Letters to Ember

Chapter 2

"Ember, wake up!" The sound of my mother's voice jerked me awake, voilently ripping me and my memories appart.
Something's wrong. The thought was sudden and it made my heartbeat immedialty speed up, kocking the air out of my lungs. My mom never yelled at me before my alarm clock went off. I opened my eyes, not bothered by the light this time because I had fully closed the blinds last night before I'd gone to sleep. Within seconds, I had gotten up from my bed, and sprinted towards the tiny living room - the distance too small to make me tired.
I was now standing in front of the door, my hand trembling as I reached out for the rusting knob, afraid of what I would see when I got inside. She'd stopped yelling. How long had she been yelling already? Had something happened? I didn't dare to go inside again, afraid of what I would find when I did. Then, I heard her voice again.
"Ember!" She yelled once more, and I janked the door open, stepping inside of our tiny living room, my eyes scanning the area.
And I found nothing. Nothing special but boxes and my mom preparing herself breakfast. My eyebrows furrowed together into a deep frown and a sudden rage hit me - unreasonable, it seemed.
"Jezus, mom! You got any idea how much you scared me?" I ask angrily. Yes, I am angry because she scared me. She really had, which must mean I was concerned about her, cared for her, which I guess I do. But I do a terrible job in showing it. I know that. Still standing in the doorframe, I stare at the woman in front of me, dressed in a bathrobe, a towel wrapped up on her head, to dry her wet, blonde curls. She's staring at me, and I can't even hint what she's thinking right now; it's something she seems to have learned herself how to do, so I won't know she thinks about how hard it is to raise me, about how much she wanted a normal child. It doesn't work thoug, and I feel a sting of guilt, but the anger is still dominating.
"You're going to be late." She simply stated, the words leaving her lips with a sigh. And now the tiny sting of guilt is washed away again. I wasn't going to be late! I wasn't going to be late because I had an alarm clock set up for that, so I could make it just in time to take the god damned bus to the god damned school - shit! Then it hit me again, I had wrecked it, I had wrecked my alarm clock the day before. Which meant she had a solid reason to wake me so early in the morning. That didn't make the anger vanish though; after all, she had scared me.
"The bus leaves in about ten minutes, I believe." She said, and her voice was still as monotone, and I couln't even see a hint of any emotion at all in her eyes. And I didn't care if I were to miss my bus, which only passes by every hour, because once again, I would have a reason to be late at school. No, I wouldn't mind; but she would. So I didn't even think, still angry as I stormed back into my tiny, blue bedroom. I yanked the closet door open, quickly fishing out a dark pair of jeans, and the first shirt I could get my hands on, rapidly shoving them on over the boxers I had worn to bed last night. I rushed into the bathroom and brushef my teeth, but a quick glance at the clock learned me I didn't have time for anything else. I grabbed my backpack while running to the front door, only stopping to quickly put on my shoes and shove on my grey coat. I shouted a hurried goodbye to my mom and let the door fall closed behind me as once again I rush down the stairs, all the way down from the fourth floor we live. God, the people around here really must start to hate me, as for I probably am waking them up for the second day in a row, my footsteps echooing through the hallways. The run to what must represent a busstop is even worse then I can remember and I swear I was about to drop death by the time I reached it. My breath is aching, hurting my troath as I fill and then empty my rotted lungs again. I plant my hands onto my knees, panting for breath, blood rushing through my ears as I decide this was enough excersice for the next ten years.
"Maybe you should get yourself a watch instead of running here every morning because you'd be late if you didn't." The comment is lingered with sarcasm, and I can hear the smirk in the person's voice. A quick glace towards my right learns me the speaker is the boy I saw yesterday, Tall and Gingerish. Still recovering from my sprinting, I give him my best glare, and if only looks could kill, he would have dropped death about ten times by now. He doesn't look bothered though, a small smirk still playing around his lips.
"I still made it in time, now didn't I?" I ask, even though the question is obviously retorical, I still raise an eyebrow as if I am expecting an answer, but the answer never came.
The bus did though, and so I forced myself to stand up staight, quickly dissapearing into it, before the boy has a chance to answer me. I'm not excactly up for small talk so early in the morning, well, actually to be completely honest, I never really am - my people skills are... rusty to say at least. Once inside, I hand the bus driver my ticket, and then glance around the rather empty vicicle. Lawyer lady is here again, and once more her hair is pulled into a tight bun, which reminds me to how untamable my own unbrushed hair must look and I try to discretly run a hand through it. I walk down the isle, which appears to be even smaller and dirtier than the one yesterday, sitting two seats behind lawyer lady again, who glances at her watch again as the boy who I guess must go to the same school sits down several seats to my left again. And I can't help but think we seem to have created a new routine as I get out my phone again, ready to get lost into music.