September 21, 2013

The first chapter to the first book in my series. Let me know what you think! Criticism is appreciated!

"Mom!" Ember screamed.

Panic devoured her as she stared at the scene before her. Sunlight peering through the light beige curtains added a sort of shine to the dark red blood that defaced the once pristine walls of an eggshell shade. Family photographs that once lined the walls lie face down on the wooden floor, broken.

Taking stagnant steps, she ambled deeper into the house of horrors. Shards of blood-stained glass concealed the flooring just as a blanket would on a mattress. Magazines on an array of subjects sat in a scattered pile underneath the remnants of what once was a glass coffee table stationed in the center of the living room. 

Couches, of a light beige color, formed and L-shape around the shattered table. Broken lamps of all shapes and sizes were strewn across the light wooden floor, along with the mini-tables they each sat on.

"Mom!" She called out once more in a failing attempt to refrain the wave of tears now desiring to be released.

"Keep it together. Stay hopeful." The words ricocheted off all corners of her mind. While she tried to hope for the best, deep down, she remained skeptical of the worst. An apprehensive feeling took root in the pit of her stomach as she took slow steps down the dark, narrow hallway.

"Strange", she thought to herself. 

Indeed it was. The rest of the house had remained untouched, while the living room looked as if a tornado had hit it. As she neared her mother's bedroom, the chemical odor of bleach tugged at her nose.

That dark feeling had grown more unsettling by the second. She began to quicken her sluggish pace.

"Oh my God!" The words unknowingly escaped from her lips.

(72 hours earlier.)

"Ugh where is it", Ember exclaimed as she scoured her room for her book bag. She had ransacked her closet, underneath the bed, and any other place she could think of. Her room appeared as though a tornado had hit it. Her clothes and shoes had been strewn across the floor, along with her jackets, the occasional sports magazine, and a few other knickknacks.  She ran her fingers through her amber locks of hair as her knees hit the floor in apparent frustration, stuck in the middle of her now junky room.

"Ember!" Her mom exclaimed. She turned to her mom, who was leaning against the doorway, in surprise. She must have furtively snuck her way into her room while she was busy destroying her room. She quickly jumped to her feet and began tidying her room.

“Mom”, she panicked. “What are you doing in here?”

"The better question is what happened in here." Her hazel eyes wandered around the room. Ember dropped the bundle of magazines, clothes and shoes she had managed to wrap in her arms. She looked down at the stuff and then at her mother. 

"Uhm. I was looking for my book bag. I couldn’t find it."

"You mean this book bag?" She held up the black and pink shoulder bag Ember used. Her eyes bucked wide open in surprise. She quickly strode over to her mother, ignoring the pile of junk her feet further scattered across the floor with each step. They ran up and down the book bag as though she was trying to process what had just happened. She had looked everywhere for the bag and yet, there it was: clutched in her mother’s hands. 

She took the bag from her mother and adjusted it on her shoulder. She had never been so happy to feel the weighty bag burdening her shoulders. She shifted it so it sat comfortably.

"Where did you find it?" she asked inquisitively with a puzzled look on her face.

"You put it next to the front door yesterday." She slowly nodded her head as the memory came back to her. Her eyes shut as she sighed in astonishment.

"I didn’t want to be late for the last day of school." Her eyes reopened and locked with her mother.

"Yes. So you left it there so all you had to do was grab it and go. And I distinctly remember telling you that you would forget and do this to your room.” She motioned around the cluttered room. "I also remember you telling me 'No mom that’s not gonna happen. I won’t forget.'"

"I forgot anyway." 

"Yes you did." 

"Don’t worry mom I’ll clean all this up as soon as I get home."

"Oh I wasn’t worried. Because that is out of the question."

"Yeah."

"Now you should get going before you really are late for school. This mess will still be here when you get back. I promise you that." She turned towards the clock: 6:20. She planted a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek before sprinting out of the room and down the hall.

“Bye mom!” 

“Bye!” Clara’s distant send off indistinctly registered in her ears. She yanked open the door and dashed across the small porch and down the stairs. Her two hands firmly gripped the handle of her bag. She raced down the driveway, and hurriedly unlatched the metal lock keeping their small gate closed. She shut the gate then made a break down the sidewalk and towards school.

"Ember!" A deep voice exclaimed as she felt a tug on her arm. She gripped her hands around his wrist and flipped him over her back. A vociferous thud followed. The figure groaned in pain all while clutching his wrist. He wiggled around the sidewalk for some time before making it back to his feet.

"Mason!"What the heck was wrong with her? She just beat up her best friend. She extended her hand, however quickly withdrew it when she saw he was getting up on his own.

"Are you ok?" He dusted off the black jeans and black and blue plaid shirt he wore. He adjusted the straps of his black book bag on his shoulders before answering.

"Oh yeah sure", he sarcastically responded. “My best friend just tried to kill me. Why wouldn’t I be ok?”

"I am so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. All I knew was I felt a tug on my arm."

"Even still you don’t try to kill someone over a tug!" 

"Yeah I know. I don’t know what got into me."

"My head and shoulders are killing me now."

"Do you want me to massage you?"

"No! I don’t trust those hands of yours right now."

"Fair enough."

"Well at least I know you can take care of yourself." Though his laugh was nothing more than a subtle chuckle, his dimples made no effort in concealing themselves.  She nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah. You’re right about that."

"We should get going. I might need you to protect me."She laughed.

