Ember

by Madison Daniel

  “You see...all good on this end. No worries Devon,” Kai said full of nerves. The tension seemed to fade but I was furious. Furious at Devon and his crew, furious at what Lucy had said and furious at Kai for stopping me.

  “All...good...” I spoke slow and through my clinched teeth. I was so mad at everyone but mostly I was angry with myself for letting this loser make me lose control so easily. Mad Max strikes again. Our eyes found each other again and he nodded to his boys to stand down. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of gum. He peeled the wrapper off and slid it between his lips.

  “Welcome to Maui High,” he said and then flicked the gum wrapper at my chest with a sigh. As I watched it fall to the ground, they all strolled off with their eyes still on me. Kai let out a deep breath and flipped his finger along the rips in my shirt and smiled.

  “Messy,” he whispered.

  “My bad,” I agreed.

  “Can’t wait for tomorrow’s adventure,” he said and grabbed my bag. “Come on Mad Max, I’ll take you home,” he teased. I froze from his words.

  “What did you just call me?” I asked petrified. How could that name follow me all the way over here?

  “I was just messing around.” He looked at me surprised.

  “Oh,” I said bummed.

  “You have got to admit, it kinda fits ya brother.”

  I just shrugged my shoulders and followed him to his car.

  It was an old American muscle car in poor condition. The paint was faded and it needed new tires. As I slid into the passenger seat I noticed the inside resembled the outside. There was one silver lining though, the stereo. It was new and top of the line. I was drained and in no mood to talk and he knew it. So he slid a blank CD into the stereo and turned the volume up. He smiled and drove off. It was a demo of the great and powerful NEON CRUSH. The music was average alternative rock and entirely too loud but at least I didn’t have to talk about my day. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride to my house.

  “Thanks for everything today, Kai,” I said as we pulled into my driveway.

  “My pleasure,” he smiled.

  “You mind if I catch a ride with you in the morning?” I asked him.

  “No worries bro,” he said and pulled out of the drive way. “Mahalo!” he yelled out the window as he drove away. I waved as he rounded the corner and disappeared. My uncle suddenly pulled up in his old Ford truck and honked the horn at me. He hopped out and walked with me to the front door.

  “So...how’d it go big guy? It’s a beautiful school isn’t it?” He was so excited despite being exhausted from work.

  “Well, I made it home in one piece.” I wanted to smile but it felt like too much of a struggle to do so.

  “And your ride this morning?” He was a little too giddy when he asked. No need to fill him in on all the details. I’ll just give him what he wanted to hear.

  “She’s sweet,” I tried to keep it simple.

  “And?”

  “And she’s easy on the eyes.” I smiled at the thought of Sam’s hair behind her ear.

  “And?”

  “And what?” I sounded more annoyed then I should have. He looked at me worried.

  “I’ll fill you in at dinner...okay?” My tone was much nicer that time. A tiny grin crept back to show that I hadn’t hurt his feelings too badly.

  “Sounds good son,” his voice was full of pride. He almost seemed proud of me. No, he was proud of me. That’s when it hit me. This felt like home. He felt like home.

  I was home.

  Dark Skies_08

  ~Monsoon: Tokio Hotel~

  Monday afternoon – 4:29 p.m.

  In my room, I lied across my bed face up, staring at the ceiling fan thinking over the days events. It turned out to be quite a first day. I didn’t want to tell Frank about my problems, I was still too upset. I was sure the almost fight would only make him angry. If only there was some way to put off our talk. Not forever, just until the morning. And with a rumble of thunder against my open window, my wish was answered.

  Oz came to life from his afternoon nap as the whine of an engine outside rattled to a stop. A door creaked open and closed with a thud shortly after. The wind pushed itself through my window and carried with it the smell of cherry blossoms. Oz and I both ran to the window and my heart stopped as I watched Frank approach the black Jeep. My hands gripped the window sill tightly and Oz’s tail shuffled back and forth.

  “What brings you this way Miss Michaels?” Frank sounded suspicious. It seemed that her presence was not welcome. I had never heard him that way before.

  “Is Max home?” she asked politely. Time slowed as I realized that she knew my name.

  “Oh crap…she knows my name,” I said out loud. Oz tilted his head as he watched from the window with me. His nose lightly sniffed the air and a low growl shook within his chest.

  “What business do you have with Max?” he was cold and defensive. Her body language made it clear that she did not enjoy his tone.

  “We bumped into each other this past weekend…on the beach,” she said with almost no emotion. Frank stared at her for a long moment, trying to read her expressions. She folded her arms and stared back.

  “Max…” he shouted with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You have company.” By then I was already walking out the front door. She turned her attention to me as soon as my first step fell on the ground. I found my cheeks burn with heat from her stare. I stood next to Frank and he looked displeased. He let a sigh fall from his mouth and handed me a folded piece of paper. It was a letter but I didn’t recognize the hand writing.

