Born From Fire

Prologue

"Em... Emmy! " Jumping out of bed, nine year old Ember Kenneth looked around her bedroom to see her brother standing in the door. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, Ember saw that it was two in the morning. Groaning she looked back at her three year old brother and said, "Brenton Flynn Kenneth, what gave you the right to wake me up this early?" he looked at her with fear in his bright blue-green eyes and said, "Bad dream..." Sighing Ember approached her brother, picked him up and laid him on her bed. While he snuggled underneath the blanket, Ember sat on the bed facing him. "This is just for tonight, okay?" she said while rubbing his dark, curly strawberry blond hair. Brenton nodded and immediately fell back asleep. Ember sat there for a while just watching him sleep, but as she was about to join him, Ember heard a loud sound coming from downstairs.

Glad that it didn't wake Brenton, Ember left her room to investigate. Approaching the stairs, Ember could see a glow coming from the bottom of the stairs. As she slowly descended the stairs, Ember could see that the glow came from a fire! And that fire was coming from her mother's and father's palms, who were directing it towards something hidden in the shadows; that was moving fast to escape the fireballs. Ember was so shocked, she screamed, but no sound came out of her mouth as she witnessed her parents battle the mysterious shadow person.

As if they heard her silent scream, both of Ember's parents, Flynn and Magee Kenneth, looked at her with fear and warning in their eyes. "Ember, run!" Magee yelled, "Go get your brother and get out of here!" Ember heard her mother, but she was frozen with fear, so she didn't move. Suddenly, as if noticing her presents for the first time, the shadow person turned towards Ember and gazed upon her with blazing black eyes. As they made their way towards her, Flynn slammed into them, knocking them into the wall. "Stay away from her," Flynn yelled and looked at Magee saying, "get them out of here, I'll hold him off." Magee looked sharply at him as if to disagree, but Flynn yelled, "go!" She nodded and went to Ember.

Magee scooped up Ember in her arms while running up the steps and asked, "Where's Ren?" Ember, coming out of her shocked daze, answered, "My room," then yelled, "We can't leave daddy!" In Ember's room, Magee put her down by the bed and quickly gathered Brenton up in her arms then looked at Ember. "Your father can take care of himself, all you need to worry about is getting out of here safely," Magee said to her daughter, and led her out of the room and towards the back stairs that led to the garage. As they descended the steps, Flynn appeared at the top of them and screamed, "Magee-" but the scream caught in his throat as he dropped dead on the top step. Ember stopped on a step and stared at her father with shock then screamed, "No!" Magee grabbed Ember and hastily jumped the last few steps and ran towards the car, but the shadow person was already there waiting.

Magee put the now fully awakened Brenton in Ember's arms and said, "Run!" Ember hesitated as she watched Magee throw a fireball towards the shadow person, but was soon running out of the garage door and into the bordering forest. Ember ran as fast as she could with Brenton in her arms. "Emmy, I see fire," Brenton said and Ember looked over her shoulder at the house. She stopped and just stared in horror as her home went up in flames; knowing her mother wasn't coming out of those flames.

Suddenly, she saw something coming towards them and realized it was the shadow man. Ember gasped, held Brenton closer, and ran deeper into the forest. "Emmy, why you run?" Brenton asked. Almost falling over a log, Ember slows, and looks at Brenton and said, "We have to go for help, okay Ren?" He nodded, and Ember started up her pace again. Then suddenly, the shadow person appeared in front of them. Ember gasps and places Brenton behind her. Starring at the person with fear in her eyes, Ember raised her hand and said, "Leave us alone." Not looking convinced, the shadow person took a step towards them.

Ember starred into his blazing, black eyes and said with more force, "I said leave us alone!" Suddenly, fire comes out of her hand, and towards the shadow person, which knocked him to the ground. Standing up it kept its eyes on her and said, "I've never met one so young to come into their powers so quickly." Ember stared at her hand and couldn't believe what just happened. Then she saw the shadow man take a step towards them, so she shot another fire blast at him. He dodged it this time, then he suddenly smiled at her. As he took another step towards them, a vine wrapped around his leg, tripping him and making him fall. All looked towards the source of the vine and found a woman standing there. "Leave these children alone, and be gone before I kill you," she said. The shadow man then looked at Ember and smiled. "Remember this smile of mine child, because I will be back for you and that brother of yours and you won't have it so easy next time," the shadow person said to Ember and took a few steps back and suddenly disappeared.

Ember looked around, hoping he was actually gone and looked at the woman who nodded. Letting a sigh escape, Ember sat down on the forest floor taking Brenton into her arms. Brenton looked up at her and said, "Emmy, where we go?" Ember looked down at his innocent face, knowing that he will never have a normal childhood now, and neither would she. Her mom and dad were dead and they will forever live in fear of that man coming back to kill them.

"Emmy!" Brenton screamed, and Ember looked back at him. She hugged him tight as she stood and said, "It's okay, Ren." He looked at her and asked again, "where we go?" She sighed and said, "We're going on an adventure with this lady." She stood with Brenton in her arms and walked towards the woman, who turned and started walking. As they walked deeper into the forest and away from their burning home, Brenton asked, "When we get back home?" Ember looked at the woman who looked back at the burning flames then at them, she replied, "Never..."