Cold Ashes

three

"I was totally there."

"You were not."

"I was!"

"You were not," I repeated.

"How would you know anyway?" My best friend Penny asked. "You were not there. I'm the big fan here. You're not."

I rolled my eyes in a way that said I was bored. I truly was whenever she started talking about the city's famous Cinder Girl and Ice Phantom. And my best friend had a knack for them--the city heroes and villains. She had even once forced me to sneak inside the Agency headquarters with her. Good thing the guards spotted us and we ran away.

Was it strange that I was forced to sneak into a place that was home to me? Penny didn't know that.

"I watched it all on the television." I wagged a finger in her face. "I didn't see your face amongst the crowd at the top of that building."

Penny huffed, her dark red hair framing her face. She looked rather cute when she was angry. But if you told her that, there was an 89 per cent chance that you'd end up getting impaled.

"And anyway, even if you were there," I continued with a little frown, "don't you think that's dangerous? You could've gotten hurt, Pen."

"I wouldn't have. Cinder Girl would've saved me." She said it like she was sure. I should've been happy with that, with the fact that my best friend and almost all the people of this city trusted me. But I wasn't. Penny's words were like spiders crawling up my arms. Scary.

"She won't always be there," I said.

Penny ignored me as much as she was ignoring her lunch tray right now. I sighed and looked around the busy cafeteria of our college, with students bustling in and out. Then I picked up a cold french fry from her tray and chewed on it.

"It was rather tragic when she fell off the building, though." She added, shaking her head. "I wonder if she's all right. Ice Phantom looked pretty smug."

I sighed again, wanting to rub my still-bruised shoulder in comfort. I didn't, though. Yes, I'm all right, Pen, I wanted to say. And yes, Ice Phantom is a smug little shit.

"So you didn't get to make a video of them fighting. No new post on your blog. I don't think your fans would die without it."

"They will!" She exclaimed with her wide hazel eyes. Penny was by far one of the prettiest girls in town. She was studying journalism here--was enthusiastic about it--and was a cheerleader alongside it. Most of the boys swooned at just the name of her. I wasn't necessarily called a loner, but it was still surprising that she became friends with me rather quickly. "If I miss out on any latest updates, they're gonna think I'm falling behind. And I'll lose the followers!"

I furrowed my brows. "I don't think Cinder Girl appreciates your blog."

Penny's eyes widened even more. Then narrowed. "How would you know? Did she tell you that? Wait! Do you know her real identity? Is she your sister?"

I blinked at her. "I don't...I don't have a sister, Penny."

Penny's face reddened just a little. "I didn't...sorry, I didn't mean it like that. To sound so insensitive. Sorry?"

I waved it off with a smile. Really, because it didn't bother me. Penny was one of the few people I knew who had intentions as pure as a newly born butterfly. Besides, I didn't remember my family. Why would I be pissed about it?

"It's fine," I told her. "And I don't know who Cinder Girl is anyway. I was just saying. Wouldn't you hate it if someone was constantly stalking and recording your every public move?"