Fighting with Fire #2 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨

After Ember's text, I couldn't think about anything else for the rest of the day. Good thing we were having another lazy day hanging around the ranch.

Jade found some wild horses grazing near our ranch, and so she instantly became attached to them and insisted that we take care of them.

"They're called wild horses for a reason, Jade." Ryder rolled his eyes. "You can't tame them, and they definitely don't want to be taken care of."

I sat watching them from the deck as the sun streaked across the afternoon sky, laughing as they argued about it. But then I realised how much it was like watching Hayden and Ryder argue, and the laughter dissipated; Hayden was dead. I'd never see her again.

Sighing I rubbed my face with my free hand; she was like a sister to me.

"You should text her back, you know." Storm settled herself in another chair, eyeing my phone that I didn't even realise I was holding.

"Yeah, I don't know," I admitted, "Things are just returning to normal, and if I text her back then they'll definitely start getting complicated again."

"Theo," she told me pointedly, "Things will never return to normal, okay? Sienna's dead. Hayden's dead. That lying, no good, son of a bitch Ryan is dead. Zack's missing. There ain't gonna be a time when things are normal again." She held up her wrist to me. "That cross over our pack's symbol is staying there for good. So, you might as well at least text her back." She stood up and stormed towards Jade and Ryder, leaving me with my thoughts again.

Maybe she's right... I thought before appreciating her skills; of course, she's right.

Unconsciously, I bounced my knee as I began to text Ember back.

ME:

Hey, Ember. Sorry I didnt txt u bk earlier, last 9t was a full moon so i've bn trd all day. Hope ur k, gd 2 hear u found control. I found my pack a few days ago & we're staying in this amazing ranch on a mountainside here in Montana, not too far frm Missoula. Coloma brnt dwn, we thnk the hunters did it. Ik its l8 whr u r so sorry agn 4 not txting u bk earlier. Tell me wn u want 2 tlk.

Okay, so maybe I purposefully used text talk to annoy her, but at least I didn't send a kiss back, right?

I hit send and threw my phone onto the table beside me, not expecting a response yet. It had to be, what? I counted ahead the hours, it was about 4 p.m. in Montana, so it was... nine, ten, eleven — midnight. It was midnight where she was.

Damn... Maybe I should've worked out what time it would be over there before texting her back.

Ting!

EMBER:

Hey Theo! It's late where I am but do you wanna talk now?

ME:

Sure if ur not 2 tired.

EMBER:

It's fine. Lemme just sneak outside.

I waited for about five minutes whilst she snuck outside, surprised that she was awake. When I slept next to her, she was usually fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

1 Incoming Call from Ember:

ACCEPT ~~~~~ DECLINE

Without hesitating, I hit accept and held my phone to my ear.

"Hey, Theo." Ember sounded tired, exhausted even.

"Hey, are you sure you don't just wanna talk tomorrow?" I questioned, "Maybe when you're a little more awake?"