The Incorruptible Bond

Chapter 12

Ember was furious. Positively seething. How could someone so cruel still have saved her life in the forest that night? I guess anything can happen in the woods, she told herself. Em made sure she calmed her breathing before making her way over to her friends.

"Leven, Suzi, come on," she called to them. "Last day of detention." The girls made their way to the cursed room, Ember dreading it more than her companions because of a certain someone she knew would be sitting in the classroom, already working diligently on her homework. She tried to control the urge to roll her eyes when she walked in and saw her assumption was true.

All of the girls sat with their group and soon enough, the guys of the group joined them too. Devon sat down next to Ember, giving a smile that could win awards (if there were awards given to smiles). Em would have replied to his attempt at a conversation, but she was too preoccupied in her thoughts and sneaking looks towards Aurora. She was shocked when she saw someone get up from the corner of the room and head over to the girl.

They looked like they could be friends, he seemed nice enough, yet the factor that messed it up was the scowl present on Aurora's face. Each had white hair made timeless by their complexions, but the mystery boy's was slightly shaggy whereas Aurora's was pressed against her head into a tight bun.

"How are you, miss?" asked the guy.

Ember, not realizing what she was doing, stood up and marched over to the table. She skipped the chair and chose to sit on the table, leaning close to boy.

"I wouldn't suggest talking to her, it's not like she'd respond." Ember told him. His green eyes sparked mischievously. When she turned, Aurora was glaring at her. Then, she turned to the boy.

"I'm fine, and you?" Ember's mouth nearly dropped open. She was doing this on purpose.

"Mighty dandy. What might your name be?" It was like Ember didn't even exist as the two ignored her.

"Aurora Borealis," she said breaking eye contact to fill in another answer on her homework.

"Phoenix," he replied. "Uh... Romanov. Phoenix Romanov."

"Pleasure." Aurora, though she tried to not pay mind to the ignorant Homo sapiens around her, she still knew to have manners when she did and something about this guy (or perhaps it was the opportunity to annoy Ember) made her want to show her few social skills. That fact currently burned Ember to the core.

"Please, the pleasure's all mine, dear." A wink punctuated the end of the sentence and Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Please leave now." Aurora was done with playing civilized. Ember could see she just wanted to do the work set in front of her (for reasons she'd never understand), but her body betrayed her as she pressed on.

"Why should we?"

Aurora huffed. "I'm asking nicely."

"You heard her, red head. Scram!" Phoenix jumped in, putting his arm around Aurora. Though he was merely in a teasing mood, both girls glared at him.

"Retract your arm before you lose it," Aurora threatened.

"You don't tell me what to do, and the name's Ember--not red head," was Ember's response.

"Wow, okay. Chill. I see how this may be an issue to the two of you, however, let's work this out. We could grow close. The Three Amigos? Or are you feminists? I'm down for The Three Amigas." Ember was more open to him with his crazy personality and laughed a little. Aurora's hard-line mouth twitched at the corner momentarily, but stayed firm other than that.

"Phoenix?" she asked.

"Yeah, Aurora?" His eyes made contact with hers.

"Please stop talking."

Phoenix fake pouted as he walked away but not before dropping an, "Until next time," accompanied by a smirk.

When Ember looked back to Aurora, she had moved to a seat nearby to where she was no longer sitting by Ember. Em sighed, defeated, and returned to her friends.

The time came for dismissal and Aurora shot like a bullet, the first one out the door. It was hard for Ember to keep up and she had to jog a little to do so.

"Auri, wait up!" Ember called. Upon hearing it, Aurora stopped dead in her tracks and turned around.

"Auri? A nickname? Please, you act like we're friends," she bit out.

"Well why can't we be?" Em questioned.

"Do me a favor, take whatever you think you may know about me, and let it go. The forest, never happened. Our conversations? Nonexistent. I think," this was the only part Aurora hesitated on as she nervously touched her wrist. "I think our lives would be better if we don't speak."

It was for the second time that day that Aurora left Ember standing alone.

-

During the car ride home Ember's dad attempted a conversation, but it just turned awkward so both parties stayed quiet. It wasn't until they were nearing the end of the trip that he spoke up again.

"So, do you want to do something together tomorrow, Em?" Ember immediately perked up. With all that had changed at school and her dad's new attitude moods, she hadn't had the same father-daughter time that she was used to.

"Sure!" She answered with real enthusiasm.

"Where would you like to go? Some place just the two of us, no student population," he said.

"Anywhere with you, dad," was her response. There was finally a small hope that maybe her father's new moods weren't really going to stay, that they had just been a couple of bad days. This idea of hope was squashed like an ant by a boot when they arrived home.

They pulled into the driveway and Ember was the first to notice the opened front door. "Dad?" she asked, voice only slightly shaky. He put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Both of them exited the car and walked toward the house with caution. Ember's dad made sure she stayed behind him as they entered just as a precautionary.

Nothing was stolen.

Nothing was broken.

Everything was just the way it was left. "The Bounty Hunter," Ember whispered in a mixture of shock and awe.

"This isn't the plan," her dad was muttering to himself as he started to pace. "It can't be--" he broke off as he looked over at Ember.

"What's wrong, dad?" Em asked innocently.

"We'll have to cancel our time together tomorrow, dear. I have business I have to attend to...uh, I just remembered work called me in." They way he said dear was unemotional, simply detached. The hesitancy of an excuse didn't go unnoticed by Ember, either. Her father was acting strange, her suspicions confirmed when he asked if she could go to her room so he could call work to confirm his hours tomorrow.

Instead of going all the way to her room, she stayed behind a wall and just out of sight. Ember heard her dad pick up the house phone and dial. She couldn't see his face, but judging by the voice he was quite angry.

"Our dates need to shift," he barked. "Tomorrow." Ember waited with baited breath as no sounds came. Presumably whoever was at the end of the line was replying. Her father said nothing more before he slammed the device back into it's holder, causing Ember to jolt and sprint to her room. Who knew what the consequence could be to get caught eavesdropping? Em wasn't willing to find out.

She waited, back pressed against the door as she tried to calm her breathing and her heart. I need to get to the bottom of this, she told herself. Soon.