Fighting with Fire #2 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖 - 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫

It appeared later on that I fainted — totally blacked out — and fell right into Theo's arms, who managed to catch me before I hit the hard, wooden floorboards. That surprised me; I wouldn't have been too shocked if he let me crash to the ground. After all, he did hate my guts.

For a week after I fainted, I was in some sort of weird state of trance. I still went to school and did all my classes, I even managed not to get another detention. But I became distant and detached from reality as if nothing mattered.

Abi kept me going, making sure that I ate, even if she had to feed me herself, and making sure that I washed, even if she had to wash me herself. And keeping me sane, she would talk to me when no one else would, even if I didn't respond. For that week, I slept in Abi's room — probably because no one else could deal with a borderline catatonic teenage girl.

I was still conscious, though it felt like I was in a constant state of daydreaming.

Though I would've much preferred to stay in a daydream world considering the way that I got dragged out of it. I know that he never meant to hurt me, only shock me out of it, but when Theo came at me with his claws, it terrified me.

There I was, sitting convalescing on the deck in the afternoon sunshine, wrapped up in a blanket because I still couldn't get warm, and then Theo just showed up from nowhere.

Admittedly, he did try to talk to me before coming at me, though he didn't talk for very long. I think he asked how I was feeling and if I needed anything, in that soft, cautious voice that people use when they're either talking to a gravestone or someone they think deserves to be in a mental asylum.

Of course, I didn't respond, because I kind of couldn't. Abi wasn't around to protect me either; she was getting a few hours of rest by herself before continuing to look after me. She barely slept through the night when she was taking care of me. My night terrors had returned, and worse than they'd ever been before.

The only time that I spoke with full coherency was when I was screaming my head off whilst asleep.

How I got through school that week, I don't know.

"Hey, Ember." Theo sat down. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

I kept on staring into the distance, numbness freezing up my veins.

"Ember," Theo addressed me again, "I'm gonna try something to get you out of this..." His hand gestured to my body. "This state. Are you okay with that?"

Why does this feel like non-voluntary euthanasia? Oh yeah, because it basically is.

He shuffled closer to me and flicked his claws out. "I don't want to hurt you Ember, so if you're still in there: please move, or do something."

Wow, maybe I should be comatose more often — that way he actually cares about me. Shit, what am I even thinking? I'm not thinking and that's the problem. Pain is not him caring about me.

Wake up, Ember. Wake the hell up, right now.

Theo peeled the blanket off me and he was so close to me that if I hadn't been the way I was, I probably would've kissed him.

"Theo! What the hell are you doing to her?!" Abi's voice shrilled through the house, and she came running.

Abi, please get here quickly before he hurts me...

"I'm sorry," Theo whispered in my ear, placing his hand on my right knee before sinking his claws deep into my left forearm.

The pain took a few seconds to hit me, and when it did hit me it hit me hard.