The next day, Ember was woken up for school by her aunt "Ughh just five more minutes please" Ember groaned as she put the bed covers over her head.
Aunt Leah pulled the covers and threw them to the other side of the bed "Not another minute Ember, I'm going down to make breakfast and when I come back I wanna see you up and ready and dressed for school" aunt Leah said as she shut the door.
Ember grumpily went up to take a shower and got dressed for school. She wore one of her favorite t-shirts and her best pair of jeans. She wanted to look good today, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew it was because of Elijah.
Ember went downstairs and found her aunt already setting the table. She kissed her cheek and sat down to eat.
"You look really good today" Aunt Leah said and playfully gave Ember a wink. "Oh…oh no it's not what you think" Ember said.
"Yeah, right. so you just decided to wear your favorite pair of jeans on a random school tuesday come on tell me, is it a boy? or a girl…i won't judge?" Aunt Leah said.
Ember rolled her eyes playfully "Well…yeah…it's a boy" She said "Ha, i knew it….so who is he? Is he new? Is he cute?" Aunt Leah said teasingly. "Yeah he's new, and cute haha"
Aunt Leah left the counter and went to sit across Ember "Ohh and?"
"Well he's also kind of strange…I don't know but he has the prettiest green eyes and his name is Elijah"
Aunt Leah turned pale after hearing Ember's words "Green eyes, and you said his name is Elijah?" "Yeah, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost haha"
Ember said as she stuffed waffles in her mouth. "More like a warlock" aunt Leah muttered under her breath. "What was that? hello…earth to Leah" Ember said to aunt Leah who was lost in thought. "Oh I'm sorry I must have zoned off" Leah replied
"Okay you're being weird now but I have to go or else I'll miss the first period"-more like miss the chance to talk to Elijah. Ember placed her plate in the sink then kissed her aunt before walking to the door.
"Wait ! Be careful sweetie and if there's any problem or you're in trouble, call me immediately okay?" Ember nodded and walked out the door wondering why her aunt was acting so weird.
Once again, she found herself hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious guy with the yellow eyes. But he was nowhere to be found, and she felt a pang of disappointment, again, unsure why she felt that way, she brushed it off and hurried to school.
At school, she met up with Mia, who was bubbling with excitement about her upcoming birthday. "Oh my gosh, Ember, I'm so excited! We're gonna throw a huge party this weekend. Omg it's gonna be the best."
"Woah slow down there Mia, I thought it would be just you, me and my aunt?"
"Ugh, as if" Mia scoffed. "Relax, It's just gonna be a few of my other friends, nothing too crazy I promise"
Ember smiled, trying to share her friend's enthusiasm. Sometimes she wondered how they were even best friends.
But Ember's attention was diverted when she noticed Elijah wasn't in their first-period class.
He walked in late for the second period, and the room fell silent as everyone stared at him. His hair seemed darker, and his green eyes blazed like flames. He took his seat at the back, his presence commanding attention without a word.
As the bell rang for recess, Ember mustered the courage to approach Elijah before he could leave. "Hey," she said, trying to sound casual.
But when she stood before him, she was lost for words. For the first time, Elijah spoke, his low, deep voice sending a warm tingle through her. "What's wrong, Ember?"
Ember's heart skipped a beat. "How do….you know my name?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Elijah just smirked and walked away, leaving her frozen in place. "I know a lot more than you can think off, Ember" he said over his shoulder, his words leaving her with more questions than answers.
What did he mean by that?
As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Ember gathered her belongings and headed out to the parking lot. She was lost in thought, replaying her encounter with Elijah in her mind, when she saw a familiar figure waiting by the car.
Her aunt, Leah, stood leaning against the driver's side door, her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. Ember's heart skipped a beat as she felt a surge of surprise and worry.
"Aunt Leah? What are you doing here?" Ember asked, trying to sound calm.
Leah quickly changed her facial expression and pushed off from the car walking off to Ember with a smile . "Hey sweetie, I wanted to take you shopping for your party" she said, her eyes skillfully scanning the school premises. "Really?"
"Yeah, now come on let's go" Ember got into the car and her aunt followed. "How was school ? Oh and that little boy of yours" Leah said teasingly
"It was good" Ember replied, not wanting to tell her aunt about what truly happened. "Just good? did something happen" Leah asked. "No nothing happened, I'm just tired that's all"
As they drove to the mall, Ember couldn't shake off the feeling that her aunt was hiding something. "Aunt Leah, what's going on? You're acting really weird today," Ember said, trying to sound casual.
Leah's smile faltered for a moment before she regained her composure. "I'm just worried about you, sweetie. You're getting older, and there are things in this world that you don't understand yet."
Ember raised an eyebrow. "What kind of things?" Leah hesitated before responding, "Let's just say that Elijah isn't like other boys. He's...different. And I don't want you getting hurt."
Ember's curiosity was piqued. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" Leah sighed, glancing in the rearview mirror as if she feared being overheard. "I'll tell you everything soon, Ember. But for now, let's just focus on having a good time, okay?"
Ember nodded, but her mind was racing with questions. What was her aunt hiding? And what was so special about Elijah's green eyes? This was killing her.
As they arrived at the mall, Ember tried to push aside her concerns and enjoy the shopping trip with her aunt. But she couldn't ignore the feeling that her life was about to change forever.
That night, Ember's has a strange dream. She found herself in the woods, draped in a lacey white dress that seemed like a wedding dress, under the full moon. The trees whispered secrets, and a soft glow drew her closer.
There was a light in the distance, she walked towards it. As she approached, two figures emerged from the shadows; Elijah, with his piercing green eyes, and Luca, the mysterious guy with yellow eyes that shone like golden lanterns.
Elijah and Luca stood before her, reaching out their hands to her. But as she stepped forward, the ground beneath her feet began to swirl like twist, like living quicksand. It pulled her down, silencing her cries. Leah woke up with a start, her heart racing.
The dream lingered, haunting her. And when she went back to school, Elijah was nowhere to be found. He didn't show up in school the entire week.
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