Elemental Ascension (Fire)

Chapter 1

It was around 6am in the morning when I turned the key in the lock and opened the door as slowly as I could. My mother would probably still be asleep and I did not want to wake her up. She needed all the sleep she could get before her work day started.

I turned around to close it when I realised I have stepped on a letter. 

"Isn't it too early for post to be delivered?" I thought to myself as I closed the door and picked up the dark red envelope that lay on the floor. 

Selene Tempest

My name and that's all. I frowned as I turned the envelope on all sides triying to think who would send me such a thing when there are phones and internet. I was curious, no doubt, but first I had to take a shower and change into other clothes. My night shift at the convenience store was way too long and in a few hours I would start my other shift at the coffee shop. I had to get ready before doing anything else.

After I graduated high school with a decent score, I applied for a university that was close to home. Thankfully I got accepted, but the new semester would start only in October, so in the meantime I decided to work my ass off and earn as much money as possible. 

It was during my last year of high school that I had decided to take two part-time jobs and start saving money. My goal was to continue these jobs through university and then start a nice job somewhere in the city. I didn't know exactly what kind of job I wanted to do, but my mother suggested I study business, so I enrolled for the Business Administration course. I had already become a weekend shift leader at the coffee shop, and the convenience store manager promised me to train me as a manager in the near future. My mother was proud of me, my grandmothers was proud of me, my managers were proud of me, heck, even my teacher at high school were proud of me. And yet, I felt nothing. 

I sighed as I put my backpack down next to my bed and the letter on my desk, before grabbing my clothes for the coffee shop and heading towards the bathroom. My mother's alarm would ring around 7am, so I only had an hour to take a shower and do my skincare before she would have to use the bathroom as well. 

I jumped into the shower and as the warm water started coming down, my body relaxed, but my mind kept moving as I started to calculate how many days I would have to do this until university started. Working 5 days a week night shifts at the convenience store and 5 days a week random shifts at the coffee shop was a lot to take in. Then at the end of September I would received my timetable for my classes and I would have to change things around. But if I wanted the money I could not cut the shifts. The pay was not that great and even though I was promised a raise at both jobs that has yet to happen. 

I sighed and quickly washed myself before turning the water off and drying myself with a towel. After dressing up and doing my skincare I braided my brown hair in a bun that I secured together with a lot of hair pins. It was too early in the morning to use the hair dryer, and besided, I liked my hair drying out naturally. 

As I was about to finish securing my hair I heard my mom's alarm go on for a few seconds before she turned it off. I got out of the bathroom and greeted her as she just opened her bedroom's door.

"Morning, coffee?" I asked smiling.

"Mor...ning..." she answered yawning. "And yes, please."

I was already pressing the button of the coffee machine as she went into the bathroom. While the coffee was getting ready I opened the fridge and started preparing some breakfast. I knew my mom would not eat as she was not a fan of breakfast, but I would still make a sandwich for her and throw it in her bag before she would leave.

"You are an angel, you know that?" my mother said as she left the bathroom and came to take a sip of the coffee.

"Of course I do" I answered before she gave me a peck on my cheek.

"How was the night shift?" 

I shrugged. 

"The same as usual. Nothing special happened."

"Are you going to the coffee shop today or do you have a rest day?" she asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"No rest day until Thursday. I am off that day from both jobs."

"Please be careful, sweetie"

"Yes, mom"

I know she was worried, but we talked about it already. If she wanted me to be independend, they I had to do something about it. Not to mention that if I had not gotten these jobs and stayed at home doing nothing she would have complained to me and everyone she knew.

No matter how nice my mother was and how well our relationship seemed to be, it wasn't always like that. I learned a long time ago that the best way to please her is to do as she expects, nothing less, nothing more. 

As a child I used to be really blunt, straight-forward and clingly. I did not like to be separated from her or be left alone and I saw how much she hated that, so as I grew older I tried to become more independent, but I was still blunt and I could see she did not like that, so I stopped that as well. I learned to keep everything inside me and not voice my opinions. What was the point anyway if all I would get back are looks of dissaprovement and slaps on the face.

My mother had just finished taking a shower and getting dressed before coming to pick up the rest of the coffee and drinking it slowly next to me. I had also finished my breakfast and was about to dig in when I noticed her looking at me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, but I knew already from her look that that was not the case.

"No. Just happy." 

Her eyes beamed of an emotion I saw more often in these past years: proudness.

I gave her a smile before digging into my eggs and toast. 

How easy it was to please her when I did what she expected of me and how easy she forgot all of those days when we would come home and she would start screaming at me for saying something I should not have said or for hitting me for not going somewhere alone.

How easy it was for her to forget all that and how difficult it was for me to forget.

"Alright then! I am going. I will see you in the afternoon? Let's maybe get some pizza tonight?"

"That sounds great. Good luck today."

"Thank you"

She gave me a small kiss on the head before taking her bag, the sandwich already in, and leaving the small flat we called home. 

I looked at the time on my phone. 7.50am. My shift would start around 9am, so I still had some time. I quickly ate the breakfast and cleaned up before heading into my room and dropping unto my bed setting an alarm for 8:45.

Sleep was something I loved and I always tried to get it when I could and when I knew my mom would not be home. As I closed my eyes I started dreaming. Dreaming of a world in which I did not have to please anyone or anybody. It was just me, travelling around the world and I was happy. 

Happy and myself.

When the alarm rang later, I did not feel that I rested enough, but that was my life. I quickly took my back pack from where I left it on the floor and left the apartment going towards the coffee shop that was just a few minutes away. 

My week had just started and I forgot completely about the dark-red envelope, until I came home that afternoon and my world began to change.