Hello hello hello!
It’s me again with - guess what?! A brand new chapter!
Tom and Logan are all made up after Cathy inexplicably dropped Tom like a hot potato (why, is between Cathy and Tom - mind your own business.) And Luke is back to light duty with the PG.
It’s been so, so long since we last saw a certain young lady, and I thought it was time to catch you up with what goes on in a person’s head when they are in a coma after exploding.
So here are the new graphics, starting with (choral ‘aah’) -
Misty.
Index: Chapter 4 | Scene 1 | Next Scene → coming soon…
Previously…Coming home from a rough night, Logan confronts Tom for hooking up with Cathy. Months pass and all is going well then she breaks up abruptly. Logan, feeling sorry for himself goes to visit his favorite cousin and something happens.
Chapter 4
Kayten snatches my Maxillian horse figurine. It is the blue one with the little wings that Mommy gave me. I jump up to try and grab it but she holds it too high. Anger burns inside me. I push her over. She cries, but she won't let it go.
"You are so mean!" I whine, my hands tightly closed. I want to hit her, but I know I will be in big trouble if I do.
"Come take it!" She says in a nasty way, holding it high again. There are still tears in her eyes. I sit down, my own tears brimming.
"You'll break it!" I sob and then cry out as she snaps off one of the wings, holding it up by the point.
"Oops!" she says spitefully and shows me her teeth as she snaps off a leg. She holds the next one between her fingers and sneers at me. My heart burns. I start to shake as I feel my hot energy welling up. I take deep breaths trying to stop it but it flows to my hands. I look down and see them glowing.
Then Father comes into my room. He yells at Kayten to give my toy to him and says she has to go play outside. I sniffle and my bottom lip quivers, while he cradles the broken pieces in his strong hands. He looks sad when he puts them in mine and the glow goes away.
Then I feel James inside my head. He makes one of Father's hands fall off. Bright red blood sprays from his arm all over me. I scream.
* * *
I sit on the hard wooden chair and watch as Mommy fills the piping bag, twists it closed and snips off the tip. Kayten gets to hold it first, and I crane my neck to see. A blob of sweet icing drips off the end, plopping onto the table. I wish I could lick it up.
Mommy wipes it away quickly, but I can still smell the sweetness. Kayten squeezes the bag and more icing comes out, coating the cookie that's too far away for me to reach. Her squiggly lines go all over one another and dribble down the sides. I laugh at how funny it looks. Mommy lets me sprinkle some glittery sugar on top.
"Well, now," says Mommy, "It's the prettiest cookie I have ever seen." Her eyes sparkle just like the sugar.
Then James makes Mommy's face change. Blood drips from her nose and a cut on her cheek. Her eyes glitter with red tears, her mouth twists.
* * *
Stop! Please make it stop! Make it go away!
James. I feel my tongue press against the roof of my mouth then drop away as my lips form the word, the vibration in my vocal chords as the air flows through them, but the sound does not follow.
* * *
The glass is cool and smooth against my clenched fists. My hands flatten slightly as I beat against it with all my might but it doesn't break. Father's breath gurgles in his throat as he chokes on his own blood. The sound makes me feel sick.
I have to go to him, to save him. Father's eyes bulge out. He is clawing at the slash across his throat and chest. I cannot breathe. Kayten's red hands clutch the sword. She sobs, tears running down her face cutting lines in the spatterings of our father's blood. I can taste the vomit as it rises in my throat.
* * *
The pain is intense today, but it doesn't matter. I smile and push it aside as I stretch out my muscles before jumping up to the lowest bar.
Teag will be watching, I have to be perfect.
James, please. Let this end.
* * *
It is peaceful here. The bright suns' light is warm and the air is clean and fresh. There are so many flowers. Kayten would love a wreath. I will make two, a red one for her, and a yellow for me, to match my pretty dress. I giggle as I twirl. I love the way the skirt opens out. I pick the flowers as I walk. Red and yellow, red and yellow. As many as I can carry. I find a tree, sit down in the shade on the soft grass, and get to work.
When the red wreath is finished, I start on the yellow one. I nearly have it half-way when I hear something behind me. There is a man with curling black hair walking away across the field. He looks like Father. I drop my wreathes and call out to him but he is too far away to hear me. I run, trying to catch up but he fades into the light.
Father! Why are you leaving me behind?
Three years later.
It is late November and the biting wind and cold are becoming increasingly aggravating. I hate the treadmill, but it's better than braving the freezing outdoors.
I learned this, lucrative, but not particularly interesting summer, fighting small fry on the underground circuit that Tom is the only person on this planet who can challenge me in the sparring ring. He left this morning for a martial arts tournament on the other side of the world with his first group of ‘students,’ and boredom doesn't suit me.
After a quick, hot shower, I decide to seek out Luke. I haven't really seen him much lately. He's been busy, obsessing. I remind myself that his single-minded fixation is one of the quirks that make him so brilliant, and rather than walking the halls, I search for his energy signature.
He seems highly agitated, near-frantic. Whatever it is that's been occupying him, must be serious.
Sensing Luke close by, in Elle's room, I make my way there feeling slightly concerned and realizing, a little sadly, that I haven't visited her in ages.
When I get there, Luke’s nervous energy starts to make sense. He is bustling between a sea of monitoring equipment and medical supplies, scurrying back and forth, scratching his head, muttering to himself, He doesn't seem to notice me, even when I greet him.
As I approach Elle's bedside, I notice a profound change in her. She is taller which makes sense, but her once-toned muscles have wasted away, and her usually milky skin, now has visible blue-green veins. Even her long black braid has lost its rich luster. Her hand feels cool and lifeless in mine and I frown, searching for her energy signature. It's barely there.
"Ah, Logan!" Luke exclaims when he sees me at last. His eyes glint with manic intensity, surprisingly alert for someone who, knowing him, hasn't slept since he began work on this project. "Hand me that case over there quickly, please," pointing to a hypospray on one of the many wheeled cabinets that line the eastern wall beneath the wide window. I smile at the irony as I grab the case and pass it him and he calibrates the dosage with a steady hand, totally focused and almost forgetting about me again.
I wonder, guiltily, if I should have told Luke about my vision of little Elle, weaving flower wreaths under a spreading tree in the light of Telera's three suns. She was happy, at peace. After all the pain leading up to the accident, I thought it was better to leave her be, but looking at her now I'm not so sure.
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re enjoying following along with my Bottled Embers!
Next time… Three years have passed since we last saw our favorite characters, and now for some unknown reason, Elle seems to be losing her immaculate physique. Luke is convinced all she has to do is wake up, but her time is running out. Will he be able to save her before it is too late?
As always, the easiest way to ensure you don’t miss the next installment is to,
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or better yet, if you want to show a girl some extra love, and support this project,
Until next time. 👋🏻
Another fascinating episode! With a 3 year time jump, Elle/Misty is like 15 now?
On a personal note, for a day that started with not a lot I was looking for to, my inbox runneth over with offerings. And with my first read being some Embers, I am off and running! Wow, would I like to know what your listening choice was while in this creative zone. A little bit of almost every genre (horror having a prominent place) layered in here with oh so many threads to look forward to the pulling of. And then there are the new characters to get to know... the good, the bad and the ugly with apologies to Clint Eastwood! And that just seems to be in Misty's head... Interesting that Logan has been off in his own little world for quite a while leaving Elle vegging on her own. That's after having a rather unique experience with her. Disappointed in the boy! All in all looks to be some excellent reading this Fall if this is a sample of coming attractions!