Jomo’s face drops in disbelief at Valentino’s words, and he squints at her.
She raises her eyebrows like she’s threatening him to respond.
He glances my way, and his eyes become even thinner slits; the hatred radiating from him is palpable.
“This is going to be a very long year,” I whisper to myself.
Chapter 8
Aiden
I turn around in my desk and smile at Ember. “So, will you be up all night reading too?”
She rolls her eyes but laughs. “Unfortunately, yes. I don’t know how these professors expect us to do so much work and still get enough sleep to function.”
“Oh, they don’t expect us to.”
“I guess that explains it.” She bends over to put her books in her backpack, and her hair falls over to the side, glistening red in the sunlight.
For some reason, I can’t help but stare at her.
Her brilliant, emerald-colored eyes glance up, creasing slightly with her smile.
I look away, trying to hide the sudden heat that rushes to my face. I cough, clearing the tightness invading my throat. “I guess if this university was easy, everyone would go here, right?”
“Well, since they only let in … what, around seven thousand students, not everyone could go here even if they wanted to,” she jokes back.
“I guess you’re right.”
She appears next to me. “Let’s get going, shall we?”
I stand and grab my backpack. “Sure.”
We exit our classroom and traipse down the hallway toward the stairs. It’s crowded with other students heading out as well. I overhear some people making lunch plans, and I have an inkling to ask Ember about hers, but I quickly shut down the thought. I know better than to try to be anything more to her than a fellow student from English class. The little conversations we have after class just bonding over school is bad enough.
The sun shines through the window on the side of the stairs, and I enjoy the warmth. It’s a great day to go to the training field and a distraction from the fact I’d rather be having lunch with Ember.
Ember descends the stairs in front of me, and her black flowy dress trails a little behind her.
I stay a step behind so I don’t accidentally step on it.
When we reach the bottom floor, she walks toward the door to exit but halts.
I crash into her, and she stumbles forward.
I grab onto her arms. “Ember! I’m so sorry.”
She turns around, her body is right against me, not even a sheet of paper could come between us. We both take a quick step backward. Ember’s cheeks look like two slices of pepperoni with how hard she is blushing. “I’m sorry, Aiden! I just wanted to ask you something before we left.”
I rub the back of my neck. “It’s okay. What’s up?”
“Well …” Her cheeks somehow burn even brighter. “I was just wondering—”
“Ember? Ember Vulterra!” someone shouts behind me.
I turn and see a girl with three arms running down the stairs; her extra arm seems to come from somewhere on her back. Her arms flail above her head like a tarantula about to attack, but her bright hot-pink pants and yellow tank top make her presence a little less threatening. Her black hair, cut into a short bob, swings violently with each step. One of her hands holds a notebook, another holds a pen, and the third carries a small black tote bag.
Ember crosses her arms. “Can I help you?”
The girl stops next to me and smiles at me before looking at Ember. “Hi! I’m so sorry to catch up with you like this! But my name is Glinda, and I am the editor of the school’s newspaper, the US Chronicles.”
Ember becomes a statue, with her eyes frozen wide, staring at Glinda.
Seeing her like this causes me to worry for her. My heart trembles with an ounce of anxiety. “Ember? Are you okay?”
Ember’s eyes harden into slits, focused on Glinda. “What do you want?”
With one of her hands, Glinda flips open her notebook while the other gets ready to write. “I would love to get an interview with you! I’ve been trying to hunt you down since classes began.”
“An interview? Are you serious?”
“Well, yes. I think everyone here would love to get to know more about you and why you’re not in the Defender program.”
“That is none of your business,” Ember snaps. “Nor is it anyone else’s.”
Glinda’s bubbly nature pops, and her eyes display her dissatisfaction. “I think you owe it to everyone to explain your decisions.”
The atmosphere grows cold, like a breath of death passes between Ember and Glinda. I shuffle my feet and look at the door to exit. But I won’t leave Ember to deal with this by herself. “Hey, I think you need to leave her alone,” I say to Glinda, who raises an eyebrow at me. “She doesn’t owe anything to anyone.”
Glinda cocks her head. “And who are you? Her boyfriend or something?”
“No, he’s not my boyfriend,” Ember retorts, bothered by the remark. “He’s a friend, and he’s right.”
Glinda glances at her for a moment and then back at me. “You really think she doesn’t owe the world any explanation? Her parents—”
“Yeah, I know who her parents were, and no, she doesn’t need to follow in their footsteps. It’s her life. Let her live it.”
“Thank you, Aiden.” Ember’s eyes are soft. “But I don’t need anyone to stand up for me.”
I lower my head, but I feel a gentle touch on my arm.
Ember gives me a small smile. “Hey, no, seriously, thank you. I just like to tackle my own battles.” She eyes Glinda, dropping her hand from me. “Especially since I’ll have to deal with some kind of press on campus.”
Glinda’s face lights up with hope. “Does that mean you’ll give me an interview?”
Ember laughs sarcastically. “No. Just quote what Aiden told you but say I said it instead.”
Glinda scowls and closes her notepad. “I’ll just try again at a later date, but I guess I finally understand the whispers about why no one wants to talk to you.”
