Ember Rising Light (Book One)

by C.K. Mullinax

  Chapter Forty Seven

  I talked to practically everyone that walked by me in between classes. I took the first few minutes of my lunch break to swing by the school newspaper’s office (closet) to speak to the editor. I offered to be interviewed for an article and I told Misty my conditions. She wrote them down and asked me who I wanted to write the story.

  Curses – I couldn’t even remember what the guy who asked me for the interview looked like…

  I settled for asking her to send the best reporter on her staff. That way it was her discretion and her funeral if anyone found out.

  By the time I finally walked into the library I was a nervous wreck. I had no idea how mentally exhausting it is to just smile and say hello a few thousand times in a morning. My facial muscles were throbbing from overuse.

  I marked Miss America off of my “Careers to Have Before I Die” list…

  Krista and Tray were sitting at a table in the back of the library waiting for me. They both stopped talking immediately and looked at me with worried expressions as I approached the table.

  “It’s done,” I stated clandestinely.

  Krista muttered something like “whew” under her breath and then pulled her packed lunch out of her backpack. Tray continued to watch me closely. I gave him the signal that everything was just fine. He kissed me on the top of the head and told me to text if I needed him before he left to go to class.

  “What’d you tell Greg about why you’re not eating with him today?” I whispered.

  “I told him we had a project of epic proportions and I’d meet him after school. He’s gonna give me a ride to your house. I hope you don’t mind. Oh, you can ride with us so Tray doesn’t have to get off work to take you home,” she announced softly.

  “We have errands to run this afternoon, but we should be home by 6:00. Would you two mind waiting until then to come over?” I asked her and crossed my fingers.

  I knew Tray wouldn’t go for me riding around with someone who barely has his license and drives around in an unsafe car. I didn’t want to tell Krista that because I figured she might get offended.

  “Sure, we’ll just go hang out somewhere for a little while,” she stated and smiled.

  The rest of the day breezed by without too many complications. My interview was scheduled for the next day, right after school. That took care of my ‘Greg driving me home’ problem for another day at least.

  The editor chose a good looking, nervous guy named Eli Weston to conduct the interview. We met in one of the vacant administrative conference rooms. He explained that the vice principal allows the reporting staff to use these rooms whenever they need to. Eli stated that fact like it was supposed to impress me, so I tried to sufficiently ‘oohhh’ and ‘aahhh’.

  Over the course of the interview, he told me quite a few personal things about himself. As it turns out, Eli is the sophomore class president, captain of the track team, plays almost every kind of game that requires a ball and is the leader of various clubs and societies. I was exhausted just thinking about his life. I couldn’t imagine how tired I would be if I had to live through a minute of it.

  “I was offered the editor’s position on the newspaper, but I don’t have the time to dedicate to it. Once I was elected as class president, I knew I would be forced to decline some stuff. I’ve gotta keep my priorities in order. My father is a very influential man and he’s taught me to keep my eye on the prize. He graduated at the top of his class from Yale and that’s where I plan to attend…” Eli continued to nervously talk about his dad while he prepared for my interview.

  I had no clue why he was so freaked out about interviewing me. He was a very popular guy and until a few days ago I was among the socially invisible. I also figured that he would have an equally popular girlfriend. That’s the way things work in this life. So it wasn’t like he wanted to put the moves on me. He was so incredibly jumpy though that I started to feel slightly on edge myself.

  However, once he started to interview me, his anxiety vanished. I was stunned because he confidently asked his questions. I finally realized that I must have misread the situation. Eli wasn’t nervous about anything because tension doesn’t just disappear instantly – duh, Ember.

  I really stink at reading people…

  Eli attempted several times during the interview to ask me about my personal life – “off the record.” I would swiftly change the subject back to him. Tray told me to use that strategy anytime I felt uncomfortable about a question. When he gave me that piece of advice yesterday, it sounded preposterous in my estimation. But, he would end up being proven correct. Eli really loved to talk about himself so I managed to avoid his off-the-record-between-us-only inquiries.

  I clearly stated that I am a very private person and I do not like crowds. Those things needed to be printed. Then, I answered all of his questions about my views honestly. After all, I had agreed to do this interview and he had to write about something. I offered my opinions about popularity, inclusion and responsible life choices because those were important topics. They were also general enough to keep me well inside my comfort level.