"A man needs a woman for protection?"

"Only in America." She chuckled. They both continued down the sidewalk in complete silence, save the low thud of the small rock she kicked down the pavement as they walked.

"So what are you doing over break?" She ceased kicking the rock and looked over at Mason.

"Well. I’m not quite sure yet. Mom isn’t really big on going places. Maybe I’ll spend it at home and down at the field. What about you?"

"I’m not sure yet. My parents have something planned but they won’t tell me what it is."

"Hmm."

"I don’t know if I want to go anywhere this summer though but we’ll see", he continued. She nodded her head in agreement. They paused in front of the school’s gate. Written on a marquee in bold letters to the direct left of her was: East Town High School. She stared up at the brick building which was almost three times her age. The structure resembled that of a castle’s. The orange bricks had been riddled with scratch marks.

"Come on!" He reluctantly nudged at her elbow with his. She followed behind him.

"Phew", he remarked " his voice laced with relief. She shifted her gaze to him. "You didn’t try to kill me." She laughed.

"Keep this up and I just might beat you up a little."

They both laughed as they continued down the stone pathway which was positioned in the center of two of the greenest grass one would ever see. Sprouting from the ground were marigolds, their petals twinkling in the reflection of the sun’s rays. Two stone fountains, erupting water high into the air, stood opposite each other in the center of both patches of grass. They arrived at the school’s entry after what felt like a century of walking.

'Is it just me", Mason investigated. "Or does that pathway seem longer?"

"Nope", she nodded. "I think it is." He opened the school’s doors and motioned for her to go in.

"Ladies first."

"Why thank you kind sir." She responded with a subtle curtsy. He smiled, showcasing his dimples once more. Once inside, Ember scanned the nearly empty halls save one or two students at their lockers. She glanced down at her black, digital watch: 6:40. It was almost time for the first period to start. So where was everybody?

"Where is everybody?" She interrogated. Mason casually shrugged his shoulders ''I don't know''.

"They’re probably in the home room. We should head there too."

She nodded and soon found herself ambling down the hall and to the home room. They had not even made it halfway there, and already her ears were greeted with the ever familiar sounds of students conversing. She paused in the doorway and stared at the many students sitting down and standing up, trying to enjoy the last few minutes of freedom before they were restrained to the four walls of a classroom. She and Mason scoured the room for some time before finding an empty table. They dropped their book bags to the floor and collapsed into the chairs. After all that walking, Ember felt relieved to get a break. She suddenly started frantically tapping his shoulder. He responded with a look of confusion.

"Please do not let me forget my book bag."

"Ok", he responded though he had no idea what made her ask such a peculiar thing. He shrugged his shoulders and relaxed in the chair.

"That’s how you properly handle it when someone taps you by the way." 

She released a wry chuckle as she too began to relax though it proved rather difficult with all of the chatter being made in the background.

"Whatever."

 Barely two minutes must have passed before she started fidgeting in her chair. She absently found her eyes perusing the room. They stopped when they stumbled on a familiar face. She tapped Mason’s knee multiple times until he had no choice but to respond.

"What?" He shot up in his chair, nearly knocking it to the floor. He steadied the chair with his hands before locking his gaze with Ember's.  "Is there an emergency?"

"No. I just noticed someone."

"Who?"  His eyes scanned the room.

"Emily."

"Emily who?" She gave him a look laced with disbelief as well as the strong urge to back slap him.

"Well you have to be more specific", he continued. "Do you know how many people named Emily go to this school? I mean there’s the Emily who’s on the track team, the Emily who likes to lie and say she’s smarter than me, the Emily who’s never on time to school, the Emily who’s always applying makeup, I mean there’s just so many."

"You want a mental picture?"  He nodded his head yes. "I’ll give you a mental picture."

"The Emily I’m talking about is about 5’4; she has a light complexion; draping dark brown hair with blonde highlights; she’s wearing a fuchsia pink blouse and earrings to match, a black skirt, a blazer and knee high leather boots to match, and a purse -- really cute I might add -- to match her shirt; she’s warm, funny, kind, and you’ve had a crush on this Emily since we started high school. Does that ring any bells?"

"Nope", he hopelessly responded.

"You are soo lucky we're in public."

"She's sitting right over there with her cell phone in hand." She motioned to her.

"Oh that Emily! I don’t know if I’d say I have a crush on her. I mean she’s a nice girl but not really my type."

"She smiled at you and you nearly passed out", Ember reminded. He recalled the time Emily flashed her blindingly white teeth his way.  He could have sworn each reflected its own glimmer. How could anyone not after seeing a smile that bright?

"I had just finished running in the hot California sun with you that day. I was dehydrated.”

"She said hi and you actually did faint."

"I didn’t faint", he corrected. "I just decided to go to sleep on the spur of the moment."

"Ok Einstein.", she remarked. "Let’s see you talk your way out of this one. I didn’t want to have to do this but you leave me no choice. You remember that camping trip the whole school took?" 

He sighed in defeat. He knew what she would say next.

"I caught you practicing what to say to her!"

"How do you know I wasn’t talking about a different Emily?" 

"Were you?" His head sunk in defeat. He wanted so badly to say yes he was but he couldn’t. Well, he could, but not without outright lying.

"Not only do you have a crush but you’ve got it bad, really bad", she informed.

"Ok fine”, he admitted. "I have a small crush on her. So what? It isn’t that big a deal."

