Playing With Fire

the blue haired boy

Emberly woke up with a start. She realized she was sweating. She put her hands over her eyes as she realized she was in her bedroom. She recognized the pale yellow walls in the darkness. This happened every night since she was 7. She would dream of the night of her mom, her only parent, dying. She dreamt how she remembered it.
Emberly looked at her phone. The light of the screen almost blinded her in the darkness. It was 3:00 am, just like every other time. She knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so she crept out of bed and down the stairs. The wood floors were cold on her feet and sent chills through her body. She held her phone to her chest, which was overheated from charging all night. She turned into the kitchen and switched the light on. The sudden change from dark to light made her dizzy as she walked to the stainless steel fridge and opened it. She pulled chocolate milk out and poured a small glass. She walked back up to her room. A few steps away from her doorway, her legal guardian tiptoed out of her room. The creaking of the floor boards must have woken her up.
"I couldn't sleep." Emberly said.
"I know." Her name was Hope and she had long, thick, blonde hair that Emberly envied. Hope's hair went perfectly with her skin tone and brought out her green eyes. Emberly's grey eyes looked dull, just like her shoulder length blonde hair and her pale skin. The only thing that Emberly likes about her looks was her freckles. She remembered her mom having a lot of freckles, too. It was Emberly's way of connecting with her.
They both entered their rooms without saying another word.

***

A few hours and coffees later, Emberly walked into work. She worked at a bookstore. It was always quiet in there, but something felt off to her, like something was going to happen.
She shook the feeling away when she saw a customer come in the entrance. She liked to watch people, observe them. She noticed this person was walking confidently. She saw the serious look on his handsome face, as if her were on business. He had pale skin, but not as pale as Emberly's. His blue eyes matched the blue highlights in his black hair. His chiseled jaw complimented his muscular build. He turned towards her. His facial expression turned from serious to confused and surprised.

Why was Emberly staring at him? How could she see him at all? He remembered putting the charm on before he left the Centre. She shouldn't be able to see him...Unless...

Emberly realized he was looking back her and she broke her gaze away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him walk towards her. Her heart started to race and she bit her lip.
"Hello." The blue haired boy said.
"Hi." The boy was surprised she said something back. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, there was a crash. Both of their heads turned towards the back of the store. The boy ran and Emberly followed. They opened the door of the storage room to see a hideous creature bigger than the both of them combined. The boy pushed Emberly back as she screamed. She was panicking, but he was calm and determined.
The creature started towards the boy, but the boy was ready. He pulled out a sword and sliced its outstretched arm. The creature screeched and the boy impaled its stomach. The creature disintegrated. Emberly was shaking with uncontrollable fear. The boy looked at her. He wasn't confused like she was, he acted as if it was normal to kill a monster in a bookstore. Emberly's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she felt herself fall backwards. The boy ran to catch her before she fell onto the floor.