The Flame That Never Dies

Chapter 3, Jolie-

"Watch this!" Melanie said, waving her arms around Jolie's room.

Naturally, everything was silver-- the bed, the desk, the walls-- but Melanie's bright red hair added much-needed life to the space. Then again, the thick, black shadows creeping from the corners definitely ruined that.

"Mel, do you really have to do this right now?" Jolie snapped, taking her pen-- a new one this time-- off the sheet of paper she'd been using to rewrite her letter. "This is the second time I've tried writing to Brant, and--"

"Come on, Jo," Mel interrupted, making the shadows retreat. "All you talk about is that boy-- everything I hear from you is always 'Brant, Brant, Brant.' I don't get it!"

Jolie smiled despite herself. That boy. Melanie was starting to sound like her dad.

"That's because you've never been in love," she said, leaning back so she could look behind her, where her only friend in the Silver Tower was pouting.

"You never have room for me in those complicated thoughts of yours," Mel accused.

"Who says they're complicated?"

"The Telepath down the hall! I heard Mavis dared him to read your mind or something. There's a rumor going on that you doodle pictures of Brant in all your textbooks."

Jolie felt her cheeks redden with anger. How dare Keyon Kafuta read her mind-- and tell everyone she doodled?

"Woah, woah, woah," Melanie said, holding up her hands. "I'm not an Empath, but your shadowvapor is off the charts."

Jolie forced herself to take deep breaths; she hadn't even felt the blizzard-like sensation of a shadow reading. Her emotions were getting out of hand.

She met Melanie's sky-blue eyes and found no judgment.

That was what she loved best about her friend; no matter what happened, or what the results of her readings were, Melanie understood. After all, she had been unfairly judged herself-- every day of her life. For some reason elves didn't trust Shades, even though Melanie was one of the happiest people Jolie knew. In return-- and out of spite-- Mel trusted everyone. Although that was sometimes a detriment.

"Listen, Jo, I told everyone who was spreading it that it wasn't true," she said, coming over to sit on the desk. "I get this is hard for you. Just... don't forget I'm here, okay?"

Jolie rolled her eyes. "I'm never going to forget about you, Mel. You won't let me."

Melanie laughed and started to say something else, but the curfew bells drowned out her response. "Well, I guess that's my cue," she said instead, giving Jolie a little wave. "Have fun with that letter-- and please, for Keyon and the rest of the Silver Tower's sake, don't make it too sappy!"

"Uh, Keyon's not going to be reading my letter."

"No. But he could read your mind." Melanie laughed again and skipped out of the room, just as the warning bells rang.

Three minutes until lights-out.

Jolie glanced at her unfinished letter. It wasn't like she was rushed. She'd have all of tomorrow to complete it-- then she would see Brant and give it to him.

Suddenly the wait felt much too long.

But she could wait. Both to complete the letter and see her fiance.

That's all she did anymore. Wait.

And in the meantime, she had something else to do.

The bells rang one last time, but Jolie was already throwing her hood up and slipping out the door.