"No not small", she corrected. "Huge! And it is a big deal! You need to go talk to her."

 He shook his head no " an answer she wasn’t accepting. She shot up from her chair and locked gazes with him.

"Dude! Summer break is coming up. That means you won’t see her for a while. That means she could walk out of this school single and return with a boyfriend. You don’t want that unless it’s you! Which means you need to man up and talk to her! Trust me, if you don’t you will regret because you’ll be wondering what would have happened if you had talked to her. Regret isn’t something you want to have on your chest. So strap on your big boy pants and go talk to her!"

"I can’t! I don’t even know what to say." She firmly gripped both of his shoulders with her hands.

"I’m no genius when it comes to this stuff; but I’m pretty sure you start with hi!”

"And after that?"

“Ask her what she’ll be doing over the summer, ask her what she likes to do for fun, I don’t know just talk!”

"Here’s your goal." She counted it out with her fingers.  "Don’t faint, don’t get all tongue tied, don’t say anything stupid, and don’t act totally awkward! Be yourself."

"Do you know how hard that is around her?"

"Do you know how hard i'm trying not to slap you right now?"

"I can imagine. Now go!"

“I can’t”, he refused. “I just can’t!”

"Ok. There’s more than one way to skin a mouse."

“Hey Emily!” A wide grin sliced its way through her features.  "Can you come over her for a second?" 

 Emily responded with a warming smile and a subtle nod of her head.

"What are you doing?" Mason panicked.

"What’s that old saying? If you can’t bring the horse to water then bring the water to the horse. Since you won’t go to her, I’m bringing her to you."

"I hate you.".

"Oh we both know that’s not true." He shot her an evil look before Emily joined. One look told Ember he was fighting very hard not to do anything stupid.

"Hey Ember", she greeted as she leaned in to embrace her.

"Hi Emily." She squeezed her for a brief moment before letting her go. Emily adjusted her purse on her shoulder before turning to Mason who stared at her with the worst smile Ember had ever seen. She tried to ignore it. She really did, but it was impossible.

"So", Emily turned to face Ember also doing her best to ignore Mason. "You’ve met my best friend Mason right?"

"Yes and no. I’ve seen him in passing but I never got the chance to properly introduce myself."

"I’m Emily." Her hand extended. Mason finally released that horrid smile and shook her hand. For a moment, his fingertips lingered across her soft hand.

"I’m Mason." Emily gave him a smile brighter than the sun as her hand released his. He smiled back and this time, it was a proper smile. Ember smiled in satisfaction.

"This is progress."

"So Ember what did you call me over here for?" She racked her brain for a believable excuse. She also needed to find a way to give those two some privacy.

"A best friend’s work is never done."

"I had something to discuss with you. But first I need to run and get something from my locker before class. I’ll be five, six minutes tops. Can you wait until then?" Emily nodded her head yes. Mason knew exactly what she was up to.

"I’ll come with you", he offered. Ember desperately wanted to back slap him; however, she refrained.

"No it’s ok. I’ll be back in a few. You two can just wait here till I get back."

Mason turned back to Emily. He gave her a nervous smile. Meanwhile, Ember slipped into the nearest corner and watched her plan at work. Fortunately, the two were close enough so she could still hear.

"Mason please don’t screw this up."

"Hi" His voice nervously shook like an earthquake.

"Oh God please help him."

"Hi again", Emily responded as she readjusted her purse. Her eyes wandered around the room before returning to him. Again, he flashed a nervous smile her way. She returned it with one as well.

"Do you want to sit down?"  He motioned to a seat. Before she could respond, he continued speaking.

"Or you could stand. It’s up to you. I mean you just look tired so I thought you might want to sit but then again in about 15 minutes we’re about to sit down in some person’s classroom so I guess you might want to stand; but I mean like I said it’s up to you. And when I said you looked tired I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I just meant that it’s 6:45 in the morning so we’re all tired. I mean I know I’m tired."

"Kill me now."

"Can I speak now?" Emily teased.

"Sorry. Whenever I get nervous I do or say stupid stuff. It’s a habit. I can’t help it. I mean I try of course but when it comes to being totally awkward, I’m a natural and I’m talking too much aren’t I? That’s also something I do when I get nervous which is quite often as I’m sure you can probably tell by now and I’m gonna shut up now."

"Oh Mason." 

Emily responded with a chuckle.

"No", she remarked as she repositioned her bag once more. "Not at all; in fact, I think it’s kind of cute and sweet."

Ember’s ears perked up upon hearing this.

"Really?" He could hardly believe he was hearing that.

"Yeah", she responded. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder once more. Mason had never noticed but that was the third time she had adjusted that purse at least 3 times in the last few minutes.

"So did you want to sit?" 

"Oh yeah I did. Thank you." They took their seats, moments later. Mason took notice of her fingers twirling her purse strap.

"Are you feeling ok?" Her face flashed him a look of surprise at the sudden question.

"You keep fidgeting with your purse strap." Her look of surprise vanished.

"You know how you ramble or do stupid stuff when you’re nervous?" He nodded his head yes. "Well I fidget with my purse strap when I’m nervous. Not just them though. Basically anything I have in my hands or if I have nothing, sometimes I use my dress. It’s a bad habit I know. I’m trying to break it but it’s easier said than done. You must think I’m totally weird now."

"Not at all. If you’re weird then I’m a total freak." She smiled at his response.

