirror, she couldn’t help but feel her body tense up. Nathan had been by her side ever since the night she had changed.

She could barely remember the events that followed after her passing out. Waking up in an unfamiliar place with an excruciating painful headache and burning throat, she could faintly see the man next to her. He was standing next to the bed, hands by his sides. His eyes were black with a tint of red in them, and the way he looked at her made her feel like she was a prized possession of his and no one was going to get in his way. And then, she saw him. He was standing in the corner behind the man, his golden eyes watching her as she slowly woke up. Wearing a gray t-shirt and a black pair of jeans with boots, he looked like a model. His hair was short and somewhat spikey, with some pieces falling in front of his beautiful eyes. Immediately, she felt like they were the only ones in the room.

The man talked though, bringing her attention back to him as he explained to her what had happened. From that point on, she was to face a hard two days ahead of her. Of course though, those two days turned into a week - something to do with the power within her.

Vince was his name and he was Nathan’s father. She remembered him telling her how he had taken her in. He had no choice to. Once he found out what she truly was, he knew he had to do something. She had killed an entire clan of vampires just from one wave of her hand. Finding out she was a powerful witch, he had to keep her hidden. Honestly, she still doesn’t know exactly what happened and how she had been saved, but she was glad she was alive. But somehow, she couldn’t believe it - she was a witch on the inside and a monster on the outside was. .

Nathan thought differently, though. She didn’t know he had seen the whole thing happen. She also didn’t know he was the one who had saved her and changed her. Just the memories from that night and the week that followed though, made her shudder from the inside.

          He was now standing behind her, his chiseled jaw set in a thin line as he looked her over. He was gorgeous, standing at about 6 ft. with an athletic, toned looking body. His skin was pale and flawless.  Brown hair sat on top of his head, pieces of it falling over his golden eyes. “You look amazing.” He stated, grinning at her in the mirror.

          Her eyes never left his. A small smile formed upon her face. “Thank you,” was all she could manage to say. Butterflies filled her stomach. The way he was staring at her made her feel desirable and wanted. Something she was certainly not used to.

          “You’re welcome.” His hand rested on her shoulder and she could feel his body close to hers. “Today is a big day. Are you sure you are ready for this?” He questioned close to her ear, staring at her intently with big eyes. She could feel the electricity coursing through her body as his hand touched her skin.

          Nodding, she slowly turned around to face him. “I’m more than ready. I have been training for this moment, Nathan. You of all people should know that.” She tried keeping her voice calm as she spoke.

          He knew she was ready, but he couldn’t help but feel protective over her. She was small and he knew about the enemies out there. Vampires all over the world wanted her, to take her as theirs because of her unique power. It pained him to know she would be leaving. Even though it was for a couple weeks, he couldn’t help but feel as if he was losing a part of him.

          Being alive for over 700 years, he never felt this way about a girl before. Out of all the relationships he had been in, it was her that had made him feel weak in his knees. Sometimes he felt like he couldn’t control himself around her. When she’s in pain, he does nothing but try and be there for her. There were moments when she would break down right in front of him, doubting she could ever do this, and he would take her into his arms and hold her. He loved the nights she would fall asleep next to him �" sometimes staying up to watch her sleep.  

The feelings he has for her never subsided. Instead they only grew stronger as they got to know each other better. If he could go with her, he would. But instead, he was stuck here on some stupid business for his father, while Ian got the chance to join her. 

Ian was his father’s servant, a vampire who has lived almost as long as him but was also a talented vampire. Obviously he didn’t contain the powers Ember had, but he was stronger than most and had reflexes so fast, you couldn’t see them coming. In less than a second, a person would be dead. So of course, his father picked him to send with her. Nathan was stuck here though, having something to do with the council. Honestly, he didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing but he knew it must be important enough to keep him hauled up in this mansion for the next two weeks.

          He nodded at her, “I know you are. I just want to make sure.” Reaching over, he tucked a small strand of her hair behind her ear. She was small, only at 5 feet 3 inches. He hovered over her like a tower, but he liked it that way. Pulling her into a hug, he held her head against his chest, right above his heart.