  “I found this in the mail box. We’ll talk later,” his voice was very serious. “It was nice to see you again Miss Michaels.” He never even looked back at her as he spoke. Casually he walked back to the house and closed the front door behind him but within seconds I could see his shadow through the living room curtains, watching us. Trying to get my nerves under control, I turned to her slowly. I made a point not to make eye contact too quick for fear of being paralyzed again. When I finally managed to look up at her, my head had already started spinning from her intoxicating scent. I waited for her to say something…anything, but she just stared at me not moving.

  “Hello…I mean aloha,” I said clumsily. “I’m Max.” But she already knew that, you big dummy. A tiny sliver of lightning flashed behind her in the far off distance. She ignored it and continued to watch me. Her eyes searched my face and then down to my hands. It made me uncomfortable, so I slid the piece of paper in my back pocket and rallied up some courage.

  “Looks like rain.” I figured I’d lighten the moment. Her eyes pulled quickly back to mine and her right eyebrow rose a little. I nodded to the clouds brewing in the distance behind her. She didn’t respond. I felt my temper roll over in my chest. Enough with the small talk, this was my chance to set things right.

  “Are you okay?” I tried to sound relaxed when I asked but she only glared at me harder. A tiny glimmer of hate spun inside her sapphire pupils. I pushed my feet forward.

  “I mean…are you feeling better?” I said it soft and polite. Her mask of hate cracked open just enough for me to steal a glimpse of what lied deep within those eyes. Her head fell towards the ground and then quickly back up to my face.

  “Come on,” she demanded. I ran my hand through my hair as she turned toward her truck and walked back to it. I just stood there watching her walk away, in awe of how naturally she could make my pulse race. I followed behind trying not to make it obvious I was in a hurry. As I jumped in the passenger side, the thunder thudded above us and the lightest of sprinkles fell all around.

  “Where are we going Asia?” I startled her when I used her name for the first time.

  “You’ll see,” she said quickly and with that she was done talking. Her hand reached for the stereo and she clicked it on. Music filled the air too loud to talk. This should have bugged me more than it did but I wouldn’t have known what to say right now anyway. I
relaxed a bit and stretched back in my seat and enjoyed the ride.

  The views on our drive to the mysterious destination were nothing short of amazing. So many different shades of green flickered by as we raced along the road. The feeling of the island air was fantastic. It felt cool and moist against my skin. I watched as the dark skies rolled above us, hiding the direct sunlight whenever it dared to shine through.

  After about fifteen minutes, she pulled off the main road and onto a dirt road. It wasn’t very smooth and it took us up, along the side of a small mountain. The smell of the ocean was close and the air grew cooler. A few moments later she veered off the path entirely and rushed up and out a clearing. It was massive and took her about two minutes to reach the end. You could see the ocean in the background as the clearing ended with a dangerous cliff. A dozen jagged boulders peeked from the earth and hung themselves over the edge.

  Asia turned the truck off and hopped out immediately without even a glance my way. That’s probably because she knew I’d be watching her. I stepped out too and inhaled the ocean air. I wasn’t even at the edge of the clearing and I could tell from the sound of the crashing waves below, that it had to be easily a couple hundred feet down. The ocean looked black again and the smell of rain was building. That smell was one of my favorite things in the wide world and she seemed to always smell like a mix of it and cherry blossoms.

  “This place is amazing,” I said quietly. Her head turned my way and then back to the edge of the cliffs. She hopped up on one of the largest rocks and stood facing the blowing wind. Her hair danced along her tone shoulders as I walked closer to her. As I approached, she turned toward me and the wind seemed to increase. Her eyes watched me through her brown tangles and I stopped where I was. Her black skirt rustled in the breeze just above her knees and her stylish string tank top filled with air. It quickly spat out the air and then filled again and again. Back and forth it flickered, exposing her fit stomach and lower hips. Then something unexpected flashed in view. A scar that looked remarkably like my hand was peaking from her skirt, just above her left hip. It crept over and around to the back. She was completely aware that I saw this but did nothing to stop my wandering eyes. I probably would have stared all afternoon if she hadn’t spoken up.

  “Admiring your handy work, I see,” she said bluntly. I was flustered by her tone. She ran her hands along the sides of her hair and slid her hip to the side.

  “Or are you just enjoying the view?” she said more like a fact than a question. I think I blushed. The fact was she had spent her whole life being admired for her physical beauty, so why should this silly boy be any different. At least in her mind, that was probably how she saw me, another boy chasing her around the playground. But I was different…and I would make her see that.

  Reaching out my right hand, I asked softly, “May I try something?” She seemed puzzled by my question or at least her eyes did. I took a breath and forced myself not to lose eye contact with her. She searched my face for a second and then bit her lower lip. She gently put her left hand in mine and her fingers were soft and cool.

  “Who is Mia?” she asked point blank but she did it in a soft tone. Either way, I wasn’t expecting the question and it knocked the wind out of me. I held strong ignoring her question and stepped up to her on the giant rock.

  “How did you know my name Asia?” I felt proud for pulling myself out of the shock from her speaking Mia’s name. A lightning bolt struck over my right shoulder, distracting me for a second as her left hand squeezed tighter around my fingers.

