Embers

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  Ember ~ Fifteen

  The strange color of Ivan’s eyes was on my mind when I stepped across the crunchy, dried-up grass of the school lawn to reach the track. Maybe I’d only imagined the golden yellow outlining his pupil—and so what if his eyes were a strange color? Sighing, I already knew the answer. It wasn’t just his eyes that had freaked me out. It was the instant impression in my mind of a wolf when his gaze had met mine.

  I had no doubt that he wasn’t an ordinary teenager. What he was, I hadn’t a clue. A dozen ideas swirled in my head, but unfortunately, there wasn’t anything I could do about my suspicions at the moment.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Ember?” Maddie asked with a sideways glance, abruptly dragging me from my thoughts.

  “Nope, I’ve never had the time for one.”

  “What! I don’t believe you never had a boyfriend!” Lindsey exclaimed. “You’re so pretty though,” she added for good measure.

  Before I could even thank her for the compliment, Maddie retorted, “It doesn’t matter whether she’s pretty or not. She just hasn’t found the right guy yet.”

  “She certainly isn’t going to find him around here,” Hannah blurted out. Even though she said it in a sarcastic way, her voice still had a pleasing ring to it. The sides of her slender nose were scrunched up by the tight, sideways tilt to her lips. She meant what she had said.

  “There are some cute boys in Oldport,” Lindsey assured me.

  Hannah shook her head and walked off ahead of us.

  Maddie whispered, “Don’t mind her. She’s been in a bad mood ever since her boyfriend broke up with her last week. He graduated in the spring. Hannah was sure he was going to marry her, but instead, his first week away at college, he dumped her.

  “I guess she has a good reason to be anti-boyfriend,” I replied. “And besides, I agree with her, guys are trouble.”

  “I beg to differ with you on that,” Maddie said with a giggle.

  Lindsey piped in. “Me too.”

  When gym class was over, I was glad to hear that we all had lunch together, and thoroughly surprised that I even cared. I’d never enjoyed group situations before, but here I was, literally in the center of one of the popular cliques.

  The three girls escorted me to my locker to get the lunch that Ila had packed for me. They were all politely amused by the cooler with my sandwich in it. I didn’t mind. I was looking forward to eating the tomato and fresh baked bread sandwich.

  The cafeteria was packed and I was all too aware of the scents of sweat, cologne and perfume mixing in with fried food. Everyone was talking loudly at once and although I did my best to block out the noise, I failed miserably.

  I followed the girls to a table in the corner. It seemed to be the best seat in the room as it was situated by the one window that looked into the hallway. Anyone sitting there could see the entire cafeteria and also check out the kids entering through the one doorway.

  While the others went to buy their lunches, I sat alone and munched on my sandwich. I began thinking how strange it was that I had all these new people in my life. I missed Piper, Timmy and Chloe, but Ila’s lessons and the school schedule had kept me from being homesick so far. I was too busy to dwell on the people who were absent.

  Sitting in the cafeteria, surrounded by the realness of a high school, I could forget that I had magical powers. And if no one did anything to anger me, my body would remain a cool ninety-eight degrees.

  If I thought about being a descendent of an angel, I was filled with a nervous flutter, so I did my best not to think about it.

  Preston cleared his throat. He stood staring down at me with a hesitant smile.

  “Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked.

  “Why would you want to?” I answered rudely.

  Half of his mouth rose up. “I’m really not that bad—I’m not a monster.”

  No, I’m the monster.

  “Why would you be so mean to that boy? He was half your size. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch you do it.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. It was obnoxious of me for sure. You know, I’m really glad you pointed it out,” he said quietly.

  He almost sounded sincere, but I still didn’t like Preston Scott.

  “You’re welcome. But you better think twice before you pick on someone again,” I said.

  For some weird reason he took my words as a cue to take the seat across from me.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a hard nod.

  When the girls returned, Maddie took the seat on the one side of me and Lindsey

  sat on the other. Within minutes, Randy joined us with a boy named Colby Harris, whom Lindsey had already informed me she was sweet on. Colby sat across from her and when he shyly offered her the pickle from his sandwich, I knew that the red head with the heavily freckled face was a good guy.

  Sipping from my water bottle, I listened to the chatter at the table. It was a cacophony of sound, everyone talking and laughing simultaneously. I caught bits of conversations about meeting at the lake or hanging out in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Maddie and Lindsey would turn to me occasionally and ask if I wanted to go with them. I’d answer, “I’ll think about it,” or “I’ll check with my aunt.”

  I caught Preston staring at me several times. He always looked away, but he seemed to be listening intently when I’d answer one of the girl’s questions. I wondered why he even cared. Didn’t he have a perky cheerleader to stalk?

  After a while, a tingle along my hairline slowed my breathing and I felt compelled to look across the room for something. I closed my eyes for a second and concentrated, easily finding the source of my discomfort.

  My eyes popped open, and my gaze was drawn to the far corner of the cafeteria where I met the golden yellow stare once again. Ivan sat alone at the end of a table, and when he realized I’d spotted him, he quickly looked away.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” I whispered into Maddie’s ear. I could feel Preston’s eyes boring into my back when I left the table.

