by H G Lynch
“Brandon’s right. Nymphs are most likely. I assume we’ve got holy water and blessed iron?” Ricky leaned back in his chair, his hair catching the light and turning strands to gold and bronze. He seemed abnormally relaxed today. What happened to his annoyingly compassionate moral code? He should’ve been all over this case, with all the mysteriously dying innocent teenagers.
“We should go to the lake now, and fix this. We can’t risk anyone else getting killed.”
Ah, there it is.
“I’ll get on it tonight. I just thought I should give you guys the update. Be careful. Stay away from the lake, and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. If this is the doing of nymphs, they might move on to creating havoc in the school – messing with the water fountains, luring people into the pool to drown them, that sort of thing,” Brandon warned.
Reid grinned, feeling the need to dissipate the somber mood – he hated to wallow in such things if it could be helped. It’s why he’d developed his incredible wit over the years. “Guess we’ll be skipping swimming practice then. Drowning isn’t on my bucket list,” he said dryly.
Ricky snorted, cast him an exasperated look, and the mood in the room lifted like a balloon full of helium.
“You don’t need to breathe, dude. I don’t think you need to worry about drowning,” Ricky said, rolling his eyes.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t need a bucket list either, man. Vampire. Immortal. Bucket lists are for the dying,” Perry commented, giving them his slow, lazy smile.
With a chuff, Reid folded his arms across his chest. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve nearly been killed on several occasions in the last four months.”
“Yeah, mostly when you piss Ember off,” Ricky commented dryly.
“Ooh, snap. He’s got you there, man,” Perry chortled.
Brandon even chuckled under his breath, sitting back and watching the degrading conversation with mild amusement, like a parent watching a group of toddlers playing in the sandbox.
“You want to screw with her when she’s in a bad mood? Go ahead and try it,” Reid offered, arching a brow.
Ricky cringed at the idea, and Reid smirked.
“Is that permission to do your girl, Reid?” Perry shot back neatly, his brown eyes bright.
“Are you saying you want to?”
“Would she go for a real guy?”
“If that’s the criteria, guess you’re out of the running.”
“Did you just admit you’re a pussy? I think he just admitted he’s a pussy.”
Reid gave Perry the finger. “Blow me, Romalli.”
Perry laughed. “Don’t you get enough from your girlfriend? I’m not your bitch.”
Reid hesitated. He had some really good comebacks for that one, but if Ember ever, ever heard they’d even had this conversation, she’d tear his head off. His hesitation was enough for Perry and Ricky to claim victory, and he grimaced.
“Owned!” Perry smacked his hand against Ricky’s in a high-five, and Reid rolled his eyes. They were such idiots.
After that, the meeting kind of dissolved altogether and they ended up throwing verbal barbs at each other and fist-bumping when one got it over on another. Reid almost forgot about the perpetual gnawing in the back of his head, the one that came from the nightmares and, worse, the guilt over lying to Ember about it.
*****
** Ember **
It was Sunday, and after yesterday’s dull shopping trip – on her own – Ember was in a less than stellar mood. Even her new book did nothing to cheer her up. She was feeling claustrophobic, like the stale air was pressing down on her, crushing her chest. The walls felt like a prison, and even when she opened the window, it didn’t help in the least. The urge to feel wind on her face and breathe in the cold, crisp air of the trees was irresistible. So, shrugging on her warmest hoodie, she slunk grumpily out the door, down the stairs and out into the fresh winter air.
She reached the tree line before she spotted everyone lingering by the edge of the parking lot. She hesitated. From here, she could see the green flash of Lia’s hair, and hear everyone’s cheerful laughter and bantering. Going over would only make her miserable, but she was curious as to what was so damn funny today.
Deciding to be a masochistic idiot, she wandered over to the crowd of her gathered friends and noted that Hiro wasn’t among them. It gave her a spark of something hot and vicious. She suspected Hiro was, like her, not impressed by Lia’s supposed charm. His disdain for the punk girl amused her.
