Amber McLain was waiting for her boyfriend. The chill September air blew the red and orange leaves around, a few crowning her ponytail. The sun was setting and lighting the leaves in the trees on fire, making her glad for her jacket. He had promised that he would meet her here, only three hours ago.
He's on his way, she thought, Just...stuck in traffic.
Even to herself, it seemed like a lame excuse. Her phone rang in her pocket, disturbing the silence of the park.
"Hi Allie," Amber said to her sister.
"Hey Am. Mom's wondering when you'll get back. It's nearly dinnertime. How's whats-his-name?"
"Damian, and he's still not here. I'm leaving anyway, so see ya soon." Amber shook the leaves out of her high brown ponytail and got on her bike, dialing his number.
[Hi, this is Damian. Leave a message. Later!]
This made it two weeks. Two weeks since their first date that had...gotten...serious...
He was sitting on a park bench, laughing with another girl. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips and Amber broke into tears. She felt her mascara run messily down her cheeks as she pedaled away home as fast as she could.
Oh, Ember, you will remember,
Ember, one thing remains,
Ember, so warm and tender,
You will remember my name!
Amber looked at her reflection, holding up the knife to her thick brown hair. Carefully, she sawed through it at the base of her ponytail, keeping the ends tied up.
The guitar in the store window was gorgeous. Sleek purple with blue flames on it. She was in love.
There was just one problem.
She didn't know how to play.
Allie did, though. It was hard not to feel jealous of her younger sister sometimes. Allie was naturally gifted. Born lucky.
And hard to hate, when she patiently taught Amber chords and fingerings, even when Amber wanted to just give up.
Amber was tired of brown hair. It was too normal, too forgettable. She dyed it blue, and painted black marks down her cheeks.
Nobody would forget Amber McLain again.
Oh, Ember, you will remember,
Ember, one thing remains,
Ember, so warm and tender,
You will remember my name!
Then Damian called her back. After two months of waiting, he finally came around.
[I was wrong. You're so much better than her, and I miss you. I understand if you've moved on, but can I have one last date, just for old time's sake?]
She had said yes. It was December, and snow covered the ground. They agreed to meet at the movies, and then see what happened.
And he had stood her up, by the looks of it. It was roughly 2 AM, and she had stayed up, waiting for him.
She trudged home, feeling worse than ever. Worse than when she had seen him cheating on her.
When she got home, she grabbed her guitar and a piece of paper. She quickly wrote up a note to her little sister:
Allie-
Goodbye.
Don't forget me.
Love forever,
Amber
The shed was metal and rusty, besides being nearly covered in snow. Any fire that started probably wouldn't hurt the house.
Her dad had always said that it was a fire waiting to happen. Cigarette lighters, old newspapers, firewood and gasoline were everywhere.
Dawn was setting the east on fire as the first newspaper lit.
Oh, Ember, you will remember,
Ember, one thing remains,
Ember, so warm and tender,
You will remember my name!
They all forgot. All of them. Damian, mom, dad, her classmates, everyone. Except Allie. She remembered.
And so, in the last embers and ashes, Amber became Ember.
All she wanted was to be remembered.
Remember her name, for she is not alone.