by H G Lynch
“Ouch! Hey, I’m not part vamp like you. That hurts. You really haven’t changed much, have you? You’re still vicious. Don’t!” He flinched as she held up a hand to hit him again. “Look, I just want us to be friends again. I know I did some awful stuff to make you turn on me, but I really have changed. And we’re in the same boat on the whole part-witch thing. I came to make things right with us. I’m not going to intrude on your friendship with Sherry or your relationship with Reid or any of that. If you want, I’ll even keep all compliments to myself.” He smiled that easy smile that made her feel like she was seven years old again, and she sighed.
She looked at him, really looked at him, trying to decide whether to not she could trust him. If she looked hard enough, she could still find traces of the shy little boy she’d known before. It was there in the shape of his mouth and the white scar above his left eyebrow where he’d fallen and cut himself on some rocks when he was seven. He’d needed four stitches, and Ember had been with him when it happened; they’d been climbing rocks by the sea, and she’d run for help when he’d fallen. She’d been more upset than he had.
Remembering that, Ember felt something inside her twist, and a thin smile crept across her lips. “Fine, I’ll forgive you for what happened before, but mainly just because it’s childish to hold a grudge for four years, and you did try to warn me about the witches,” she said, though she really felt like crying.
Desperate for some aspirin and some time alone, she said, “Come on, let’s get down. Oh, and by the way, if you ever appear in my dreams again, I will hunt you down and snap your neck.” She glared at him and began climbing down the tree. Owen just grinned.
The thing was, though, she sort of meant it.
*
On the ground, it was getting cold and she was feeling exhausted. With a sigh, she leaned against the tree trunk for a moment, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
“So, we’re cool? Friends again?” Owen asked cheerfully, and she could see the friendly, kind Owen she’d known before. He had chips of bark in his dark hair, and Ember resisted the urge to brush them out for him. Noticing her gaze, he rolled his eyes up and combed his fingers through his hair himself, then smiled as the twigs came free. Ember looked away.
“Yeah, I guess,” she muttered, “But, if you act like a jerk to me or Sherry or anyone else, I swear I will hurt you. You have this one chance to show me you’ve changed, and that’s it.”
Owen grinned and moved forward, holding out his arms. “Deal.”
Ember let him wrap her in a tight, friendly hug, mainly because she was cold. It had gotten colder since the sun had started going down. It was getting dark now, and the rotting leaves on the ground gave off a musky, mouldy smell into the thickening air.
“Hey, who are you and what do you think you’re doing, making a move on my girl?” The familiar, taunting voice surprised her and she whirled around, away from Owen.
“Reid!” she squealed, and grinned as she saw him leaning casually against a nearby tree, his blonde hair tucked under his beanie and his hands wrapped in his woollen fingerless gloves. He held out his arms for a hug and she nuzzled into him eagerly. He smelled, as always, like spiced-apple and pine needles, and he was so warm. She could hear his heart beating slowly, steadily, unnecessarily, under her ear.
“What’re you doing out here? You know you’re meant to be avoiding me,” Ember scolded lightly, but tipped her head up to plant a tiny kiss on his lips. She felt less tired, less confused with his solid body to support her.
He shrugged, tangling his fingers in the ends of her hair. “Well, I didn’t think your mum would be out here with you so I thought it’d be safe. Who’s this? Her messenger? I hope she’s not got a spy on you now.” Reid’s voice was mocking but there was a suspicious edge to it. His eyes narrowed on Owen, sizing up the potential threat on the scene.
“This is Owen,” Ember said quietly, reluctantly letting go of Reid and stepping back. “He’s an old family friend. Owen, this is Reid.” She smiled nervously, and Owen smiled politely, holding out his hand.
“Ah, so this is the infamous Reid Ashton,” he said, which seemed to be how everyone greeted Reid the first time they met him. Somehow, everyone had heard of his reputation. Of course, Owen knew who he was because he’d been in her head. No, still creepy, she thought, repressing a shudder.
“Nice to meet you. Ember and I were just making amends.” Owen sent Ember a wink, and she looked away. Reid nodded once, eyeing Owen in his usual arrogant manner and then gave Ember a questioning look.
