Ember Rising Light (Book One)

by C.K. Mullinax

  Chapter Seventy Three

  All that was left of me after their surprise was my worthless, frightened remains. Somehow my legs were still functioning as my excited best friend led me through the crazy mass of loud people. I was scared senseless. I felt almost numb from the terror. Well, I could still feel my inner fire, but the rest of me was useless. The flames burned low and gentle, as if to reassure me that I was going to be alright.

  But, I am miles away from being okay…

  My internal fire refused to give into my hysteria though. It wrapped its way around the outer containment ribbon. It felt like a heated massage along its pathway.

  Although it did help calm me down a little, I knew I would go over the edge again if Tray even adjusted his pose in the slightest. I felt his every obliteration and didn’t protest once. If he had convinced this massive crowd that we had all gotten drunk and now we’re all under house arrest for the next fifty years, I would have smiled and happily agreed. Then, I would have gratefully chained myself into my own bedroom – never to be seen again…

  This gigantic out of control mob scene was worthy of any Hollywood party gone way over the top. The only things missing were red carpets and flashing cameras in my face.

  “Oh my holy Creator help me, I will lose it for sure if that happens! Destroy all cameras with extreme prejudice…”

  I was filled with renewed dread and a sense of dire apprehension when I considered camera flashes. This has got to be the day I’m supposed to return to my Maker – I feel quite sure. The resulting panic seemed to control most of my brain functions.

  “Got your video cameras folks?? If you think the lunchroom meltdown was a scene to witness, wait and see what I’m gonna do in here…”

  Then, I heard Willow’s voice speaking to me from some great, uncharted expanse…

  “Ember, you’re fine.”

  “No, I’m not,” I said the words, but the voice that issued them didn’t belong to me at all.

  I smiled and waved at someone else – so this is what a total mental meltdown feels like…

  “I’m so sorry my Tray – I know this is my first nervous breakdown, but how many of these have I given you over the years?? I swear to let you command my every movement from this moment on…just make this all disappear for me…please…”

  It turns out that even in my all-consuming insanity I was talking and responding appropriately to everyone. But, I had no idea I was accomplishing that particular feat. I didn’t recognize my own voice, although no one else seemed to notice that it wasn’t me they were chatting with. I couldn’t count the voices or the faces anymore. My mind refused to remain here…I need…to…escape…

  “Can you hear me?” Tray was speaking to me.

  I couldn’t answer him anymore, with either my voice or my thoughts. I was drifting away…away from me…into that dark, quiet space that I had been locked inside of one time before…I started fading in and out…I welcomed it…

  “Do NOT go there, Ember! I need you to hear me now…” he demanded and was probably shouting it hysterically, but I barely heard his voice as a whisper.

  I…am…so…far…away…

  “I can and will make this all disappear for you, but not until you come back from the darkness. You will come back to me, right this instant,” my brother ordered me to return to reality.

  My mind desperately reached for Tray as his assurance finally registered with me. He’s right here with me, and he will make this all go away. The awareness surrounded the shadows and suddenly, my spirit light seemed to yank me back from the abyss.

  “You’re safe…I’m right here with you…I’m not gonna let you go. I love you and you’re staying here with me,” Tray urgently whispered to me.

  Eventually, his words forced most of the darkness to retreat. He was still firmly latched onto my back and his arms were securely around my waist. I knew he could sense how close I had just come to hiding inside my thoughts. The crowd had no clue still that I was teetering on the brink. My brother was sufficiently frightened and decided to intervene before the shadows stole me away again.

  “Everyone wants to dance…”

  His obliteration swirled around the cunning ribbon and the warmth of my inner fire instantly looped around it, in the opposite direction. Tray’s persuasion radiated from the ribbon like a massive tidal wave. I watched in awed amazement, as my inner fire seemed to amplify my brother’s obliteration. It felt like the boost had the power of the Creator feeding it. My brother’s words and the incredible spiritual power behind it resulted in a shocking stream of electric blue and silver mist. I reached out to touch the resulting combination as it poured from the cunning ribbon. The mixture wrapped around my hand like it was holding it.