  “I dreamt it,” she almost whispered. I wasn’t expecting that. I looked deep into her eyes and slowly reached down and slightly tugged her top up. Just enough to expose the scar as my fingers grazed over it.

  “Please don’t be scared,” I told her.

  The thunder grew all around us and I let my body heat up. I gave her a quick glance to show her that things would be okay, and then knelt down in front of her. She had become as still as a statue when my hands warmed and fell to her hips. I tried my best to concentrate, which was almost impossible at this distance. I was so close that I could taste her goose bumps.

  “I dreamt of your name the night you healed me,” her voice was shaking. “And many other things,” she stopped. My mind wanted to race from the words she had just spoken. Keep your head in the game Max. I had never tried this before but if I could pull it off, it just might be the ice breaker I needed with her. Her eyes watched closely as I inhaled a long breath and exhaled slowly. My breath grew hotter and steam twisted off of it in tiny ribbons. The hot air slid across her scar like smoke and her hands fell to my shoulders. I continued blowing and the hand print faded a little more with each breath. Finally, it faded to nothing and was replaced by her almond skin and some mighty large goose bumps.

  As I stood back up her hands fell to her hip and quickly inspected it. Her eyes found mine with intensity and I braced for her impending anger but no anger appeared. Her hands reached for my right hand and she pulled it up to her face. She stared at the three letters tattooed across my wrist and turned my hand outward, exposing them clearly in the light falling rain.

  “That night…I saw your name. I saw your childhood.” Her eyes watched me closely for a reaction. I felt my body pull away a little but she just leaned in closer, never letting her grip loosen a bit.

  “I saw the flames…” she continued and started tracing the letters with her finger. “And the last thing I saw was the name Mia.” She was caressing my wrist now and my head felt dizzy. The rain began to fall harder and ribbons of steam started floating up off of my shoulders and for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I had to hide it.

  “Who is she Max?” Her voice was sweet. I pulled myself from her grasp and turned toward the oncoming rain and let myself go. The flames started at my fingertips with a pop and slowly swirled around my forearms. My arms glowed a deep vivid orange and red as the fire washed up to my shoulders. The heat pulsated off of me and I felt safe. The sound of crackling rain bounced off the flames as the drops tried their best to put me out. I brought my right hand up as the rain fought harder against my abilities.

  “My sister,” I said as I stared at the flames dancing around the three letters on my wrist.

  “This gift of mine can do amazing things…” I paused and looked at her glowing blue eyes. “But sometimes it can be a curse.”

  “Where is she now?” She stepped toward me and I could smell her familiar scent of cherry blossoms.

  “Gone.” I gritted my teeth. “Because of this,” I said full of anger. I created a ball of fire above my right palm. It was the size of a softball and burning with white and yellow flames. The raindrops drilled tiny spinning holes into its surface as it spun. Her eyes became sad and fell to the ground. I squeezed my hand around the ball of flame and it burned out into a cloud of black smoke.

  “Some people say that I’m cursed.” Her face looked hard again with pain and sadness. I slowly powered down and shook my dripping bangs out of my face.

  “That’s what I hear.” My response was quick and she seemed to bring her guard back up.

  “And what exactly have you heard?” She was angry again. I took a step toward her and the sky rumbled slow and soft.

  “Everything,” I smiled. Her eyes dropped from mine and I watched as a tiny bead of water slid down one of her curls. It dropped to her chest where a dozen other drops glistened at me and slowly rolled down beneath her top.

  “And I don’t care,” I continued. She looked back up at me scared and it looked like she was holding something back.

  “You should,” she snapped.

  “Why should I care what other people say?”

  “Because they might be right.”

  “And they might be totally wrong Asia,” I said and stepped in closer. “Your friend is not too fond of me,” I continued. From the look on her face, I had gone too far now.

  “Friend?” she asked but I could tell she knew exactly who
I was talking about.

  “Lucy,” I said softly. “She had a few words with me today.”

  “What did she say?” she demanded.

  “Does it matter?”

  “Tell me what she said Max.” The thunder crackled behind her and her body tensed up.

  “I don’t care what she said!” I snapped back. “There is something going on here between the two of us. Something powerful and I think you can feel it too.” My confidence was growing stronger with every heart beat. Worry settled on her face and she stepped back from me.

  “I think we were supposed to find each other on that beach.”

  “Max...I think I better get you home.” She had put her walls back up.

  “You don’t have to push me away,” I said with my confidence fading. She turned and started to walk to the Jeep.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  The sun had just finished setting and a fresh blanket of stars was spreading across the sky. As we pulled into my driveway I was sure that Frank would be upset that I had missed dinner and denied him the events of my first day of school. I could hear Oz barking from inside the house. Asia never even turned the engine off, she just glanced my way.

  “I’ll see you around Max.” But her tone made it sound like the opposite.

  “Good night Asia,” I smiled even though I didn’t feel very cheery at the moment. She only took a deep breath and quickly drove off. As she disappeared around the corner, thunder rumbled in the distance and my head felt light. I was beginning to feel the day and needed to eat and get some rest.