  By the end of the question-answer session, I was frazzled senseless. I had never been so happy to have anything over in my whole life. My internal fire had heated up from my anxiety level and I was sweating. It didn’t help that I had on six layers of clothes either. There’s no way I would’ve removed any of them, regardless of how uncomfortable I became.

  Eli followed me to the door. I rushed ahead of him because I didn’t want to have to shake his hand. Although I knew a handshake was expected after things like this, I have always hated being touched by strangers. I knew Tray would be standing right outside the door waiting on me. I figured Eli could shake his hand if he wanted to touch someone.

  Tray wanted to sit in the room during the interview, but I told him no. I didn’t want him to use his ability and he would have been nervous – making it hard for him to refrain. I convinced him to wait for me outside by promising to keep my finger on his speed dial button on my cell, at all times. I would press it if I needed his assistance and he could come to my rescue.

  I yanked open the door so fast that the papers on the conference room table took flight. Tray reached out and touched my shoulder. I covered his hand with mine and squeezed it – my signal that everything had went great. He looked almost as relieved to see me, as I was to see him.

  I fought the insane urge to jump into my brother’s arms so he could carry me like he did when I was little…

  “Thanks, Ember – your interview will be printed in the upcoming edition. You’ll get an advanced copy. Maybe we could…” Eli offered as he followed me through the doorway, but then, he suddenly stopped talking.

  “Tray, this is Eli Weston. Eli, this is my brother, Tray,” I introduced them.

  Eli stood frozen in place and appeared to be inexplicably terrified. I opened my mouth to say something because the growing-frozen-silence-situation was awkward. Before I could speak though, Tray did – what Tray does. Eli suddenly became animated again and smiled.

  Tray didn’t respond to him, in any way. He didn’t even smile back and that was out of character for my brother. It was very clear that he didn’t want Eli to become relaxed or comfortable around him.

  “You have a great sister…” Eli stammered, anxiously and this time I knew his nervousness was the genuine thing.

  “That, she is,” Tray agreed and opened the door for me.

  I said “goodbye” to him and thanked him for his time before Tray escorted me outside. I had hated every single minute of that interview, but Eli seemed like a nice guy. He had explained that the student body needs people like me to stand up against bullies and oppressors. I had smiled when he used the word oppressors. He had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so I felt sure that he had never been oppressed a single moment in his life.

  “Eli suggested that I run
for sophomore class president next year…” I recounted the details of our conversation to Tray.

  “You know, you should – that’ll show ‘em. Beware all bullies, oppressors and mute, teenage Romeo’s – Ember’s gonna bring you to your knees with a great big smack-down supreme…” my brother declared and we both doubled over laughing at the prospect.

  I hadn’t mentioned anything to Krista about Jeff’s broken heart because it wasn’t mine to reveal. My curiosity was killing me though. So I told Tray about the drama and why my friends were being jerks to Greg. After I told him the entire loony story, he sort of shrugged and didn’t plan to offer me anything further. I decided to riddle him with a few hundred questions about guys. I was so confused by their actions and behaviors – none of it makes any sense.

  “Why do guys fight with each other over crazy nonsense instead of just saying what’s on their mind? What on earth could possibly motivate them to act like that? Why didn’t Jeff just tell Krista that he liked her when he first discovered that he had feelings for her? He could’ve told her in private. I don’t understand why he would tell Steven something like that, but keep it a secret from Krista. What could Steven do about it anyway? It’s not like he was gonna run tell Krista – well, he did tell Jessica all about it, but then he made her promise not to tell Krista either.

  “This is the most lunacy I’ve ever experienced because no one told the one person who should know, although everyone else knows and she still doesn’t…are you ever gonna answer me?” I finally exclaimed.

  He had been listening quietly, but not offering a single explanation. He deflected, avoided and dodged my every attempt to discover the answers. I badgered and pestered him all the way home to give up the details. He eventually figured out I wasn’t going to let the subject drop unless he told me something.

  “All I can say to you about the subject of guys in general is this. We stand together, but we hang alone,” he replied cryptically.

  I resorted to making wild guesses because my brother refused to say anything else about it. I sort of knew that all my speculations were inaccurate, but guesses were all I had to go on.

  Then I shared my news about not getting involved in any romantic relationship until I graduated from high school or I turned into a mind reader. Tray shouted for joy and scared the life out of me because we were sitting in the car when he did it.

