Different Yet The Same

Chapter Four

-Spark-

As soon as I watch Ember take off down the street at break neck speeds, I stomp over to Caleb and demand to know what he did.

"She wouldn't of just run off like that for no reason!" I yell, frustrated and enraged.

"She never loses it like that, what did you do?" I look at him accusingly. The night has settled around us, the old street lamp is our only source of light and even that is a milky haze. He runs a hand through his hair, and sighs.

"I didn't do anything..." He trails off and a guilty look crosses over his features. He bites his lip and looks at me, his eyes apologetic and slightly scared. "I just told her what I was thinking and then we..uh...you know..." As soon as it dawns on me what he's trying to say I resist the urge to slap him across the face. I tighten my hands into fist, my nails drawing blood.

"You did what?! Are you crazy?! Do you have a death wish?!" I scream at him, my temper has flared now, sparking inside of me until it grows into a full blown inferno, that I can't control.

"Do you know what you've done!?" I advance on him, and he backs up holding his hands in the air in surrender.

"You have ruined our friendship, torn it to shreds, obliterated it, over some stupid crush!"

He looks at me, his features hardening, he grabs my wrists trapping me in his hands, pulls me closer and says "It is not some stupid crush, I think about her everyday nonstop, she means so much to me, I miss seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, just being with her makes me happy, and if you think for one second that I would jeopardize this friendship, over a little crush, then you clearly don't know me at all." he releases my wrist and shoves me aside, walking to his house and slamming the door behind him, with such force it seems as if the whole house shakes.

I cross my arms over my chest and walk over to the steps leading up to our door, and sit, determined to wait for my sister and be there when she needs me.

After about an hour of waiting, I see a figure coming down the street and run, seeing Ember I increase my speed and barrel into her almost knocking us both over.

She sighs and hugs me back, her breathing becoming more ragged, so we stand there clinging to each other, and I hold on to my sister, as she starts to cry.

After barely five minutes, Ember let's go of me and wipes her eyes, her face transformed back into the determined one I've known all my life.

Then unannounced I start to cry too, I cry for her, I cry for Caleb and I cry for the dad I never knew. She holds me, her grip tight, face fierce and protective. She places her arm around my shoulders and ushers me inside.

Once inside, she helps me take off my shoes, and get ready for bed. Treating me as if I was a child, exhausted and defeated.

"Go on, go get in your pyjamas, then come to my room." I do as I'm told and get into my favourite Halloween shorts with orange pumpkins covering the tattered black fabric and the matching orange tank top. After brushing my teeth I shuffle over to Embers room and open the door.

From what I see I almost start crying again, she has set up two sleeping bags in front of her window, in the perfect position so that we can see the stars through the front trees leaves. She motions for me to come over and I do, nestling myself into one of the sleeping bags.

"Now," she says. "Tonight didn't happen, tomorrow we are going to wake up and go see Caleb just like we always do and act like nothing happened, ok?" She looks at me, a fierceness in her eyes.

"How can you say that? Something did happen he-" she cuts me off.

"Nothing happened." She says more sternly this time. I nod in agreement afraid my words will get me in more trouble.

"Good. Now try and get some rest." She turns the light off and gets into her own navy blue sleeping bag.

"I love you Ember." I say in a barely audible whisper.

"I love you too Spark." She says back and just before I drift off to sleep I mutter.

"Promise you'll never leave me?" but the only answer I get is her shallow breathing.