Ember

by Madison Daniel

  “Yeah, I’m definitely going to pass this time. Besides, my uncle hasn’t seen me in the last couple days. I think I owe him a night of catching up.” I managed a small smile at the thought of it.

  “Well, that sucks,” Kai whined.

  “Are you sure Max?” Sam asked restlessly.

  “I was hoping we could go…” she hesitated. “Together.” Her eyes looked deep into mine, searching. Kai took the hint and eased himself out of our conversation. From across the room, a pair of disapproving eyes caught my attention at the same moment.

  “I’m not sure if that’s such a wise idea,” I spoke easy and nodded toward Devon’s accusing stare. His beady eyes alive with spite.

  “This could get messy,” I said very serious. She turned to her ex’s glare and looked at him, directly in his hazel eyes, and spoke calmly and clearly.

  “I’m a big girl…I don’t mind messy,” she said loud enough for him and anyone else listening to hear easily. Her confidence was so sexy. I found my temples heating up with the thought of her strength. So I ran my hands inside my hair and took a deep breath. Devon on the other hand found her independence infuriating. His big arrogant face turned bright red with anger as he slowly walked over to our desks.

  “Devon…not now…not today,” she warned, but it was obvious in his state there was no talking to him. He gathered his anger and tried again.

  “Sam, we need to talk,” he demanded. His angry glare seemed to fall towards my face. I’m not sure why though. Maybe it was the mocking grin I was wearing that drew it towards me. Or maybe I had the biggest brown eyes he had ever seen too. A laugh rattled inside my head as I kept his stone gaze locked.

  “Not right now,” she snapped. She was fuming now and I found it strange that she would lose her cool that quickly with him.

  “At lunch then…I really need to talk to you,” he sounded more desperate with each passing second. I reached over and took Sam’s hand and squeezed it gently. Her eyes pulled to mine and she looked confused.

  “I don’t know,” she said more calmly. Devon watched as my hand caressed hers and he stormed off, back to his side of the room. At first I found that funny but when I saw the expression covering Sam’s face, it was obvious that he could still get under her skin. Even though they were supposedly over and done. That scared me and when I caught him watching us from the corner of his eyes again; he could see that doubt in my face too. He smiled and winked at me and I let go of her hand. She didn’t even seem to notice when I did. We spent the rest of the class not saying a word to each other.

  At lunch Sam and Devon had begun a heated conversation. They argued almost the whole lunch hour and I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. Finally their conversation stopped with a loud slap across Devon’s cheek. The sound popped and echoed throughout the yard and some of the kids cheered. Devon shot me a dirty look and stomped away with his crew not far behind. Kai and Marcus used this noisy interlude to capitalize on his embarrassment and started a chant that the whole crowd seemed to embrace.

  “Na, na, na, na…hey, hey, hey…goodbye…” they all sang. I found it extremely funny but was too worried about Sam’s state of mind to join in. As I watched Devon’s gorilla like walk, he passed by Lucy at the edge of the lunch yard. She had been watching us too. I waved to her and she ran around the nearest corner.

  Sam made her way through the singing crowd, massaging her wrist. She really must have let him have it. She settled herself next to me and leaned into me gently and a faint smile graced her face.

  “Things are a little less messy now,” she winced. She didn’t seem too upset but her confidence had been shaken. I slowly took her hurt wrist into my hands.

  “I don’t mind messy,” I said dryly. Her eyes rolled as I softly checked her hand and she winced with a sharp pain, as I rolled it inside my grip. I think she might have sprained it. She tried to pull her hand back but I didn’t give it up.

  “It’ll be fine.”

  “I know,” I agreed but my tone came off much too arrogant. I let my hands fill with the slightest heat and began rubbing softly. Within seconds her pain faded and she turned her wrist with no soreness at all. Her face filled with a puzzled glance and I pulled away nervously. She paused for a moment and then slid closer to me and her hands found my bangs again. She brushed them behind my ears, and stared at me quietly. Kai and Marcus exchanged smiles and turned away from us.

  “Will you come to the party with me tonight?” she asked. One of her hands had come to a rest on the side of my neck and her eyes were like laser beams. They cut through every defense I had. Every wall I had built during the last couple years. My defenses were crumbling and I became terrified. So I did the only thing I could think of…run.

  “Sam I think you’re better off if I didn’t.” Be easy Max…let her down easy. Then run like hell.

  “Why?”

  “I think I’ve already caused you enough pain,” I said trying to think of anything to tell her. Anything but the truth. I didn’t give her a chance to respond. I just grabbed my things and ran with my tail between my legs. As I rushed for my next class, I couldn’t help but turn around to see how upset I had surely made her. To my surprise I found her smiling as she held her wrist that I secretly healed. I was in trouble. I was getting too close, too fast. I shook the thought from my head and walked to my next class.

  I fought my emotions the rest of the day. I kept telling myself to just go and find Sam. Find her and tell her yes. Yes, with a capital Y. Say yes and don’t look back. But then my fear stood up and pushed those crazy thoughts to the back of my brain to wither and die. Bury the truth. The unthinkable truth. I was falling for her.