  I guessed right about that one at least…

  By Monday of the following week Krista and I decided it should be safe enough to return to the cafeteria. Tray gave me the ‘no way you’re going back in there’ look. Although he knew that eventually I would have to make an appearance, he still didn’t want me to do it today – or ever…

  If I avoided it much longer though, the rumor mill would create something far worse than the original chaos. Tray couldn’t argue that point, so he finally relented on one condition – he would walk in right beside me.

  At first, I protested. The massive obliteration he pulled made me terrified of a repeat performance. I couldn’t bear the thought of him injuring himself again if he panicked. No matter what argument I posed, he refused to give me any concessions.

  Neither of us was comfortable with the arrangement, but eventually we made the deal. I agreed to let him walk me into the cafeteria and he agreed to use his ability only if everything fell to pieces. He sounded hesitant, though and that made me worry that he slipped in a gypsy phrase that I didn’t catch.

  So, I formulated my own contingency plan. I decided if the crowd swarmed around us that I would scream like a psychotic girl and then, run like the devil was pursuing me. Tray would be forced to chase me out the door. After escaping, we would figure out what to do next. My plan was simple, so that meant less room for error. Once I had my contingency plan in place, I enjoyed the relief his side would offer. No foreign hands would get remotely near my body with him walking in beside me.

  The bell rang to dismiss the class I had right before lunch. I tried to gather my courage. I was nervous about returning to the lunchroom. So anxious in fact, that I wasn’t paying any attention to my surroundings.

  Tray had been casually leaning against the wall right outside of my classroom waiting on me. I shouted when he touched my shoulder to get my attention. Everyone in the hallway turned around to see what the commotion was all about. When they discovered it was just my brother that had me, and not some psycho high school serial killer, they all went about their business. I smacked Tray on the arm.

  “You scared a few good years of life outta me!” I exclaimed.

  “Not as much as you’re scaring me. I don’t want you to go back to the cafeteria today,” Tray announced for about the hundredth time.

  “Whew, you’re like a Pitbull fighting me for the last bone on earth. We’ve already discussed this at least a million times. You’re right here with me. It’ll be fine…” I replied and tried to mask the fear in my voice.

  We arrived at the cafeteria and Tray put his hand on the door. He looked at me one last time and I smiled at him. And I had on my running shoes just in case I guessed wrong…

  People said “hello” and told me how great the article was, but for the most part, they stayed a decent distance away from us. I looked up at Tray and he returned my gaze with a cautious smile. I couldn’t interpret its meaning, but his nose wasn’t bleeding – maybe we’re safe.

  We walked over to our lunch table. I watched everyone shift down one seat in order to make room for Tray to sit beside me. Since he usually sits on the opposite side of the table, I knew he made that happen through obliteration. I gave Tray an intense look of dissatisfaction. He replied with that sideways smile I love so much and I couldn’t seem to maintain my frustration.

  I greeted all our usual friends and then had to turn around every other second to talk to someone I didn’t know. I had packed my lunch this morning, but I was too nervous to get it out of my backpack, much less eat it. I watched the clock nervously as I spoke to everyone and counted down the minutes. Tray would be leaving for class. Then, I would have to navigate through the turmoil by myself.

  All too soon, the warning bell for his class sounded and suddenly I was scared to death. I didn’t anticipate that I would be this frightened of my brother leaving me in here alone. Therefore, I didn’t prepare an appropriate gypsy-casual facial expression ahead of time. Everything was going great, but I was still afraid. Tray would realize this fact because I couldn’t seem to hide my distress. I apologized to him with my eyes as I started to shake, uncontrollably.

  He squeezed my shoulder and joined in the conversation at the table. He made no move to leave me here, unattended. When the final bell sounded, he was still sitting right beside me. Tray joked around with Krista and Greg like he didn’t have anywhere to be. I poked him and he turned to me.

  “I thought I’d mentioned it to you already. I dropped my last class of the day this morning. I kind of have something more important to do during that timeframe,” Tray informed me and I hugged him in relief.

  My girlfriends said “awwwwwww” in unison.

  I managed to eat half of my lunch and even laughed a few times.

  The rest of the week continued in the same fashion. I discovered unfortunately, that popularity doesn’t fade like I had hoped it would. I still hated the constant attention, but I enjoyed the fact that most people thought I was approachable. I introduced myself to everyone that talked to me. I also tried to remember their names and faces, although that was virtually impossible.

