Emily was standing beside her adoptive parents in the ballroom and watched the couples stretched out before them, spinning, twirling, and gliding across the floor.
Today was Ember's thirteenth birthday and they were celebrating.
Emily spotted Ember and her friends racing between the couples occasionally ramming into someone almost knocking them flat on their back. She had never been a fan of large gatherings like this - too much noise - too many people.
Not that she'd ever been to a celebration as grand as this. Emily tugged on her sparkly, ruffled skirt and shifted nervously on her feet.
A squeeze on her arm startled and she glanced toward Taylor who was looking over at her with a small smile on her face. Her glossy hair was braided up in a complicated twist and pulled back in a bun.
"Are you doing alright?"
Emily nodded.
"You're not thinking about that Scavenger are you?" Taylor's brow furrowed together. "Xavier has been questioning him to no avail. He hadn't spoken a word to anyone."
Emily's shoulders sagged, disappointed that she was able to read her so well. She sighed and let her hair fall over her patch.
"Was he the one who...hurt you?" Taylor whispered.
Emily nodded.
Taylor sucked in a sharp breath. "Great Mother. I'm sorry."
The door to the ballroom was opened and Xavier entered hauling in a box with holes in it. He carefully made his way through the dancing couples and squealing children until he reached his parents' thrones.
He dropped the box beside Emily and gave her a peck on the forehead. His hair was a curly mess on his head and his clothes were rumpled and there was a drop of red on the sleeve.
Under his eye, there was a nasty scratch that was red and slightly swollen.
"And where have you been?" his dad demanded. "Have you come to tell me that you've finally found a woman to settle down with?"
"What?" Xavier exclaimed. "I just fought with a Scavenger and you're worried about your reputation? What? Am I embarrassing you?"
"Dear," Taylor started. "I don't think that now is the time-"
Xavier held up his hand. "It's alright mum. Let him talk 'cause I want to hear what he has to say."
Emily shrunk away from the trio glancing around and looking for a way to escape. She hated arguing. Who could stand all that noise?
And the spitting? Gross.
The nearby couples leaned in closely, tilting their heads in an attempt to catch snippets of the conversation. Their eyes darted back and forth, eagerly trying to follow the interactions among the three individuals.
As though she could sense that something was wrong, Ember came up toward them. She smiled up at Emily, not even glancing in her parent's direction as they continued to bicker.
"Come on-oooh!" she spotted the box. "What's this?"
The lid was pushed back, and suddenly, a small creature poked its head out with wide eyes full of curiosity. Its fur was a rich, dark brown, and it had small wings folded against its sides. As it looked around, its tail wagged behind it, and it seemed to be studying the two girls with great interest.
Squealing, Ember scooped him up and twirled around in a circle. "You're sooo adorbs!!"
Ember then grabbed Emily with her other hand and dragged her away despite her cries of protest. Ember led her through the crowd and they often ended up stumbling into people and trampling over their feet, hearing cries of surprise.
Ember raced toward a table that was full of cakes and other sweets. The other children that Ember had been running around were gathered around, some were stuffing their faces and others had chocolate smeared on their faces and clothes.
"There you are." said a girl with blonde hair. "We were wondering where you'd run off to Ember."
They all spotted the creature in Ember's arms and they crowded around her acting as though Emily wasn't there - which was fine and well- she stepped back and moved closer toward the door when the blonde girl spotted her.
"Who are you?" she snipped, looking down her nose at her.
The other children slowly started taking notice of her and began to gawk at her with awe and confusion.
Ember beamed. "This is my younger sister. She doesn't talk much and she's really shy."
"What happened to her eye?" said a boy with orange hair and freckles over his nose.
The blond girl sneered. "Does she know it's not Halloween?"
"Don't be an arse, Britt." Ember sighed. "There was an accident and she was hurt."
Britt. Of course.
Of course, her name would be Britt. She looked like one of those kids who looked like they threw tantrums to get her way. Maybe she just never grew out of her terrible twos. Emily thought darkly.
"An accident?" Britt drawled."Do tell."
Ember opened her mouth but glanced back at Emily who was looking at everyone but them. Her face was heating up and her hands were clenched in fists at her sides.
"Long story short. there was an attack and Emily got hurt." Ember gestured at her patch. "As you can see. And she lost her family, her brother's been kidnapped by the Scavengers and her mother killed."
"That doesn't mean she has to act like a baby." Britt rolls her eyes. "I'd get over it."
Emily flinched.
The creature in Ember's arms bared its teeth and everyone backed away. Ember's eyes were ablaze. "You'd get over it, yeah? 'Kinda how you got over your parents not buying you that dress you wanted. What did you do? Oh, that's right. You threw a tantrum."
Britt's face reddened but Ember continued.
"You have no idea what it's like to have to work for everything you own. To have to fight to keep food on the table and a roof over your head. Not everyone is born with a golden spoon shoved up their arse." Ember hissed, cheeks red and chest heaving.
Ember turned on her heel and grabbed Emily's wrist dragging her away. Once they were a safe distance away Ember blurted, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry she-"
"She's a jerk. Not your fault." Emily muttered.
Ember blinked at her. "Did you...just speak?"
Emily folded her arms and frowned. Ember giggled and held a hand up in surrender. "Alright. Alright." she held up the creature in her arms. "I still don't have a name for you, cutie."
The creature disappeared in a puff of smoke and appeared on Emily's head. Emily giggled when his tail tickled her neck.
Ember snapped her fingers. "What about...Smoke?"
Smoke made a low growling sound in his throat and Ember frowned, reaching up to grab him. She rubbed the spot between his eyes. "I hope that means yes."
....
After the party had ended and everyone had left, Emily bid her family goodnight and headed up to her room to wash herself off.
She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Normally this would be when her mom would lie down beside her and whisper lullabies until she went to sleep and Eli would be sprawled over her snoring.
Emily closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was In King Kojo's throne room wailing at the space where Eli and that other guard vanished.
She yanked her arm from Vlad's grip and tried to make her way toward the door but he tackled her to the ground pinning her beneath him.
Emily's heart pounded in her ear and tears streamed down her face, her blonde hair was stuck to her forehead in sweaty clumps and her chest was rising and falling rapidly.
Vlad sneered and pushed her hair out of her face. "You're a pretty little thing aren't you?"
"Let me go!" Emily snarled.
"With a sharp mouth."
Emily bared her teeth and growled. "A mouth that is more than sharp. It can bite."
"Let's make sure that doesn't happen, shall we?"
Emily woke with a start and tumbled from the bed, she looked around to be sure that Vlad was nowhere in sight before she took a shaky breath. She pushed her hair from her face and licked her lips.
That was the last thing she wanted to relive. Vlad had done more than take her eye, her innocence had been stolen from her.
The stolen innocence not only left her scarred emotionally, but it also shattered her trust in others and her sense of safety in the world. It became a defining moment that shaped her relationships, choices, and ultimately, her journey towards healing and reclaiming her identity.
The defining moment not only affected her relationship with Vlad, but it also made her wary of forming deep connections with others. She struggled to trust and open up, fearing that history might repeat itself. This led to a series of guarded interactions and a constant battle between her desire for companionship and her fear of vulnerability.
But Ember was different. Emily knew she met well.
There was a crash of metal and Emily jumped, startled. Someone was here.