**A/n – This Chapter has been edited**
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5 am
'Be-'
Ember hit her alarms snooze button before it could finish its first beep then sat up to turn it off so it wouldn't sound again. The girl was always the first one up in the mornings and she liked it that way, the house was less noisy when the others were asleep. It was normal for Ember to be up this early it was a part of her routine and it allowed the girl could get a lot more done before her day would officially begin.
Now the others wouldn't be up until at least 6:30 or 7:00 at the latest since they needed to be up for school today. Well, Ash would get to sleep a little later than the others but it was only because it was her day off and she worked a double last night. Ember was heading for her bathroom so she could shower before her morning run when she heard a soft whimper.
"Snow..." Ember recognized it as her sister's whimper and it caused it to stop dead in her tracks. "The nightmares again... but at least she's getting a little rest even though it's not the most peaceful" She listened for a few more seconds before she continued into her bathroom, Ember would check on her sister before she left for her run.
10 Minutes Later...
When Ember exited the bathroom, she had a towel wrapped around her chest and was towel drying her hair. Once her hair was only slightly damp, she threw the towel into her laundry basket before she started looking for her running clothes. Ember was almost ready to go but she still couldn't find one article of clothing she needed.
"Where did I put my joggers... oh there they are!" She found her favorite joggers neatly folded on her desk next to her finished math homework. Ember quickly slid them on before she headed to her bedroom door, making sure to grab her sweater off the coat rack before leaving her room and entering the hallway.
It was still early so the hallway was still dark but she knew the way to her sisters' room even without the light. Sure, she could light up the hallway with her powers to make it easier but it wasn't necessary for the girl. As Ember stood in front of Snow's door, she could hear the girl's faint whimpering from within so quickly opened the door before she stepped into the room.
Ember walked over to her sisters' bed careful not to trip over the many items that covered the ground, the girl was supposed to pick them up but she didn't. As she got closer, she could make out the fearful look that was present on the young girl's face. Ember slowly moved the stray hairs blocking Snow's face and tucked them behind her ears before she took a seat right beside her.
"Snow, it's okay. I'm here, hang in there I know how to calm you down" Ember reached over before she took Snow's music box off her nightstand. It was a truthy beautiful piece a gift from the girl's father, he said he found it in a faraway land and it had the power to ease one into a peaceful sleep. It used to belong to their mother before she died, now it was Snow's treasure.
Now whether the music box was magically or not, didn't matter to Ember but it did seem to relax Snow enough to stop her nightmares. The box was opened as Ember starting winding it up and once, she had finished winding it she cupped it in her hands as a lovely melody started to fill the room.
The words began pouring for Ember's mouth, she knew the song by heart. Their mother used to sing along with the music box when they couldn't sleep at night and even though it brought back a memory of their Mother, Ember didn't mind. They were happy memories, after all, Ember continued to sing to her sister as tears began to form in her eyes but she didn't stop.
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Words are born into air
And quickly fade out in the wind
But they find their way inside you
Where they live on forevermore...
When skies are dark and full of rain
Look inside your heart
The light, so warm will and all aglow
Shining just like the sun.
You can see, just how much you've grown
How strong you are...
A love will open up to you
And it starts from the day that you,
first heard those words
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As Ember finished the song, she softly closed the music box before she placed it back where it once sat. She stood back up before she headed for the door, her hand went to wipe after her tears before she looked back at her sister one last time. "Sleep tight. I won't let anything ever hurt you again" With those last words Ember started towards the front door so she could go for her morning run.
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'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep'
"Noooo! Ten more minutes!" Snow's hand shot towards her alarm clock before she hit the snooze button so she could have a few more minutes of sleep. Her alarm went off two more times but she ignored it as she wrapped herself tightly up with her covers. When it beeped for the third time Snow rolled out of bed before she turned off the alarm and got up.
"Stupid alarm" She looked at the time and since it was almost time to leave for school, Snow knew if she didn't hurry Ember would be up here looking for her. That was not something Snow wanted so she quickly ran to the bathroom so she could start her shower.
30 Minutes Later...
"Ahhhh that was great! Now what to wear?" Snow exited the bathroom as a cloud of stream followed her, she had already blow-dried her hair so all she needed to do was get dressed. It took her a few minutes but she finally decided on basic black skinny jeans, a grey baggy long sleeve shirt with a wolf on the front, black boots, and followed up with her locket.