  The dark clique remained a united, but silent front – at least where I was concerned. I didn’t give them much thought though because I had so many other people to discover. I was fascinated with everyone and Krista and I enjoyed listening to their true tales instead of my made up back ground stories. We would compare notes and get a big kick over how far from the truth my Ember-intrigues were from reality.

  Eleana Monte has never been out on
a date with any guy, much less a billionaire, reclusive, island native. She’s not playing hard to get either. It turns out that she has very strict parents and they won’t permit her to go out with a boy until next year. Carson, a.k.a. pushy boy, will have to wait until then if he wants to take Eleana anywhere on a date. But, there’s always a chance she’ll say “no” when he asks because she likes my friend Tyler. Eleana refuses to be part of a trail of girls and claims she can probably tame him. I wished her luck with that little adventure because Tyler is a ladies’ man.

  Good news for Tray, I’m definitely not a mind reader…

  Christmas was only nine days away before I even noticed. Our budget was stretched from having company over for dinner nearly every night and the added expense of the cell phones. Tray refused to have them turned off, even though I tried to convince him that they aren’t necessary anymore.

  He was determined to have his way. So he offered to get another job to offset the additional expense. I felt so guilty that he would even suggest it, that I instantly dropped the subject. I couldn’t be totally sure, but I thought I saw him smile in satisfaction when he walked away from that debate victorious.

  I wanted to get Tray something special for Christmas. I knew it would have to be a late gift though. All the money I had squirreled away was long gone.

  I marveled at the fact that we had actually managed to stay in one place for three months. We also had holiday plans this year that included other people. Both of these things are a first time occurrence in our history.

  We were looking forward to the Casino party at Krista’s house. Although Krista had tried to talk me into dressing up like a showgirl, I planned to wear a nice, modest outfit. I was going with Tray, after all.

  We planned to spend Christmas with the Jansens’. Celeste had invited us over for the entire day, so we could watch Boo open his gifts. We are getting very close to them and they are starting to feel just like family. Sunridge is like our second home.

  Celeste was teaching me something new every day. I was still working on gaining command of my spirit light. She wouldn’t start teaching me Ay’sha spiritual channels until I had full control over it – especially around the wind. I was still having a few incidents on the learning curve.

  My internal fire would occasionally turn into an incinerator. It mainly seemed to occur when I was scared or worried, but sometimes it would blaze into an inferno for no reason at all. Fortunately, those bursts would be short lived and it would die down on its own. I had no way to extinguish it. At least, I haven’t had to run to the creek bed anymore.

  I told Krista I started doing volunteer work in the afternoons to avoid the daily excuses to not ride home with them. I needed to train with Celeste in private. I have also given my brother numerous panic attacks in the last few months. Those were more than anyone should have to live through in a lifetime. I wasn’t about to add any more drama to the mix.

  Tray told Greg that he should sell his cute car for parts and buy a real vehicle instead. My brother would never give me permission to ride with him, even if he was driving an armored car. So my afternoon ‘volunteer’ work excuse was a lifesaver.

  Rave and Celeste are the only two people that Tray has ever allowed me to ride around with, besides him. He trusted them although I never thought I would see the day that would happen. The Jansens’ trusted us too. We think of each other as family.

  Celeste has a tremendous amount of patience and it’s put to the test every day. Once she started teaching me about channels, I pestered her to teach me more each session. My brother also challenges her patience, but in a different way.

  He would train with her, but only for short time spans. After his frustration reached a certain level, he would simply walk away. He would offer no explanation either. His practice session would just be over and Celeste would resume with me. She was very understanding and never got slightly irritated. The most she said to either of us is that we need to stop playing around with our spiritual powers and learn how to channel them.

  When our home phone rang at 2:46 a.m. that night, I knew it was either the Jansens’ calling or a wrong number. Krista would have called me on my cell phone if she needed something. The Jansens were the only ones that ever intentionally called our house phone. Terror ripped through me, as I bolted upright and my heart skipped a beat.

  Tray had already answered the phone before I could put a foot on the floor. He is a very light sleeper and reacts instantly when it comes to urgent situations.

  I couldn’t hear with he was saying on the phone because my bedroom is too far away. My legs felt like rubber – outright fear rendered me immobile.

  Consumed with an awful sense of dread that accompanies a late night phone call, I waited in that hideous space of time for the ‘horrible news’. The shadows seemed to come to life and they wanted to devour my spirit. I held my breath and stared wide-eyed at my doorway as I continued to shiver from fear.