"Well you’re the nicest freak I’ve ever seen."

"Why are you nervous though?"

"You idiot Mason. Does she have to wear a neon sign you moron?"

"I thought it was pretty obvious." His lack of response told both Ember and Emily he did not see it.

"Ladies and gentlemen: Moron of the year!" 

"I like you Mason." He nearly fell back in his chair upon hearing those words.

"But you’ve never even noticed me."

.

"Just because you fixed it that way in your head doesn’t mean it’s true. I’ve had a crush on you since we got back from the camping trip. Ember told me how you were practicing what to say to me. I thought it was really sweet that you put all that effort into approaching a girl. How do you think I got to be friends with her? She’s been helping me all this time but I never got the chance to talk to you since you would always faint or run away whenever you saw me."

"I’m sorry can you say all of that again?" He could hardly believe what he was hearing. She chuckled.

"What are you doing over the summer?" 

"My parents have something planned..." Her mood dropped upon hearing that.

"Oh", she responded trying her very best to appear delighted by the news but badly failing.

"I haven’t decided if I’m going to go yet though", he continued. Her face brightened just a touch upon hearing this.

"My mom’s a museum curator. She’s showcasing a new exhibit at the end of the month. I’m helping her put the finishing touches on it. You should come. That is if you want to." Before he got the chance to respond, she interrupted.

"I was also thinking that maybe we could get to know each other over the summer. If you want to of course." Mason felt his heart soar to Cloud 9. Was he getting invited to spend his whole summer with his crush since 9^th grade? He refrained from displaying his feelings to the world as much as possible.

"I would love to. It looks like the trip with my parents is off." She smiled brightly as did he.

"My work is finally done. It took me nearly three years but it’s finally done." 

She quietly slipped from her corner and back into the home room. She put on a disappointed look and strode over to Emily and Mason. At first they did not notice her because their gazes were locked on each other. She pretended to be disappointed.

“Sorry I took so long”, she remarked. Their gazes broke and turned to her. “I couldn’t find the thing I was looking for. Oh well. It’s probably somewhere at home.” Emily and Mason stood up and stared for at her for a half a second before Emily wrapped her arms around her. Caught off guard, Ember’s arms threw themselves up only to find themselves at the mercy of Emily’s bear tight hug. She squeezed Emily as hard as she could.

"Can you let me go now? I can’t breathe."

"Sorry", Emily apologized as she released Ember. "Thank you… for everything."

"Well someone had to help this moron out." She motioned Mason. He did not dare rebut. Instead, he hugged Ember as well. Only, his was not nearly as tight.

"Thank you Em." The words escaped his lips as he released her.

"It’s not like I ended world hunger. Save the hugging and stuff for each other." They laughed and nodded their heads ok. Ember smiled at the warm feeling that came over her as she watched the two.

"Just do me a favor. Please don’t turn into one of those lovesick couples who can’t stand to be apart for one minute. I don’t think I could take all that." They chuckled as their eyes cut to each other and back to her.

"We’ll try." Ember took one look at him and knew he wouldn’t try too hard.

"Yeah. Sure you will. And my name is Elena."

"Fair enough."

Ember glanced down at her watch: 6:54. Only 6 minutes until she was at the mercy of her algebra teacher.

"So how should we spend our last few minutes of freedom?" She interrogated. Emily and Mason shrugged their shoulders.

"There’s not a lot to do in 5 minutes."

"I have to go get something out of my locker before class. I’ll see you in class." She planted a quick kiss on Mason’s cheek before hurrying out of the room and to her locker. Ember’s eyes cut to Mason. His cheeks were as red as a rose.

"If that’s what you’re like after a kiss on the cheek. I hate to think of what you’ll be like after one on the lips."

"Oh shut up!" She laughed as she bent down to pick up her book bag. Mason followed. She situated the bag comfortably on her shoulders. It was just in the nick of time; for shortly after she finished, the bell sounded. Ember groaned at the annoying rings sounding throughout the school’s halls as she and Mason filed out of home room and ventured towards the math classroom.

"Oh cheer up. This is the last day."

"That doesn’t mean I have to be all perky. You know I can’t stand school especially math."

"Your grades beg to differ."

"That’s only because mom is always threatening to get me kicked off the soccer, basketball, and track team if my grades drop."

"I have no idea how you can do all those sports. I’m completely worn out just from working out at the gym."

"You have your brains and I have my capacity for athletic sports."

"Which is way beyond the normal capacity."

“So is your learning capacity.” Mason rolled his eyes. Their gazes drifted from each other and to the wooden door serving as the entrance into the classroom. 3A glistened against the dull back drop in large lettering.

"Come on." Mason ordered with a quick tap on her arm. She responded with a groan. Her eyes briefly cut from the door and towards the end of the hall. She spotted a figure eying her. His back leaned up against the lockers. She instinctively grabbed Mason’s arm, refraining him from taking one step further. A worried look met him when their gazes locked.

"What is it?"

"I don’t know. There’s someone at the end of the hall."

"It’s probably another student." He attempted to enter the classroom only to find he was still restrained by her hand firmly gripping his arm.

"They should all be in their classrooms by now and that did not look like a student." Reluctantly, he broke his gaze from her and peered down the end of hall. The palm of his hand felt her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking for a fever… You seem to be hallucinating." She slapped his hand away.

"I’m feeling fine! We have to go find out who that person was."