          She sighed, resting her head and closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. She could hear his heartbeat - a slow rhythm filling her ears and calming her down as the anxiety of leaving overwhelmed her. “I’m going to miss you.” Her voice cracked as she said those words.

          He smiled, resting his chin on her head as he breathed in her scent. “I’m going to miss you too.”

 

 

1 year ago ----

          Ember walked down the street, her best friend Caleb walking next to her. They had been best friends since 3^rd grade, when he had shared his chocolate pudding with her. It had been the first day of school, and she was sitting alone with her Hello Kitty lunchbox eating cut up apples. Caleb came up to her, his Spiderman lunch box in hand. “May I join you?” He asked.

          She hadn’t noticed he was there. Startled, she turned around to look at the boy standing behind her. Only nodding her head, he sat down next to her. Opening his lunch box, he pulled out a bologna and cheese sandwich which was cut up into 4 squares. He eyed her, taking small bites. After a couple minutes of uncomfortable silence, he had finished. “I’m Caleb.” He introduced in a small voice.  

          Looking over at the small boy next to her, she knew that was a cue she must talk.  “Ember.” She replied.

          “That’s a pretty name.” He said. “My father named me Caleb after his grandfather who had fought in World War One. How about you?” He was making small talk and she could tell he was nervous talking to her.

          Shrugging, she played with the cut up apples in her lunch box. “My mother says she named me because I remind her of fire. Weird isn’t it?”

          “Not weird. I like it. It’s beautiful.” He replied, watching her play with her food. “Is that all you brought?” He wondered, taking out his packet of chocolate pudding and a small plastic spoon.

          Taking another bite of apple, she nodded. “My mother says I shouldn’t eat junk food. She says that if I do, I will grow up with a really bad disease.”

          He now had the packet open and was taking a small bite of pudding. “If you want, we can share.” He offered, with a mouthful of chocolate pudding. Pulling another spoon out of his lunch box, he handed it to her.

          She eyed him suspiciously, but took the spoon without saying another word. After that day, they became best friends.

         

          Walking with him now, almost 10 years later, she couldn’t see her life becoming any different. Caleb knew more about her than her mother even knew about her. She could see a future with him. Not some romantic, lovey-dovey, type of future. More of something on the lines of him being there at her wedding, babysitting her children, and her doing the same for him. They would grow old, and the thought of him ever leaving her only pained her. She didn’t know what she would do without him. They were best friends until death.

          Walking into a small coffee shop, they sat in their usual spot next to the window. It was dark outside, and the rain had started coming down hard.

          “I can’t believe he actually said that to you.” Caleb said, referring to her ex-boyfriend Josh, who she had recently just broken up with. Apparently he had cheated on her twice. Go figure.  It was just her luck to find a douchebag of a guy.

          Ember only shrugged, glancing over at him. He was tan, with freckles spotting his cheeks. His hair was short and had a golden look to it. Blue eyes popped out, kind of like hers, but they were brighter. Sometime she would joke about his eye color with him, telling her how much she was jealous he had bright blue eyes. Seriously, she wished hers were as beautiful. After working out at the gym 5-6 days a week and lifting heavy machinery, he was buff. Strong, muscular arms butted out from underneath his black t-shirt as he took his jacket off.

“He said it out of spite. Trust me, he will come running back once he gets tired of his whoring games.” She spoke, her voice only loud enough for him to hear.

          “I doubt that.” Caleb sighed. “He couldn’t stop his whoring games even if he wanted to.”

          Ember could only smile at that. He was right. Josh was a man w***e. She didn’t know what she ever saw in him. All he wanted was sex, and Ember being completely and utterly stupid, she gave it to him. That’s all it ever was. Sex. Hoping it would be something more though, she only made a fool of herself. Finding out he had cheated on her had basically thrown her dreams down the drain. She was stupid for believing him. All those nights he didn’t come over and days he would stop talking to her, should’ve been a sign. But it wasn’t and now she was left broken hearted.