  “That was Rave…” Tray informed me as he stood at the threshold of my door and my head started to swim in terror.

  “No need to panic Little Girl – they’re all perfectly fine. They just have a slight family emergency of the “incarceration nature.” Rave apologized for calling at this hour, but as you know, they don’t have cell phones. They’ve gotta leave right away and will be out of touch until they get back sometime late tomorrow night. At least, that’s his best guess.

  “Rave told me I can have the day off from work and he even said that he’d pay me. Called it a Christmas bonus…” he stated and yawned.

  My heart was still blocking my throat and preventing me from speaking. So the best I could do was nod in acknowledgement. Tray walked over to my bed and tucked me in just like he did when I was little. Then, he kissed me on the forehead before he went back to bed.

  I thought I would have trouble going back to sleep after the scare, but my body had its own plan. I fell asleep within minutes and then slept the rest of the night without moving a muscle.

  The sun was bright and shining through my bedroom window when I awoke. I blinked and tried to focus because I was disoriented. It was 10:15 a.m.

  I went into Tray’s bedroom to let him know we had overslept. His bed was a jumbled mess of sheets and covers, but I couldn’t find him anywhere under the destruction.

  Where could he be??

  He wasn’t in the kitchen and the bathroom door was wide open. My heart was pounding in fear. Could something else have happened? Did he leave me here, alone in a panic??

  Before I could work myself into a scared frenzy, I heard noises outside. I pulled on one of Tray’s sweatshirts and rushed out the door.

  “I think I’m just destined to get scared senseless, at least once every day,” I announced as I walked down the steps toward my brother.

  “Sorry…didn’t mean to scare you. Hope you don’t mind takin’ a break,” Tray stated and continued working on the car.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” Tray replied, stopping long enough to smile at me.

  “Ya’ know, we’ll have two weeks off from school in a few days and didn’t you have a test in your…” I tried to reason with him.

  “You understand, that I can still – and will always be able to – tickle you into submission…”

  I gave up my inquisition as I decided to kick back and enjoy a day off from the high school popularity madness with him. My decision might also have a little something to do with Tray’s tickle factor, but I wasn’t about to tell him that…

  My inner fire didn’t much care for my decision though. It flamed wickedly hot and scorched my insides without ceasing. Tray and I both needed a break from the chaos. So, it will just have to deal with it. He is covered in oily grease…perfectly content.

  I tried reading, cleaning, exercising and even singing. But, nothing worked to distract me…I missed listening to music. As a last resort, I turned o
n the television. It lost its appeal, quickly. I felt like I was going to crack from the pressure. I need to hear real music.

  Then, as if the Maker heard me and planned to help me out, Tray came inside to wash up. Formulating a super swift, diabolical plan on the fly I snuck out to our car…and what would hopefully be my music salvation.

  Tray had installed a top of the line stereo system for me. All I need is a two song mini-vacation. That’s about all the time I’ll have because he will be out of the shower in ten minutes. I was breaking a major rule by doing this, but desperate times make it easier to throw caution to the wind.

  Unless Tray is with me I’m not supposed to get near the car. He is terrified of the many, many things that can go wrong in that particular scenario. I have an overly inquisitive nature and a tendency to test things out. My relentless curiosity and a car, that has the capacity to turn into a projectile type weapon, could likely get me killed.

  Since I lacked the time to justify my intended defiance properly, I decided to slide in on my usual side for safety reasons and help me avoid temptation. The keys were dangling from the ignition. I planned to turn it only far enough to power on the stereo. When I turned the key though, it clicked, but nothing else happened. Huh? I turned it backwards and still nothing occurred. Precious seconds were being wasted, so I slid over to the driver’s seat. I was determined to make this car surrender to my wishes and run somehow.

  I pressed one of the pedals to the floor and turned the key in the ignition. The only thing I received for my efforts however, were a few useless clicks. I smacked the steering wheel hard – my brother’s ‘fixes-everything’ solution. When that did nothing, I kind of had this quiet fit of aggravation. That wasn’t helpful either, but I had to vent my irritation somehow. While I held my silent temper tantrum, I forgot that I had a set time limit on this station wagon adventure. Tray opened the passenger door while I wasn’t paying any attention and scared me so badly that I shouted.

  “You kinda need the battery to be hooked up if you expect the car to cooperate, Little Girl. The ‘Tray-smack-down’ won’t work in this case…” he stated, comically.

