Elite (on hold)

Chapter II : Afterglow

A new day had begun. The sun was rising, painting the sky a multitude of warm colours and reflecting off everything below it. The golden rays of light bled through the fluffy white clouds. The forest appeared to be burning, the light hitting the red leaves in a destructively beautiful manor.

Blaze woke on the balcony beside Kade. The scenery reminded her of the first time she had been here. She and Kade had gone exploring and found this spot. Their parents had finally let them go out alone. To this day, they still believe it was a date despite the kids' complaints that they could ever even think that.

Blaze sat in peace for a few minutes before shaking Kade awake—it took some effort, he was a heavy sleeper, but she managed it. He tried to slap her for disturbing him, but she easily dodged due to his half-conscious state. She poked his nose to irritate him further.

"Idiot, I'm leaving," she said. "Meet me here at sunset."

Kade groaned. "Why?"

"It's your birthday and I wanna do something fun." She kicked his side before getting up to leave. "See you later!"

Blaze quickly jumped off the open balcony onto the roof a few feet below. She made her way back home, following the same path she and Kade had taken the night before and nearly every night before that as well.

It only took her about fifteen minutes to arrive at her apartment building. It blended in with the other tightly-packed, rundown structures in the area. While most buildings in The District were one or two stories tall, these were four and five.

Blaze ran right into the apartment building through the hole where a door had been pulled from its hinges, probably stolen at some point. The old metal stairs creaked under her feet as she ran up them. She wasn't in any particular rush, she just wanted to see her mom before going out hunting. She had to head back out within an hour if she hoped to catch anything.

The teen reached her floor within seconds. She didn't even have the time to walk through the door before her mother, Rynn, ran up to her.

"Blaze! Where have you been?" She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, then cupped her face and turned it to each side, examining it. "I've been worried."

She finished her inspection oddly enough with a close look at her hands, checking her fingers for any type of damage.

"With Kade, like I am almost all the time?" Blaze answered her mother's question with confusion.

"You need to tell me where you're going!"

"I didn't think it was a big deal, I'm sorry," she apologized. "Why does it matter so much all of a sudden?"

"I—" She paused. "I just need to know you're safe."

"I'm fine."

"Good." She nodded. "Good."

"Are you okay?" Blaze asked. Rynn's behaviour was odd to the girl. She would sometimes go days without coming home and her mother was never worried unless she was hurt.

"Okay?" Rynn was surprised by her daughter's concern. "Of course. I'm fine."

"Good."

Blaze walked to the hook she kept her bag on and grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows. It was a gift from an old friend for her sixteenth birthday.