I stop with a heavy heart and survey the dormitories in front of me. Eight of them in all, made of brick and they look comfortable in their woodland surroundings. What am I thinking, being here like this? Why am I making things harder for me? If Ember knew the truth about me, she would want nothing to do with me. Can a friendship built on a lie even survive?
From the corner of my eye, a girl dressed in a long-sleeve black shirt and matching tight pants catches my attention. She stands at the edge of the woods, looking in. The sun hits her hair, highlighting the red tint in the brown locks, and it lays long past the middle of her back. Wait a second … is that Ember?
As if she senses me watching her, she turns in my direction.
I duck behind a bench. After a minute, I inch up, and Ember is nowhere to be seen. This whole scenario seems strange. I haven’t known her to ever dress like that other than when she was trying to avoid the press. What would she be doing? And why was she looking into the woods?
Wait, did she go in there?
I sprint to the spot I last saw her, and there’s no sign of her, just a chipmunk scurrying off under a bush. The only thing that makes sense is she must’ve gone into the woods, but it baffles me as to why. The woods are thick with trees and tall grass; it wouldn’t be easy to walk through. Also, it is getting dark. Why would she go in there now?
My eyes widen with dread, and anxiety floods my blood. Oh no. She wouldn’t be looking for Iron Forge, would she?
I take off running into the woods, maneuvering through the ocean of green grass. My heart beats like a gorilla pounding his chest. What is she thinking? She’s going to get herself killed! What if he is out here? Or someone else? I attempt to take deep breaths to help calm myself, but it’s impossible with so many frantic thoughts racing through my mind.
My toe crashes into a large broken branch hidden under the overgrowth. “Ah! dammit!” I hiss in frustration. The sharp stinging sensation slows me for a moment. I behold my surroundings. There’s a faint scent of rotting wood, and all I can discern is a pair of yellow eyes, probably an owl, staring at me from the center of one of the decaying trees. There’s no sign of Ember anywhere. Maybe I got ahead of myself thinking she came out here.
As if an answer to my thoughts, a glow emerges between the trees about fifty feet from me. It’s not very bright but gives off a soft orange glow, like a small flame. I cautiously approach, and hope it’s something to do with Ember—and not someone else. After some careful steps, the trees thin out, and I can walk easier between them. I dodge a low-hanging branch and walk around a tree with an oddly shaped trunk, like an elephant. I freeze when I see the glow is coming from someone—Ember.
She’s standing so I can only see her profile in the middle of a small, open pasture. An orange aura surrounds her, and it’s causing a rippling mirage effect around her, like a street on a hot day. Her hair, now in a ponytail, looks to be floating, as if she’s underwater. She kneels and puts her hands on the ground, and the aura burns brighter, almost white.
My breath escapes me at seeing her power. I haven’t seen it since our fight with Iron Forge.
Ember bolts upward, and her aura burns duller, like a pumpkin orange. She pivots her head, scouting the area. “If someone is out there, you may as well stop hiding!”
Wait, she can sense my presence? I’m not sure if it would be better to let her know it’s me or … to run away like a coward. I realize she may find it a bit creepy that I am out here watching her even though my intentions were pure. I really set myself up for failure with this one. I step backward, and the sound of the crunching earth underneath my feet seems to be louder than normal.
Ember snaps her head in my direction. Her burning eyes stare straight at me.
My stomach sinks.
A bright blast comes at me like a speeding bullet. I dive into a somersault, and it barely misses me. Another one comes, and I create a forcefield shaped like a round shield. It blocks the blast in just the nick of time.
“Aiden?” Ember asks.
I close my hand, ending the connection to the forcefield, and it’s gone, like a puff of smoke. “Hey, Ember.” I chuckle nervously.
She blinks, and her eyes normalize. The burning aura vanishes, making it suddenly hard to see. I didn’t realize how much light she was providing. I notice the hues of pinks and oranges in the sky; the sun is almost done for the day. I create an energy orb about the size of a baseball with a wave of my right hand to provide some illumination, and it floats for a second before I place my hand underneath it.