"You want to go interrogate the lockers because that’s the only thing there." She quickly returned her gaze to the end of the hall. Her hair slapped Mason in the face.

"That’s impossible."

“What’s impossible? There’s no one there. Now come on before the teacher reports us for being late. I don’t know about you but I’d like to avoid the principal’s office on the last day of school.” He took her hand and pulled her into the classroom. Her mind and gaze still focused on the empty hall, she absently followed.

"I know what I saw. I’ll just have to investigate at lunch."

She snatched her arm away from Mason and made her way to her desk. She took her seat next to Emily, who greeted her with a bright smile. She reluctantly smiled back as she removed her book bag from her shoulder and placed it on the floor. Faint whispers were silenced as three taps against the chalkboard filled the room. Students situated themselves in their seats and directed full attention to the teacher.

She was a woman who Ember decided to be no older than 30 but no younger than 25. And yet, her demeanor and wardrobe gave credit to someone much older. Her crème complexion shone in the sunlight shining through the white blinds covering the windows. She wore a silk blouse, black skirt, and black pumps. Her amber hair had been pulled into a tight bun. Ember respected her as a teacher; but hated math.

"Good morning class", she greeted with a smile slightly bigger than the ones she normally greeted with. Ember attributed it to the fact that this was the last day of school.

"Good morning Ms. Blake." The class greeted in perfect harmony. This was something she personally tasked herself with over the school year. Ms. Blake reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a black and white composition notebook she used as her role call book.

"Emily Spencer."

"Here." Emily said as she threw her hand up.

"Mason Grove."

"Here." His hand flew up.

"Ember Robinson."

"Right here." She threw her hand up.

"Rachel Manson."

"Over here." A sweet voice sounded from the back of the classroom.

***

"I think that takes longer and longer each day" Ms. Blake remarked upon finishing the last name. Brief chuckles resonated throughout the classroom.

"Obviously we won’t be starting anything new since this is the last day of class for the next few months. So I thought I’d just give you all a quiz to make sure my lessons haven’t gone in one ear and out the other. Then perhaps if there is some time left we can discuss how you all will be spending summer break."

 She made her way around the room with a stack of papers in her hand. Each student groaned in disappointment as he/she received their quiz. Well, every student except Mason who rubbed his hands together in eagerness to start. Emily and Ember looked at each other and erupted in a quiet fit of laughter. They laughed for a few minutes before returning their gazes to their papers. She reached into her book bag for the black pouch holding her pencils and calculator. She removed the calculator and 3 pencils before returning the pouch to her bag.

“You have until class lets out which is in 45 minutes from now although it shouldn’t take that long. Begin now.”

"I hate multiplying matrices. There’s too many steps."

"Oh they can’t be that bad." A deep voice suggested. Ember looked around the room for the direction of that voice. Every student was busily working on their test. The only sounds that resonated throughout the room was pencils scribbling across paper and the clock slowly ticking away. It was almost as if it was in her head.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered to Emily. She shook her head no and returned her attention to her quiz.

"That’s weird."

"I can think of weirder."

"Who are you? And how are you doing this?"

"It’s always who. That’s the first question people ask. ‘Who are you?’ As if the name is going to help them out of their situation. It gets a bit annoying."

"You could always answer my other question like how are you in my head."

"You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I’d rather let you guess. It’s more fun that way."

"Unbelievable. Can you please go away so I can concentrate?"

"I doubt me going away will help you focus but okay… If you insist!"

"Are you still here" There was no response. "He must be gone." She returned her attention to her quiz and began scribbling on paper.

***

The sound of another chair scraping against the hardwood floor echoed in her head. That was the 15^th student to turn in their quiz. Her eyes shifted to the clock: 7:40. Only 20 minutes left until class let out and she was only on number 4. The voice’s theory proved right: She couldn’t concentrate at all. She chewed at her pencil as she stared down at the problem. She knew she had to focus; however all she could think of was that voice in her head. She played their conversation over and over in her head. How the heck did he do that? More importantly, could he have something to do with that figure only she saw? She shook her head so as to rid herself of those thoughts in a futile attempt to concentrate. The sound of Emily getting up from her seat resonated in her ears. She watched as Emily placed her paper on the teacher’s desk and returned to her seat. She dropped her head to her desk.

"Ms. Robinson." Ember’s head shot up.

"Ma’am."

"Normally you’d be finished by now. Is there something you’d like to share with the class?"

She thought for a half a second before shaking her head no. There should have been no thought whatsoever. What would she say? There’s someone talking to her in her head. There was a figure stalking her in the hall even though Mason didn’t see him and she only turned her head away from him for a few seconds. She would be branded insane by the class. She would be the subject of gossip and pranks. So what if it was the last day of school? Guaranteed the class would have an entire punch line waiting for her when she got back.

"Ok Ember focus"

"That’s right Ember…focus."

“Would you please go away?” 

The entire class looked up upon hearing her sudden outburst. Even Ms. Blake ceased grading the quizzes for a few moments. Within an instant, she was cringing at the feeling of their glassy eyes peering at her, patiently waiting as she decided her next move. Her eyes wandered around the room and to her paper. She hunched over in her chair, desperately wishing she could eliminate the many eyes staring her down.

“Ms. Robinson?” Ember unearthed her head from the confinements of her shoulder and made eye contact with the teacher. She did her very best to ignore the whispers ringing throughout all parts of the classroom.

“Is there something you wish to share with the rest of the class?”

