Glistening Embers

Chapter 20: Leaving Midnight

Author's Note: Hello, my few readers. Just letting you know that I'm changing the prologue to Glisteen being dropped off at the orphanage. Enjoy the chapter! Glisteen groaned as she pulled herself up from her bed. The rising sun shined brightly in from her window. Were the six days they had off over already? Sadly, yes.

Glisteen groaned again and quickly dressed in a comfortable black jumpsuit, and black combat boots.

She then brushed her hair, and used a red hair tie to put it in a ponytail, something she didn't usually do, but there was a first for everything.

She tied her bootlaces and Glisteen walked outside. She checked the list. Today, the fight would be between Sabecary, (sigh) and Telma. Glisteen pursed her lips, thinking back of Telma's fight.

She shuddered as she remembered the knife jutting into Thigil's midsection. The blood all over his shirt, soaking it. Mictochra sobbing in the stands. Thigil giving Mictochra a thumbs up, before collapsing, dead. She took a deep breath. It wouldn't do to start getting teary eyed. Someone might see her and think that she was weak. If there was anything Glisteen didn't want to have done to her, it would be being underestimated.

Glisteen sighed. It seemed like she would be sitting on pins and needles the entire time the fights would be going on. Yilasia's fight was tomorrow. Glisteen checked the list winced at the idea of Yilasia going up against Rebeez, who could whip her around like a rag doll, with her wind powers.

Glisteen's was the day after that. She was worried about fighting Artew, the blue haired boy, as she had found out. How was she supposed to beat water with fire? She would just end up with a bunch of steam. And last but not least, would be Raya's fight. She would be fighting against Telma's smoke-powered brother, Smeko. Glisteen bit her lip, deep in thought.

"Congrats. Didn't think you or your sister would make it... this far."

Glisteen jumped at the all too familiar voice. She turned around. "Uh, thanks, Hepas." Glisteen squinted. Something looked... different about him.

Then she realized it. His eyes had lost his twinkle, and looked more haggard, like someone sucked the life out of him. To her, it seemed something or someone had put a much older soul into Hepas's body.

"Uh, how have you been? I haven't seen you around." Glisteen said, trying to start a conversation.

And now, that she thought about it, she hadn't seen him since they had entered the mansion. Where had he been for the past few weeks? And what had he been doing?

Hepas shrugged, and attempted one of his old smiles. "I've had better days. You certainly, look well."

"I'm doing as well as I can. Yilasia, too. Hepas..." Glisteen looked around, to make sure no one was there, and lowered her voice. "If I were you, I'd watch how much you use your Gift. I've done some research, in the library, and, well... let's just say it sometimes, doesn't end well."

Hepas shook his head. "I think it might already be too late." He paused as Showda walked by. Where had she come from?

Then suddenly, inconspicuously, so inconspicuously, Glisteen wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been looking, Showda slipped a small piece of paper into Hepas's hand.

Despite Hepas's best attempts to hide his unease, his face paled. Showda slowed and glanced curiously toward Hepas and Glisteen, probably wondering what they were doing. Hepas nodded slightly toward Showda. She nodded slightly, back and continued walking down the hallway.

Hepas let a big breath out. "How about a hug?" he asked Glisteen, randomly.

A hug? Hepas wanted a hug?! "Um, okay." she said, puzzled.

He raised his arms up and pulled her close. "Listen." he whispered into her ear. "You know more than you should. Showda's onto you. She's everywhere, in the shadows. There are things going on, things you would have nightmares about, if you knew what they were. When you notice your hair changing colors, stop using your gift, at whatever cost.

"The most innocent one to you, is the one who will betray you the hardest. You don't have much time to put together all the pieces. If you can, go with the decision that will save the most people. Even if it haunts you, it's still worth it.

"Be careful, Glisteen Evocabeth."

Hepas drew back, leaving Glisteen stunned, and stuck a hand for Glisteen to shake. She shook, and struggled to hide her surprise, as she felt the small piece of paper being slipped into her hand.

Hepas winked at her, then walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway with the piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand.

She slowly unfurled her hand and extracted the paper from it. Unrolling the paper, she found, that it only read one word. It was written in a careful, rolling script that must have been Showda's.

Midnight.

Midnight? That was the message that Showda had, so sneakily, handed to Hepas? That was the message that Hepas, so secretly, in turn, handed to Glisteen?

She looked down at the paper, just to make sure that she hadn't misread it. 'Midnight,' the paper confirmed. Glisteen began to say a few special words, that she had learned at the orphanage, but stopped.

Hepas had said... wait, what he said? Oh, right.

"You know more than you should. Showda's onto you. She's everywhere, in the shadows." Showda was on to her? Did that mean she was trying to stop Glisteen from finding out things? Things about what really happened to what really happened to Gifteds? And what did he mean she was in the shadows?

And the other things he had said...

"There are things going on, things you would have nightmares about, if you knew what they were. When you notice your hair changing colors, stop using your gift, at whatever cost.

"The most innocent one to you, is the one who will betray you the hardest. You don't have much time to put together all the pieces. If you can, go with the decision that will save the most people. Even if it haunts you, it's still worth it.

Glisteen sighed. Her head hurt from all her thinking. Suddenly, two small arms wrapped around her from behind.

She jumped back, and turned around, her hands blazing.

"Woah!" Raya yelped, putting Yilasia behind her. "Calm down!"

Yilasia peeked out, nervously. "I didn't see you at all yesterday; I was giving you a hug!"

"Sorry, Sia. I'm just nervous about the fights." Glisteen said, hugging her sister.

Yilasia nodded, understandingly. "Hey, what's that?" Raya asked, pointing to the piece of paper.

"Oh...it's nothing." Glisteen lied, dropping the paper on the floor. "Come on, let's go eat breakfast." she said. She followed Raya and Yilasia down the hallway, leaving Midnight and mysteries behind.