The light highlights the confusion in her stare. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
I rub the back of my neck and approach her. “Uh, well … funny story. I was heading to your dorm to see if you wanted to do something tonight. So, um—”
“So, um … what?”
I become stone. All my thoughts now seem ridiculous to me, but I know I need to explain myself. “I-I just wanted to see if you wanted to go for a walk or something, you know, to talk. Then I saw you head into the woods, and I-I just got concerned. I thought maybe you were coming out here to look for Iron Forge.”
She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. “Oh? And what if I was? Do you think I need protection?”
I narrow my eyes, her comment slightly bothering me. “Not necessarily, but it’s not like things went too well with him last time. I’d rather risk being wrong and come out here to make sure you’re okay than be right and have something happen to you.” I stare off into the trees. “I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”
She uncrosses her arms, and her demeanor softens. “Well, rest easy. I’m not out here looking for him.”
“Can I ask why you’re out here then?”
A small smirk plays at her lips. “You can, but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”
My face copies hers. “Oh, really?”
“Really,” she says, playing along.
I take a slow step toward her. “So, Em … why are you out here?”
Her dark lips move into a grin, and she closes her eyes for a second. When they open, they look like what I would expect to see inside a volcano. “Let me show you why.”
I feel myself smiling mischievously, and, in a blink of an eye, my eyes reflect my own inner power. “Alright then, show me.”
Tendrils of white-hot energy flow from her palms and circle up the length of her arms. Her hands close into fists and burn brightly. “Sure you can handle this?” She takes a few steps backward, and we circle each other, almost like a coordinated dance.
Our eyes lock on each other. I playfully bounce my orb in my hand, and bolts of electricity shoot from my body. “Do you even know what I’m capable of?”
She nods. “I’ve heard you can control electricity. Your abilities must be pretty intense, since your hair actually used to be brown.”
I chuckle. “Yeah. My abilities have caused some advanced aging I guess.”
She halts and gives me the most seductive stare.
A shiver travels down my spine.
“Well, Aiden Stiles. Show me exactly what you’re capable of.”
I grin. “It would be my pleasure.” With a flick of my wrist, I launch my orb upward and catch it between my hands.
Ember forms a bright burning ball of energy.
We both stand still for a moment, sizing up the other, but the familiar feeling of anxiety pours into my veins. Am I really going to throw this blast at her? The last thing I need to happen is to accidentally hurt her.
Ember doesn’t waste another moment, and her attack shoots in my direction without her moving a muscle. I lift my left leg, pull back my right arm and throw my orb forward, like throwing a fastball with full force. Our blasts meet in the middle. Hers swallows mine whole, but my blast is still too much for hers. They extinguish together like a dying flame.
Energy twists around her arms, and the white heat completely consumes her hands. Her hair abruptly falls but floats upward, as if a ligh
t wind is blowing, even though the air is still tonight. A light orange aura burns around her again.
I stare at her, mesmerized. She’s a terrifying sight but absolutely gorgeous. I shake my head, snapping me back into the fight. I carefully aim a couple lightning bolts in her direction to intimidate her.
They hit near each side of her, but she doesn’t flinch. She lowers her head and narrows her eyes, like a lion ready to attack, and she runs straight at me.
In one fluid motion, I create two separate energy blasts—one for each hand. I throw them at her, but she jumps high into the air, and the blasts go under her.
She’s wearing no shoes, and the bottom of her feet glow white hot. As she comes down, she extends one leg farther than the other, aiming to kick me.
I form an umbrella-like force shield over my head, and she hits it before flipping backward.
She lands in a crouching position. After a moment, she stands in a warrior pose, like that of a Guardian. “Fight me, Aiden. No forcefields. Just you and me.”
