I See Fire

My heart was torn and burnt by your gaze and with your hands, you took my willing handed over heart to you and with your stern gaze burned the paper. I wish you were gone from my memory.

-----

The next morning was as great as the one before, I woke up, talked to the assistant that helped me out having a nice sweet conversation before I headed off to the music place. Except perhaps my great mood was not entirely in common with everyone.

Screams echoed throughout the house, her hair was messy, her lips parted in a pant, her eyes filled with bits of tears, eyes wide open staring in front of her as if she was eye to eye with a ghost. Her blonde hair was sticking out in multiple different directions, it swayed softly as she turned her head towards the mirror that was a few feet away.

"G-go--" her assistant tried but she didn't hear her voice. The blond got up and walked over to the mirror, staring into her own reflection. Her lip quivered, whilst her eye gently twitched as her hands were tightly grasped around the frame of the mirror, shaking. Her breath was slower, her eyes were not filled with fear any longer, but deep sadness. They were filled with wonder, she blinked once, making a tear slide down her cheek and drop on to the floor with a barely audible 'drip' sound.

"Who..am I?" her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. Her hands fell limply from the mirror to her sides, as she fell down to the floor weakly, clasping her arms around her. She then put her arms out in front of herself and look down at them, opening up her palms and glancing at them, seeing flashes of blood on her hands. She looked in to the mirror, and that's when sounds rang through her ears.

--

Water. That was where the blonde beauty lived. She would spend her days scooping up flowers which have their end near, they grew underwater. When she finished collecting them she would swim happily over to her sisters, and friends with a basket in her arms and give them the flowers, putting it in their hair making them coo in approval. She smiled as one of her younger sisters tucked away a stand before putting a blue flower in her hair. "Ember, you're so pretty, I hope I live to become someone as amazing as you!" she cheered happily, a sparkle in her eyes. She laughed in return and put her hand against her sisters cheek.

"I'm positive you'll live to become someone better than me," she spoke softly making her sister smile happily. A smile that was almost as bright as the sun, almost.

"Just don't become one of those petty and horrible mermaids, gosh, they disgust me with how rude they are!" one of the other sisters groaned and the others nodded in approval. Ember chuckled along with them in approval before her attention was caught by the setting suns rays in the water. She gasped, a few bubbles coming from her mouth.

"Hey, I need to go, pleaseee cover for me!" Ember slapped her hands together, earning an eye roll from her sisters as a grin spread across her lips and she swam away. She poked her head out just slightly enough for her eyes to peek out. She swam closer to the dry bridge and gently set her hands down on the bridge pulled herself up slightly. She then heard footsteps and she hid away before her eyes were met with blue ones, that instantly turned pink around the rims. A smile spread to the blondes lips.

"I've missed you," the black haired girl spoke with upbeat. The blonde scoffed and reached her hand up to her and wiped away the blood stains around her lips.

"I can tell as you didn't even bother taking time to wipe off that nasty human blood, in front of a water spirit too. How disrespectful," she mocked with a smile around her lips. She then started bringing her hand back but it was tightly grasped by the other. The blonde gasped as the girl on the bridge pulled her up. The blondes smile faltered as anxiety was swept to her features, realizing her tail was out in the open. The black haired feline didn't care for that moment, as she placed her hand carefully on the spirits cheek. She pulled herself closer and captured the lips of the blondes.

A gunshot was what sent them flying away from each other. Blue with pink eyes turned red, with murder. Ember dove back in to the water from fear. She held out her hands and then turned her head, trying to find if the gunshot had hit her. She then peeked out once again to see her girl on the bridge with her fangs showing, her eyes glowing as humans charged at her. One child stopped and pointed at me, my eyes went wide.

"Look there! It's a mermaid!" no, no, no. I'm not a mermaid. She panicked, red eyes snapped towards me with fear, a frame of orange appearing around in red eyes.

"Go." the black haired girl whispered. She hesitated too long to get away, as a net was thrown over her, making her get entangled in it. It was a net obviously designed for tailed people, like herself. Before long, she saw black hair and fangs going up against the net.

"No, Eden, stop!" she yelped, the material of the net gave her cuts, it was designed for mermaids, cruel creatures, not for fragile water spirits skin.

"Fuck!"

Water around them turned red, red with blood, everywhere was blood.

----

"..Ember..?" her voice quivered. The girl around her hurried over to the fallen blonde.

"Please get up, you need to head out, this was your punishment--" the assistant attempted.

"Don't you dare touch me!" she screamed and shoved off the women beside her, forgetting for that moment her pain infliction issue. The assistant fell back and yelped in pain, fear growing in her eyes before it was replaced with a dark look.

"If you don't want to listen nicely, we'll just how to play along with it then, is that what you want, Ember?" her voice was dark. The blonde shut her eyes and shook her head, shaking with fear.

--

"Morning Eden!" Kai sung happily, I turned in his direction and scurried over in his direction to greet him. Before long Nixon showed up as well.

"Hey whats up motherfu--" he was instantly met with a kick in the leg, from well, me. I sent him a sweet smile, whilst receiving a glare.

"What are you trying to initiate here, war perhaps?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips at the last part. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, then meeting his eye.

"Oh please, even if I did, we both know I'd win," I raised an eyebrow glancing at him, he seemed to enjoy this as he leaned towards me with his smirk.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure I would win, you have no idea how many tricks I have up my sleeves," he chuckled. A long sigh was heard from Kai.

