Smoke and Ashes

I

It was warm in my hands.

Thump Thump.

I wanted to look away.

Thump Thump.

I could not look away.

Thump Thump.

I woke up in a cold sweat, that final scream from inside my mind echoing through my skull, though as per normal I could not remember what I had just dreamed, I stared at the slanted roof sitting right above me, then carefully slipped out of bed.

The room was small and entering the hallway felt like entering the home of a giant. Sleeping in that closet of a room for so long skewed my perception.

I headed downstairs, the slip of orange light from the rising sun Illuminating my way down.

I was quite heading down; I did not have to worry about waking up Donna but there were always guests here, so I needed to be quiet as to not wake them up.

"you're up early, child."

It was a kind of routine; Donna knew I could not sleep well, and I almost always woke up early. To Donna that just meant she could put me to work earlier.

"Go to the Kitchen and start getting out the cups and plates" She called from the other side of the room where she was Putting out the chairs.

"Okay"

I walked past the counter and into the kitchen opening the cupboards and pulling out the clay cups and bronze plates.

None of the patrons today were wealthy and so we only bring out the less expensive dishes, there was no one worth impressing here now.

As I Stacked the plates and walked out to the counter, I smiled, Today was the day, I just knew I would be chosen.

Inside a voice, a voice of reason whispered.

"What makes you think your luck will be any better today than others."

I ignored the voice, I was going to go to , I could still feel the power coursing through my veins though what was happening when I had used it was lost with the rest of the memories back then, the only thing left was the sensation

But until the messenger with my admission ticket arrived, I needed to keep doing my job.

As I carried the plates over to the bar, someone burst through the back door leading to the stables, almost making me drop my already precarious hold on them.

I barely managed to catch them and gently putting them down on the counter, before turning around to face Knox.

He was standing there, red hair all over the place, a large smile on his face.

"Nightsky's stars Is healed!"

He paused quickly taking in a gulp of air then starting again.

"I finally got Him to throw up the berry!"

I smiled, Stars was a great Horse and I liked him, but I smiled more for Knox's sake. He loved that horse; he had been given Stars when they were both young by his mother. I had no idea how their family could afford such a horse, but I knew he cared for Stars a lot.

"Good, good" Donna said, "now that that fiasco is over with you need to get back to work tending the guest's horses."

I had been helping with that though I was not great at it yet, while Knox had tried to help Stars.