  I picked up the small travel pillow and threw it at him with all the force I could gather. He slammed the door closed just in the nick of time to avoid my payback. The pillow bounced off the window and landed in the floorboard, unceremoniously.

  Tray reconnected the battery and took me for a drive. I turned the stereo up to a blaringly loud volume and wouldn’t let him turn it down. Since my ears had been wrecked from a possessed stereo, normal high volume didn’t sound so loud to me anymore. Plus, my brother deserved this obnoxious volume. That was a mean prank to play on me in my moment of need. I refused to let him turn it down until he asked for my forgiveness. Musical deprivation is a real condition. Although it’s not fatal, it could cause permanent damage of some kind.

  Once I made that dramatic announcement, he started laughing. After admitting he had disconnected the battery cable intentionally, he declared that he was three steps ahead of me. Tray knew I was musically deprived and figured that I would sneak out to the car in order to get a ‘fix.’ He knows me well, which can be very annoying in many instances.

  Under my very weak protest, we went out to eat for lunch and then, to the movies. Our budget was limited, the holidays were approaching and we should be trying to save something in case of an emergency. I didn’t use all my persuasion tactics to change his mind though because I was secretly excited. It would be nice to get lost in a dark fantasy world for a few hours.

  My internal fire had scorched my insides all morning long. I sort of figured some distraction might help get it under control and I was right. The inner fire flickered and ebbed throughout the movie, but it mainly burned with a gentle heat that I could easily tolerate.

  By the time the late afternoon matinee ended, it was dark outside. Tray turned his cell phone back on once we were out of the theater. He had missed three calls during the movie. After turning on the car to get it warm, my brother dialed Rave’s home number to see what he wanted.

  “Hey, that was fast…sure can…yes, I have her with me…yeah, it’s no problem, at all…we’ll be right over,” Tray replied to his boss and then closed his cell phone to hang up.

  “They’re back already. Rave asked if I’d bring you over for a few minutes. They have someone they’d like you to meet…” he stated with an emphasis on ‘you’.

  His expression stayed gypsy neutral and unreadable – curses. He didn’t offer me any further explanation so my mind worked in overdrive. I wondered what that meant and who they wanted me to meet. My brother drove out of the parking lot and turned in the direction of Sunridge. After an ‘Ember-eternity’ (a.k.a. forty five seconds), I finally couldn’t stand the suspense anymore.

  “And this person is…male…female…transformer…alien…” I offered some suggestions when it appeared that he was ignoring me.

  Tray just shrugged his shoulders and then turned up the music. I decided that he either didn’t know anything about this ‘person’ or he wanted me to listen to the music while I had a chance. I sat back and considered which reason he was operating under. I felt the drums of the song vibrate through my chest. When I looked over at the speedometer, I noticed that Tray was driving 15 mph under the limit, so I had my answer. I closed my eyes and enjoyed listening to the music while we drove to the Jansens’.

  When we arrived at Sunridge, all the lights were on. I was intrigued because Rave and Celeste rarely turn on lights. They prefer to burn candles at night or use the television for the low level lighting. Inexplicably, I felt my anxiety level increase. So I pulled my hood up, stepped out of the car and walked around to Tray. I had no idea why I was so nervous though. I’m at their house every afternoon. Still, I continued to feel the tension building as butterflies danced around in my stomach.

  I hope they stay away from the flames…

  Tray could sense my reserve and took my arm to lead me inside. He didn’t seem to be tense at all, so I tried to relax. My internal incinerator reminded me that I was still on edge. It heated really hot and took my breath away.

  Boo ran up to me when I walked inside and said, “Ember swim…”

  He yanked one boot on before I could lower myself to look him in the eye. Somehow he could sense that my inner fire was blazing too hot and I was uncomfortable from the heat. Thankfully, it wasn’t yet charring me to the point that I needed to run to the creek to cool down.

  Hopefully I wouldn’t need to do that at all tonight…

  “We can’t swim so late at night, my little Boo-bear. Heaven sleeps when the moon shines high in the sky. We don’t wanna wake him up…” I whispered to him and he walked outside so he could stare at the moon.

  “Heaven sleeps…” he whispered reverently with a look of wonder glowing in his eyes.

  “See the moon shining bright? That means all ducks are sleeping…”

  “I see the moon. It’s orange and yellow…” Boo informed me.

  “No Sweetie, the moon is silver and white. Heaven sleeps when the moon shines bright,” I repeated myself so he would understand.