  The crowd immediately dispersed, because of Tray’s obliteration. They all danced unaware of me and the streaming mist of my salvation. My brother removed the obliteration to Willow obviously, since she never left our side to dance. Once the crowd was far enough away, I heard him whisper and ask Willow if she had just channeled that incredible power boost.

  “No way – I don’t have that kind of spiritual power. I felt it though…” Willow replied and then fell silent.

  They couldn’t figure out what was going on or how that boost just happened. I didn’t have any explanation for it either. But, my mind was still perched close to the edge of hysteria.

  The blue and silver stream of combined mist caressed my outstretched hand. I tried to force my racing thoughts to slow down as I allowed them both to soothe me. Even after a few minutes however, I was still shaking uncontrollably. I had no earthly idea how I was going to make it through this mammoth ordeal. My mind felt like a worthless puddle from my crushing anxiety, and my overwhelming concern for my brother’s welfare.

  The silver mist seemed to respond to my mental frenzy and it separated from the blue essence stream. It shimmered and mesmerized me as it gently wrapped around my arm. It worked its way up and then, it eventually surrounded my body. The crowd continued to dance, unaware…

  From seemingly out of nowhere, my Boo-bear appeared. I had no idea how long he had been standing in front of me before I noticed him. He reached his small hand out, so he could hold mine. The silver mist wrapped around his hand. It obviously wanted to include him in our embrace.

  “Ember is the moon…” he stated clearly as his light blue aura streamed from his fingertips.

  “Yes, my little honey…for tonight, at least…Ember is going to be the moon…” I finally found my true voice again and agreed with his assessment.

  “Make a wish…watch it happen…” Boo offered softly and prepared to give me what I asked for.

  I searched his eyes and I could see his spirit. It held untold secrets. Maybe one day he’ll share them with me…

  My turbulent thoughts settled down, revealing my heart’s desire. I knew precisely what I wanted my birthday wish to be and I also knew that it would be granted.

  “Just for this one night…I wanna be free…” I wished aloud and felt something divine start to happen.

  “While your party’s going on you have no worries, fears and anxieties…you’re carefree and happy…” Tray offered the obliteration.

  I felt his channel flow through me like a warm spring shower. The silver mist and the electric blue essence twisted in opposing directions again around the cunning ribbon. Then, Boo-bear outstretched his palms and his light blue aura blended into the others. My mind was instantly liberated as my brother’s offered obliteration consumed my thoughts.

  “The moon wanders free…” Boo’s little voice commanded.

  Then, as quickly as he appeared, he vanished. I whispered “thank you” in my mind and I knew he could hear it. I closed my eyes and felt something wonderful and amazing. It was something I had never felt before. I had no boundaries, no limits and no worries at all…

  I spent my 16th birthday party without a single care in the world.
I danced with everyone who wanted to dance with me and I listened to their real life stories. I ate more food in that one night than I think I had eaten all week. My laughter echoed through the room, and the memory of it would remain with me forever. Not one scary, dark, unhappy or depressing thought touched my awareness the entire night.

  I knew eventually my enchanted reverie would unravel, because everything in life has limits. The beautiful channel was a gift of love from my brother, Boo-bear and the silver mist. I was happy, completely free and I would enjoy every last second of it. The channeled obliteration convinced my mind, soul and body that for those few heavenly hours, I was living in a world without boundaries or concerns. It was an amazing dream combined into my reality – an elaborate illusion.

  The way I figure it, most great memories are one part truth and one part what we wish for…and if they’re not…they should be…

  The room was filled with so many people that it reminded me of a small country. I worked my way through the masses, in search of Krista. I couldn’t decide whether I would thank her or smack her for this gimonsterous party. It took some major investigative work, but I finally managed to discover where my best friend was hiding.

  “You realize you’re dead meat come Monday. So you need to plan for that inevitability…” I told Krista and tried to keep a straight face while I threatened her.

  “Don’t blame me for this! I refuse to swing from the gallows alone on this one. My grandmother was the culprit who wanted to throw it. What was I supposed to do, refuse her?? I’ve gotta live in that house and she’s extraordinarily persuasive. If I’m gonna face the death sentence on Monday then she’s walking with me…” Krista offered and tried equally hard to maintain a serious facial expression.

