It would still be nice to wake up to discover that the past few months were only a bad dream. Then Mom and Dad would still be alive, and I wouldn’t be in the middle of a forest on a Tennessee mountain, trying to do magic.
“Oh, no, I’ve judged you perfectly. We just must be missing something…hmmm, let me try to remember.” Ila plopped onto a chair. She stared off into space while her lips moved slightly and she whispered to herself. I took her lead and sat down myself. Angus wandered over and placed his big head on my lap. I stroked his fur, thinking that he was about the only reliable thing in my life anymore.
Startling me, Ila bounced up. It was way too fast a movement for an old woman.
“Silly me, I was getting a little too far ahead, I’m afraid. Instead of picturing the
flames, you need to see the smoke,” she instructed me with satisfaction in her smile.
“Smoke?” She may be onto something.
“Yes. Look into the pit and imagine the smoke trickling up from the kindling. Once you have the smoke, then, you raise the fire. It’s really quite simple once put it in the proper order.”
Ila took my hands, pulling me out of the chair. Grasping my shoulders, she turned me toward the pit.
Part of me still didn’t think it was going to work, but I was willing to give it a try. I certainly didn’t want to offend my mentor. She seemed to have a pretty short fuse herself.
Exhaling, I focused on the wood as I had before, only this time I saw a tendril of smoke rising from the log first.
My body warmed deliciously and little sweat droplets beaded at the back of my neck. Suddenly smoke appeared from nothing. It floated into the air from the top log with a gentle puff. I was so amazed that I almost lost concentration until Ila urged fiercely near my ear, “Fire, now the fire.”
It was easy. Way too easy. I pictured the reddish orange flames licking from the log and a second later they were there. The sweat evaporated from my skin to be replaced by hot breath brushing every part of my body.
A few seconds more and the flames multiplied, catching the log on fire properly. Seeing the fire growing excited me. I felt as if I was a child going up for the first swing around the Ferris wheel.
“Easy girl,” Ila said, putting her arm around me. “End the picture in your mind. Let the fire feed itself now.”
I blinked and let the image go. Immediately the flames quieted, burning the same as any camp fire.
“That was very good.” Ila looked at me sharply when she asked, “Was it easy for you to stop the fire, once you had it?”
“Yeah, it was easier than I thought it would be.” A wave of nausea hit me and I stumbled over to the chair.
“Oh, child, is your belly feeling it?” Ila rubbed my back softly.
“Will this happen every time I use the power?” I was thinking that I wouldn’t be using it much if her answer was yes.
“Really, the only reason you’re being affected is because of the amount of power you’re drawing. Most fresh students struggle to grasp and hold onto their element. You, on the other hand, are filled with the fire, the same as water flows from a broken dam. It’s not very safe, you know. We’ll have to step up your lessons in order to get the problem under control.”
“Yes, but what about the sickly feeling?”
I was a tad better and frustrated that she’d missed the entire point of my question.
“No, child, you won’t be plagued by a queasy stomach for the rest of your life. When you learn to control the flow of power, you won’t feel sick anymore.”
A burp popped out of my mouth and I instantly felt much better. “Excuse me.”
Ila nodded at me appreciatively. “That’s my girl. We’ll pack a can of soda for you next time.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a plan.”
“Time to go, put the fire out and come along,” she commanded, swiveling long enough to wink at me, before she continued her marathon walk to the trail
Ila wanted me to take the initiative on this one. All righty then, I’ll just reverse the process and see how it goes. If that doesn’t work, I’ll get a bucket of water. I’d been camping before. No problem.
I stared into the flames and pictured them dwindling away into nothing and that’s what happened. It actually worked. The weird thing was that at a speed almost too quick for the eye to catch, the flames seemed to jump from the pit and fly through the air into me. The punch into my chest was tangible, and I jumped back.
Some warning about that would have been nice, I thought, frowning in the direction that Ila had gone.
Ila’s voice called out from not too far up the trail, “Superb.”
I lingered for a few seconds, staring down at the pit. The fire was gone. Only the charred logs and the scent of ashes remained. If I dwelled on what was going on, I’d go crazy. So I did what I usually did and buried the thoughts deep down inside of me as I ran up the path after Ila. When I caught her, I fell into walking beside her, lengthening my stride to stay even with her.
“What happened back there?”
“You just learned another way to weld the power, my dear, and all on your own too. Well done.”
“What did I do?”
Ila slowed considerably. “All the elements work differently and I’m no expert on fire, but I do know that there are two ways for you to handle the power. One is to picture the smoke and flames to raise it. The other, and far more exciting way if you ask me, is to let the fire flow directly from your body.”
I reached out, catching her arm. “Please explain.”
Ila rolled her eyes with impatience. “As I told you before, the fire is a part of you. Which means you can release it at will, allowing the power to flow from your core, out through your fingertips…or you can pull it back into you, the way you just did.
“You mean I can shoot fire from my hands?” That was worse than sprouting the fire at a distance with my mind.
