Fantasy Vs Reality | The Withering

26: The Meeting

Kay sat down next to Ember. She didn't seem to notice Kay's presence until the brown feline cleared her throat and placed a hand comfortingly on Ember's. The odd-eyed cat turned her head slowly. Despite lying down she looked unsteady.

Ember looked at Kay for a little while. Then, she spoke with curiosity, "It's true then?"

Kay tilted her head slightly, "What do you mean?"

"That you, Storm, and Orion got us out of there, nearly unscathed?" Ember's voice was raspy and higher than normal. Was she afraid of something?

Kay shrugged, "I wouldn't say 'nearly unscathed.' Orion got his paw hurt pretty bad..." She gently squeezed Ember's hand, she weakly squeezed back.

"But you... you and Storm look completely fine." Ember continued, her eyes were beginning to sparkle.

Kay shrugged trying to hid her blushing face and smile, "Dumb luck. Orion was the one who went to find you all by himself."

"So it was him!" Ember exclaimed sitting up, only to fall into a harsh coughing fit. When it ended, she slowly leaned back down into the soft pillow. She giggled, blushing, "Gee, getting rescued by one of the coolest guys on the ship... Now I really feel like one of those princesses who gets rescued by the cool guy in those old First Empire stories." Her face was bright, but her smile and ears drooped.

Kay frowned slightly and leaned in, concerned, "What's wrong?"

Ember briefly looked at Kay before looking away quickly, "I thought for sure I was... taken right after the first explosion."

Kay shook her head, "We weren't there for the first explosion. We only just arrived right after before the port started splitting in two..."

Ember stared at the ceiling, "Then... maybe I'm crazy..."

"Why? Why do you say that?"

"Someone was in the spaceport... alive and well. They seemed... unharmed by the explosion..." Ember's voice trailed off.

Kay waited silently for her to continue.

"I didn't get a good look at them, but they were aggressive. If they hadn't been in the way of the explosion though, I would've been fried. They grabbed me and I immediately started getting burns and that black ooze stuff all over me." Ember sniffled, "They looked so familiar but... it couldn't be because..." she looked up at Kay, "Because if it were her, that would mean she's come back to life."

"Who... who was it?" 

"Fifi..."

*     *     *

"That's impossible." 

Marcus, Storm, Sylvia, Jacob, Coal, and Kay all sat in an empty room in a circle of chairs. Kay had told them that Ember saw Fifi, who was previously presumed dead and they didn't take it well. Kay remembered her... slightly. She remembered the warm hug when she had woken up as Storm, but that was about it.

"Theoretically..." Sylvia began, "It is possible."

"And just how could that be?" Jacob growled, "Bringing someone back from the dead?"

"That's the thing, she may have actually lived." Sylvia explained, "I've been studying this 'ooze' and it too... is alive but... it acts as if it... doesn't 'belong.'"

"What!?" everyone said together. Storm however remained silent.

"Hear me out now," Sylvia continued, waving her hands about, "This ooze... apparently has the ability to 'possess' things to an extent. However, it can only do this to organic lifeforms." The scientist whipped out a small device. She waved her hand in front of it and a hologram appeared, showing various notes and a small oozing creature. It looked vaguely like a small bug.