“Hey, look who’s here!” Sherry squealed as Ember slid discreetly in beside Ricky. Ember managed a weak smile, and waved dully.
The green-eyed girl grinned at her and Reid flashed a charming smile at her, waved back, and winked at her. For a moment, her smile became less painful, but then Liandra took the stage again and her smile turned into a grimace.
“So, are you coming with us?” Lia asked sweetly. There was a barely concealed animosity to her forced smile, a glimmer in her eyes that told Ember that her company would not be appreciated, wherever they were going.
It seemed they’d all been making plans without her again. Wonderful.
Sherry piped up, “Oh, yeah, you should come! We’re going to the cinema, we’re going to see that new action movie with Taylor Lautner in it.”
Ember almost rolled her eyes but resisted the temptation. Sherry knew she hated the cinema, and didn’t much fancy Taylor Lautner. “No thanks. I don’t do well in dark places,” she muttered sarcastically.
Reid snorted and Sherry and Ricky laughed. Cris gave her a playful nudge. Lia frowned, clearly unhappy at not being in on the joke; a vampire scared of the dark. It was becoming blatantly obvious that Liandra didn’t like not being the center of attention. Ember smiled blandly at her and her hazel eyes narrowed for a half second, just before she turned to Reid and beamed beatifically up at him.
“Well, that’s okay. I’ll keep Reid company for you. I don’t mind the dark one bit,” she said teasingly. Liandra drew one long, green fingernail down the center of Reid’s chest, batting her lashes up at him, her hazel eyes flirting.
Ember bristled and clenched her fists behind her back so nobody would notice. She kept her face calm, but inside, she was boiling with the urge to slap Lia’s hand away from Reid. Reid just stared down at the green-haired punk girl, his lashes lowered in that sensual way Ember was all too familiar with. That did it.
Gritting her teeth, Ember turned on her heel and abruptly walked away, knowing that if she stayed any longer, she’d start sprouting flames and wouldn’t be held responsible for where the flames landed – like on Lia’s ugly green hair.
Ricky was the only one to notice her swift departure and called after her, but she didn’t look back. Instead, she held up one hand, giving him the finger as she stormed off into the trees. She didn’t care if she upset him and she didn’t care that Ricky wasn’t the one that had done something wrong. She was angry and, yes, just a little hurt, though she’d never admit it to herself fully.
What did everyone see in this Liandra girl? Seriously? To Ember, she just seemed like another scene-kid, with eyes for her boyfriend. Did nobody else see that? See that Lia was gunning for Reid, and she wasn’t just playfully flirting? No. Apparently not. Did nobody else notice that Lia was slowly replacing Ember as Sherry’s best friend? Nope. Of course not. Was Ember just being paranoid again? …No. Not this time.
She sighed, found herself now at the base of her tree, looked up into the branches, still laden with thousands and thousands of little green needles. The smell of pine tree filled her nose and she took deep lungfuls of the crisp, scented air. It soothed her a little, but only enough so that she didn’t automatically snap the first branch she grabbed onto.
Climbing her tree as she had done so many times, she felt a kind of release. Up here, nobody would hear her spitting curses or snarling threats at the absent Lia. Nobody would see her if she sparked flames on her fingertips or let out her fangs or, mo
st importantly, if she cried.
She did want to cry. It was stupid. She knew Reid would never leave her for that poser punk, would never cheat on her either…but still the nasty little voice in her head taunted her with the possibility that he might. That he might be interested in Lia. That he might be bored of her. After all, before Ember, Reid had never stayed with a girl for more than a week, maybe two at most. It had been about four months that he’d been with Ember, and though he still told her every other day that he loved her, she had to wonder if he still meant the words. Was it possible that he was losing interest in her? Maybe he was tired of the danger that seemed to constantly follow her around.
Suddenly, looking out over the swaying tree tops that reached for the dull, grey sky, Ember didn’t feel so comforted by her special tree. Instead, it dredged up memories she’d rather keep locked up.