She inched closer to him so he could wrap his arm around her again. “I kind of ditched him four years ago when he got involved in some bad stuff. But he says he’s changed and I thought it was time to forgive him,” she explained carefully. Reid looked only mildly interested and kept his arm around her protectively. His eyes were still on Owen, regarding him with a sort of lazy apathy.
Owen looked uncomfortable. “Yes, well, I guess I ought to head back to the dorms and unpack. Ember, your mum will probably want to talk to you soon, just to warn you.” Owen grinned, waved, and slinked off into the trees.
Once he was gone, Ember groaned. “This is going to be a painfully long two weeks. But for now, I think I need a nap. My head’s killing me. Walk me back?” She gave Reid a hopeful smile, and his hard expression melted.
“Of course. I could even carry you if you want?” he teased, blue eyes warming.
“Eh, no, I don’t think so.” She let him take her hand as they walked back, enjoying the warmth of his skin and the roughness of his wool gloves against her palm. She smiled, relaxing with his fingers in hers. Reid just smiled too and placed a kiss on her forehead. It seemed it would be a fortnight full of stolen kisses and secrets. Actually, she thought with a smile, that doesn’t really sound too bad.
Chapter Eight
** Ember **
“So, Ember, I haven’t seen Reid today. Where is he?” Mrs. Jennings’ tone was enough to irritate Ember, especially as tired as she was. God, her head hurt. And getting pissed off would be a very bad idea right now. She couldn’t afford to break anything. Why couldn’t her mother just leave her alone?
Ember groaned and rolled over on her bed, reaching under the bed to pull out her bottle of coke. Of course, her mother had been waiting for her when she’d gotten back to the room, and Sherry had quickly made herself scarce, muttering about having an assignment for English – liar. And now Carol was done questioning her daughter on what she’d been up to for the past two weeks, and had moved onto the dreaded topic of her boyfriend. Ember wasn’t in the mood for a shouting match, but she didn’t feel like having this conversation calmly either.
“He’s busy,” she muttered shortly, after gulping down a few mouthfuls of coke. Her mother didn’t look impressed, her green eyes narrowed.
“Busy with what? I don’t trust that boy Ember and I hope you two haven’t been–” Ember could just predict where this conversation was going. She cut her mother off before she could reach the intended destination.
“He’s got homework, and swimming practice. There’s a competition next week.” It wasn’t a lie actually. She’d had no idea about the swimming competition next Friday until Reid had vaguely mentioned it on their way back earlier. Typical. She was so out of the normal loop these days. Reid didn’t seem worried about the competition though – when was he ever?
“Oh, really? You never told me he was a swimmer. I know even less about this boy than I thought,” her mother snapped.
“You didn’t exactly ask,” Ember said, trying not to grind her teeth. “Last time you were here, you were too busy trying to keep him away from me, remember? And I had other things to deal with.” Rolling over again, she rummaged around in the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out the rarely-used remote for the stereo. At least if she turned on the music, she could listen to it and pretend she was listening to her mother…or she could shut her mother up.
“So what else should I know ab
out him then? Maybe if you can convince me he’s not the bad influence I hear he is, I’ll let you keep him.” Her mother’s words made Ember grit her teeth. She was speaking about Reid like he was her pet, like he was nothing more than an animal; which, Ember realised, was probably how she thought of him – as a sex-crazed, good-for-nothing animal.
Ember glared at her mother and aimed the remote at the stereo, pressed the ‘on’ button and the room was filled suddenly with ‘This is War’ by 30 Seconds to Mars. How appropriate, Ember thought wryly.
Her mother didn’t find it so amusing. “Ember, turn that noise off. I’m trying to talk to you.” Mrs. Jennings roared over the blaring music. Ember tapped the remote and the volume lowered but she didn’t turn it off.
“No, mum, you’re not. You’ve only been here for a few hours and you’re already at it. You aren’t trying to talk to me; you’re slagging off my boyfriend. You know nothing about him, and to be honest, you know nothing about me anymore either. So why don’t you just stop it. You’re either going to be here to make my life hell or you’re going to be here to spend time with me, and catch up, like a mother should when her daughter’s been living away from home for two and a half months.” Jeez, had it really only been two months? That was crazy. It felt like she’d been here for two years.
