Chasing Embers | 1

03 | E m b e r

—

Looking in the mirror, I saw that my eyes were blotchy and red. My hair was a mess and the t-shirt I wore had slid to one side, exposing my shoulder. I sighed and turned on the sink, splashing my face with water. After I felt refreshed, I changed into my clothes for the day.

I had picked out a grey v-neck, denim shorts, and my black converse. My hair came down in a big "poof" as I slipped off the hairband. Unsatisfied, I smoothed down my hair with a bit of water. Clearly, it wasn't working. I groaned and stepped out of the bathroom, hearing voices that belonged to my family in the kitchen.

It was Saturday, which meant another boring day. Tyler was sitting in his seat, playing with his eggs, while my mom was talking to my dad about finances. An empty chair sat between her and Tyler.

Mom looked up when she saw me with a smile on her face. I gave her a small smile and sat down. Tyler flung a piece of egg at me and in return I flicked him in the forehead, stealing his toast while he wasn't looking.

This was our normal routine. Next, my mom would probably rant about how she couldn't find "that one special channel on the tv." My dad would tell her she'd find it and then pick up the newspaper sitting next to him. He'd drink his coffee, get up, and leave for work. Every day, the same thing. Tyler would go into my room and we'd spend the entire day there, reading books, drawing, imitating each other, you name it.

When we finished breakfast, I headed to my room. "I'm going into town to visit Jonah at work," I called.

"Alright, sweetie. Be careful. Liam, I think you should head on to work." My mom glanced over at my dad who was, as always, reading the newspaper.

"What? Oh, yeah, work," he mumbled, getting up from the table and walking into the kitchen with his empty plate.

I shut the door to my room and grabbed my backpack. Inside was a pocket knife, school papers and binders, some pens, and a water bottle. There was one more thing. I yelped and jumped back as Nala scrambled out of the bag and hid under my bed. Stupid cat.

Searching through my drawers, I found what I needed. I put my hair up and slid on my favorite hat. My dad had given it to me. I emptied my backpack and grabbed some cash, placing it inside along with a water bottle and my pocket knife. Zipping it up after adding a few more things, I stood.

I walked out the door, shifting my backpack on my shoulder. I slipped out of the house and into the warm, summer air. Birds chirped and cars drove by. I walked around the side of the house to our black truck, climbed in, and then I was on my way.

—

"Are you okay?"

I looked up from my coffee as Jonah wiped down the table next to me with a rag. He worked at a small coffee shop not too far from the space needle.

I shrugged. "It's nothing."

I had been thinking about the strange encounter with the garbage man the day before. It had felt so real. I wondered if it was a figment of my imagination or if it had actually happened. There was no way it was real. Magic didn't exist.

"You haven't touched your coffee. Are you sure?" he asked.

I smiled at him. "Jonah, I'm fine. I would tell you if I wasn't."

He nodded and sat in the chair across from me, setting his rag on the table. "Look," he breathed out. "I want to apologize for my behavior at school yesterday. I guess I just got a little jealous."

I smirked. "A little? It's alright, Jo. It's not like I'm head over heels in love with him or anything."

"Right. He just gave me an off vibe."