Different Yet The Same

Chapter Five

-Caleb-

I lay in my bed, looking up at the ceiling. What have I done? I just ruined one if not two friendships.

I look to my left at my rooms open window, and see the stars in the night sky.

My room is a navy blue colour, clothes littered all over the floor, my guitar sitting in one corner and my easel in the other. I can't remember the last time I cleaned my room, and I probably won't clean it anytime soon. Giving up on sleep, I jump out of bed, and start setting up a canvas.

My paintbrush, is like an extension of me, not just an object, its almost like it's part of who I am. I pour an assortment of paints onto my painters pallet and start to paint. I paint a clear summer blue sky, clouds as white as snow, with sunlight barely breaking through them, encircling a person, back exposed, and wings protruding.

Wings as dark as the night sky, void of stars, her raven black curls falling down her back. She's wearing a white dress but it's ripped and dirtied, cloaked in a crimson red...blood. Her face is showing obvious signs of pain, fear, confusion and most of all a fierceness, a desire to destroy and obliterate.

I pull back from the easel, my back sore from being hunched over for who knows how long. I stand and place the painting on the floor beside the others all looking similar, the similarity being the girl in all my paintings.

I don't know who she is, I don't know where she came from. All I know is that she's there and she needs me.

The sun is starting to come up over the horizon, the birds chirping, singing as the world wakes up from it's deep slumber.

Giving up on even attempting any sleep, I get dressed, a pair of navy blue jeans and a green shirt and silently slip out of the house so I don't wake my mom. My brisk walk turns into a jog, until I reach Lucky River.

I need to find a way to get close to her. I need to find a way to win her heart. I need to do this for Spark. This is the only way I can help her. There's no turning back, no other choice, it's this or nothing.

As I run I fall into a rhythm, my feet pounding into the earth, my heart keeping a steady beat. My breath coming easily, not ragged and shallow.

I don't stop until I reach the farthest part of the river, where it dips into Shamrock Lake, which is sitting on the outskirts of the forest.

With a sigh, I turn back and start walking towards town.

Suddenly out of nowhere, two figures cloaked in black lunge from behind a cluster of trees and attempt to pin me to the ground. I swing my leg up and around catching the one in the side of the head, pulling my right fist back I aim for his face, but I have completely forgotten about the other figure.

Just as I turn around they grab me from behind and pin my arms to my back, no matter how much I struggle I can't break free.

"Where is she?" The one man sneers into my ear, giving the other one time to recover.

"Who? I don't know what you're talking about." I say, in mock confusion. I know who they're talking about, I know exactly who it is.

"Don't play games with us boy." he spits out, now the other guy is standing in front of me, fury raging in his eyes like a wild fire that can't be tamed.

"I don't know anything." I bark, and the two men laugh.

"We know you do, and we're coming for her so beware." They start laughing again and I'm just about to break out of his loosened grasp when I look at the man in front of me in just enough time to see his fist connect with my face and with that, the world goes black.

I open my eyes and am greeted with a suns ray shining right into them.

I groan and try to stand up from where I lay on the leave covered forest floor. I get up to my knees giving a groan of protest because of the stiffness of my back. I put my hand up to my face and feel that the skin under my eyes is inflamed. A jolt of pain shoots through my body as soon as I put my hand over my eye and I gasp. Slowly, I pull myself up to a standing position and stretch out my stiff limbs.

To my left is Lucky River and to my right is a mass of dense trees.

Favouring the right side of my body, I count on my left leg to support me enough to get back to town. I wipe my hands off on my jeans and head towards town. While all the time wondering, what will Ember and Spark think?

After the long and exhausting walk back home, I'm met with a sight both beautiful and devastating. Ember and Spark are just leaving their house heading towards mine, thinking I'll be there to greet them.

"Hey guys!" I yell, my voice hoarse. They both turn to me with matching quizzical looks on their faces. The first person to react is Spark.

"Caleb! What happened? Who did this to you?" she grabs my head, and examines my eye, a look of concern taking over her features which warms my heart. Ember is still standing by her house, her look going from quizzical to a mix of curiosity and amusement. I sigh, will that girl ever find her heart?

Gradually she makes her way over to Spark and I, her movements swift and elegant, as if she was walking on air. Her raven coloured curls, bouncing around her head with every step she takes, her eyes, the irresistible emerald green, not giving away any of her emotions, she wears a look of guarded determination.

Spark on the other hand, her movements quick and hasty, her hair stuck to her shoulders and neck, her eyes giving away all her emotions, fear, concern, curiosity, all showing in a swirl, like a tide pool that's constantly churning.

Both girls have incomparable beauty. They are undeniably, devastatingly, stunningly, beautiful. Most guys would kill for a chance to be with them.

They don't know that they are beautiful, which makes their beauty even more precious. They are both the same yet very much different.

Ember observes and reacts, without letting her emotions take over or even show.

Spark thinks with her heart, she shows compassion and tenderness to those in need, her heart makes the decisions for her.

Although they have differences they are also very similar.

They both want to protect those they love and care for, they both want to rush in and save anyone who needs saving, they both have a determination I have never seen in anyone else. They want to help, Ember wants to physically ward off anything that could be a threat, Spark just wants to tend to the wounds left behind.

They are different, yet the same.

Spark pokes a tender spot under my eye and I'm pulled out of my thoughts. She looks at me and sighs, walking towards her house mumbling something about guys and ice.

"So what did you do? Get in a fight with a girl? You do know that you were going to lose no matter what, right?" She chuckles. I glare at her and sigh.

"No, I just ran into some guys from out of town. No big deal." I shrug and sit on the curb, groaning at the stiffness of my back.

"Well maybe next time you should be protected. I would be happy to come along, as your bodyguard of course." she laughs and I punch her in the arm.

We sit there for a few minutes in an awkward silence, both of us to afraid to say anything. Not to long after Spark returns wielding, an ice packet as if it was a deadly weapon. Without a moments hesitation she grabs my head and puts the ice on my eye, soothing it almost instantly.

As she fusses over me, Ember sits off to the side, stabbing a stick into the cracks of the sidewalk. I tune out Sparks mumbles, and let my mind wander.

Which evidentially leads me to thinking about Ember. Will things ever be the same between us? Well with the way things are going, I can tell it's only going to get worse from here.

Something's coming...and it's coming fast.