“Yes dear. Go ahead and hold up a finger and give it a try,” Ila coaxed.
Did I really want to? I wasn’t sure, but I was curious, so I held out my left index finger. “What now?”
Ila exhaled loudly as if I was stupid, before telling me to picture the smoke and then the flame coming from inside of me and out of my fingertip.
“Only a candle size flick.” Seeing me hesitate she added, “Don’t worry, silly child, it won’t hurt you.
I was intimidated. The idea of planting a live flame on my skin was disturbing, to say the least.
A few seconds later, I was intently studying the fire on my finger. With a little thought the flame leaped higher, and just as smoothly, I brought it down to barely a whisper of light. I was a human lighter.
“Now that you’ve sufficiently amused yourself, let’s get moving. We have chores to do,” Ila said, hiking away and losing all interest in my newly discovered ability.
“Wait, Ila.”
She half turned and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
I had the distinct feeling that I shouldn’t waste her time with dumb questions, so this time I didn’t beat around the bush.
“Are you sure this power that I’m able to draw from and create fire with, is from an angel who had an affair with an ancient relative of mine?”
Slowly and firmly she answered, “Yes.”
But her eyes narrowed, and even though the forest suddenly felt cooler, I went ahead and spoke anyway.
“How do you know that’s where it comes from?”
Ila sighed and looked out into the trees. When she faced me again, her face was grim.
“It’s odd that you should ask such a question. Most people don’t care where the power comes from. They’re simply smitten with their new found abilities. But not you, and that’s a good thing.”
She took a few quick steps until she was in my personal space. As much as I wanted to step back, I held my ground and met her gaze.
“Honestly, I don’t know where the energy comes from. Maybe from the earth, the star
s, or heaven itself, I don’t know. What I can say for certain, is that just like the angels had the freedom to choose their own paths, for good or evil, so do we. You must never forget that the Watchers came from the ones who rebelled against authority for their own pleasures. They were not righteous.”
“Have you ever met a real angel?” I held my breath without thought.
With a far off look, Ila said, “No. The angels are gone.”
“Gone, what do you mean?”
She shook her head, saying, “They haven’t been seen or heard from in two
thousand years.”
The priest had seen an angel. I’m sure of it. Eae had visited Father Palano to warn him that the apocalypse was approaching and to give me a message. Why hadn’t the angel just come to me himself? Tensing, I worried that I already knew the answer.
Maybe the angel was hiding from Watchers for some reason?
Ila’s emerald gaze cut into me and she added, “At least, not that I know of.”
Her look put me on guard. I barely knew the priest, and yet I was suddenly afraid for him—and everybody else. Ila wasn’t completely human and neither was I, but I couldn’t help the prickling feeling that Ila’s type of Watcher might have their own agenda.
I would keep the priest and his angel visit secret, at least for now.
Nodding my head, I said, “Well, that’s a relief.”
The twisted smile that Ila had worn when we first met returned and I braced myself for her next words.
“We shouldn’t waste any more time here. I’m sure you’ll need some time today to prepare yourself for school tomorrow.”
The angels, Watchers and magic vanished from my mind entirely.
No way, I was not going to school.
Daniel 6:22
“My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him.
Ember ~ Thirteen
“I’m not going to school, especially, not some hillbilly school up here in the mountains. I’ve always been home schooled, I already told you that.”
“My, my, you have quite a temper don’t you? You’ll have to learn to control that you know. Strong emotions make a person irrational. An irrational Watcher is a dangerous one. As upset as you are with me, I’m fairly certain that you’d regret scorching me.” Ila stared, unblinking. She wasn’t smiling now.
She was right. I needed to be calm and sensible so that I could change her mind.
“Look, the deal was that I was going to come here and live with you for a while. Then you tell me I’m a Watcher.” I paused to take a breath. “I thought the reason you wanted me with you was so that you could teach me things that no one else can? Why send me off to high school—aren’t there more important things going on here?”
“Part of your learning process is going to be in school. You need to be with people to test out your lessons from me, but there’s an even better reason for you to go to school.” I started to interrupt her, but she silenced me with a stern look. “It’s very important that you experience ordinary days now, while you have the chance. Your life is not going to follow the same path as other people. You are what you are and you can’t change it. The encounters you have now will help make you a better Watcher later on.”
I heard what she was saying, but I wasn’t listening. “You can’t make me.”
It was cruel to threaten Ila when she was the one who had opened the door into this magical new world, but I knew what kind of power I had. No one could ever make me do anything I didn’t want to again.
“I can’t make you do the right thing. All I can do is tell you my opinion and hope that you’re woman enough to listen.”
Her words stung. At that moment, she sounded a lot like Dad. She was going to shame me into doing it.
