Ember's eyes slowly fluttered open.
She was lying limply on a cot near the front of the healing center. Her arm hung loosely off the side of her bed, the fabric of her foxfire uniform wrinkled.
A headache spiked as she tried to sit up, and she immediately groaned. It felt like a million tiny needles stabbing into her brain every time she moved as much as an inch..
A figure with ruffled brown hair and gray-blue eyes rushed into the room at the sound of her grunts. It was Elwin, the physician of Foxfire. He currently wore spectacles, a gremlin covered tunic, and a warm smile.
"Look who's awake!"
Ember attempted to lift herself into a seated position, but whimpered. Her arms felt so weak that she couldn't even lift her own body weight.
"Woah," Elwin said, rushing to her bedside. "Don't move yet. Bronte really sucked the energy out of you."
Ember moaned in response.
From his tunic Elwin pulled a clear vial of glassy liquid. Assuming it was a bottle of youth, Ember took it and popped the cork off, downing the sweet water.
Her head cleared as the pleasantly cool liquid rushed through her body, rejuvenating some of her strength.
After she'd finished drinking she quirked an eyebrow at the physician. "How long have I been here?"
"A few hours," he replied nonchalantly.
Ember grumbled under her breath. She couldn't believe Bronte had had the nerve to take her out for that long.
A cacophony of voices interrupted her thoughts from the hallway. The door flew open and Daisy ran in, her blond braids bouncing as she jogged into the room.
She skittered to a stop at Elwin's side. "Can I hug her?"
Elwin nodded.
Daisy smiled as she sauntered over and wrapped her arms gently around Ember, who somehow found the strength to hug her friend back.
When Daisy pulled back, her hands were on her hips. "Don't ever worry us like that again!" Her voice was serious, but her demeanor was playful.
A smirk tugged at Ember's lips. "Us?"
As the word left her lips, Ace and Avaline stumbled into the room. Avaline's uniform was wet at the edges; she must have had Hydrokinesis training.
"I'm going to kill Bronte!" Ace yelled, making everyone jump.
"Yeah, he's a creep," Avaline agreed as she sat down on the edge of Ember's cot. "You okay, girl?"
Ember nodded. "Yeah, I just have this awful headache—"
The door burst open again and Ember's breath hitched.
Emerson raced in, his hair ruffled and his expression tense. When he saw her awake he relaxed a great deal, leaning against the wall and taking a hand through his hair. "You sure know how to give me a heart attack, Em."
"Sorry," Ember mumbled.
"Don't apologize !" Daisy exclaimed, nudging her in the ribs. "This isn't your fault, remember?"
"It's not," Elwin agreed as he handed Ember a vial of sloshy green liquid. She decided not to ask what it was made out of; she never enjoyed the answers to those questions.
The sludge was thick as it slid down her throat, but completely worth it when she felt her energy returning bit by bit.
Ember suddenly looked up and searched the room madly. "Where's Ro? I thought she was supposed to be with me all the time."
"She is," Elwin informed her. "But she's getting your parents."
Ember groaned. "Do my parents need to know? Mom will freak."
"Yeah," Ace snorted.
A grin spread across Elwin's face. "Your mother used to come to the healing center all the time."
Ember's face scrunched. "Really? Why?"
Ace laughed. "He means as a patient, halfwit. Look on the wall behind you."
As Ember slowly turned to the back wall, she gasped. "Is that mom?"
The framed photo was a close up of a pretty blond teenager wearing a furry mastodon costume. She had gold flecked brown eyes and a flushed face, looking absolutely humiliated to be wearing the costume.
Ember couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the photograph until now.
"Yep," Elwin said with a toothy grin.
Ember gazed at the picture. "No wonder dad fell for her," she whispered.
"She was quite the heartbreaker," Elwin agreed.
Emerson strode over to the picture and examined the picture. "You look just like her, Em."
Ember blushed. "Um . . . thank you?"
He smiled one of his breathtaking smiles.
"Look," Ace said, pointing to the wall a few feet away.
In another frame held a photograph of a teenage boy. He was tall and lean, with intricately styled blond hair and impressive muscles. A smirk was present on his face, his jawline sharp and prominent.
Besides his blue eyes, he was a complete carbon copy of Ace.
"Dad?" The twins said, and everyone stared at the photo in awe.
"Now's the time everybody says I look exactly like him," Ace muttered under his breath.
"Actually," Ember said with a sly grin, "dad had more muscle than you do."
"He did not," Ace argued, pulling back his sleeve to reveal his biceps, which were quite impressive, but Ember would never tell him that.
Avaline and Daisy flushed bright red as they watched Ace flex.
Ember rolled her eyes.
Voices echoed out in the hall as three figures approached.
Ember straightened her posture as her parents walked in.
Her mom was wearing a green satin dress and emerald flats, her hair tied up in an intricate updo with a ribbon woven through it.
Her dad was also dressed in green; he wore a jerkin and a velvety cape.
They were currently arguing with Ro, all three voices talking at once.
" . . . Mr. Forkle thinks she needs a bodyguard?"
"Ro? Why not Sandor?"
"Missed you too, Hunkyhair."
When Ember's parents saw her they rushed to her side and hugged her tightly.
"I can't believe Bronte did that," her mom whispered, "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I should've never—"
"I'm okay mom."
Ember's mother looked up, studying her daughter in scrutiny. "Really?"
Ember tried for a smile. "Really."
Ace suddenly stalked over to the bed where they sat. "Why are you wearing green?" His voice almost sounded nervous, scared even.
Their dad looked up. "We're going to the Wanderling Woods."
Ace sucked in a breath. "Why?"
"Kenric," her mom whispered, fighting tears.
Ember's dad held her mom tightly. He too, looked saddened and reminiscent as he stared at the floor.
"Who's Kenric?" Emerson asked softly, reminding the Foster's that they had an audience.
Ember's parents looked too choked up to respond.
Elwin placed a hand on Emerson's shoulder and informed the teenagers. "He was a councilor."
"Was?" Daisy prompted, her usual smile gone, replaced by worry.
"He died," Elwin murmured, then added, "In a fire."
Ember's breath caught. "When?"
"Years before you were born," he said quietly, eyes glazing over with moisture.
Ember's voice trembled. "Oh."
Ace went to their mother's side. "Mom?" He whispered. "You're so pale."
Ember sat beside her parents. "Yeah, mom. Are you okay?"
Her mother's fragile fingers wrapped around hers tightly. "I'm fine, love."
"No you're not," Ace murmured with an unusual softness to his tone. "I feel you. Literally."
Ember's mother shook a little.
"Can you feel it, dad?" Ace asked their father, who was stroking his wife's hair softly.
"Yes," he whispered.
Ember felt Emerson's hand close around hers, squeezing gently. She soaked up his warmth and tried to find the comfort she was missing so badly. She pulled Emerson closer, letting him sit beside her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she glanced worriedly at her mother.
Ember's father held her mom securely, easing her shaking figure. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered something into her ear. Ember couldn't hear what he'd said, but her mom smiled sweetly at her husband.
"Dad?" Ember whispered.
"Yes, doll?"
"Can I go with you?" She asked. "I'd love to see Kenric's tree."
Ember immediately regretted speaking the deceased Councilor's name when a tear slipped down her mother's face.
Her dad smiled sadly. "Sure."
• • •
I promise there's a method to my madness ;)