“No Ms. Blake. I’m sorry for the interruption.” Her eyes cut to Mason, who was gazing at her with a rather worried look etched into his face, for a moment before returning to her test.

“Are you ok?” Emily interrogated. She nodded her head yes, though she knew this was the farthest thing from the truth.

“Now everyone thinks you’re crazy.” That voice had returned. She desperately wished she could scream out loud; however knew this was not the most logical of moves. She bit down on her lip hard so as to control her eager tongue and drew in a deep, long cleansing breathe.

“Everyone thinks I’m crazy because of you, remember?”

“Yeah you’re right. I actually had nearly forgotten. This just seems so natural. You could hardly believe some think it’s crazy.”

“Anyone in their right mind would think this is crazy! Now, unless you’re planning on telling me the answers to these problems I suggest you leave me alone so I can concentrate!”

“I thought we established me leaving all but squashes your plans to concentrate?”

“Fine…. Then you can answer some questions.”

“I’m not helping you cheat on your test!”

“I’m not talking about the test! You can answer some questions I have about all this while I take this test.”

“How do you plan to focus on me talking and taking the test?”

“The more answers I get, the more likely I’ll be able to complete this test.”

“How about this? It’s 7:45. You’ve only got 15 minutes left. So how about you finish the test and finish whatever morning classes you have then I’ll answer all your questions at lunch? If I start answering now, I won’t get to finish and you’ll be even more curious and even more distracted. You won’t be able to finish out your day of school. What do you think?”

“I have a better idea: Let’s meet. I’ll pick the place of course and I’m bringing a friend.”

“I’m sorry but you’re not in the position to make terms.”

“Why not? If you’re contacting me then you must need me right? If you don’t agree to my offer, then I definitely won’t be helping you.”

“What makes you think you’re needed for anything?”

“Well because I get the feeling you don’t just make yourself known to perfect strangers. Admit it: You need me for something.”

“Fine… pick the place.”

“Marty’s over on Boulevard Av… right after school. It should take me about 20 minutes to get there from here.”

“Fine I’ll be there.”

“How will I know which one is you?”

“You’ll know. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Ms. Robinson.” Ember jerked her head up to find Ms. Blake standing over her with her hand stretched outward. Her eyes zoomed down to her feet as they scanned for the source of the annoying clacking sound resounding throughout the room. She made eye contact with Ms. Blake who glared back at her with one eyebrow cocked up and an impatient look etched onto her face.

“Ma’am?”

“Your test, please.”

“I need a little bit more time with it please Ms. Blake.” Her request was denied with a look of absolute disbelief.

“What are you talking about? Your test is already finished. Ms. Robinson are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

 Ember glanced down at her test. Her eyes bucked open in shock. She rubbed at her eyes, convinced it was some sort of optical illusion she was viewing. Her test was done. Every problem had been answered. How could that have happened? She knew very well she did not answer those problems. In fact, she had been zoned out over half the time. It was a wonder she managed to mark any herself.

“Ms. Robinson! Can I have your test please?” She turned to Ms. Blake who appeared to be increasingly impatient with Ember. She finally decided to dismiss the conundrum and had in the test. Reluctantly, she placed the test in Ms. Blake’s hand.

“Thank you.” Perhaps it was not intentional, but Ember could have promised Ms. Blake snatched that test a bit harder than was needed. It was a miracle that was all she did. Ember could only imagine how irked Ms. Blake must have been. After finishing packing her book bag, Ember exited the classroom and ambled onto the next one: English.

***

“School is officially over.” Ember remarked as she and Mason exited the school’s gates and started for home.

“Yep, so are you sure you’re okay?” She paused dead in her tracks. She recalled her sudden outburst in Ms. Blake’s class. She cringed at the thought of her screaming for no one to leave her alone. Well, no one she could see.

“Yeah I’m fine.” Though she did her very best to reassure him, one look told her he didn’t buy it for a second.

“You’re not fine.” She nodded in agreement.

“Yeah you’re right. I’m not. I’m hearing a voice that I arranged a meeting with. And I need you to come with me.”

“Are you crazy?”

“It’s starting to shape up as a possibility but I need to go. This way I’ll know for sure. I just feel like I need the closure. I know how it sounds but can you come anyway?”

“Of course I’ll come.” She smiled at his response. That was Mason: He was her rock. No matter what, he was always there, always looking out for her. He was more than a friend. He was… Well, she didn’t know what he was; but she was exceedingly glad to have him in her life.

“Thank you.” He nodded.

“Where are you guys supposed to meet?”

“I told him Marty’s.”

“How are you going to know if he’s there or not?”

“He said I’ll know.”

“Sounds ominous… let’s go!” She laughed at his eagerness to venture into the unknown. They reset their course for home to a course for Marty’s. Before they could set out, Emily’s calls delayed their plans. They both eagerly waited as they watched her somehow run in 4 inch heels.

“How she manages to run in those heels is beyond me.” She finally arrived at their location. Her back bent forward as she hugged her knees. She inhaled oxygen in by the bucket full.  Ember spotted a stream of sweat discreetly trickling down the sides of her face. It was as though she had just finished running the marathon.

“Sorry”, she wheezed out. She finally stood upright.  She removed a black scrunchie tucked under her blazer and roped her hair into a ponytail. Her eyes shifted between the two of them.

“Where are you guys headed so quickly?”

“Um”, Mason answered. “We’re going to Marty’s.”