Her locket was a gift from her late Mother and inside of it was an old family photo, it had been taken before the deaths of her mother and her sister but she doesn't open it anymore. Snow could no longer see them smiling and happy. Instead, when she looked at it, she remembered that night and it made her tear up every time.
Behind the photo rests a broken compass needle that slowly continues to spin around never stopping or focusing on one single point. She asked her Father about it once but all he said was 'it might lead you somewhere' it confused Snow as the compass was broken so it wouldn't be leading her anywhere. "Snow breakfast!" Hearing her name Snow started heading down to the dining room to eat her breakfast.
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Snow arrived at the table and started to eat her breakfast but noticed Jess was missing. "Where's Jess?" Ember turned to look at her from the kitchen where she was flipping pancakes and stacking them onto a plate for the others. "Probably still asleep"
"She's going to get left behind if she doesn't wake up soon" Ember remembered something she learned earlier that morning. "Oh, no school until next week! Something about the school electrical system needing to be worked on" Snow was glad that they didn't need to go to school today but that left one question in her mind. "Does that mean we can go look at kitten's early then?"
"I don't see why not. Do you mind going up and waking Jess up?" Snow nodded to her sister before she swallowed the pancake in her mouth and headed for the stairs.
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Snow stood in front of Jess's door before she opened it and run inside then jumped on the still sleeping girl. "Breaktime wake up Jess!" The poor girl didn't even see it coming as she was rudely awakened by her little sister. "What the mother of god, holy pancakes!" Jess said the first thing that came to her mind as she tried to get the person on top of her off. "Good morning sleepy head time to get up" Snow rolled off of Jess as she smiled innocently at her. "Don't look at me like that Snow you know I can't stay mad at you if you do that"
"Why do you think I do it Silly" Jess stared up at her sister as she thought how evil this girl could be, sure she looked all sweet but she was truthy a wolf in sheep's clothing. "Okay I'm up give me 30 minutes to shower and get ready"
"Roger that!" Snow gave Jess a mock salute before she teleported away to bother somebody else. Jess rolled herself out of bed before she headed for the shower, if she took too long then Snow would most likely come back. "Boo!"
"AHHHHHH!"
"What are you doing here Snow I thought you left?" Jess tried to calm her running heart before she went into cardiac arrest. "You were taking too long"
"Like hell I was! It's only been 30 seconds!" Snow disappeared again but Jess stared at the spot she had just been in seconds before she turned around and ran into the shower. She was taking off her watch when she noticed the time, if she didn't hurry Ember would leave without her. Wasting no time Jess showered and quickly dressed before she ran into the dining room where Snow was eating.
"Isn't it time to go Ember?" The girl took her eyes off the cooking pancakes as she stared at Ember a little confused. "Didn't Snow tell you? There's no school today we're going to go look at kitten's instead"
"Wha- Snow what the hell!?"
"Must have slipped my mind, Ash still needs to be woken up though" Snow's eyes went to her sisters as Ember's smile turned more sinister as she started filling up a bucket with water. She walked over to Snow as Jess got up to watch the pancakes.
"Do you mind Snow?" The girl started swirling her finger around the bucket until she completely removed it and let Ember start carrying it upstairs.
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Ash was sleeping peacefully until Ember walked into her bedroom and threw a bucket of ice-cold water onto the sleeping girl. "AHHHH!!" Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Ember and the bucket she held in her arms. "Why do you people torture me so much!?"
"Downstairs now, don't make me come back up here" Ember left the shivering girl alone to shower as she returned to the other girls. "Is she coming?"
"Yeah, she just needs to shower"
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"Morning girls" Ash finally arrived at the breakfast table and sat down to start on the pile of pancakes they had left for her. "Morning!" The girl looked around and started to wonder why they all looked so happy. "Why are you lot so cheerful today?"
"Don't you remember Ash?" Ember had texted the girl last night but the girl could be forgetful at times. "Remember what?"
"We are going to adopt a kitten today!" All of them screamed at Ash as something clicked in her head as she remembered Ember did text her last night. "Oh right! I forgot! When are we going?"
"Once you finish your breakfast!"
"Sweet!" Ash started shoveling her breakfast into her mouth but soon enough she was ready to leave.
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To Be Continued...