I woke up, rubbing the sleep from my clear, emerald eyes. My firey red hair was a mess on my head, but I was too tired at the moment to care. Hastily, I threw my hair up into a sloppy ponytail and walked out of the dark bedroom. In the hallway, the first thing I saw was the ever-closed door right across from mine, the same name etched into it, untouched. Jared. I sighed, Just don't think about it. He's never coming back.
I continued down the hallway, trotting down the set of stairs into the kitchen.
"Good morning sunshine!" Star was cooking pancakes, greeting me as I came into the living room. X and Carter sat on the couch, practically still sleeping.
"How are you always the first one awake?" My voice groggy and definitely not as perky as Star's was.
"I always make you sleep longer."
Star has the power to make people see whatever she wanted them to see, blinding them from reality.
"So you're the one who keeps screwing around with my dreams." Davi said, walking downstairs. His chestnut brown hair was a mess on top of his head like the rest of us. He sat down on the couch beside me and put his arm around my shoulder.
"How'd you sleep, little sis?" he grinned and messed up my already frizzy hair.
"Good, I guess. I think I'd much rather prefer dreams than reality."
"How come?"
"Because Jared's there." I was the only one, it seemed, that actually cared that Jared was gone. Yes, I knew he would never come back, but it wasn't wrong to believe, was it? X looked up at me, his icy blue eyes staring directly into mine. It made me shiver.
"Saphire..." he started to say.
"I know, I'm sorry. I wont bring it up again." I laid my head on Davi's shoulder. Everyone was silent. But nobody else said anything about it. I was like the baby in the family even though I was only a year younger. Sixteen. X was the only one who would rain on my parade, but a leader's gotta do his job right? Star went back to the pancakes and Davi turned to look at her.
"Hey Star, can you make me some OJ? I'm thirsty."
"Make it yourself!" she said. Davi sighed and closed his eyes. The refrigerator door flew open and the jug of orange juice floated out. Davi's eyes stayed closed tight as a small glass drifted from the cupboard to the table. The jug of orange juice started tipping itself over the glass, filling it all the way to the top, before it went back to the fridge and closed itself. The glass of orange juice floated over to Davi and he took a huge gulp from it. His power was telekinesis.
"Wow. lover-boy can make juice without standing up. What an accomplishment." Jade said from a corner, playing with fire in the palm of her hands. She was a rare element controller and she bragged about it everyday. It sickened me. Everyone else had all these cool powers and I was stuck with the worst. Healing. How can I fight with a healing power? I mean, X had electric shock, Star could control what people saw, Davi had telekinesis, Jade controlled the elements, and Carter was a mind reader. But what did I do? Heal. Freaking heal. I wish there was a way to pick our powers, because I'd much rather be a shape-shifter.
"Whatever, Sparky, it worked didn't it?" Davi snapped back at Jade, whose fire turned blue with her increase of temperature.
"You waste the use of your talents." Jade said as her flame went out and she walked back upstairs.
"Come eat guys, food's ready." Star said from the kitchen.
"Should I go get Jade?" I said, standing and following everyone else into the kitchen.
"I'll get her," X said, leaving before anyone could say anything. I continued to the table with everyone else and silently got my food. X came back seconds later, followed by Jade. With all of us around the table, we began eating. My eyes drifted over to the empty seat across the table, where Jared's old spot was. I could feel X's gaze on me, so I lowered my head and ate silently. When I finished, I carried my plate to the sink and rinsed it off. Then, I went back upstairs to my room, where I laid on my back on the bed. It was quiet for a while until my door slid open and X stepped in.
"Saphire?" he said, his deep voice echoing through my partially empty room.
"What? Are you here to tell me how wrong it is to miss my best friend because he's evil now? Because I already know it's wrong, I just... I can't help it, okay?" I was sitting up now, my fingers trembling as they came up to cover my eyes, which were already filling with salty tears.
"Saphire... it's fine that you miss him but... you need to understand that he's not the same anymore." He sat down beside me and moved my hands from my face. My heart was thumping like crazy and my breathing got thin. He has this effect on me, I know it's crazy. It's crazy that I love the most serious person I've ever known. X wiped the a tear from my cheek and I cringed.
"He's got to be the same! No one just out of the blue decides to change."
"He did."
I looked away from him. I wouldn't believe-- no, couldn't believe-- that he would change from lovable to evil.
"I don't believe that." I said, still not looking at him. I heard him sigh and stand, making his way towards the door.
"Saphire, we're all trying to be gentle with all this because you two were close, but he's gone. Saphire, Jared is gone and he's never coming back and if he does, it's not for the reasons you think."
I didn't say anything and he walked out, leaving me alone once again. Maybe he was right. Maybe Jared's gone forever. I got up and went to the bathroom in my room. I stared into the mirror for a second before I went over and turned on the shower. I stepped in, letting the hot water run through my hair and down my body before washing myself. I shut the water off, dried off, and wrapped a towel around me before going to my closet. I threw on a pair of faded jean shorts and a tank top and pulled my hair into a neater ponytail. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I whipped around , but I didn't see anything. But then I saw it. There-- sitting on my bed.
"Jared...?"
"Hello, Saphire. Long time, no see." He said, standing and coming towards me. It was him. It was actually him. My eyes widened with both shock and fear.
"Why the long face? I expected you to be happy to see your dear old friend." He was exactly the same from last I saw him. His silky black hair ran across his face. His hazel eyes were still beautifully innocent. I stepped closer to him, closing the distance between us. I looked back up at him, and then I hugged him, practically cryin my eyes out with tears of joy. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and hugged me back tighter.
"How are you here? Why are you here?" I asked, still hugging him.
"Just in case I won't see you again. It's happening tonight." He said into my hair as he loosened his grip on me.
"What? What's happening tonight?"
"You'll see, princess. You'll see. I have to go now. X is coming." He said X's name as if it were poison.
"No! Wait!" I said, but it was useless. He had already disapeared. Just then, X came in.
"Saphire, there's a problem." His voice was urgent. "Come downstairs."
I followed him down the wind of stairs until we were in the meeting room, where everyone was already seated.
"What's going on?" I asked, seeing the urgent looks in the eyes of everyone in the room. Everyone in there stayed silent and it scared me.
"Seriously, what"s going on!" I said, more panicked. I looked at X, his blue eyes dropping when they met my emerald ones. Finally, he spoke.
"The Black Dragons have rised again, and they're coming here." There was something else going on besides that, I could tell.
"What else? What aren't you telling me?" Everyone, including X, stayed silent. Finally, Carter spoke.
"Jared is their leader."
