Flames of Ember

19| Found Me in the Rain.

I made a face at them.

As I stood, I felt sharp pain in my back. I grimaced while moving my body parts. "Is this the reason why you told me to not shout? 'cause you lose your concentration?" I asked, still stretching and checking if I had pain anywhere-luckily it was just my back.

Keith nodded as he apologized. "I'm sorry you had to get hurt because of me. It's just that I haven't learned how to use aeroportation properly. These days, I'm busy with other magic that I can perform with air." He sighed, looking guilty while running a hand through his white hair.

"No, no!" I exclaimed. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have yelled," I laughed as he smiled in understanding, his dimples digging holes into his cheeks.

"Alright! Both of you are sorry so let's get down, now," Ember suddenly said as I kept glaring at him for what he did a while ago.

A few moments later, I found myself wetting my lips and running hands through my hair in panic. We were gonna float. From a palace. We could die if I scream. Keith loses his focus if it's loud. What if I scream? Not only I'd fall, but Ember would, too. I could be the reason of his and my death. Jesus Christ, this is insane. I can't do this.

Just a while ago, you were oh-so determined to do it. What happened now?

This is different! I just realized how it feels to be levitated and it's scary!

Keith was busy practicing his magic powers for the last time in a corner before leaving and Ember noticed my condition. "You're scared of height, aren't you?"

I stared at him, dumbfounded but my surprise was short termed as Ember seemed to know a lot about me. "I love height." I told him confidently.

He didn't buy it.

"That's when you know she's clearly scared-"

"Maybe you should join Ace and help him buy time for us?" Ember looked at him, smiled tightly.

Zenix raised his hands in a surrender manner. "Alright, alright," he said, walking to the door. "Good luck to you guys, though. This is important - for all of us," with that being said, he left.

After Zenix left, Ember stared at me for a while, indicating me he didn't believe me. I surrendered and sighed in exasperation. "Okay! Maybe I am," I rolled my eyes. "A little."

"You'll be fine, Erin," he told me softly. "I'll make sure of that."

"And how are you planning to do that? If I yell, which I know I will, Keith will lose his concentration, everyone will know what we're doing and then, you and I, both will die," I said, lifting my eyebrows.

"I'll keep you distracted, then." He just smiled like a dolt, leaving me confused.

Just when he was about to turn on his heels, I grasped his wrists, causing him to turn around. He didn't try to be freed from my grip-instead, he slowly twisted the wrist I was gripping albeit my grip was tight and just like that, as if I was spelled by him, I let go of his wrist. He held my hand, slid his fingers to my palm and then intertwined our fingers.

"What the hell do you thin-"

"I think we're ready, Keith," he cut me off, his hand still in mine, warm and secured.

Keith rose from his seat and made his way to us. "I'll levitate you both to the fourth floor's balcony first- then third and second. And for the first floor-" he paused and then using his fingers, he moved them toward Ember's cupboard. It opened wide when he just moved two of his fingers to the right and then using his fingers again, this time five of them, he took out a Manila rope from the cupboard and it landed on his hands like he wanted.

He passed it to Ember and he caught it with his one hand with no trouble. I gawked at him.

"Why are we gonna use rope?" I asked.

"Keith will be too tired to levitate us anymore so we've to do the rest by ourself. Besides, he also needs energy to come down," Ember answered immediately as I nodded.

"Fine, let's do this." I sighed as Keith took a few steps back. He stretched out both of his hands, his face hardened, focusing intently at us and slowly after a few seconds, I felt my weight being lifted up. I looked down and realized both Ember and I were being floated up and were taken outside the balcony we were standing on. I looked at Ember then, my eyes wide -- he looked back at me, raising his eyebrows, asking me what was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

We were out. We were floating. We were going down. Don't look down, don't scream. My grip against Ember became firm without even intending to do so. My heart beat fast as both Ember and I were being floated down. Instead of looking down, I looked up-Keith was still stretching his hand out and was focusing on us.

I took a look at Ember again and he looked so relax. "How're you so calm and composed in a situation like this?" I hissed as we levitated more down.

"I've done this before," he answered coolly.

"But I have not!" I told him, clenching my jaw. "And you told me you'll keep me distracted! But you're the one who's distracted. . . ." I looked at what he was watching so peacefully. "By nature,"

"Do you want me to tell you how we were when we were little?" he looked over his shoulder, glancing at me, his contact lenses shining under the moon, making my eyes linger on them for too long. I wondered how his grey eyes would look under the moonlight. Would they shine as bright as his fake ones?

I shook my head as I answered, "Yes, yes! You said my memory was erased so tell me about everything I've forgotten. That'll distract me."

"I was nine when I first met you," he began as I realized him and I had one year of difference and I was eight back then. "You were the first one to find me," he began as I also began to picture everything he was saying.

"Where did I meet you for the first time?" I asked curiously.

"In a glade," he answered hesitantly, reminiscing everything that happened so many years ago. Then, he glanced over his shoulder and looked at me for a while before saying anything else. "You found me in the rain, Erin."

At that time, when the wind gushed over our cheeks and we felt a little cold, I forgot everything that was happening around me-I forgot I was floating, I forgot I was scared of death and falling. The only things that was in my mind was just holding Ember's hand and him telling our story. That's all that mattered to me.

"You found me in one of my worst condition-I was beaten to death, was laying on the ground and was getting wet by the rain," he said and continued. "The first thing that you did when you saw me was, of course, scream," he chuckled softly as I felt embarrassed.

"Didn't I help you?"

"You did and that was the first time someone ever helped me. You dragged my body under a nearby tree, ripped the hem of your dress and wrapped it around my knee so I'd stop bleeding."

"I really did that?" I was astonished. He nodded. Just when I was about to ask why he was beaten up and why we were in the woods, suddenly, I felt my feet landing somewhere and looking down, we were. We were at the ground and was in the fourth floor's balcony! We survived!

I was about to yell in happiness but Ember shushed me by putting a finger on his lips. I rolled my eyes and looked around. The balcony of the fourth floor was the same as the fifth one's. In front of us was a wooden carved door that was closed and had muntins, causing us to see everything that was happening in the room.

I spotted a familiar face. "Is that Ira?" I walked closer to the door, not caring Ember's warning and what I saw through the little windows made me frightened.