For once, her mother appeared to be speechless. Good, Ember thought. Her face mother’s face showed fury, and shock, and her green eyes were sharp as shards of glass. Then she found her voice again, and Ember groaned. “Ember, you will not speak to me that way. You know I’m only trying to look out for your wellbeing. I don’t want this boy to hurt you.” Damn. She’d found her secondary argument already.
But Ember wasn’t without more points for debate. She clenched her fists into her duvet, and glared at her mother. “Mum, if you want to look out for me, you need to give Reid a chance. I know how awfully teen-chick-movie-cliché I sound, but I’m serious. I’ve gone through a lot of stuff since arriving here, and if it wasn’t for Reid…well, I’d be in a lot worse shape right now. He makes things better, okay?” Ember tried to make her voice cold, but it came out shaky. It seemed to strike a tender chord in Carol, and Ember saw her mother’s face twist. Getting an idea, Ember decided she was going to play this the best way she knew how: she’d act. She’d been doing it for years; it was the best way to get out of trouble.
“Oh, Sweetie, I had no idea,” her mother said softly, her anger fading away. Well, duh. You were back in Scotland! Ember thought. She almost snorted, covered it with a sneeze. Carol moved to sit beside her on the bed, the light catching red strands in her auburn hair. This close, Ember could see the dark freckles on her mother’s cheeks, the freckles she’d inherited. “What’s wrong? What’s been happening?” And now Mrs. Jennings was back to the caring, soft mother Ember only occasionally got to see.
“Well.” Ember thought quickly, trying to come up with a feasible answer. “I’ve been really home sick since last time you came,” she lied, “I started thinking about how much I miss all my friends and being at home.”
“Oh, Honey. I know it’s hard but you’ve got Sherry. And you’re coming home for Christmas, aren’t you? You can see your friends then.”
Actually, Ember hadn’t even thought about Christmas. It was two months away, and she’d had so much else on her mind. Now that she thought about it, she longed to see her other friends, and the horses at Red’s, and her pain-in-the-butt little brother. She missed her own bedroom, and the sprawling green garden. She missed home.
“Yeah, I’ll be home for Christmas,” she said quietly. Sitting up straight, she looked her mother in the eye. “But can you please give Reid a chance? I know he’s got a bad reputation but even if it was all true, he’s changed. Give him a chance, for me. I know you don’t believe me but just let me prove it. I’ll show you he’s not like that now.”
Her mother just grimaced. “I…I guess I can give Reid a chance. For you, Sweetie,” Carol murmured reluctantly, and then brightened as she changed the subject. “And Owen…he just wanted to come and see you again. He’s really turned it around, Hon, and he was eager to put the past behind you two. I don’t think he ever forgave himself for driving you away. You were so close.”
“Yeah, well, it’s nice to see an old friend,” Ember said calmly, trying not to emphasize the word ‘friend’ too much.
Mrs. Jennings nodded eagerly, oblivious to Ember’s tone. “Yes, of course. I’m sure you two will get re-acquainted very well while he’s here.”
Ember made a noncommittal noise in her throat, trying not to grimace. “Mum, I’ve got a really sore head. I’m going to take a nap and maybe we can hang out later?”
“Yes, yes, of course, Sweetie. I’ll see you later.” Mrs. Jennings dropped a kiss on Ember’s forehead and left swiftly, looking far too pleased with herself.
As soon as the woman was gone, Ember pulled a pillow over her face and groaned. “I hate my life,” she mumbled into the fluffy pillow, wishing she could sleep through the next two weeks.
*
It was nine in the evening, and Ember was buzzing. The curtains were half-closed because she kept fidgeting with them, peering outside as if she was looking for something, which she wasn’t. She was just agitated. Weak moonlight spilled through the gap in the curtains, painting the walls a silvery-blue that contrasted with the warm yellow glow cast from the bedside lamps.
