Glistening Embers

Chapter 17: A Gift Of The Dead

Author's Note: How do you readers like the story? Constructive criticism and feedback are always welcome. Thanks for 42 reads!

Glisteen sat on her bed. She had just gotten back from the maple. It was late, but Glisteen wanted to think about her flashback. Her memory was blurry, mainly because she was tired. Glisteen got up. She would never remember it, at least, not now when she was so sleepy. She got in the shower, then got in bed. She was asleep in minutes.

When Glisteen awoke the next morning, the memory was crystal clear. The woman, the man, and the child. Glisteen could recall them clearly. She realized something. The man was Erif, the women was Uterna, and the child was Yilasia. Her family. Glisteen sobbed. That family of four, was now two children, trying to find their way through the world.

She shoved her feelings down in a place deep inside her. If she was going to be here, she was going to find out the truth. She realized now, that Showda had been lying. Glisteen threw on a white shirt, (no red today!) and high waisted orange pants.

She met outside with Yilasia and Raya and together, they went to breakfast. The cafeteria was almost empty, (probably because everyone else decided to sleep in.) They were served little sausages and a kind of syrupy flatbread called pancakes. Yum.

"Whadda wuh do toduh?" Yilasia asked, her mouth full of pancakes.

"I don't know. Do you want to explore?" Glisteen asked.

"Sure." Yilasia replied, swallowing her pancakes.

"You guys can. I think I'm going to read a book at the library." Raya, who Glisteen now called Raya, stated. This peaked Glisteen's interest. Perhaps, she could find a book on Gifteds losing their souls? But there was a problem.

Glisteen couldn't skip out on a day with Yilasia, without hurting her feelings. Who knew how long she had before she was killed, or lost a battle? Who would look after Yilasia? Glisteen needed to figure this out, and soon.

Glisteen decided to look in the library, well that was, after she found the library. But first... she was soon wandering the hallways with Yilasia. (Honestly? How many hallways does someone need?) They came to a door with golden handles, and a deep brown wood finish. They walked inside. Glisteen gasped.

The room had a light blue carpet and dark maroon ceiling, and the walls... the walls were just shelves and shelves of books. It was the most books Glisteen had ever seen.

"Wow..." Yilasia whispered, awestruck.
Find the library. Check. Glisteen thought, Hang out with Yilasia. Almost done. Read about Gifteds losing their souls. Not done.

Glisteen and Yilasia wandered around the library. It was probably one of the biggest rooms in the whole place! Glisteen and Yilasia couldn't even finish exploring it before it was lunch time.

Yilasia became enthralled in a book about a girl and boy with some kinds of lethal disease and Glisteen eventually lost interest in wandering dazedly about the library, and settled down with a book about a boy trapped in a labyrinth.

After they finally found their way out of the library. Glisteen and Yilasia wandered to the cafeteria for lunch, where they met up with Raya.

"So, what did you explore?" Raya asked, as she ate her chicken sandwich.

"Naw much." Yilasia replied, between bites of her grilled cheese. She didn't continue till she swallowed. "We pretty much just wandered around the library. The place is huge."

"I know. It took me forever just to find a good book to read." Raya stated.

Yilasia yawned, as she finished her sandwich, "Well, I'm tired. I'm going to go to take a nap." With that, she left the room.

Glisteen stretched. "I think I'm going to look around the library some more." She walked to the library and walked around the nonfiction section until a title caught her eye. It read:

Poems on Gifts
By: Erif Evocabeth

Erif Evocabeth... her father.

Glisteen gently took the red book out of the shelf, and opened to a random page. It was a poem on the happiness Gifts could bring, Glisteen assumed that was when he discovered his Gift. The next poem was about the horrors they could bring. Glisteen thought that must have been when he had to fight. The last poem, on the last page, though, was the one that caught her attention. It said:

If you have a gift, listen to me,
The price is a very high one.
Though, as you maybe might see,
The price is all good and done.
You give a small part of you,
Yourself, you give away.
You may not believe, but it's true.
Your soul, your Gift will slay.

Glisteen sat on a couch, conveniently located by the aisle where Glisteen had found the book. The poem... this poem was the exact clue she needed. But how could she break this to Raya, or Yilasia? Or maybe even... Sabecary?

'Hey, I just found out that when you use your Gift you give away part of your soul, and if you use too much you will lose your soul.' wasn't a good way to put it. Glisteen held the book close, as if it was a life preserver. What was she going to do?

Glisteen tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She needed to think this through. Glisteen stared off into space, until she had another flashback.

Glisteen was 6, at most, in a small nightgown. She was standing near a closet door, eavesdropping on her parents.

"What are we going to do, Erif?" Uterna asked, worriedly, "I don't want to hurt our daughters."

"Don't worry, our daughters will be fine. We'll send them to an orphanage when we feel we're about to lose ourselves." Erif replied.

Uterna sobbed. "Our poor children." At that moment, little Glisteen walked in.

"Where are y-you s-sending us?" Little Glisteen asked, a small tear running down her face.

"Oh, Glisteen, we're not sending you away." Uterna comforted, scooping Glisteen into a chair.

"Your mother is right. We're not sending you, or Sia, anywhere." Erif agreed.

"Promise?" Glisteen asked.

"Promise." Uterna confirmed.

It was a promise she would break.

Glisteen shook her head to clear the thought. Why were it that all these memories were only appearing to her now?

"Oh, hello, Glisteen." Glisteen jumped. It was Sabecary.

"Hi, Sabecary." Glisteen replied.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"A book." Glisteen replied, sarcastically.

"Me, too." he said, holding up his book. It was small, but extremely thick, and entitled 'On Gifteds.'

"Really." she deadpanned.

He put his hand on his chest in mock horror. "What do you think? A guy like me can't read just because he has big muscles?" He flexed his arms. He did have big muscles.

Glisteen slapped him in the arm. "You're so stupid."

The twinkle in his eyes faded. "If I was stupid, would I know about what's happening to your sister?"