  The day ended and I found myself walking to the parking lot alone. I was a zombie walking around, struggling against the urge to find Sam and give in. Even if I did cave and let those feelings grow, there was still one major complication to deal with. Unbelievably, that complication was waiting for me in the school parking lot.

  She looked amazing and I rubbed my eyes to be sure I wasn’t just imagining her. She was waiting for me with her hip leaning against the side of her Jeep. She was slowly pulling her hair up into a ponytail, behind sunglasses and cherry red lipstick. Wearing a small black tank top and designer shorts, her long legs seemed to go on endlessly. My heart pounded quicker in my throat and my body just seemed to gravitate toward her on its own.

  As I found myself in front of her, she shifted her hips and pouted slightly.

  “Miss me?” she asked but it sounded more like a fact than a question. I took a second and thought of a million witty comebacks but settled on the simplest.

  “Yes.”

  “Get in,” she sounded sweet this time. I threw my guitar and school bag in the back and jumped in. She walked around the front of the truck and gave Kai and Marcus a quick wave before she climbed in. They could only look on in amazement. I shot them a glance and shrugged my shoulders with a smile.

  She revved the engine to life as I felt my confidence build. The skies filled with gray streaks that stretched themselves above us.

  “So…did you miss me?” It came out way too arrogant but it was the best I could manage with my heart racing. She slowly lowered her dark glasses to the tip of her nose. She bit her bottom lip subtly and her eyes were like liquid sapphire from behind those shaded lenses. A smile grew across her face…the biggest I had seen on her yet. She whispered.

  “Yes.”

  Rainmaker_11

  ~Caught In The Rain: Revis~

  Friday afternoon – 3:34 p.m.

  The sun was warm on our skin as the wind raced through the open top of her Jeep. She drove as if we were being chased and the thunder crashed behind us. I peeked at the side mirror to see a wall of purple and black storm clouds growing, almost as if they were following us. But that wasn’t possible…was it?

  “Where are we going Asia?” I asked with a curious tone but I really didn’t care. I was enjoying the ride too much.

  “It�
��s a secret,” she teased. “But I think you’re going to like it.” Her eyes twinkled when she spoke and the thunder snapped at the back of the truck. Her foot fell harder on the gas pedal and we were flying. After a moment I noticed her face and a determined squint in her eyes, like she was chasing something. I looked above us at the sun busting through the staggered clouds and realized…she WAS chasing something. The sunlight.

  I closed my eyes with a small smile, and put my head back against the soft leather seat. The smell of rain was growing and it tickled my nose as I inhaled every inch of it.

  “We’re almost there,” she said. I opened my eyes and found us rounding a corner at the top of a hill and that’s when I saw it. Her home…Michaels Estate. It sat at the top of the hill and was absolutely huge in size. Kai had mentioned she was rich but this was bordering on royalty. It had to be at least four stories tall and was an off white color with giant dark windows. They seemed to surround the whole building. There was at least one noticeable balcony and from my vantage, the roof looked flat. Probably for her helicopter pad, I laughed to myself. It gave me the impression of being very inviting yet…distant. I know that sounded crazy but that’s the feeling it made me feel.

  The grounds were covered in the greenest vegetation I’d ever seen with my own eyes. Thick deep green grass, thick full trees, and a dozen different kinds of flowers. They were everywhere and they gave off a scent that was dizzying. It was all almost overgrown but that only gave the appearance a natural feeling, like some beautiful jungle.

  As the Jeep rolled to a stop at the end of her ridiculously long drive way, and I do mean long. It was easily as long as the street my house was located on. A thought found its way into my head and it made me a little sad. Kai had also told me that she lived here alone. How could anyone live in a place this big all by herself and not go insane?

  “What do you think?” she asked softly.

  “It’s cozy,” I said and hopped out the side. Asia slid out her side as the softest of raindrops fell on us. She made her way to her front door and patiently watched me as I took my time to join her. She smiled and the rain fell harder.

  “Are you coming?” she asked impatiently. I shook my hair from my face and walked in slowly. The second I stepped away from the rain and inside the door her smell hit me. I wondered how she could smell like cherry blossoms when that was one of the few flowers that weren’t on her property.

  She waited for me to notice the stunning foyer that was all around us, I think she was showing off. I kept my eyes focused on hers, even when her eyes filled with worry. I had something else on my mind and I moved in closer to her. Face to face. I put my left hand on the back of her neck. I was already generating a wave of heat from my hands and she flinched as my palm fell around her neck. My right hand found its way down the bottom of her back and stopped at the edge of her shorts. I pulled her in firmly and her body tightened. I was sure she would pull away at that moment but she didn’t.

  I leaned in and slowly kissed her, softly at first but then with more force. The rain pounded on the door behind us and I felt her body fill with goose bumps. My hands heated up more and the walls shook with the crash of thunder outside.

  “I was right…”

  “What do you mean Max?” she asked catching her breath.

  “You taste like rain.” I wanted to smile but forced myself not to. Her stare turned nervous.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because it’s true,” I smiled.

  “Max…I think this was a mistake.” She pulled away but didn’t let go of my hand. Her face grew sad. “You shouldn’t speak of such things.”