  We spent another few rounds discussing the color of the moon. I was having a difficult time convincing him that it was white. He told me the moon is on fire and it’s waiting on me. Boo was so adamant in his belief that I finally decided to just agree with him. I did manage to convince him however, that ducks sleep when the moon shines bright – regardless of whether it’s on fire or not.

  My brother had remained outside with us during our celestial discussion. After I agreed with my little Boo-bear, I persuaded him that it was time for him to take a bath. He led me back inside and then told me once again that the moon was waiting for me. I promised him that I would do anything for the moon so he didn’t have to worry. That seemed to make him feel better.

  After hugging me, he ran toward the guest bedroom. Rave and C
eleste had to jump out of his way. He was completely focused on getting to whoever their company was obviously. I could hear Boo tell someone all about the moon and how Heaven’s asleep. I heard two sets of footsteps coming down the hall as he led their guest into the living room.

  “Wow, you’re amazing with him…” a quiet female voice spoke to me as she entered the room with Boo.

  I smiled in the direction of her voice, although I still couldn’t see her. She was obscured by the shadows in the hall. My brother was standing behind me. That meant he couldn’t see her either. It wouldn’t matter though because suddenly, he rushed past me. He wrapped his arms around the tiny stranger as she finally stepped into the living room to join us. He lifted her feet off the floor as he gave her a hug. The small girl was swallowed inside his embrace so I couldn’t see what she looked like. They held each other for a very long time as the rest of us stood and stared in wonder. Eventually Tray set her back down so I could take a look at her.

  She reminded me of a beautiful, mythical elf. Her olive colored complexion sparkled from glittery dusting powder. She had black, medium length hair that was wavy and tousled down her back. Gypsy ribbons with crystals dangled from a few of the strands. I estimated that she was only about two inches taller than me and had a very small frame. Her crystal blue eyes reminded me of something magical. She was certainly the most enchanting gypsy I had ever seen.

  “Carolina!” Tray announced and I thought that was her name.

  “Florida!” exclaimed the stranger and hugged Tray again.

  I stood there in confusion and tried to decipher what was happening. Tray must know Carolina from somewhere – probably Florida? Some of my memories had returned, but her face and her voice weren’t among the ones I had retrieved.

  Tray and the pretty elf-girl looked at each other for a few minutes without saying anything else. Then they asked the same questions you would asked anyone that you hadn’t seen in years. They talked simultaneously, stopped and then started again. I had never seen my brother quite so ‘alive’ before and I thought my heart might burst from happiness.

  This elf-girl knew a part of my brother’s history and I wanted to get to know her. She obviously understood a side of Tray that I didn’t. The side she knew about was something warm and fun because he smiled and laughed as they spoke. Carolina blushed and laughed in response.

  They must be friends from another lifetime…

  It was clear that the Jansens’ had no prior indication that their elf-girl knew Tray. They sat down beside me on the couch and watched with interest as the two friends caught up with each other. After an unknown amount of time, Tray stopped talking to her. When he paused he looked at me and realized that I have no clue who this beautiful elf-girl is. Carolina started talking to me before Tray could make the introductions.

  “Oh my goodness – my baby, Ember – you’re so big now…” she announced happily.

  I just stared at her in awkward silence and tried to decide how to respond. I didn’t know whether I should pretend to know her too or ask her the famed “who the flip are you, pretty little elf?” question. I couldn’t seem to make a choice so I sat like a socially awkward moron and hoped that someone would eventually tell me her name.

  “She looks just like you!” Carolina exclaimed and then she covered her mouth with her hands in surprise as she announced this fact to Tray.

  “No way, she’s much prettier than me,” Tray offered and laughed.

  “Ember, this is my niece, Willow…” Celeste finally offered her name, but that didn’t help me in the least.

  I think I would remember a name as unusual as ‘Willow’.

  “Of course, you don’t remember me Sweetie. The last time I saw you – you were um, about four or five years old, right?” she questioned Tray.

  “She was seven,” Tray replied.

  “Well, you’re positively gorgeous…” she said excitedly and then I remembered that she’d said I looked just like Tray.

  I carefully watched my brother for signs of affection when he interacted with her. He joked around with Willow and they talked like they had never been apart. Tray was ‘readable’ though, when he was relaxed. It appeared that the affection he shared for Willow was a close friendship. I desperately wanted it to be closer. I continued to listen to their conversation and wished to see something more…