“You need to experience relationships with people so that you don’t become a Watcher who lives out in the woods with her animals, never knowing or caring what’s going on in the real world. There is a greater purpose for you to have the powers you do. It’s not some random thing that happened to you. We all have responsibilities from our circumstances. Even, if we didn’t ask for them. The truth is that you need to understand people more than any other person, because of your abilities. You’ve kept yourself isolated for too long already. What better way to acquaint yourself with people than in high school?” she asked.
When I didn’t respond, she said something that changed my mind.
“What, are you afraid of going to high school?”
I wasn’t afraid. I just didn’t want to bother with it. I’d already scored high on my ACT the previous spring and my home schooling records were all in order. I would have no trouble getting into a decent college. High school would be a formality for me, a waste of time.
I didn’t want Ila to think I was a wimp, though. After all, I’d just found out that I could see with my eyes closed and blast fire from my fingertips. Why should high school frighten me? But it did. As irrational as it was to say it, the prospect of going to school was scarier than the end of the world at that moment.
That’s why I had to do it.
“So when do I start?” I asked in a defeated voice.
“Tomorrow, my dear,” she said.
Ila held out her arms and I walked into her embrace. She squeezed tightly and whispered into my ear, “Everything is going to be fine.”
Then she released me and turned, saying, “It’s getting late. We need to be on our way.”
I silently followed Ila out of the woods and to the barn where we worked side by side to fill the goat’s trough with sweet feed and to scatter cracked corn on the ground for the chickens. When we finally made our way up the steps to the cabin, it was late in the afternoon. Ila left me alone to make dinner and I lingered on the porch, watching the sun dip down behind the hills surrounding the meadow. The day had gone by quickly. When the cooler breeze of approaching night touched my arms, I shivered. It was hard to believe that my first full day in the mountains was already almost over.
And even harder to believe that tomorrow, I’d be going to school for the first time in my entire life. The thought of driving up and down the road every day wasn’t a pleasant thought either. That would be a challenge in itself.
And then there was the wall.
I would have to see the thing every day, twice. Maybe it wouldn’t affect me the next time I drove by it. I doubted my optimism, but pushed the worry away. I had bigger issues to deal with.
Yawning, I became sluggish and my mind clouded with fatigue.
I was too tired to hold sleep off by staying up late, but the thought of the nightmares that probably awaited me on the other side made me queasy.
Get a grip, Ember, I told myself.
Mentioning the dreams to Ila wasn’t an option. They were only dreams. Surely, I’d survive. Besides, I’d already decided that some things Ila didn’t need to know.
And, maybe if I was lucky, the elusive dark haired guy from the previous night would show up again.
The thought made my lips quiver and I quickly wiped the smile away with my hand. If the end of the world was coming, then I should be allowed at least one guilty pleasure.
A dream boyfriend was about all I could handle at the moment anyway.
Psalm 91:11
For He shall give His angels charge over you.
Ember ~ Fourteen
I opened my eyes to the dull light of early morning. Pulling the covers over my face, I groaned. As if going to school wasn’t bad enough, having to get up at such an ungodly hour completely sucked.
At least my sleep had been nightmare free. But the cute guy had also been absent, mixing feelings of relief with disappointment. Closing my eyes again, I tried to remember his face. The image was blurry now. It was fading from memory, probably, never to return. I wasn’t sure why the thought of not seeing a dream person again bothered me, but it did. Was it possible to have a crush on someone who didn’t even exist?
/> I was overheating and it wasn’t from my inner fire. The room was already sticky hot all by itself. Since no breeze stirred outside the screen, the open window didn’t relieve the stifling air. I threw the covers off. With a heavy sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the bed.
After I took a shower and put on a pair of faded jeans and a plain blue fitted
t-shirt, I brushed my long hair. I scrutinized my reflection in the mirror for a couple of minutes before deciding that it was one of those rare occasions when the reddish-brown strands were tame enough to leave down. Grabbing my backpack, I entered the kitchen.
Ila already had a plate of eggs fixed for me and I joined her at the table.
“Are you ready, my girl?” she asked.
“As ready as I’m going to be.” I shrugged. “By the way, I’ll probably need to stop in town to fill up my gas tank. I might pick up a few things at the store. Do you need anything?”
She thought for a minute. “Yes, actually I could use a couple of items.” She went to the shelf, taking down a piece of paper and a pen. “It will be convenient having you in town on a regular basis.” She scribbled on the paper and then handed it to me.
I quickly read and looked up. “You want twenty chocolate bars and a gallon of chocolate ice cream?”
“Yes, sweets are one of my weak points. I’d like the candy bars to make a desert. The ice cream is just to help us get through this hot weather,” she said.
Ila was more human than I thought. A glance at the wall clock stirred the butterflies in my stomach. It was almost seven o’clock.
Ila sat staring at me, waiting for me to say more. I was still on high alert and wasn’t lulled by the delicious eggs she’d fixed or the fact that she has a sweet tooth. She hadn’t earned my trust yet.
“What’s the deal with the massive wooden fence down the road?”
“The people who live there don’t want to be bothered. You should never go near that place,” she warned.