Drowning with Fire #3 ✔

Chapter 11 - Ember

For a bizarre moment, I thought I saw an opaque cloud drift through the open window. It crossed the empty room towards me, carrying with it a refreshing breath of air.

I sighed heavily, and the cloud dispersed quickly, chased away. I was starting to recover from the new moon's affects, and I could feel my strength returning to me – along with the urge to get out of the house.

My bedsheets smelt musty, the walls of my room were cracked and peeling, and the smell of salty water penetrated the floorboards, reminding me constantly of my fear of the sea.

Suddenly, it felt like the beige walls were closing in on me – getting closer and closer before crushing me entirely. A tingle of fire and a single thought dashed through my foggy mind: I've got to get out of here.

Pulling back my covers, I slowly got to my feet, before throwing on some new clothes. Not wanting to make myself sick, I kept my movements slow, yet deliberate.

By now, it was approaching evening; it'd been hours since Theo slammed his way out of the house, after having yelled at me, of course. As much as I'd wanted to tell him about the meaning behind the new moon for Thea and I, I couldn't bring myself to do so. Something seemed to be holding me back, forcing me into a subdued silence when all I wanted to do was scream the truth.

But it was hardly like Theo had been being truthful with me lately. He'd seen Kaden on the beach and spoken to him, but hadn't mentioned a word to me about it until he absolutely had to.

It was weirdly ironic; we were trying to work together to help Kaden, but how could we do that if we kept lying to one another?

You're hardly innocent, a small mocking voice reminded me internally as I placed my hand on the door handle.

I snapped my eyes tightly shut, nausea rising inside me. On the night of the full moon, I was supposed to be staying with Wednesday, but she had to go because her grandma had a fall, or something like that.

When I was alone, something had happened.

Something to do with Kaden, maybe Killian; something I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried.

Somehow, I'd recovered faster than Thea, though I wasn't entirely myself yet. My head span as I slowly treaded my way downstairs, until I finally found sanctuary on solid ground.

Ryder was slumped over at the kitchen table, sleeping and snoring slightly. Praying the floorboards didn't squeak, I grabbed a random pen and a scrap of paper, before quickly scrawling a note.

Ryder murmured something in his sleep, and I froze, pen poised against the paper.

"Turn off the light." He groaned, lifted his head up then plonked it back down on the kitchen table and resumed snoring.

As opposed to writing a note directly to Theo, I scrawled a few short lines to the three of them. Despite asking that none of them look for me, it would prove that this request of mine would be entirely ignored.

Whatever had happened with Ka– Killian... the other night, I simply couldn't remember. It was like hours of memory had been removed, erased...eradicated. Before I could face Theo again, I had to figure out the truth.

And I knew just the person to help me out.

~

For as long as pixies have been stealing horses and leading travellers astray, they had also been associated as the keepers of lost items. I'd been catching up on my folklore – both in Svalbard and in Montana after the hunters.

I learnt as much as I could in a short space of time. Yet, I still felt ignorant beside Theo, and Ryder, and Thea. They had all seen and experienced so much whilst I had led a mundane, sheltered life in Lake Oldoy.