Ember's Fire

Chapter 6: I explain

Chapter 6: I explain

"Come inside," Jane says stepping away from the door, we go inside her house which is rather nice and cozy. As soon as we clear the threshold Jane closes the door and turns to us, rather- Thor. "Fill me in, please," Jane asks. And Thor does just that.

I listen for a bit before I notice sound is coming from a black box with a screen in it. I walk forward and notice that pictures are also coming from the box. Fascinated I walk around it, looking from it, to my brother, back to it, then to Jane, wondering how they are not amazed by the- whatever this is. I kneel in front of it, take one of my fingers and gently, touch the screen and quickly remove my finger- expecting it to go straight through; but instead I hit a glassy surface.

I stand back up, unsheathe my sword, take a few steps back, "What is this magical screen?" I ask, looking at Jane and pointing my sword at the box.

"Oh! Sorry, that's the television!" Jane says, rushing forward and hitting a button on the front which makes the glass screen go black. I stare at it for a few moments before I feel a small hand on my shoulder and I turn to see Her again, "Your about my size... come on." She says pulling me out of the front room and into a smaller room with a bed, a table with a lamp and clock on it, a closet and a dresser.

Jane first walks to the dresser and pulls something tan out of one of the drawers then moves to the closet and pulls out a pair of tough looking blue pants, long sleeved black shirt, a gray coat, a pair of hiking boots.

She turns and holds these out for me, I look at them and back up to her.

"Put these on."

"Why?"

"Your clothing is not um... typical of earth, and we really would like to remain as inconspicuous as possible."

I nod seeing her point, and take the clothes.

~

I look in the mirror at myself, where my Asgardian clothing was all about movement and protection, the black shirt hugs my torso and the blue tough pants strangely made my legs look longer. the gray coat reached just below my waist and also hugs my body. I felt, different now. Strangely different.

"Oh, one more thing Ember," Jane says grabbing my hand and leading me through another door into the bathroom and sitting me down on a chair. She then takes my hair out of it's braid and brushes it out, "When you are here, on earth, if you have long hair you show it off, you don't hide it." She turns on a long oval partially metal partially plastic device and a red light starts to blink.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm sorry?" I ask, completely confused.

"This must be a shock, Loki I mean."

"Loki is still my brother, adopted or not."

I see her nod in the big mirror.

Jane picks up the metal oval and sees me staring at it quizzically, "Curling iron, this is called a curling iron." she says and begins to use it on my hair.

I take a breath then explain, "My father is Odin, my brother is Thor, and my other brother is Loki.

Blood or not, I grew up with Thor and Loki. Thor almost electrocuted Loki and I when we were children.

I almost turned us all into torches.

And Loki would trick Thor and I into doing things like poking a sleeping Bilgsnipe with a razor sharp sword."

I see Jane carefully try to keep her face blank.

"Anyway Jane, look, all I am saying is that you cannot choose your family."

"Ember-"

"I know all the things he's done. But Jane, Loki was really the only one there for me for so long. You didn't know my brother was before he was exiled. He was terrible, almost lead all of the Asgardians to death on many occasions, looked for the slightest reasons to wage war. You made him so much better, and I owe you a debt of gratitude because he has never been more good or selfless. You changed him.

But before earth it was Loki who taught me how to fight without brute force, but with cunning and finesse. It was Loki who always saved me after I was thrown into an abyss. It was never Thor who taught me what to do if I was cornered and weaponless. I owe Loki more than you could imagine Jane. But I'm not going to pretend that what he did was excusable." I see a look of understanding spread Jane's elfish face and I believe she is almost finished with my hair because she sprays something on it, "Okay, I'm done," she says stepping back, "what do you think?" I stand and look at my reflection; Jane had parted my chocolate hair to the right and had created soft spiral curls, "Oh wow."

She smiles, "Come on, we'll grab Thor and go get something for breakfast."