A Lumen Ripple | An Elemental Story

Chapter 34 - Light in the Dark

With the objective now laid out, Wade knew exactly what he had to do.

He was charged with finding his Ember.

No amount of hiding out of self-care could help him now, for it would not help bring her back to him. It was his fault they got into this mess, and it was his responsibility to get them out.

Knowing this, Wade rode along the sunset-sept roads by scooter on a mission, readable all over his face and body language.

He quickly took his phone out, sitting it on the scooter's little phone holster. As he rode along, he attempted dialling her, just in case. He knew it wouldn't go through - it couldn't, not now - but part of him felt inclined to try.

As he dialled, he neglected to watch the road - as any distracted driver would - nearly colliding with a car from behind.

"Drop!" he exclaimed.

He swerved around it at the last possible second. A bounty of yells hit his ears as he screamed past. He looked back at the car for a moment in passing, shaking his head out of embarrassment.

He refocused his attention on the phone, dialling in Ember's number and clicking the call button.

As to be expected, it went straight to a hang-up.

"Ugh-Ember." Wade worried.

As he looked back up to the road, a subtle air of regret and defeat entered the equation. His already stressed expression out of focus on the mission stretched thinner.

He looked to and fro between the road and his phone with a similar air of hesitant guilt. He knew that calling her too much would evoke massive backlash from her, but not trying at all was out of the equation for him.

With that, he looked over at his phone with added certainty.

He attempted her again...

"Ugh-c'mon, c'mon." he grimaced as it rang.

Once again, however, the call went straight to a hang-up tone.

"Agh!" he stressed.

He let out an impatient exhale, leaning forward on his scooter and quickly trying her again. Before his hand could hit the call button, however...

Incoming call

Speedier than he was on the scooter, Wade slapped the answer button with his thumb.

"Uncle S! Boy, am I glad to hear from you," he exclaimed with relief.

"Wadey! Thank Drop you picked up. Are you okay?!" Uncle Sea-Near exclaimed.

"Y-- Yeah, I'm fine, Uncle S. I-" Wade stammered.

As he went to speak, ugly thoughts of last night began to seep their way back into his mind. The act of betrayal out of self-care, the guilt it brought - it was too much for Wade not to tell them.

"I-I'm really sorry if I scared you and Aunty S-about last night. I-I needed a night to myself. Long story." he admitted.

"Oh-Wade. Just as long as you're safe!" Uncle Sea-Near pressed.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Wade replied.

"Thank Poseidon!" Uncle Sea-Near thanked.

Aunty Sea-Near - being the closest thing to a worried mother to the lovebirds at that point - took the phone from Uncle's hand with urgency about her.

"Honey-where are you right now?" she exclaimed.

"I-I'm out..." Wade stammered.

Wade paused in regret, halted by memories of last night and her current disappearance interjecting once more.