          The waitress, Jenny, walked over to them. Exchanging their hellos and giving her their orders, she walked away. The place was busy for a Wednesday night. Eying Caleb, he was sitting there, staring out the window. The rain was lighting up a bit, but still fell around the people that walked along the streets. Puddles had formed and umbrellas filled the sidewalks. Horns beeped aggressively at each other as idiots got in the way of other drivers.  

          “How are you and Allie?” She asked him, breaking the silence between them. She was fingering a small packet of sugar between her fingers. It was a habit. She always had to keep her body moving.

          “We are ok.” He turned her attention back to her, resting his elbows on the table. “She’s out of town with her family, won’t be back until next week.” Allie was a girl he had met at a party they both attended almost a year ago. Ember had gotten them together and they clicked right away. She was happy for the both of them and she knew Caleb was falling for her hard. Sometimes though, she wondered if maybe she was the right one for him. Allie was the jealous type of girl and always questioned him about her. Considering him and Ember have been best friends for years, Allie always got the idea they liked each other more than they both led on. One time she actually confronted her, telling her that Caleb was hers. Ember could only laugh at her. The fact Allie thought they both had feelings for each other made the both of them hate each other. Being the jealous, insecure girlfriend she is, sometimes she would text him every minute. If he didn’t answer right away, she would call. How did he deal with her?

          Jenny had come back now, setting a cup of coffee in front of Caleb and a hot chocolate in front of her. She despised coffee. Caleb, on the other hand, was addicted to it. “Enjoy.” She said quickly, and walked away.

          Ember watched her walk away. Usually Jenny was much more talkative, but tonight she seemed distracted. She will have to call her later tonight to find out.

          Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, she set it back down in front of her. “So where are they?” She asked, continuing their talk about his clingy girlfriend.

          “Somewhere up North.” He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee and setting it back down. “Haven’t heard from her since she left.”

          “Not a single phone call?”

          He shook his head.

          “That’s weird. Usually she is calling you or texting you every five min-“ Her voice trailed off when she saw Josh walk in, his arm wrapped around a small blonde. Caleb noticed her uneasiness and looked behind him, following her gaze then looked back over at her.

          “Ignore him, Em. He’s nothing but a prick.”

          But instead, Josh made eye contact with her and was now making his way over to them. “S**t.” She muttered under her breath. Josh was wearing the shirt she had gotten him for his birthday. Tattoos covered his arms and his bright green eyes stared her down as he walked over to her.

          “Well well. What do we have here?” Josh spoke, eyeing both her and Caleb. The blonde was short and wearing a halter top that showed her stomach way too much. The tiny skirt she wore rode up too high, making it look like her a*s was hanging out. Typical. What did he see in this girl?

          “Go away, Josh.” Caleb spoke now, glaring at him. Ember noticed the anger in his voice as he spoke.

          Josh ignored him. Leaning down so he was close to her face, he smirked. Why he was doing this in front of the blonde was out of question. “Miss me, babe?” He whispered for only her to hear, his hot breath hitting her lips.

          She glared at him. “No.”

          He stood up again, laughing. “Don’t lie, Em. You know you do. And in less than a week, you will regret ever breaking up with me.” His arm made its way back around the blonde again, who was now glaring at her also. Stupid.

          “In your dreams, a*****e.” She was annoyed now. He obviously liked playing games. Seriously, what did she ever see in this man?

          “Always.” He winked at her with a smirk, and walked away with the blonde.

          Caleb just shook his head, looking over at her. Ember couldn’t believe him. In front of the blonde? Such a jerk move. She just wanted to leave and get out of there. “Don’t listen to him.” Caleb stated, watching her intently. “He is just trying to press your buttons.”

          Ember sighed. “I’m going home.” Standing up, she felt Caleb’s hand grab her wrist.

          “You’re going to be ok, right?” He asked. Caleb knew her too well. She didn’t do well with break ups, let alone seeing her ex’s with other people. Josh had gotten under her skin, and Caleb knew that.

          She nodded her head. “I’ll be alright.” Leaning down, she wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him. “I will see you tomorrow.” She whispered, and walked away. If she had known that would be the last time she would have seen him, she would have stayed….