“Well then, maybe you shouldn’t try later, since no one seems to really care about me then. All they care about is who my parents were.”
Glinda glares at Ember as she walks by us, out the door, and slams it hard behind her.
I chortle. “Well, you may have just made a new enemy.”
Ember shrugs and adjusts her backpack. “I’m used to the press hating me. For some reason, it never occurred to me that the school newspaper would be an issue.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised she didn’t hunt you down at your dorm room.”
Ember opens the door. “Who knows? Maybe that’ll be her next plan of action, but I can’t worry about it. Let’s get out of here.”
I follow her out, and we walk a short distance until she spins around to face me. “I never did get to ask you what I wanted to before we were so rudely interrupted.”
“Oh?”
We step aside to let other students pass us.
“I know we normally go our own ways, but I was wondering … Would you want to grab some lunch with me? Well, me and Stella … and Lime, we always meet up, but since you know Stella, I figure it could be fun.”
Ember smiles at me in a way that makes my heart do a somersault. But a small voice in my head reminds me there is a reason why I take off as soon as we exit the building. I can’t be friends with her. That will only lead to trouble, as Billy likes to remind me all the time.
I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I have other plans.”
“Well, maybe dinner sometime? I think it would be fun for us—”
“No, Ember. I can’t hang out with you.”
Her smile fades, and her eyes dim with disappointment. “Oh … okay then.”
We stare at each other in painful silence, and it takes everything in me not to apologize for my harsh reaction.
Ember takes a deep breath, sucks in her bottom lip and frowns.
I feel a strange twitch in my chest. “Ember … listen—”
She raises her hand, signaling for me to stop talking. “No, I heard you. I get it. You can’t hang out with me. What was it? That girl? The fact that she thought you were my boyfriend?”
I feel my eyes pop in shock. “What? No! That wasn’t it.”
She shakes her head. “It’s fine. I guess I was wrong to think you may have wanted to be friends with me.”
“It’s not that, Ember, it’s just …” The rest of my words stick in my mouth like peanut butter.
She looks off to the side. “I guess I’ll stop taking up your time.”
I notice her hair levitating the tiniest bit and wonder if it has something to do with her abilities. Shame, sadness, and my own frustrations become a weight on my shoulders. “I guess I’ll see you Wednesday then.”
“I guess so.” Her voice fails at hiding her newfound bitterness toward me.
It hits me; I really don’t want this, but I have to keep my distance from her. I walk past her, and a new, strange sensation is in my chest—a heaviness I have not really experienced before, almost like a string connects me to Ember, pulling tighter with each step I take.
I can’t let myself think about what that may mean.
Chapter 9
Ember
It’s too early to be awake on a Saturday morning. Damn myself for agreeing to go to the training area with Stella. Now I’m on about a mile hike through the woods. I get that they want people to train without interrupting anything, but seriously? Couldn’t it be a little closer?
Stella is a couple of feet ahead of me, and I envy how awake she is. She walks with a pep in her step, and her wild, curly hair bun bounces with her movements. Her cherry-patterned tank top reminds me of the cherry pastry I left behind in my room, adding to my aggravations. I know my hair must look like a bird has made its home there, and my clothes don’t hide the fact I pulled them from the bottom of my closet.
“Ugh, why did I agree to this? I should’ve stayed with Lime and watched cartoons,” I whine.
Stella laughs and looks back at me. “Because you need to get out of our room. Either you’re in class or you’re in there. Plus, Lime doesn’t like to be interrupted during his shows.” Her eyes crease with the faintest hint of concern. “Also, maybe it’ll inspire you to actually use those abilities you’ve been hiding.”
“Doubtful.”
She nods. “I figured. But hey, afterward, we can get something to eat and maybe talk about going to see a movie? It would be nice to get off campus for a bit.”
I shrug nonchalantly. “Sure. I haven’t been off campus since school started. I’ll get to break out my incognito clothes.”
“Incognito clothes? You know what? I don’t want to know.” Stella shakes her head. “But, yeah, I think some space from campus will be good for you.”
“Space does sound nice.”
Stella slows her pace. “Have other students been driving you insane yet?”
I catch up with her. “Actually, no. I’ve had a few people say something to me about admiring my parents, but overall, people have left me alone. It seems people may be too intimidated to talk to me … or I’m too unfriendly. It’s hard to say.”
She smiles sympathetically. “Well, you definitely don’t go out of your way to talk to anyone, that’s for sure.”
She’s not wrong. I go to my classes, the student center to eat, and then to my dorm room. Stella is my only friend, and I’m fine with that. I have learned that it’s not easy to form new relationships. It’s not like I’ve wanted that much human contact in my life anyway. But the fact a certain someone actually told me he can’t hang out with me two weeks ago still stings.
Thankfully, today’s a beautiful day, and it lifts my mood. The morning chill is almost gone. Birds sing their morning songs nested high above the trees and not in my hair. A light breeze makes the trees look as if they are actually breathing, and the sun’s rays dance between the leaves.
“So, any new developments with The Regenerator?” Stella asks from nowhere. “I know you weren’t too excited about having class with him.”