  “Why not?” I pushed. “You know my secret. You’ve seen my past…even felt them.” I stepped back toward her.

  “You’ve seen the real me Asia,” I said softly and she looked away from me but I pulled her face back to mine.

  “And I can see the real you.” Thunder rumbled loudly and I glanced upward toward her ceiling and laughed lightly. It rumbled with a force that seemed to push the ceiling down toward us.

  “It’s crazy, your secret should be my kryptonite but it’s not. It seems to be the opposite.” I found her worried eyes again. “It draws me closer…it calls to me. You call to me.” My voice was without any doubt.

  “Maybe…” she half whispered.

  “And I think you know it. I think you feel it too,” I said convinced.

  “I don’t know anything…” she stuttered. Her words were far from convincing. My words seemed to be hurting her, so I decided to let the subject go. For the moment at least.

  “I won’t push. I’m sorry.” I let her go and walked past her to the living room, which was gigantic. It was so big that I had to take a minute to take it all in.

  A massive skylight, the size of a swimming pool took up most of the ceiling. The emotional thunderstorm above it, washed across the glass like a living piece of art. The furniture was placed in a strategic position and seemed to point your attention to one single painting on the far wall. A large black frame outlined an explosion of dull colors, scattered along its canvas. It was beautiful in a depressing way. The colors were so vivid but left you wanting more, almost like it wasn’t finished. It made me think of my childhood and that made me instantly uncomfortable. So I turned my eyes from it and concentrated on the rest of the room.

  The lightning flashed above and lit the giant room up but there wasn’t much more to see. A TV and stereo in one corner, that didn’t look like it ever got used. There were no pictures of family or friends anywhere. The rest of the walls were empty and the light almond paint gave it an open feeling. From behind, Asia walked up to me upset.

  “My secret has done nothing but cause me pain…” she was angry. “You’ve spent your life in the light with your powers. Mine have kept me in the dark.” She paused and took a deep breath.

  “You are the good, Max. And if I am truly your opposite…than I guess that makes me the bad.” She was direct and growing angrier. I reached out with my hand and gently caressed her cool cheek with my fingers.

  “Asia…I find the real you, the darkness as you call it…” I paused and debated on how much I really wanted to tell her. “I find it simply beautiful.”

  “Why?” she snapped.

  “You know exactly why,” I said with sweetness. “The night I healed you, I think I passed something on to you. That’s why you dreamt what you did.”

  She pretended to be confused but I knew better.

  “You saw who I was. You saw how I see you. You felt our connection. Maybe all the pain we’ve experienced in our lives is what brought us together.” I could tell that I had gotten through her stubborn fears but she was far from admitting it. A small smile crept back on her face.

  “Maybe,” she said. She let out a long breath and quickly changed the subject.

  “Would you like a tour of the house?” she asked and her voice felt calm again.

  “Sure.” I really wanted to keep talking about the force that seemed to keep pulling us together but I guess that would have to wait.

  On the second floor she pointed out the special architecture that made up most of the guest bedrooms and bathrooms. I found it quite boring and self- involving. I’ve never been the type to care about how much something cost or whose fancy designer name was all over it. I could tell by Asia’s tone that she found it quite boring also. So why was she putting up this facade? Maybe it’s what she expected from me…to be impressed by material things. Maybe it was how she was raised. Either way I was ready for some real conversation and I was determined to find it. On the way to the third floor I changed the subject.

  “Why aren’t you in school?” I asked out of the blue. Her eyes grew suspicious.

  “Why?”

  “Because, as breathtaking as this house is, it’s still not as interesting as its owner,” I smiled and took her hand in mine. “So spill it?”

  “I graduated.” She smiled and pulled me into what was obviously her
bedroom. It was soft and simple and spotless. “Most of the school thinks I’m a drop out.”

  “Well…are you?”

  “Yes and no. I quit last year but continued my education from home,” she said proudly. She quickly left her room and I followed right behind.

  “Have you thought about college?” I continued. She walked us out on a large terrace that was covered by a giant glass awning. The rain slid along it and over the side. The wind from the soft storm filled our clothes and hair and I found my mind wandering to more intimate questions but her answer to my last one pulled me back to attention.

  “Not really. I think I’d rather see the world instead.” We walked to the railing and stood shoulder to shoulder as the rain drops tickled our faces.

  “Like where?” I asked. I barely said it out loud because all I could think about was the need to kiss her again.

  “Anywhere sunny.” Her body leaned closer to me and a tiny lightning bolt flashed in front of us. “And you…what are you planning after school?” she asked softly.

  “I haven’t got a clue. Maybe a cruise down to Mexico or sky diving in the desert.” I laughed at how silly I sounded, but she didn’t laugh at all.

  “We could take my boat,” she whispered.

  “You’ve got a boat?” I gasped.

  “It’s more like a yacht but it should get the job done.” She turned and leaned herself backwards over the railing and let the rain sprinkle her hair. My eyes followed the lines of her neck and the curve of her jaw.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. She brought her face back into view and stared at me and I tried to shove my eyes back in my head. She seemed to enjoy my awkwardness toward her beauty.