Hello everyone!
I hope you are all salivating in anticipation of today’s episode. I know I am. I can’t wait to see what will happen when the guys find Misty (Elle) up and about!
That’s why I am not going to give you much of an intro here (Not entirely true, because I know what’s going to happen, but pretty much because I couldn’t think of anything profound or thought-provoking today, and I’m too lazy to go looking.)
So here you go, just - boom! Enjoy!
INDEX | Chapter 5 | Scenes 1 & 2 | Scenes 3 & 4 | Next Scene →
Previously… Misty is awake at last, practicing forms (like tai-chi) in the dark. After how many years? Phew! The big question now is, what now? How will she react when she finds the guys this time, and more importantly, what will the guys do once they find her up and about?
I stand in front of the door, facing a dark rectangle outlined by white light. It begs me to open up and explore. I reach out and grasp the handle and blink, a surge of guilt almost paralyzing me. Back home, I would have been flayed for leaving my cell unattended, and afterward, some poor girl would lose her skin for them to put me back together. You're not there anymore. I remind myself and force down the irrational panic. Beyond their reach. I smile and turn the knob.
The light blinds me at first, but once my eyes adjust, not far off to my right, I see steps leading away, up and down. To my left, at the end of a long, wide hallway is a pair of heavy double doors, slightly ajar, and a thick shaggy rug leads my feet straight towards them. My eyes are drawn to the patterned walls, as I walk. The printed flowers and vines, half hidden behind framed portraits of people who all look a little like Luke in some way. There are seven doors besides mine and the big ones at the end, and all the rooms in between are empty.
I pad over lightly and reach the double doors that seem at least a half-pace taller than they need to be. The wood is dark and heavy. The carved flowers and vines that so beautifully match the wallpaper, feel almost alive beneath my fingertips as I push, and it slowly opens into a small gym.
Various weights and training weapons line the grey walls. The flat plain plaster is a little disappointing compared to the pretty wallpaper outside. There is a dark blue mat in the center and some machinery across from a sparring ring, two pairs of high bars, and a small rectangular pool at the end.
I hesitate for a few heartbeats, then run and dive dress and all, headfirst into the cool water. It feels amazing. I move my oddly long arms and legs, easily finding a comfortable rhythm and reaching the other side far too soon. A somersault turns me around, back the way I came. I stay under the water, doing it over and over until my lungs burn and sparks dance before my eyes, then finally drag myself dripping onto the edge, and gasp when I see the far wall has changed from a black mirror to a wide window revealing a brilliant orange and blue sky, dotted with wisps of pink cloud. My feet take me closer all on their own.
The landscape is stunning, beauty I have never seen before. There’s a wide sweeping lawn with an elaborate gazebo in the middle and a little stony path that leads off to the left, right up to a forest of the tallest trees I have ever seen. The angle is very wide, and they are far away, but it looks like their tops brush the sky. I wish I could get closer. I press my wet hands up against the warm forcefielded glass, marveling at the trees’ sheer size and beauty, and follow the line, as it stretches all the way around, a wall up along the horizon and away down the other side as well. This house is actually surrounded by them, like an island in a sea of the tallest of trees. I wonder if they will ever let me see how far it goes, until an approaching energy signal catches my attention. Somebody is coming.
I awoke this morning, like any other, half an hour or so before dawn, rolled out of bed and into a pair of swimming trunks, grabbed a protein bar from my stash, and headed off to the gym to start my day. I walked the half-lit stairwell and hallway, past the recreated paintings of Luke's great uncles, cousins and grandparents without a second glance, anticipating the feeling of endorphin-laced blood pumping through my veins. Not for a second did I imagine it would be any different from yesterday or any other day.
As I shoulder the double doors open, gulp down the last bite of my breakfast, and toss the wrapper into the trash can in the corner, I contemplate the coolness of the swimming pool and how good it will feel to slice through the water and rise to see the sky lightening as the sun comes up over the horizon. Luke's redesign of the gym, all those years ago, to orient the windows eastwards was a stroke of genius.
I turn into position, just about ready to take the plunge, when something catches my eye. A puddle of water on the tiled edge and a set of small footprints. For some reason, it stops me in my tracks. No one else is ever up this early. The staff don't use the pool, and no one else in the house could possibly have...
I bend down to inspect the fresh defined edges. They are small, and whoever it is has a narrow gait. The prints are light like the one who made them is light on their feet. The toes are turned out, just a little, like a dancer's. I wonder…
Then I look up and notice something. Right near the window, silhouetted against a sky tinted with all the shades of sunrise are a pair of small wet feet, and thin, milky white legs, with a black braid nearly touching the floor beside them.
My heart skips a beat.
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re enjoying reading along with my Bottled Embers.
Next time… Now that Logan has found Elle in the gym, fresh out of the pool. What will he do and how will she react?
As always, the easiest way to ensure you don’t miss the next installment is to,
for FREE! Also, I promise I would genuinely LOVE to know what you think so far, please feel free to
or better yet, if you want to show a girl some extra love, and support this project,
Until next time. 👋🏻
If I was caught up and reading this when it just came out, I would be begging you to give us more!
Thanks for the restack Scritchbeat!