“I just don’t know why she can’t accept that I’m with Reid! It’s not like I’m a little kid anymore! I can make my own decisions and if I’m old enough to have a boyfriend, I’m old enough to choose who that boyfriend is. Not to mention it doesn’t make a difference to her what I do with my life, considering she’s hardly part of it anymore. She wants to hook me up with Owen…why? So he’s an old friend, so he’s turned into a polite twit. None of that makes a difference if I’m not interested in him. Doesn’t make a difference if I’m only going to see him for the next two weeks and then he’s going back to Scotland with her. How does that make sense? Try and separate me from the guy I actually want, the guy who’s here with me, and stick me with some guy I haven’t known in four years!” Ember barely took a breath as she rambled, pacing the room and waving her arms.
“Ember, how much Coke have you had?” Sherry asked evenly. She was sitting with her legs crossed on the end of her bed, watching her best friend jitter around the room. The green-eyed girl arched a brow in exasperation.
“What? You mean today, or in the last hour?” Ember paused in her pacing, only to tap her foot rapidly.
Sherry groaned. “Let’s go with the last hour. I’m not sure I want to hear how much you’ve had in the entire day.”
Ember mentally counted off how many glasses of coke she’d had in the last hour, on her fingers, while Sherry watched unhappily. “Um… about… two litres, more or less,” Ember answered with a shrug and then continued pacing. She wondered if she could actually wear a hole in the carpet if she did this for long enough. She was willing to try, just because it would be funny.
“Jeez, no wonder you’re so hyper,” Sherry murmured disapprovingly.
Ember scoffed and shot her an amused look. “Would you rather I was pissed off and breaking things? This way I’m pissed off but I’m too high on caffeine to do anything but jitter around the room like a monkey on cocaine.” That made them both laugh. Ember felt her head whirring, and her chest and stomach felt fizzy. She’d definitely had too much caffeine. She picked up a pen from the nightstand and rolled it in her fingers restlessly.
“Wait, do you think I should agree with my mum? Do you think I should choose Owen?” Ember frowned as she paced, tapping the pen against her palm rapidly.
“What? You are so not getting any more caffeine for the next three days. You’ve gone mental.” Sherry rolled her eyes and snorted to show how ridiculous she found the idea.
“I’d rather be mental from too much caffeine, than from none at all. Withdrawal sucks,” Ember replied.
“Yeah, you get
really bitchy without it.” Sherry grinned and Ember tossed the pen at her. Sherry squealed as the pen struck her upraised arm, leaving a splotch of black on her skin.
“Shut up,” Ember said playfully, and then paused. “Hey, I didn’t tell you yet, did I? Owen is not only a completely reformed, now sixteen year old, hottie…but he’s also a warlock.” Ember grinned, quitting her pacing and facing her friend, though she drummed her fingers against her thighs, unable to stay completely still. Sherry looked gob smacked, which just sent the overly-hyper Ember into fits of barely-sane giggles.
Slowly, Sherry’s expression of shock melted and she found her voice. “He’s a what? Seriously? How do you–”
Ember interrupted the green-eyed girl. “He told me. Earlier when I went to sit in my tree, he came along and explained why he’s been in my dreams. Apparently he has the ability to mess with my head from a whole other country. Amazing, right? He says we’re linked. Doesn’t know why, but he says that he can sense me, like some profoundly useless presence in the back of his head or something. He has witchy blood in him too. Not related to mine in any way – he checked our family histories. He knows what I am, and he knows an awful lot of other stuff about me. Stuff it should be impossible for him to know, seeing as he hasn’t seen me in four years, right? Wrong. He found it all out when he rummaged in my dreams.” Ember paused in her breathless rambling long enough to take a breath. Sherry’s eyes were wide, her lips forming a little ‘O’ of speechlessness. Ember grinned at her, though she really felt more like screaming.
“Now can you blame me for drowning my stress in caffeine?” she asked triumphantly. Silence. Well, at least Sherry might stop lecturing her on her caffeine addiction for a while. “Ha!” Ember pointed at her best friend, triumphant, justified in her addiction. “See, it’s only fair that I-Eeeeeee!” She squealed as someone suddenly slapped her butt. There was a seductive, arrogant chuckle from behind her.
