Ashes

ACE

Am I in love with my best friend?

Indeed.

Is that a very dumb thing to be?

Oh yes.

Am I going to do anything about it?

Nope.

Absolutely not.

I'm playing on my phone. A stupid game - it's only to distract myself from the fact that Tempest is lying on my stomach. I swallow and look at her. She's sleeping. We are on her couch. She opened her computer the moment we came home and that was about two hours ago. She spent one and a half on writing a mail. A stupid mail.

And then she fell asleep.

On my stomach.

And I'm trying not to breath too fast.

I don't want to wake her up.

And then my phone starts ringing.

Crap.

Tempest starts moving and I sigh. I touch her shoulder and nudge her gently.

"You need to move a bit", I whisper. She nods still half asleep and I somehow succeed in standing up without waking her. I move her hair gently away from her eyes and face.

She's just so damn beautiful.

Oh yeah, my phone.

I lift it and look at the screen. I sigh, walk to the kitchen and close the door. Then I press the button.

"What do you want?", I ask.

"Well, hello to you too", the voice says. I sigh and close my eyes.

"I asked you: What do you want?".

"Ace, is that really how you should talk to your older sister? The one who raised you?", the voice continues.

"Quinn, cut it. I don't want anything to do with you, and I don't want anything to do with The Guard. Leave me alone", I say. I'm clenching my fist. I hate her so much.

"I did everything for you. Remember? When mom left, I was the one to raise you!". She's just as angry as I am, but for another reason. She must have realized how big of a role I played in her circus. She can't do it without me, and I refuse to do it.

"You did it for yourself, Quinn. Everything. Don't you think, I know that already. You may have been able to trick and fool me, when I was younger, but not anymore. Enough!". I'm not yelling. I can't yell, since Tempest would wake up, if I did.

"Is she there?", she asks quietly.

"Don't ever call me again", I say before hanging up. She's been testing me lately. A lot.

I disappeared some months ago. It wasn't voluntarily, but she forced me. Either that or she would kill Tempest. I can endure being away from Tempest some months knowing she's alright, but I would never forgive myself for being the reason of her death.

Quinn forced me to join her army of Guards. To train me. To make me a killer.

I'm not a killer.

I may look like one, but I'm not.

I was never the protective one.

I was never the brave one.

But Tempest, on the other hand, she was brave and strong and powerful.

Everyone feared her.

I didn't. I was smart. I made the fearless, strong girl my friend and the kids stopped bullying me. They wouldn't dare, since she could make them cry just by looking at them.

I look around in the kitchen. Everything looks exactly as the last time I was here. The same cups, the same glasses. Even the same plant on the windowsill. I sigh and open the door again. Tempest is still sleeping on the couch. I scratch my neck and look around the living room.

"Tempest?", I ask quietly. "Are you awake?".

No answer.

I walk closer to the couch.

She moves a bit and exclaims a little sound. She's sound asleep.

I shove my right arm under her knees and the left under her back. I lift her and her head rests at my chest. My heart starts beating faster.

Be a man, Ace!

I walk to her room with her in my arms. I push the door open with my foot and walk into her room. I lay her down on top of her bed. Slowly. The blanket is stuck under her body, and I pull out the blanket and stuff it around her. I remove some of her blue hair from her face once again. I follow the line of her eyebrow with my finger.

Her nose.

Her cheeks.

Her chin.

And lastly:

Her lips.

And then I stop.

I withdraw my hand from her and look at my surroundings. Her room is the same too. Yellow walls. Stickers plastered all over the room. Yellow glowing in the dark stars and moons from when she was younger. I remember helping her with those. She wasn't tall enough to reach the ceiling, so I stood on the bed and lifted her. That was the first time realizing my feeling for her. We must have been eight or something like that. I crack a little smile.

"Sleep tight, princess", I whisper and stroke my thumb on her cheek once again. Her skin is so soft and smooth. It's enviable.

"Thank you, prince", she whispers back. I stop stroking her cheek. She opens her eyes.

"You're awake? For how long?", I ask quietly. She stretches her arms.

"Not that long", she yawns. "A couple of minutes maybe". She looks at me with her sleepy eyes. Beautiful.

"Okay, but go back to sleep. You're exhausted. And Ember might be back soon, so I have to leave", I say. She looks at me.

"Ember is standing right behind you", she says. I freeze. I turn my head.

Nothing.

Of course.

I turn again and look at Tempest.

"Then I think it's best I'm leaving. Go get some sleep, princess". She nods. I stand up and turn around. I look at the space in front of me.

"Ember", I say while lowering me head a little as a greeting. Then I walk out of her bedroom, out of her living room, through the hall and out the door.

Out in the night.