Game Of Lightning

Chapter Three

Annie's POV-

I slowly open my eyes as I see Ember standing over me. "Its time to get up," she says.

I notice dark circles under her eyes as I sit up. "Did you sleep at all?" I ask her.

"Yeah. Why?" she asks.

"You look tired," I say while getting up. She just shakes her head. I walk out of the room to the bathroom. I do my business before going to get something to eat.

Ari is already at the table, eating a poptart. "Hi," I say to her.

"Hey."

I sit down next to her and I grab a package of poptarts. I open it and I start eating. "Are you glad we're going back?" she asks.

"Slightly," I say. "It won't be the same without Shun though."

I hear a quiet gasp so I turn around to see Ember standing there. She immediately turns around and runs down the hallway. "Do you think she's OK?" I ask Ari.

"No. She's trying to hide it, but everyone knows she misses Shun," Ari says. "Its like she's gone into this depression. She needs to realize that we all miss him too."

"Yeah," I say, nodding. Damien comes out of the living room and sits at the table beside me.

"What are you two talking about?" he asks.

"Didian," I say. Ari nods as she glances at me.

"I wonder how Scarlet is doing," Damien says, grabbing one of my poptarts.

"Excuse me sir," I say, staring at him. "Give me back my pop tart."

"No," he says grinning.

"I'll break-"

"Here it is, wonderful and amazing girl," he says, setting it down, eyes wide open.

"Thanks."

I stuff the rest of it in my mouth before he grabs it again. "Where's Em?" Damien asks.

I try to say that she ran of but it comes out as, "Mmmh uh blah mm."

"Chew that before speaking," Damien teases.

"She kinda ran off," Ari says, interrupting Damien and me. "We said something about Shun and she ran."

"Why is she so . . . sad and distant?" he asks.

"She really liked Shun," Ari says, emphasizing liked. "She had this huge crush on him."

"So?"

"Ari is saying that we think Ember loved Shun," I finish.

"But I loved him too. In a brotherly way, of course," Damien says.

"And so did I, but they were friends even before I met her," I tell him. "They went through a lot together in this world."

"Are you guys ready?" Ember calls and we immediately stop talking.

"Yep!" I answer as I grab my backpack from the floor. Ari, Damien and I walk to the back door. We go outside and Ember does something with her hands to make The Zodiac visible.

"Hurry up so no one can see it," she says. I climb quickly up the ladder as nostalgia pours over me.

I remember the first time getting on the Zodiac. The first time I met Damien. All the times with Shun and Light.

I get pushed over as Ari climbs on board. "Sorry about that, but you were taking too long," she says, sticking her hand out to grab my hand. I take it, grinning at her as she pulls me up.

"It's fine. I'll do something to you soon," I reply. We laugh as Damien and Ember climb aboard.

"Who's the leader?" Damien asks. "Shun's gone and Light is . . . Aralynn."

Ember looks at the ground as I glare at Damien. "I think you should be the leader," I say to Ember.

"What? No-- I couldn't do that," she says, fear exploding across her face.

"Yeah you could," Ari says. "You are a princess. You kinda have to."

"Damien's a prince," Ember replies.

"Actually, not anymore," Damien says. "Mom isn't a queen anymore."

"She's still royalty," I say.

"You're not helping," Damien mutters.

"Damien, you do it. You're the one with the best ability," Ember says pleadingly.

"I don't even know how to use my power," Damien argues.

Ari looks at me and I nod. She walks away from us and suddenly The Zodiac starts moving. "Better?" she asks the bickering cousins. "We can't fight anymore, got it? We're a team, for goodness sake!"

I walk over to the wheel of the ship and I start steering. Ari joins me as I whisper, "Ember needs to be herself again."

"I know," Ari says, taking a deep breath. "I feel like she is gonna get more reckless until she dies."

"Yeah," I say. "Maybe some time at Didian will help her."

"Maybe," she says. "So, how are you and Damien doing?"

"Eh. You know, good," I tell her.

"Well that's good," she says and I laugh.

"Yeah it is."
(:)(:)(:)
"Is that the spire?" I ask when I see something in the night sky.

"I'm not sure," Damien says. "It's far away."

"You're no help," I whisper.

I move the set the wheel for straight ahead and I walk down the stairs to Ember's room. I knock before walking in. "Ember," I say, seeing a weird purple glow.

The glow immediately goes away as she says, "Annie? What are you doing in here?"

I feel around her cabin until I feel her bed. "What were you doing?" I ask her instead.

Suddenly, fire springs up in the fireplace. "I was doing nothing," she says quickly.

"Ember, you can tell me," I say.

"I, uh, was healing something," she whispers. "Trying to at least."

"What were you trying to heal?" I ask her.

"My heart."

"Oh," I say. "You know, we lost Shun too. You're not the only one who lost him."

Fury fills her face. "Annie, I loved him," she says. "Do you know how that feels?"

"And I loved him too," I tell her.

"Imagine if Damien died," she says.

"I would be sad, Ember. But I wouldn't let that stop me from living life," I tell her.

"Annie, you don't understand," Ember says angrily.

The door bursts open and Ari steps in. "Guys, you need to come quick. We are in Didian."