An Ember's Tale

Chapter Five

Ember awoke with a battle raging inside of her.

She had expected to awake in a narrow bed with thin blankets while she shivered from the cold that pierced her like a blade. Ember would have slowly opened her eyes and found Timothy approaching her with a grin and a plate of eggs and bread. They would eat breakfast together and then discuss different odd jobs they could do for some form of money. Just like every other mundane morning of her life.

But instead, Ember sat up abruptly as her breaths came out in shallow gasps. Her heart was beating out of her chest while she continued to struggle to breathe normally. Her head was on fire as it ached and pounded. Despite the warmth of the covers over her body, she felt cold and numb. She pressed her temples and tried to awaken her mind that still seemed to be stuck in her dream. Ember couldn't comprehend what her blurry vision was seeing, but she knew that she was far from the Northern Island or her small shack she once had called home.

Her eyes slowly began to adjust, but black spots still impeded the majority of her vision. She looked over to see she was in a large room with a high ceiling and walls. Ember looked down to see a large bed with thick comforters that almost made her forget the precarious situation she was in due to the warmth and comfort it brought her. She glanced behind her to see a large window in place of a wall. It reflected clear crystal waters with a bright sun overhead that confirmed her ever too dangerous reality.

"Morning, Red."

Ember froze.

She slowly turned around to find Mark leaning against the far wall looking even more daunting now than he had the previous night. His sly smirk was still there as his eyes flashed threateningly at Ember. He wore something similar to the last day, with a white shirt and black pants tucked into black leather boots. She couldn't help but notice how he looked in the day- his eyes seemed brighter while his hair reflected the faint light. He appeared less foreboding, but it didn't stop the goosebumps that rose on her skin.

Ember tried to get up, but her body ached far too much for her to even move. She looked down at her shaking finger and wanted to move it up and down before it slowly wagged. She tried her whole hand, but it just trembled at her side. At least her feeling was returning...

"What happened?" she tried to ask, but her voice came out dry and hoarse as she coughed dryly. Ember looked up at him as she grabbed her trembling wrist with her hand before she coughed once more and her throat burned.

Mark seemed to understand what she meant despite her coughs. He stopped leaning against the wall and started to approach her. Ember tried to back up, but her limbs burned and cursed at her for trying to use them.

He stopped when he noticed her panicked expression with a curious expression. His violet eyes slowly trailed over her body, making her feel as if she was on display. Ember clutched the comforter over her body before she glared at the merchant, and his eyes met hers.

"You're afraid of me..." he realized, but it wasn't a regretful statement, more of one that made him all the more curious.

"No," Ember's voice slowly returned. "I'm skeptical. Tell me what is going on-"

She then remembered her dream as the reality of the situation dawned on her. She looked back up at Mark as every piece of the puzzle began to fall in place. Her mind flashed back to the previous nights with vivid memories of purple lightning consuming her.

"You," Ember exclaimed. "You're the Electricity Element..."

"And here I thought you were clueless," Mark's smirk returned. "Yes, I am the Electricity Element."