EMBER

DARKER ME

A sly voice is laughing in my head.

"I don't want you in my head why can't you just leave me and go away." I moan rolling over. I fall and hit the floor. My eyes open as I snap awake calling out to Artemis. I groggily sit up.

I am in my bedroom back at home, in an over shirt. Wait what? Home.

My bag is in the wicker chair across the room where it usually is. I scratch my head. I think back about unfortunate events and Artemis. It can't be. I just woke up home. I remember wishing I'd wake up and it was a dream. It must have been a dream after all because I am in my bed, in my room. I breathe out a sigh of relief.

But I can't have dreamt something like that up. The shrink's voice in my head whispers that I can and I have been doing it. But this was so surreal. I yawn loudly.

I press my temples and stand up stretching feeling my bones crack as they set in place. My stomach roars. I am hungry and I strangely don't remember the last time I ate. A tantalizing scent makes my mouth water, eggs and pancakes. Mom must be making breakfast. My mouth waters more.

I'll call Karim and tell him about this later. I quickly run to the bathroom, undo my braid and step in the shower. Braid.........something nags me at the back of my mind.

The warm water washes away the last of my bad dream. I sigh contented as my silver tresses soak up. I ought to tell Karim about my bad dream immediately. I remind myself. I examine my hair closely. There seems to be more red. I brush it off.

But her.... I'll leave her out. Can't tell him about his sudden love. I am suddenly reminded of a song but I can't exactly remember which one. I make short work of the shower.

I jovially jump out of the shower and brushed my teeth while humming to myself anticipating breakfast with my parents.

I towel my silver hair and minutely pause. The red is definitely more. I examine my long tresses closely, the wide streak had spread. I frown contemplating to cut it out with scissors.

But I can't bring myself to cut my hair. What would Artemis say, what? I actually did not just personalize my dream twin. I will definitely be locked up for lunacy.

I walked back to my bedroom with damp hair. I look around for my hair brush but can't find it anywhere, maybe mom borrowed it. It would not be the first time.

I check my bag for the spare and am rewarded with one. I quickly do the knots out of my damp hair and leave it hanging damply to my waist. I use bobby pins I always carry in my bag to secure it on the sides to keep it from my face.

I need a trim. I make a mental note to ask mom later. I quickly locate a pair of black jeans and a white T-shirt with My little pony Princess Twilight on it laid out on the chair for me.

This is weird. I didn't own such shirts. I walk to my closet. It's devoid of clothes except my pair of sneakers. Maybe it's laundry day. I put on the clothes quickly. I have a ton of questions for mom, maybe dad too, like why was my closet empty despite laundry day.

I grab my bag pack and head out into the hallway closing the door behind me. I immediately halt nearly fainting.

The hallway stretching before me isn't for my house.

I count like twenty five or more bedrooms each with a name. I stare at the door behind me and true to my vision there is Althea, in bold huge letters with gold platting just like the rest of them. This wasn't my house. I have a sinking feeling in my gut.

I don't like how I am feeling. I move cautiously three doors ahead and paused to read. It has Karim in big bold letters right next to Emmeline's room. I read from the platting with her name on it. Bile quickly rising in my throat. I have a sense I am forgetting something important.