I bring my hand in front of my face and act like I’m holding something small between my index finger and thumb. “How about a tiny forcefield?” I joke, making a miniscule barrier between my fingers. It grows to the size of a medieval knight’s shield and sets against my arm instead of projecting away from me. Thanks to training with Valentino, I’ve learned how to do things like this.
Ember takes a deep breath, cocks her head and gives me a sly smile. “Fine.” Not wasting a second, she comes at me.
I block her advance with my shield as her left hand crashes onto me. I intensify my strength, and my veins burn even brighter blue.
She attempts to punch my stomach, but I grab her arm before she can and lightly shock her at my touch. A wince of pain crosses her face.
I grit my teeth. Her arm feels like how I imagine holding a piece of metal that has been sitting in a forge would.
She’s only a couple inches shorter than me, and I see the annoyance on her face, like she’s trying to figure a way out. “Give up yet?” I say, feeling cocky.
She brings her face closer to mine, and her powerful eyes entrance me. She pushes my shield out of the way and places her other hand on my chest.
My heart takes off at feeling her breath on my lips, and I become dizzy with desire. As if I am put under some kind of hypnosis, I lean in, wanting to kiss her.
She pulls back right before my lips touch hers. “Oh, Aiden. I’ll never give up.”
An extreme feeling of heat burns at my chest, and, before I know it, I’m on my back. What the hell? I look to see faint smoke rising from my chest and notice a large black spot in the shape of a hand—Ember’s hand—on my shirt. The sound of Ember’s laughing snaps my attention back to her. It surprises me to see how far her blast has pushed me back; she must be over twenty feet from me now.
“You should see your face!” She laughs on the verge of being hysterical.
I squint. So, this is how it’s going to be? I roll backward onto my back and kick forward with a jump to land on my feet. Vicious lightning bolts snap haphazardly from me.
Ember stops laughing, and her hands burn again.
I direct multiple bolts toward her, and she flips backward just in time to miss them.
She brings her hands together to form another blast.
But I don’t want to just throw blasts at each other anymore. I head for her with my hands closed tightly into fists with utter determination.
She gets the hint I want to do hand-to-hand combat and comes for me. The fiery orange aura from earlier returns around her.
My walk steadily becomes a run as my urge to fight her grows stronger.
A sly smile plays at her lips, and I copy it. She runs for me with her hands in front of her, prepared to fight. With a sudden boost, she flies ever so slightly off the ground with her burning fist aimed right at my head.
I grab her right before she hits me, ignoring the burning pain, and forcefully pull her toward me.
She wasn’t expecting my strength and crashes into my body.
With the impact, I wrap my arms around her and get a whiff of her strawberry shampoo. Time stands still. Our breathing is ragged, and I feel her heart pounding against my chest. We focus on each other, and even with her lava eyes, they somehow make her even more beautiful than her normal emerald-colored ones.
I reach to tuck some hair behind her ear and lightly caress her cheek.
Want trickles in her gaze, and her lips slowly raise, as if they’re asking to meet mine.
I lean down, desiring her lips against my own, not caring of any repercussions.
Chapter 19
Aiden
Internally, I slap myself. No, I can’t kiss her! What am I thinking? I reluctantly release Ember, and we simultaneously step back from each other. A flash of disappointment crosses her face, but, in a heartbeat, she charges at me, ready to fight. Our arms crash against each other, blocking each other’s hits. Back and forth, she punches, and I block. I punch, and she manages to deflect; her strength is impressive. This continues for a moment longer. She projects herself backward, but I won’t give her the chance to come back for me. I sprint toward her, quickly closing the gap. She unexpectedly crouches and extends a leg, sweeping my leg from underneath me. I drop hard to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. I should’ve seen that coming.
Ember sits on my chest, looking down at me with her now emerald-colored eyes. Her face has a blue illumination by my glowing veins. She smiles. “So, I think I won.”
I chuckle. “Oh, are you sure?” Blue lines of energy flow from my hands, creating a bubblelike forcefield around her.