Shivering, she slid back down her tree and made her way back to the dorms, hoping the others had gone off to the cinema already. The idea made her feel a little sick, pulling up images of Lia sitting next to Reid in the dark cinema theater, her hand sliding onto his on the armrest, her leg ‘accidentally’ rubbing against his, Reid’s eyes bright and glowing in the darkness as he turned to her, a slow smile curling his lips.
“Ember will never know,” Lia might whisper, leaning toward him.
“What about Sherry and Ricky? They’ll tell her,” Reid would whisper in return, even as he reached up to touch Lia’s face.
“They won’t say a word. I doubt they’ll even care.” Lia would smile that infuriatingly flirtatious smile, and Reid would give in. They’d kiss, his hands tangling in her green hair like they used to tangle in hers—
“Ember? Ember, what’s wrong?”
A voice yanked her from her imaginings, and she blinked, looking up at Cris. He was staring at her with a concerned expression, his jade eyes shadowed by his furrowed brow.
It was only then that she noticed she’d walked into the dorms and all the way up to her floor on autopilot. She looked back at Cris, considered telling him how she felt about Lia, then remembered the way he’d laughed with the green-haired punk girl before, and shut her expression down. Cris obviously noticed, and he frowned, his eyes twinkling briefly with hurt.
“Ember, what is it? What’s wrong?” he persisted, but Ember was already shrugging past him in the hallway.
“Nothing. Just leave me alone. Go to the damned cinema with the rest of them,” she spat bitterly, and stalked down the hall to her room. She threw open the door and stepped inside, slamming it shut behind her. She hoped Cris hadn’t heard the choked tears in her voice, the tears she was now wiping furiously off her face. But it was useless. They were out now, and she couldn’t stop them. She didn’t even try, reaching for her sketchpad under her bed, and her pencils. She needed to draw, and there was an image burning itself into her mind. As soon as she put pencil to paper, the scene began to unfold in thin, graphite lines across the page.
*****
Hours later, covered in splotches of chalk and charcoal dust, grey and black smudges up and down her arms, all over her face and hands, Ember sat back and stared somberly at her completed artwork. Usually, when she finished a sketch, she felt a sense of satisfaction, of serenity. Not today. Today, she still felt cold inside, aching with bitterness and jealousy and hurt. She gazed mournfully at her drawing; it was a depressing scene. A girl sat by the side of a glittering lake, surrounded by scraggly, wicked-looking trees. The girl was all alone, with her knees drawn up to her chin, staring sadly out over the lake. It echoed what Ember felt inside. She titled the sketch in small letters across the bottom of the page: Abandoned. Tears rolled down her cheeks, smearing her grime-streaked face further.
This is so stupid, she told herself sternly, Reid is your boyfriend. Sherry is your best friend. How can you let this little punk mess with you like this? Somehow, the thought only made her cry harder, mostly because she knew it was ridiculous.
Then the door inched open and she pressed her lips together, turning her head away toward the window, hoping it wasn’t Sherry and the person would go away if they realized she didn’t want company.
Unfortunately, Reid never did pick up that message.
“Ember? Are you okay?” he asked quietly, and she heard the door click as he closed it behind him.
She didn’t want to talk to him, so she just nodded silently, hoping he’d be satisfied and leave…
Nope, he was coming closer, and she spoke sharply. “Go away, Reid,” she said harshly.
His footsteps stopped for a second, but she could tell he wasn’t considering doing as she said; He was just trying to work out what he’d done to upset her. She was sure he wouldn’t guess correctly.
“What did I do?” he asked, his voice low with hurt and confusion.
Okay, so he wasn’t even going to guess, and she didn’t feel like enlightening him. He took two more steps, and started to kneel next to her. Not wanting him to see her face, she shifted around to the side of her bed. If it came to it, she’d crawl under the damn thing to get away from him. At this point, she just wanted to be left alone.