“Erik? It’s pretty much the same. He’s asked a couple more times in the last few weeks about us talking, but I don’t know if I want to.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I just don’t know what kind of Pandora’s Box it may open if we talk. I’m not sure if I’m ready to deal with that yet.” Faint memories flash through my mind of days when we used to be close. I linger on the moment when he helped teach me how to ride a bike and ran after me before I went off a cliff. “He really was like family to me. After everything happened with my parents, he basically disappeared.” A couple of tears sting my eyes, and I involuntary sniffle.
“I see.” Stella spies me from the corner of her eye.
I turn my head to hide my face from her. I don’t want her to see the couple of tears streaking my face.
“Maybe it would be good for you to talk to him though? Heal some of those wounds?”
“Um, maybe. Let’s talk about something else.” I dry my cheeks.
Stella puts her hand on my shoulder to get me to stop. She looks at me with soft eyes and a tiny frown, almost apologetic. “I’m sorry, Em. I shouldn’t have brought it up. If you ever do need to talk about anything, I’m here for you. You know that, right?”
I nervously suck in my bottom lip and nod. “Yes, I do. Thank you.”
She smiles. “Of course.”
I grin, and she releases my shoulder. We walk again, and, up ahead, I see an opening not too far in the distance—it must be the training area. My pace quickens as my eagerness grows to get there. The thought of finally sitting—maybe napping—makes my soul soar.
Stella speeds up too, and we soon pass through the opening and emerge onto a running track. Sure enough, it’s the training area. I’m in awe of the grounds’ sheer size. It’s an open area about a quarter mile long surrounded by trees on all but one side. On the treeless side is the lake; some of the early morning fog hovers eerily over the water still. To my right are bleachers, and next to them is a large wooden shed that looks more like a small ranch home. A sign posted in front of the building reads, TRAINING BOTS & FIRST AID.
I notice a student exiting while rolling some triangular robot. About fifty people must already be on the field training with these things. One explodes in the distance, another starts to smoke, and another is currently being violently choked by an aggravated student. “Stupid mother of … ugh!” he shouts right before ripping it in half.
“Wow, these people are dedicated,” I say, not hiding my unexpected admiration. Anyone who is awake at this hour for training has my full respect, even if they are working on a futile path.
“Yeah, I guess that’s what makes them Guardian candidates.”
Memories of my days of training surface, and I quickly dam the thoughts. That is a road I don’t need to go down. I refocus on Stella. “Well, where do you want to practice?”
“Hmm … well, I need to find a decent number of rocks.” She scouts the field and points in the direction of the lake. “Let’s start over there.”
Napping by the lake will be perfect! “Okay, let’s go!”
We head that way and stay on the track.
Two guys run toward us. One is Aiden. Of all the people on campus, of course it must be him. He’s talking to an overly muscular guy whose skin constantly shifts colors like he’s a human kaleidoscope, and the sight of him makes me a bit woozy. I eye Aiden again, and my eyes can’t help linger on his white tank top sticking to him because of his sweat. The definition of his chest muscles are clear as the sky. My heart beats a bit faster, as if I am jogging also.
Aiden sees us and slows to a walk. His running partner follows suit, and they stop in front of us.
Stella and I stop as well, but I have no clue why Aiden would want to talk to us—unless he wants to talk to just Stella.
Aiden uses his arm to wi
pe sweat from his forehead. “Hey, Stella,” he says a bit breathlessly. His arm falls to his side, and his eyes flitter to me. “Hi, Ember.”
“Hey, Aiden!” Stella replies chipperly.
I don’t want to acknowledge Aiden, but I know I have to. “Hi.”
Aiden frowns, and, with a sudden jerk of his thumb, he points to the guy next to him. “This is my friend Billy. I don’t think you guys would know him.”
Stella shakes her head, but I notice her face flushes. “No, I don’t believe I do. I take it you must’ve not gone to our school then, Billy?”
He nods. “That’s right. I went to school on the west side—the better side of the city, if you ask me. Aiden and I used to hang out all the time at the arcade downtown, and we trained together when we decided we both wanted to be Guardians.”
Stella smiles, and I swear there’s a twinkle in her eye. “Gotcha, that makes sense then.” She eyes me. “I doubt you know him then too, right?”
“Yeah. It’s not like I went out that much.”
Billy raises an eyebrow. “So, you’re Ember.” He grins. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I notice the brilliance of his unnaturally white teeth.
Aiden snaps his head toward Billy in disbelief and jabs him hard in the side with his elbow.
“Ow! What the hell, man!”
Aiden looks back at me; his crystal blue eyes fail at hiding his nervousness. “Yeah, well … I told him about our first encounter and whatnot. That’s it.”
I shrug. “Oh, okay.”
An uncomfortable silence falls over us.
Aiden eyes the ground and rubs the top of his head. “So … I guess we should finish our run and start training. We’ll see you guys later.” He runs around me without a second glance.
Billy follows him while still clutching his side. “Nice to meet you guys!”
I start walking again. The quicker I put more space between Aiden and me, the better. Stella joins me by my side. The feeling of her gaze on me is palpable. “What is it, Stella?”
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