"Okay, I don't mean to interfere, but obviously I would most definitely win, both of you at the same time with even trying," Kai's voice was prideful and held no hint of weakness.

"Bring it on then! Here are the rules, you write your own song before sunset and we'll ask someone from inside to judge whose is better!" I yelled pridefully receiving an approving nod from both.

"I'm in,"

"Me too,"

"Let the best win, even though the winner is predetermined!"

The two were about to attack, but the three noticed the blonde coming up to the building.

"Hey Ember!" I waved over, she glanced over at us. My smile faltered as I noticed the dark circles under her eyes, she walked over with a forced smile. I placed my hands on her arms, worriedly looking at her. "What happened?" I whispered. She didn't raise her eyes up to meet mine.

"When you break your promise, you get punished, that's the law, we all know."

"God, what did they do? I look awful," Nixon asked, his voice sounding sour at the end.

"The last part was honestly unnecessary," Kai whispered putting his hand up on the side of his lips. Nixon ignored Kai's remark.

"I.. I don't think I'm allowed to say." she still didn't look up, her voice was weak, almost as if she was sent home and tortured for the last few hours non stop.

"Did they physically hurt you? You sound very tired.." I asked her, worry coaxing my tone. Ember put on arm on my shoulder which made me jump, her eyes finally met mine.

"I should be the one asking you that," she whispered. I fluttered my eyes, confusion appearing on my face, she opened her mouth to explain what she meant but was cut off by Musica's voice.

"Oh kids! What are you doing outside? Do come inside, come on in, hurry," she hustled us in inside and sent all of us off to their own rooms to work. I washed off the worry about Ember and instantly started writing ideas for today's challenge. I wrote a list of the themes or ideas I had, then propped my arm up on the table and rested my head against it. I furrowed my eyes, biting on my lip, scanning the ideas I had written down so far. I started writing, after choosing the idea about feelings. Feelings that we all bury deep inside, we never talk about them but they exist and we hide behind those walls we build for ourselves everyday. Deep, right? It's perfect to win! I galloped from my chair happily once scribbling about half a page full of lyrics, before I finished I wanted to find the melody and tune I wanted of this song. I took my guitar and sat down on my chair I was previously working at and started strumming chords humming my melody along with it. The strings vibrated my fingers as my body did too along with the humming and vibration to the strings. A knock on my door was what sent me to the floor from shock. I glanced up, my guitar in arm holding it upright with my body against the floor, which I had far too many papers on to admit. I met Ember's startled eyes as she gasped and scurried over towards me, bouncing along the way making sure she didn't step on anything. She kneed down beside me and leaned towards me.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean to startle you.." she whimpered out. In response I sat up, her eyes still fixed on me as I sat up. I smiled at her and quickly winced, groaning I rubbed my back.

"I should be the one asking if you're okay after how you looked this morning," I chuckled and sat up, she went silent.

"I'll..I'll be alright, I'm sure it's happened or going to happen with everyone here, we all make mistakes," she reassured with a smile. She got up and extended an arm towards me. I took it and she help me up. I set the guitar back on my stand and sat in my chair.

"Why did you come here?" I asked, quickly making a mark on my paper in case I fell again and scattered my contest paper.

"I.. um... I don't really know?" she scratched the back of her head with a nervous chuckle. I felt a sudden warm feeling spread through my chest. I smiled at her and took her hand pulling her towards me a bit closer.

"Oh yeah! You never explained what you meant, earlier this morning, remember?" I asked, curiously looking up at her.

"Oh.. are you sure you wanna know?" she asked, as if something suddenly made her unsure of what she wanted to tell me earlier. I tilted my head, giving her a sign I'm waiting for her to explain. She averted her gaze away from me, blinking once or twice. Her hands shook. "I saw you."

"What?" I asked, having no clue what she was trying to tell me.

"The punishment was regaining a part of my memories, except they were just random flashes and it was a full story just flashes of events, horrendous events," her voice was below a whisper, I had to listen in carefully to hear her properly. "And you were there, except you.. you had fangs, and crawls, and your eyes would go red, and you had blood on you, but I- I wasn't even human," she spoke, I thought she went even quieter, if that was humanly possible. I leaned closer towards her while she was speaking. I smiled at her, unsure what else to say.

"I was in your memories? As someone not human? Are you sure it wasn't a dream?" I asked, guilt stabbing my rib as I doubted her. She looked up at me, she looked like she was about to cry.

"It was real. But it seemed like such a long time ago, I feel theres something missing, so much missing, Eden. Please trust me, they were memories, why would they give me false memories when clearly I had even worse ones from my past life? Wait.. what did I just say?" she glanced up at me, processing what she had just said. My smile had faltered and my mind begin spinning. I felt my brain trying to recover memories that were long to be erased, casing my ears starting to ring.

"What's going on here? What the fuck is this place!?" my voice started to raise and I stood up suddenly making Ember fall back and I threw out a chair at my mirror.

The mirror broke in to a million pieces and instead of just staying there it recovered back to as if the mirror didn't break as my previously thrown chair rested on the ground, which was still covered in papers. Ember glanced up at me, searching for an answer that I clearly did not have, but we shared the same question and same thought.

"We can't say anything."