Reid made a faint noise, then stood up again. Please be leaving, please be leaving, Ember thought pleadingly. No such luck. Reid walked around to stand in front of her, and now she was backed into a corner between her bed and her nightstand. She was still weighing the option of crawling under her bed when he sat down in front of her and put two fingers to her jaw, turning her head toward him. She tried to fight him, but he wouldn’t let go. Still, she refused to meet his gaze as she turned her face to him. He made a soft sound almost like a pained sigh, and wiped his thumb gently across her smeared, damp cheek.
“Ember, look at me,” he said, his fingers still gripping her chin lightly.
She kept her gaze on her blackened hands, pretending to be intent on rubbing away some of the smears of pencil.
“Ember, look at me,” Reid repeated, his voice firmer but still gentle.
Swallowing, she looked up at him, and saw a thousand emotions swirling in his eyes, his mouth pulled down at the corners.
“Now tell me, why are you in such a state? What’s wrong? Cris told me he ran into you earlier and you seemed really upset. What happened? Did I miss something here?” He kept his eyes on hers, not letting her look away.
More tears stung her eyes, and she willed them back, blinking quickly. Reid noticed and ran his thumb across her cheekbone again, his other hand sliding through her hair soothingly. It didn’t help. It just reminded her of her earlier daydream, where Reid ran his hands through Lia’s green hair.
Something in her expression must’ve shown disgust because Reid sucked in a breath and sat back, pulling away from her. But, he stayed sitting directly opposite her, so close his knees brushed hers. Just for a second, Ember felt bad, wanted to reach out and tell him it wasn’t him she was disgusted by, but she couldn’t find the words.
“Ember, seriously, what did I do? Help me out here, please. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what I did,” Reid pleaded quietly, his voice strained.
She’d really upset him now. But how could she tell him? What could she say that wouldn’t make her sound like a petty, jealous little girl? Nothing.
“Please just…just leave me alone,” she murmured, turning away from him again, her voice cracking as more tears spilled down her smudged face.
Reid was silent for a long time, and she could feel him watching her. She didn’t move, didn’t say anything else, just waited for him to leave. He didn’t. He stayed right where he was and waited too. What he was waiting for precisely, Ember didn’t know. The silence between them was deafening, and Ember struggled to keep her tears silent, muffling sobs behind closed lips. She knew Reid could see her shoulders shaking, though.
Finally, Reid either ran out of patience, or got whatever it was he’d been waiting for. He moved over to her and, not bothering trying to talk to her again, lifted her into his lap, holding her there. She resisted for a mo
ment, trying to pull away from him, but his grip around her didn’t loosen. Slowly, she gave up and everything inside her broke. She turned and buried her face in his chest as she cried, curling her grimy fingers into his t-shirt. He stroked her hair and rocked her gently back and forth on his lap, one arm looped around her waist. He let her cry herself out, then carried her up onto the bed when she started to get sleepy.
But when he tried to pry her fingers from his shirt, she clutched tighter, opening her eyes just wide enough to look up at him with shimmering blue eyes.
“Don’t go anywhere. Please,” she whispered brokenly.
His expression crumpled for a second before he nodded and lay down beside her, putting one arm over her. She snuggled against his chest, clinging to him to make sure he didn’t leave her alone. Now that she had him here, really here, she didn’t want to let him go. She didn’t want him to run off to Lia. She wanted him here with her, where she could be sure he wasn’t getting cozy with the punk girl, where she could feel certain, at least for a while, that he loved her and only her.
*****
Later, when she was awake again and slightly less miserable, Reid continued prodding her for an answer as to why she’d been so upset. He sat at the end of her bed with his legs crossed, toying with her toes and tickling her feet, which were propped on his lap. Sherry and Ricky and Cris were still out with Liandra, having decided to go for a double feature. Reid told her he’d ducked out early ‘cause he couldn’t stand all the cooing over the ‘hot guy’ in the movie. Ember couldn’t help but wonder where Hiro was. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of days and he usually checked in with her at least once a day, just so that she knew he wasn’t away to Thailand or Brazil for a few weeks. Sometimes, she thought it’d be awesome to be able to travel from one side of the globe to the other with a single thought. It’d save a lot of money on plane tickets and hours of bus rides.