EMBER

ARTEMIS

I watch as Karim pokes the passed out clone of me with his shoe while I stand behind him clutching my phone tightly.

"She just appeared out of no where?" He asks me for the millionth time in over 20 minutes of his staring and poking.

Well am not crazy and she's here for real but that doesn't make me happy.

"Yes" I sigh. We had to do something. I was tired of repeating myself. I eye the floor. She is really getting paler every second with blood loss or worse.

"She is dying, Karim we have to do something." I look up at him. Pleading. I feel her dying.

"Am not letting you get near this thing at all." His tone leaves no room for discussion. Am frustrated.

"But she might have answers. We both know that. Please." His mouth is set in a tough line. So stubborn.

"Fine. At least can you get her off the floor? She's bleeding all over it." I look pointedly at now the blood bathed floor. It smells foul.

"And take her where?" He turns to me raising one his thick black eyebrows.
Focus.

"I don't know. Let me get a blanket to wrap her in while I think."
I throw my hands up I sigh heading into my bedroom. I check the closet open and get out a thin spare blanket. And on second thought a pair of black sweatpants, a purple over shirt and some white socks and sneakers then headed back to the bathroom.

"We take her to the toolshed outside, it will be safe for now. Carry her out while I clean out this mess and you get her comfortable in the shed, I'll be there in a few minutes."
I  squat down and wrap the blanket around the demon princess. Karim bends and carries her effortlessly and gently like she weighs a feather.

She whimpers but doesn't open her eyes. Karim looks at me. The he strides to the door.

"Finish up here so that your mom doesn't kill us please."
He wedges his foot in the door gap to open it wider to let his big frame through together with the girl's leaving me standing alone in a bloody foul smelling bathroom.

I quickly grab cleaning agents from the bottom cabinet, a small bucket and a sponge then start scrubbing not caring about my clothes. They are already ruined.

I notice my hands were shaking.
"Keep it together Alice." The tears stream down my face uncontrollably. I sniffle while I scrub vigorously.

I have a familiar tug in my chest. Worry.

I am worried about her. I have an urgency to get to her. Fast. This is so foolish. I am so confused. More tears slip out. I fling the sponge and it skids to the far side of the bathroom. Shivers rock my small frame as I cry uncontrollably.

"Why me? Why me? Why is all this happening to me?"
I cry out. When my life is suddenly normal. When I was starting to feel alive again.

"Don't I deserve happiness? Why me?" I whisper to myself. Why? That's all I could think of as I silently cried out.

I don't hear him come back but strong arms envelope me.
I lean into his embrace shuddering with spasms. I don't know for how long he holds me but I eventually stop crying and look at him.

"You must think am stupid." I sniffle.

He takes a deep breath.
"It's okay to let it out. None of this is something we can sanely handle."
He turns my face to look at him.

"Or expected. I'll be strong for both us and when your are weak, your business is my business remember?" He holds my face in both his palms grinning. I throw my hands around him hugging him fiercely.