 

 

Present ----

          Sitting in the back of the limo, she watched the trees pass by. It had been so long since she had been out - this far, at least. Becoming a vampire had its cons. Vince had made it clear that she had to stay in the proximity of the mansion. Her being a newborn, he didn’t want to chance her killing someone. Yet again, he didn’t want to chance her being found either. Her unique powers had come to a surprise. A vampire and witch. Who would have known? Word got around though.

          She learned to fight. Her favorite was using a sword. Her reflexes had gotten better over time, and using her powers made it easier for her to fight. Sometimes she would practice with Nathan. Those times were fun. He also taught her how to use a gun, something she had never done before. At first she was scared and hesitant about it, but soon after, she started to enjoy. Now she could shoot the bull’s-eye in just one try if she concentrated enough. But even though she was good with a gun and a knife, she knew she still had a long way to go.  

Felicia, a close friend of Vince, trained her to control her powers. Ember learned new spells, meditated and found that controlling her powers would help the hunger that most times would come out of nowhere, hitting her hard in the pit of her stomach. It was useful when she refused going out and killing an animal. Honestly, it helped her so much more. Nathan didn’t understand how it could help her, and he was sometimes against it when she used her inner power to contain herself. But she didn’t care as long as she wasn’t out killing living things.

Even though her and Felicia practiced spells, sometimes she didn’t need to use them. Unlike her mentor, with just the flick of her wrist, or the snap of her fingers, Ember could do it with just focusing hard and relaxing her mind. Felicia had never encountered a witch that could do that. “It must be the vampire within you, Ember.” She had said, bewildered that she could do such a thing. “It heightens your emotions. It must have heightened your powers also.” Just the thought that she was a witch before her change shocked her. She never knew.

          Apparently, she was very powerful though. Who she got it from? She didn’t know. Her mother was a drug addict for most of her life, and she knew damn well her mother didn’t contain any powers. And her father….well….she never met him before. Her mother refused to even talk about him. Ember decided it wasn’t worth the fight, so she gave up long ago.

          She wondered how her mother was. She hadn’t seen her since a week before the attack. Did she think she ran away? Got killed? Does she even care that she is gone? Did she even notice? It pained her to even think that her own mother wouldn’t care. Even though she was doped up and drugged most of the time, Ember knew her mother loved her. The past year she came to realize that her mother did the things she did because she wanted to protect her daughter from the awful things. Doing drugs though angered her to the core. She knew that her mother doing drugs was kind of similar to a vampire wanting blood though. The need and the hunger - it controls you.

          Now sitting in the car, she felt anxiety go through her. She was going back to her home town. Vince had promised her that she could go back as long as she felt she could control her urges. She had convinced him she could, and he didn’t hesitate. He knew she could. But, deep down, he knew she was still a newborn. So instead of sending her back permanently, he let her go back for a couple weeks. Sending Ian as a watch guard though, pissed her off.

          He was sitting across from her, looking out the window. His eyes were a reddish-brown, and his black, long hair fell around his face. He was pale, with flawless skin except for the scar underneath his eye. Ember, being the curious one, had asked him how he had gotten that scar. Big mistake. Instead he only walked away and went into the other room, slamming the door behind her. After that, she never asked again.

He wore a white polo shirt and black jeans. Muscles outlined his arms and she noticed the way his hands made a fist whenever she looked at him. As if it pained him. Maybe he thought she was staring at his scar, which made him feel self-conscious about himself. She didn’t know but she didn’t dare ask.

          He never spoke, only when he needed to or wanted to. He was cold to her, and kept to himself. Wishing Nathan were here instead of him, she turned her attention back to the trees, frustrated. They were right outside of her hometown. Seven hours of sitting in the back seat, she couldn’t feel more exhausted. But now her exhaustion faded, anxiety taking its place. What was she going to say to her mother?

          Then it dawned back on her. Caleb.

          She forgot about him. All she thought about was her mother, and what she would say to her. But what was she going to say to Caleb?  

          S**t, she thought to herself, leaning her forehead against the cold window and shutting her eyes.

Author's Note

This is my very first book that I am writing and I would appreciate it if the rude comments would be kept to yourselves. I am looking for positive feedback and maybe even some pointers on how to keep going. Thank you and enjoy, darlings.