She sees what is happening and tries to get off me before I trap her. “No! Aiden!” she gasps. She’s not quick enough, and the forcefield surrounds her, lifting her a few feet into the air. Like a wild animal, she punches at the barrier, but it doesn’t falter. After a few more of her attempts to break it, she gives up, falling on her butt. “You’re lucky I’m tired, or I would try to blast this thing into next week,” she says in a huff.
I sit upright. “Ha! I believe you.”
“So, are you keeping me in here all night?” she jokes.
I rub my face as if I am in serious thought. “Huh, maybe … then I don’t have to worry about you going after Iron Forge again.”
She smirks, and I lower her next to me still inside the forcefield. I sever the connection, and it disappears. Darkness submerges us. I barely discern Ember sitting on the ground next to me with her legs extended in front of her.
“I’m glad you did follow me out here. It definitely was more fun than being by myself.”
I take the liberty in creating another orb like I did earlier for some light. This illuminates Ember’s face; she’s smiling to herself while stargazing into the night sky. For some extra protection, I create a circular forcefield around the orb and set it on the ground. This just brings me some peace of mind that I won’t accidently shock her with it. “So, you’re out here to practice then.”
She chuckles. “Oh, you figured it out, huh?”
I grin, but her smile fades, and she swallows hard.
“After everything that happened with Iron Forge, and you getting hurt … I just never want anything like that to ever happen again. My mom used to tell me about how her and my dad found clearings in the woods to train in when they went here. They wanted to have some privacy and not worry about other people. I don’t want to go to the training field, since I feel like I’d be under a microscope there.”
“I understand,” I say, returning her seriousness. “It gets crowded on the field, and I feel like everyone has been keeping an extra eye on me since the incident with Iron Forge.”
“Have you learned anything else about him?”
I shake my head. “No. To be honest, I’m not sure who to ask, and I don’t want to accidentally cause a panic by asking the wrong person, especially since the dean told us to not say anything.”
She nods. “Yeah.
I asked Erik—”
“Erik?” It concerns me that she has talked to someone else about this.
“Yeah, he’s one of my professors and an old family friend. He didn’t know what to think of it either but seemed to be worried for the fact he shows up the very semester I’m on campus. I asked Eliza about it also when I called her last week, but she was just as unsure.”
“Well, I’ll definitely keep an ear out and see if I learn anything else. Do you think he was on campus because of you?”
She sighs. “I really don’t know, but it does make me wonder. I just don’t understand why he’d be coming after me unless it’s something to do with my parents.” Her eyes glisten, as if she is about to cry. “You know, in a strange way, it was a good thing for me to have that run in with Iron Forge. As horrible as it was, it made me realize how much I missed using my abilities.”
This intrigues me. “Can I ask why you stopped using them to begin with?”
“Well, it all has to do with my mom and dad.”
I feel stupid for not realizing that. “Oh.”
She stares at the ground between her legs. “Yeah, if they didn’t have abilities, they wouldn’t have been in that position. Maybe they’d be alive today.” It’s hard not to focus on the bitterness in her voice. “I mean, I know pretty much everyone has abilities, but sometimes I wish my family fell into that small percentage who doesn’t.”
I become quiet, unsure what to say to her. She clearly has mixed feelings about Guardians, and abilities in general. With my past, and taking my future into consideration, it’s a bit hard to relate to her.
A tear falls down her face. “I just miss them,” she says softly. “They were taken from me so abruptly. One minute they were there, and the next minute they were gone. I saw my mom murdered on TV while having no clue what was happening to my dad.” More tears fall. “I was so … so devastated. My world crumbled right before my eyes and there was nothing I could do.”
My first reaction is to pull her close to comfort her, but I know I definitely shouldn’t do that. The guilt of being there when her parents were murdered, and not being able to help them pinches my heart. “Ember, I-I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” My head hangs low. “I wish I could’ve helped in some way.”
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