Forgetting The Sun

How To Run From The Mess You Made

I feel someone sit beside me, causing my eyes to start to stir. Groaning, I force my eyes open and look towards the end of the bed. Finn sits there with his head in his hands, and I almost feel bad for trying to take out Melissa. The tension in the air makes my stomach tighten, his stress migrating to me. I glance around the room, there are no guards in here. He must have sent them out when he came in here.

"Finn-"

"Is it true?" His voice is barely above a whisper, a mix of trying to tell a secret and pain. "Did she really hurt our mother? Or are you trying to push a delusion on everyone else because you are upset?"

I feel my lips curve downward. "I promise, I am telling the truth. I would never lie about anything to do with mom. I was there, Finn. I saw it happen. I didn't realize it was Melissa when it happened, it wasn't until the funeral until I recognized her voice."

He looks at me, tears falling out of his icy eyes. He wore the expression of pain I had come to constantly feel. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you were there, or about Melissa?"

"I..." I avert my gaze, seeing him hurt like this was too much for me. "Father found me screaming over mother's body. He was so mad to see me there." But I knew his anger came from not being able to shield me from seeing my mother like that. "He told me that I couldn't tell anyone I was in there that night. It was around the same age my talents had begun manifesting and he didn't want anyone to think I had done something to hurt her."

"But... Your gift is controlling flames, why would someone think you had hurt mom? There were no burn marks on her body anywhere."

"I was reading up on talents a couple years ago, there's very few cases that someone can develop a secondary gift."

"But her wrists-"

"Exactly. You heard what I said about Melissa's talent. It's not very often that you can get into someone's head like she can. Father couldn't rule out that I might have developed a more dangerous gift. I tried telling him after the funeral and all he did was send me away."

I look at Finn out of the corner of my eyes and see him hang his head. "He's sending you away. He believes you've grown to be too much of a threat towards the family and the kingdom." My heart falters, pain filling my chest....Burning.

"Banishment?" I asked, barely even a whisper. I had heard of other members of the royal family that had been banished, either they were never heard from again or they were torn apart.

"I don't know. His voice became too quiet for me to eavesdrop on. Melissa told him what you tried to do, and your tutor did admit to having to stop you. She told him what you said about Melissa in class. He is... I would say upset but that doesn't even come close to it. I think banishment might be the least of your worries. What you tried to do was a crime against the crown Ember."

"He has my room guarded doesn't he?" My blood has turned to ice in my veins. Had I not been stopped it would have been the punishment I'm soon to face. But since I failed, I tried in vain.

"Yes.. He wants to make sure you can't leave before he can hear your side of the story. But sadly I don't think anything you say can fix anything. You tried to attack Melissa."

"Attack is... Yeah, we'll go with attack, it sounds better."

"Everyone knows you were going to kill her. Talk is, you snapped. Honestly, no one is surprised." His voice turns sour," In front of your tutor and a guard? What were you expecting to happen?"

I shrug. "Donken is old, I could've taken out the guard. And I definitely was gonna take Melissa out. I just wasn't counting on Donken to have a gift."