“Oh cool! I’ll come with you guys. They’ve got this new pastry I’ve been dying to try.”

Ember and Mason exchanged worried glances. They both knew she couldn’t come. The question was how they were going to get her to back down without arousing suspicion.

“I’ll bring it back for you. Ember and I have something else to take care of and I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”

“I’m totally free. I don’t mind tagging along.”

“You really don’t make it easy for someone to ditch you, do you?”

“You’ll just get bored.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll have more fun with you guys than being stuck at home all by myself.”

“You’re mom will be there.”

“I love my mom but she’s pretty much married to her work. She won’t even know I’m gone even if she is home. She’ll probably be in her workshop going over all of the pieces for the exhibit for the thousandth time.”

“I’m sorry to hear that”, Ember interjected. “You know what Mason? It’s ok. I’ll go on my own. I’ll be fine. It’s just a few errands anyway. Plus, you guys need all the bonding time possible. She is your girlfriend now.”

“Well yeah but "“

“I’ll be fine. Now go give your girlfriend the full Mason treatment.”

“The Mason treatment”, Emily playfully remarked. “I would love to get the full Mason treatment.”

“If you’re absolutely sure you’ll be fine. Call me every half hour on the nose!” She nodded her head ok.

“I mean it! If I don’t get a call, text, or email every half hour I’m calling your mom, the cops, the neighbors, and anyone else who knows you. And you’d better have a good reason why you didn’t call!”

“Ok”, she laughed. “I promise, every half hour on the nose.”

“Yeah you’d better. Come on Emily.” His hand wrapped around her waist as he motion for the two of them to leave. Ember briefly followed them with her eyes as they ambled down the sidewalk. She drew in a sharp breath before starting for Marty’s.

“I hope I’m not crazy. Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

***

At least 15 minutes had passed before she finally arrived at Marty’s. She opened the glass door and entered the small restaurant with some of the best food she had ever tasted. Sweet and savory smells filled the air upon entering. Her mouth watered upon being greeted by such smells. 

Her eyes scanned the environment. She zoomed past the commotion of the front to the back. Sitting at a table in the farthest corner that leaned against a window was a man sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. She could not get a good look at him thanks to the newspaper and coffee mug which seemed to be attached to his lips. She couldn’t quite place it; but she somehow knew that had to have been the man. She ambled over to his seat. He did not cease sipping his coffee or reading his newspaper. He wore a black hoodie so she could not see his face.

“Are you him?”

“That depends”, he answered. Ember noted he sounded rather young just like the voice in her head. “Who’s asking? If you’re Elizabeth then no I’m not. You’ve got the wrong person.”

“And if I’m Ember?” 

For the first time, he folded the newspaper and put it away. He sat the coffee cup down on the table and met her gaze. He removed his hoodie, revealing piercing blue eyes conspicuously showing themselves off against his pale complexion. He looked to be no older than 20 and yet, Ember chose to believe he was much older; for his eyes held a look of one who has had enough of the world. He wore a black hoodie with pants to match. Though he was sitting, Ember estimated him to be at least 6’2.

“Then I suggest you have a seat.” He motioned to a chair. She sat down. They stared at each other for a few moments, no doubt trying to profile the other. Ember got the feeling he picked up more about her than she did about him.

“I want answers.” She finally spoke.

“Ask away. I’ll tell you what I can.”

“How were you inside my head earlier?”

“It’s called telepathy. I can get into anyone’s head I choose. Only kicker is they don’t know I’m there.”

“So how did I know?”

“Easy. You must be one of us.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No it isn’t. It’s a bit hard to believe maybe…but not impossible.”

“I don’t have telepathy!”

“You don’t know if you have telepathy. Just because it’s never manifested itself doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

“How is that even possible?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“How am I supposed to know? It is weird your powers haven’t manifested yet. Normally they would’ve by now.”

“Maybe I just don’t have any.”

“That is highly unlikely, but maybe.”

“What do you want with me?”

“I don’t know what he wants with you. I only know my orders which were to bring you in.”

“What makes you think I would go anywhere with you?”

“I wasn’t exactly planning on giving you a choice in the matter.”

“So you were going to kidnap me?”

“That would be the less messy option, yes.”

“Well good luck with that.”

“Where’s your friend?” His eyes zoomed past her and scanned the restaurant.

“He’s outside waiting for the moment things go bad. All I have to do is call him and he’ll come running.” 

His gaze locked on hers as he leaned forward in his chair. Ember grew a bit hesitant at the feeling of his eyes slithering down her, looking over every single part of her. Desperate to avoid any further eye contact, her eyes wandered around the restaurant. She cleared her throat.

“I think you’re lying.”

 Her eyes widened a touch before returning to their original position upon hearing this. How could he have known that? Ember thought herself to be rather convincing. She had to get out of there; but she couldn’t be too obvious. Then he would know for sure. She had to squash any doubt he had. As she leaned in closer to him, her stomach twisted itself into knots. She found herself constantly swallowing so as to keep her swelling throat open. Her heart’s steady beats soon turned into quick pulses.

“Would you like to find out?” She spoke in low, icy tones which further added to her credibility. Though she was a mess inside, her outside maintained the appearance of being unfazed.

“Would you like to get your friend killed?” Her eyebrow subtly rose upon hearing this?

“What the hell are you talking about?” Though her fear had reached an all-time high, she maintained her resolve.