  It didn’t take very long before we were both laughing at the irony. She knew my threats were nothing more than hot air – an attempted ‘Ember-con-job’. We both realized she was only half joking about her grandmother. Although Elizabeth was very tiny she was also extremely tenacious. This party was her suggestion and that meant it was going to happen regardless.

  It took some seriously major planning. They had both outdone themselves. I truly felt like my heart would burst from the generosity of this gesture. I love my best friend and Elizabeth so much – I wonder how I’ll ever repay them?

  “I want you to know that you’re on my sacred ‘trust list.’ You’ve been on it for a long time, but I’ve never shared that fact with you,” I told her truthfully.

  “Wow, you keep actual lists and I made the cut?? I demand to see all the other lists so I can shoot for a ‘two-list-Ember-record’…”

  “That’s the only list I keep that you wanna have your name added to…” I humorously stated.

  She and I both started crying once we stopped laughing. It seemed silly when I thought about it. When a girl is twirling around inside a beautiful fairy tale though, it’s perfectly okay to cry – as long as it’s from happiness at least.

  Tray shadowed me everywhere I went. He used obliterations to ensure that no one could get too close to me. Even enclosed inside my lovely fairy tale, I still didn’t want to be touched by strangers. Later I would understand that my brother had been worried that the illusion might shatter if someone infringed on my personal space.

  It’s interesting to realize that just last night I wanted to run away from this area. I wanted to be liberated from my stasis. Turns out that this freedom is exactly what I wanted, and it’s all I needed too. My spirit light and my inner fire filled me. They happily combined inside – perfectly content to remain united.

  The minutes ticked away into the night. I knew I would have to take the vestment off, regardless of my desire. The pressure underneath the fragile material was already tremendous. My body felt electrified from the build-up. The surging energy was already threatening to overwhelm the containment ribbon. I wanted to hold on to my heavenly channeled obliteration for as long as possible. Once the vestment was off, the illusion would disappear. So I would struggle against the ‘internal-spiritual-power-tsunami’ until I couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

  My inner fire seems to be consuming a portion of the built up power…

  I didn’t actually want my enchanted reverie to last forever. Without the hard times and the challenges, I wouldn’t believe this night was total paradise. I wouldn’t trade this memory for anything. My lovely birthday fairy tale was the finest gift I had received in my life.

  Krista’s gift came in a close second though. She told me about how everyone picked out two songs and added them to the playlist. The crowd was so big that not everyone’s would get played tonight. My best friend was going to download them into my iPod, so I would have them forever. Her gift reminded me of something I had been meaning to tell her.

  “By the way, I wanted to thank you for taking care of my musical downloads. I also wanted to compliment you on your taste in music. All those extra songs you put on my iPod are spectacular…” I announced.

  “You’re welcome, but I have no idea what extra songs you’re talking about. I only loaded what you requested…” she replied and looked confused.

  Tray had been keeping my iPod in his pocket. I powered it up and searched through my library to show her. I couldn’t find any of those extra songs though. I finally shrugged my shoulders and said we would look for them later. Krista narrowed her gaze and turned her head sideways. I’m not the type to wait until later. Tonight was different – anything puzzling could wait until tomorrow. I don’t get to live inside a fairy tale every day.

  The basement ceiling was covered in strands of black lights so anything white looked like it was glowing purple. A disco ball over the dance floor cast a million tiny beams over the people dancing. Elizabeth had the party catered and she even hired a DJ – interestingly, his pony tail was almost longer than mine although his very evident bald spot made that seem impossible.

  “Elizabeth, I’m so grateful for everything. I’ll spend the next forty years of my life paying the two of you back,” I gushed.

  “I want you to look at my Krista out on the dance floor. She’s all dressed up, having fun and really living. As far as I’m concerned, I still owe you. I’ve had many adventures in my years – and quite a few that can’t be shared at the risk of my being arrested. You know my Krista though, and that’s something no one else has ever been able to accomplish. Not even that little boy she’s taken with knows her like you do…” Elizabeth looked at Greg and gave him a sideways glance.

  “I’ve never had a friend like Krista – I’m the fortunate one.”