catch Zale, so he must have gotten away since I was still standing here of my own accord.
But a storm is coming , the recollection ran through my mind and I bit my lip uncertain of what it could possibly mean.
For the rest of the night I tossed and turned, one hand on the hilt of my dagger and one hand on his note, as though they were lifelines to keep me alive in the world I belonged.
Hours later after my mind slowly drifted away from the fears, and just when my muscles began to relax, sleep finally took me.
3. Embers
Each second passed by like dust suspended in streams of golden sunlight. Individual moments standing out on their own, as though trying to attract my attention. I was at once distracted and focused. My senses heightened to everything around me, while trying desperately to suppress them into a façade which could pass for normal.
I was far from fooling anyone, and my edginess seemed to bother them as well. For once, the house was quiet and calm, everyone keeping to themselves.
I was in the upstairs bathroom running water over my hands, as I held onto some strange hope of Zale coming for me. But logic told me to expect danger. Even though it was almost two months since Bolrock had attacked me, I wasn’t likely to forget the complete desperation which had encompassed me in the moment. I had been helpless and I felt the same way now. In a sense, sitting here waiting left me open and exposed for whatever storm Zale said was headed my way. Shifting my shoulders, I felt the usual stab of pain ripple down my left arm and grimaced.
Downstairs the younger children were playing while the older ones had their homework littered across the table. I had tried to remain with them and help with dinner, but after I dropped a glass bowl onto the kitchen floor and sliced my finger on one of the shattered pieces, Jillian had sent me upstairs to tend to the cut. I had remained in the bathroom sitting on the edge of the tub, playing with the droplets of water whispering over my skin only to fall off my fingertips unceremoniously. I tried to hold the water in my hands, to control it, but it slipped through the cracks of my fingers so easily and without regard for my effort.
Heaving a sigh, I shut the faucet off and stood to grab a bandage from below the sink. When I straightened, I caught my reflection and stared, my lips parting slightly. The girl in the mirror was strained, her face a stranger to me, the seriousness of her mouth and the deep shadows beneath her eyes. Like a candle that had lost its spark, she appeared pale and dull, though her bright hair cascaded down her shoulders and over her chest. She flipped the hair behind her back and I watched as it floated into place in a tantalizing ripple.
A tremor ran through my body when my eyes met their reflection. Maybe it was the darkness in the little bathroom, or the fractured sliver of light from the setting sun catching their color, but my eyes stood out sharply. It was hard to look away from the bright blue-green orbs seeming to float in the face of an otherwise plain girl. She stared at me. I stared back.
I left the room and hurried to change into a fresh pair of jeans and a clean shirt. Throwing my jacket on over the simple outfit, I resisted the temptation to check the mirror again.
“Jillian,” I called walking down the stairs. I fumbled with the zipper on the jacket. “I’m headed out, I’ll be back later.”
“Okay,” she said, not even turning around from her spot along the kitchen counter. “Are you sure you don’t need to take anything with you?”
“No, Jonathan said they’ve got it covered.”
“All right then,” she glanced my way. “Have fun.”
“I will.” I tried to ignore the relief in her voice, my apparent worry was making her nervous as well. Maybe it was a good thing Jonathan had asked me to join my
But a storm is coming , the recollection ran through my mind and I bit my lip uncertain of what it could possibly mean.
For the rest of the night I tossed and turned, one hand on the hilt of my dagger and one hand on his note, as though they were lifelines to keep me alive in the world I belonged.
Hours later after my mind slowly drifted away from the fears, and just when my muscles began to relax, sleep finally took me.
3. Embers
Each second passed by like dust suspended in streams of golden sunlight. Individual moments standing out on their own, as though trying to attract my attention. I was at once distracted and focused. My senses heightened to everything around me, while trying desperately to suppress them into a façade which could pass for normal.
I was far from fooling anyone, and my edginess seemed to bother them as well. For once, the house was quiet and calm, everyone keeping to themselves.
I was in the upstairs bathroom running water over my hands, as I held onto some strange hope of Zale coming for me. But logic told me to expect danger. Even though it was almost two months since Bolrock had attacked me, I wasn’t likely to forget the complete desperation which had encompassed me in the moment. I had been helpless and I felt the same way now. In a sense, sitting here waiting left me open and exposed for whatever storm Zale said was headed my way. Shifting my shoulders, I felt the usual stab of pain ripple down my left arm and grimaced.
Downstairs the younger children were playing while the older ones had their homework littered across the table. I had tried to remain with them and help with dinner, but after I dropped a glass bowl onto the kitchen floor and sliced my finger on one of the shattered pieces, Jillian had sent me upstairs to tend to the cut. I had remained in the bathroom sitting on the edge of the tub, playing with the droplets of water whispering over my skin only to fall off my fingertips unceremoniously. I tried to hold the water in my hands, to control it, but it slipped through the cracks of my fingers so easily and without regard for my effort.
Heaving a sigh, I shut the faucet off and stood to grab a bandage from below the sink. When I straightened, I caught my reflection and stared, my lips parting slightly. The girl in the mirror was strained, her face a stranger to me, the seriousness of her mouth and the deep shadows beneath her eyes. Like a candle that had lost its spark, she appeared pale and dull, though her bright hair cascaded down her shoulders and over her chest. She flipped the hair behind her back and I watched as it floated into place in a tantalizing ripple.
A tremor ran through my body when my eyes met their reflection. Maybe it was the darkness in the little bathroom, or the fractured sliver of light from the setting sun catching their color, but my eyes stood out sharply. It was hard to look away from the bright blue-green orbs seeming to float in the face of an otherwise plain girl. She stared at me. I stared back.
I left the room and hurried to change into a fresh pair of jeans and a clean shirt. Throwing my jacket on over the simple outfit, I resisted the temptation to check the mirror again.
“Jillian,” I called walking down the stairs. I fumbled with the zipper on the jacket. “I’m headed out, I’ll be back later.”
“Okay,” she said, not even turning around from her spot along the kitchen counter. “Are you sure you don’t need to take anything with you?”
“No, Jonathan said they’ve got it covered.”
“All right then,” she glanced my way. “Have fun.”
“I will.” I tried to ignore the relief in her voice, my apparent worry was making her nervous as well. Maybe it was a good thing Jonathan had asked me to join my
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