  As I walked toward the strange boy, doubt slowed my pace.

  What am I doing?

  When I reached the table, I didn’t bother to ask him if the chair was taken before I sat down across from him. I regretted my abruptness when the boy’s eyes widened to saucer size before they dropped to the table. He slowly chewed his food, avoiding my gaze. I took the opportunity to examine him closely for a moment before deciding that his wide-set eyes and high cheekbones looked foreign, out of place in this room full of small-town Americans. He was different, but I couldn’t figure out why.

  “Isn’t your name Ivan?” I asked tentatively.

  He nodded his head once, briskly.

  “I’m Ember. I just moved here from Ohio. Have you lived here long?” I pressed.

  I suddenly realized that I was doing the same thing to Ivan that the girls did to me during gym class. I gave a little laugh at my boldness.

  Ivan’s head shot up. He looked at me firmly this time, without blinking.

  He was probably about fourteen years old and his face was pleasant to look at. His hair was thick and messy. It hung down into his lupine eyes, not entirely hiding them. But close.

  “What do you want?” he asked harshly, lifting his cap back off his face a fraction.

  He had a strong accent. It sounded Russian, maybe. When I had thought he looked foreign, I didn’t mean literally. His voice caught me off guard. Should I tell him that I came to sit with him because of his weird wolf eyes or that I was a Watcher who could sense things about people and his vibe was all messed up? I was beginning to think I’d made a mistake approaching him when he spoke again. This time his words were softer.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t speak to you that way. You helped me and I thank you for it.”

  “It was nothing, really. I uh…just wanted to see if you were okay. I mean…you

  seemed…pretty upset earlier,” I said, fumbling for words.

  Ivan grinned. “I was just about to get my
cap back when you showed up.”

  “I’m sure you were.” I smiled back.

  “I have not lived here long either, only about three months.”

  “Were did you move from?” I asked, crossing my arms on the table.

  “The Ural Mountains of Russia was my home,” he answered in the thick accent.

  “You must like living here then, with the mountains and all.”

  “I am getting used to it,” he said thoughtfully.

  I wanted to keep the conversation going, hoping to find something out that would explain the strangeness about him.

  “I’m staying on Raven Mountain. Have you been up that way before?”

  His eyes widened in obvious surprise. He quickly composed himself. What he said next sent my head spinning.

  “I too live on Raven Mountain, in a place where a group of people live together. It is surrounded by a high wooden fence. Maybe you have seen it?” he asked carefully, watching my reaction.

  My breathing slowed. This nice boy lives there?

  At that moment, Maddie’s hand touched my shoulder, startling me. “Come on, let’s get a head start to your chemistry class, lunch is almost over.”

  The bell rang and before I had a chance to ask him about the purpose of such a wall, and who lived there with him, Ivan was out of his chair and gone.

  Acts 7:53

  “Who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

  Ember ~ Sixteen

  When I met Maddie in the hallway after class, I was pressing my fingers into my left temple. Stoichiometry wasn’t my strong suit.

  I was relieved that Spanish was the next class. I had done two years of video learning, and although I wasn’t fluent by any means, I had a decent grasp of the language. For the first time all day, I walked into a classroom confidently, ignoring a whole new group of interested eyes. That is, until I saw Preston sitting in the back row.

  I shot Maddie an annoyed look. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “See you later.”

  Even with Preston’s eyes drilling holes into my back, Spanish turned out to be the most enjoyable class yet. Mr. Gomez joked with the students for a few minutes before he popped a DVD into the player. When the lights went out, I was delighted to see that we were going to watch the first Harry Potter movie in Spanish. Hearing Harry speaking Spanish to Ron lightened my mood. I even giggled a few times. It was an odd way to learn a language, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain. The movie also served as an excellent way to keep me occupied, pushing the sense of apprehension about Ivan and his home to the back of my mind for a while.

  I jumped a little when the bell rang and the lights were turned back on. The class had gone by quickly. I picked up my books and was heading out the door when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I glanced over my shoulder at Preston’s cautious face.

  “Maddie asked me to take you to your technology class,” he said carefully. Then he added, “She had to stay after her last class.”

  “Sure. Thanks a lot,” I muttered as we went into the hallway side by side. Was Maddie trying to play matchmaker? She’d be very disappointed.

  “So, what’d you think of Mr. Gomez’s class?”

  “It was great.” I didn’t elaborate much and my silence shut him up until I was seated. He stood awkwardly beside my computer station and studied my schedule.

  “Your English lit class is right next door.” When he glanced away nervously and back again, I cringed inside. “I’ve got football practice after school, so, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and gave him the ‘why should I give a damn’ look. When he simply smiled in return, a wave of irritation coursed through me.

  Did he have mental issues? I’d been rude to him all day long, and yet he continued to pester me with friendliness. His behavior was bordering on obsessive and if he didn’t back off real soon I was going to fry him—possibly quite literally.

