Empowered

Chapter 8:.....Emerge Part I

"A girl can dream, can't she?" Ember thought to herself as she awoke from a restful night's sleep. It was another beautiful sunny weekday morning. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and she woke to the smell of freshly made waffles like she did when she was little.

"Wow! A full and restful night's sleep! Wait, why do I seem surprised at that." She pondered out loud. She didn't seem to remember that she had been suffering from insomnia when she didn't wake up clawing at the air after having the same freaky nightmare every night. She looked around her room. It didn't seem that different or strange – or did it? She had posters from her favorite movies and bands on the wall, her closet was overflowing with her clothing, and her bedroom vanity was covered in various types of makeup containers and littered with the leftover residue of more. She got out of bed to get a closer look at her belongings, which seemed to be just that – her belongings, but they also seemed foreign to her at the same time. She looked down at her outfit and saw that she wore a black Cage the Elephant t-shirt and pajama shorts. Then she thought, "For some reason, it feels kind of off for me to wear normal clothes." However, she dismissed this thought, peered around her room a bit more, decided that everything was fine, and moved on to following the smell of waffles that had now thoroughly permeated her air space.

She left her room and saw her family photos hanging on the walls. She saw one of her and her parents on a family vacation in Orlando from when she was twelve, another one with her and her parents on a trip to the San Diego Zoo when she was thirteen, and still others with a much younger version of herself, her parents, and her brother when he graduated from medical school, and from after he graduated from law school, and before his first trip to Mars. She thought about all these photos, and again, something seemed off, but she again dismissed the strangeness for the smell of waffles. She hurried down the stairs as fast as gravity could carry her, turned, and veered into the kitchen.

That's when Ember saw a figure for what felt like the first time in a long time. 

"Mom? Is that you?" Ember said softly.

The woman in question turned around and gave her a big smile. It was indeed Mona, Ember's mother.

"Good morning, sweetie! How did you sleep, sleepy head?" she asked playfully.

Ember walked into the kitchen with her eyes transfixed to her mother. She knew it had just been yesterday that she had seen her, but it felt like so much longer. She gave her mother a big hug.

"Why so affectionate this morning?" Mona laughed.

"It's just so good to see you." Ember choked out into her mother's dress as she tried not to cry.

"I thought you were never speaking to me again." Mona laughed.

"What? When did I say that?" said Ember with her face still buried in her mother's dress.

"Last night. When you stormed upstairs and locked yourself in your room, you were angry that your father and I wouldn't let you go on that weekend getaway with your friends. You're still only fourteen, you know." Mona said, concerned as she wondered why her daughter did not want to let go of her.

"I have friends?!" Ember exclaimed, finally pulling her face away from her mother. That's when she finally remembered! This was all wrong! This was her house, but those pictures and that stuff in her room shouldn't be there, and this woman, who was indeed her mother, shouldn't be here either.