“Did you honestly think I’d come without backup? Did you honestly think you were in control? I was told to bring you in alive. I wasn’t told you had to be unharmed.”

She sat back in her seat. Her eyes inadvertently wandered around the room. The once jammed restaurant had been reduced to 5 customers now scattered across the place. She sat upwards in her chair and turned her gaze to the kitchen. She stared through the large glass window that separated the kitchen from the dining area. No one was there. Everyone had gone. She was so caught up with him, she did not even notice. 

As her eyes returned to him, she caught a glimpse of a black handle peeking out from underneath someone’s khaki jacket. Though she prayed it wasn’t a gun, she knew it was. She was now having trouble discerning whether not bringing Mason was a good or bad thing.

“So what now”, she interrogated.

“Now you can either come willingly or unwillingly. Either way, you will be coming with me.” She thought for a moment, though it wasn’t that much of a choice. In this case, there was none. She now deeply regretted not bringing Mason.

“Fine, I’ll come with you… willingly.” A malicious smile sliced through his face upon hearing this answer.

“You aren’t dumb after all.” He dug his hand in his back pocket and removed a pair of sterling silver handcuffs. She extended her hands outwards. He nodded his head no. He motioned for her to get up with his hand and turn around. She placed her hands behind her back. She quietly winced as the ratchet tightened around her wrist.

“That’s just to make sure you don’t try anything stupid.” His left hand tightly gripped her arm, nudging her forward. Her hopes of ever escaping were destroyed upon feeling something press against her lower left back. Her speculations for as to what it was were quickly answered upon hearing the hammer c**k back. It was a gun.

“Think of it as assurance for me and a warning for you”, he teased. “If I suspect you of trying something, I will not hesitate to pull the trigger.” He removed the gun from her back and shot the man wearing the khaki jacket: one bullet through the head. He did not even have time to scream. He immediately dropped to the floor. Ember’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. Her eyes began collecting a pool of tears.

“And that’s just so you know my word is good.” He returned the gun to her lower left back and nudged her forward.

“I’ll take her to the rendezvous point. The rest of you stay here and clean this mess up.” They all subtly nodded their heads ok. He opened the door and pushed her out. They ventured down the sidewalk for a brief moment before stopping in front of a jet black town car. He opened the passenger and pushed her in.

“Safety first”, he remarked as he leaned in to buckle her seat belt. She threw a spit bomb in his face. He wiped it away and chuckled.

“I’m starting to get why my boss wants you.” 

He shut the car door and ambled to the driver’s seat. Moments later, they were driving down the street to some unknown location.

Author's Note

So I added some revisions to this chapter... Like major revisions! Let me know what you think! :)

Reviews

[matrixmark]

On my second review of this, I can see straight away that you have taken away the thoughts from certain parts and now it flows much better becasue of it.

Change this...."Where did you find it?"
To this..........."Where did you find it?" she asked inquistevely/with a puzzled look on her face.

Change this.....his dimples made no efforts in concealing themselves.
To this............his dimples made no effort in concealing themselves.

Change this......"Here." Her hand threw itself up.
To ths.............."Here." Emiliy said, as she threw her hand up.

Now...This is a massive, massive improvement from the first revision. It flows so much better and I can really see the hard work you have put in, into getting to ths standard. The above suggestions are purely what I think are missing from this chapter. You have done a great job in your overhaul on this piece and the whole thing is much better constructed and put together. Just goes to show what a little hard work can do. It has produced a much better piece.

Kudos to you.

Mark.

[Tashida]

Thank you very much!

[matrixmark]

Welcome - superb piece of writing - you shoud be proud.

Mark.

[Tashida]

Thank you! I am... I really am :)

[matrixmark]

Your paragraphs are well laid out and makes this piece a pleasure to read. The dialogue is very good too.

just a couple of things.

Change this...Whatever might have been there was gone.
To this..........Whatever might have been there was now gone.

Change this...After jumping in and out of the shower, she dressed herself -- excluding the sweatshirt -- then returned to her mother's bedroom.

To this.........After jumping out of the shower, she got dressed and returned to her mother's room.

Change this.... He bushed her lengthy brunette hair
to this............He brushed her lengthy brunette hair

Your details are really, really good.

I loved the bit where the mystery man grabbed her from behind - that was really cool I have to say. Your dialogue between the two of them was compelling and really well executed. It flowed really well and i could picture the scene clearly.

When you describer their thoughts, you need to cut back a little...this is just my opinion.

Overall an excellent piece which i believe could have great potential for a full blown story.

The writing was good and it kept me reading - good foundation to work upwards from.

Mark.

[Tashida]

Thank you very much for the review!

[matrixmark]

I reallt did enjoy this piece, a pleasure to read.

You have a good foundation to work with - Your writing is solid just needs a little tweaking.

Keep up the good work.

Mark.

[WanderingDavid]

It's an interesting plot, but I think "overwrought" might be the right word to describe how I experienced much of the chapter. There were an awful lot of metaphors in the first section describing the mother's death. It seems like there's ten different descriptions for each action that occurs. The dialogue section, on the other hand, was pretty good. "Dang it!" seems like a pretty soft ending to a chapter with a lot of intense events.

[Tashida]

Thank you for the feedback! So are you saying I should use less metaphors?

[WanderingDavid]

I love metaphors, but especially the first section seemed a little metaphor heavy.

[Tashida]

Ok thank you! I will review it again!