  “Bye,” I quipped, opening my notebook and then ignoring him all together.

  He finally got the message and left.

  By the end of the class, the headache had returned, probably from staring at the computer screen. I seriously thought about leaving early, but I didn’t want to face Ila if she somehow found out I’d ditched my last class. The woman wouldn’t care in the least if I had a headache. She’d come up with something to say to make me feel as if I was a weakling.

  It’s only one more class, I convinced myself when I turned into the room, instead of walking straight for the exit doors.

  English I could handle. Ila, I wasn’t so sure about.

  I felt pretty good that I’d survived my first day of school when I finally dropped the heavy pile of books into my locker. I wasn’t the only one experiencing the giddiness of being free either. There was a static energy of excitement in the air as kids rushed past me to flee the school.

  Curious, I blocked out the chaotic sounds around me and searched with my other sense. The tingling in my mind told me that I was being watched. It took just a couple of seconds to pinpoint the source.

  Ivan. He was standing at the end of the hall waiting for me.

  When I turned around, my heart strummed into my ribcage and I forgot all about the headache. Both the physical rush of using the extra sense to locate him and the fact that he really was there jump-started my body.

  But uneasiness mingled with the satisfaction. Was it wise to get involved with a person who lived in a place that made me physically ill with fear?

  When Ivan’s yellow eyes met mine and his face brightened instantly, I made up my mind. My heart won out. I couldn’t ignore this unique boy. Surely, my instincts were right about him. He wasn’t evil in any way.

  “Sorry I left without saying goodbye earlier. It was rude of me,” he said when I reached him, and then his gaze dropped to the floor.

  “It’s okay.” We fell in step together behind a few others who weren’t in a frenzy to exit the building either.

  We’d just reached the front doors when out of my mouth popped, “Do you ride the bus?”

  “No. I get picked up by a…friend.” He said the word friend in an odd way.

  “You know, I drive by your,” I paused, “place. If you ever need a ride, let me know.”

  Am I losing my mind?

  “Thank you. That would be nice, but I have arrangements.” Ivan rushed the words out too quickly.

  Just when I was about to broach the subject of the wall, my body tensed and my stomach rolled. I held my breath and my heart thumped madly.

  I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “There’s my ride.” Ivan nodded at a black Hummer parked at the curb. It had such a thick coating of dust on it that it appeared dark gray. The tinted windows were up and I couldn’t see the driver, but instantly, I knew that was the source of my panic attack.

  Ivan finally noticed that I had stopped and asked, “Is something wrong?”

  The window went down slowly, showing me the driver.

  His face pricked my memory. I scrunched my forehead in confusion.

  The black hair, darkest eyes, and high cheekbones…

  My eyes widened in shock and my heart stopped beating all together.

  The guy from my dream was real.

  Genesis 16:7

  Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

  Sawyer ~ Seventeen

  Garrett was losing it. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. He was the one after all, who’d preached to us all these years that we were a more advanced species. We were stronger, healthier and more graceful than the cattle around us. That’s what he called the humans, cattle.

  We certainly weren’t acting as if we were a more advanced civilization. Our behavior was barbaric.

  I pressed on the gas pedal and sped down the mountain to pick Ivan up from the school. The whole situation with Ivan was a joke in itself. Whoever heard of a Growler going to
school? It was another one of Garrett’s ideas. I figured the kid should have stayed in the compound with Lutz and Cray. They could have taught him what he needed to know, but here I was driving down to the pathetic little town every day to chauffeur the kid.

  The road was rough and I bounced on the seat, my thoughts drifting back to the incident a month earlier. It was still difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that Kimberly, Donnelly, Cray and Renna had attacked the locals. I chilled at the memory of the human’s eyes as he waited for death to come to him. I’d used my powers to calm his mind, to make it easier for him, but the glint I saw in the depths of those eyes told me that he was aware of what was about to happen to him.

  I didn’t have the time to completely trance him. I would forever be haunted by the knowledge that the human had suffered, even if it was greatly reduced from what it could have been—from what the others had wanted it to be.

  There was nothing I could have done to stop it. Even though I was powerful, the numbers were against me. I might have stood a chance with the women and lion together, but with Donnelly thrown into the mix, it was impossible. He was the strongest of our group, and he was completely loyal to Kimberly.

  As I continued down the dusty, gravel road I remembered back to the time when I’d first met Garrett and he’d brought out my true nature.

  It had been a hundred and forty six years, but I could still picture it as if it was yesterday. I had been lying at the edge of the woods, near an open field in Blue Springs, Tennessee. Night had fallen and the sky was moonless, as dark as ink. I was parched with thirst and my skin was tight with dried blood. The blue coat I was wearing was in tatters and didn’t help much against the cold night air. I had been too weak to move or even call out, even though I could hear my comrades in the distance celebrating. It was an easy victory for our side. The enemy was just a rag tag group of exhausted soldiers. Most of them were a good shot with a rifle, as I had unfortunately discovered, but they were undisciplined and their leadership was weak. We’d won the battle easily, but there are always casualties in war, even on the winning side.