Chapter 8 - The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth.

Ember

Tonight is the night. I have finally found a way to free Kate. There is a catch though. I have to do it alone. That means keeping this a secret from everyone, which is a pretty damn hard thing to do. I finally got away with the excuse of needing to use the bathroom. I somersault and teleport in mid-air. Fun thing to do. I would do it much more often but it kinda freaks people out. I am there, at the void. It's not a pleasant place. It's actually goddamn terrifying and I have stalkers who try to blow me up [not much scares me after that freaky chick with heat and light power went insane]. I swallow. The void is a place where people are 'stored' for a period of time. According to Alice [who we rescued earlier, this success broke Tim's collar bone], all you can see in there is darkness. If there is other people near-by, you couldn't see them and you have no mobility what so ever. I take in my surroundings for a moment. I'm not in any real rush. I know this sounds impossible but I am floating in space. I can see Earth from here, kind of. The stars around here always mock me. Yes, the stars talk. They mock me for my failures and never recognise any of my successes. I reach into my bag and pull out an emerald the size of my head. I feel power puIsing from it as I hold it in my hand. I throw it into the void. The last thing I see is light, only light…

Annabeth

Ember has managed to disappear of the face of the planet, again. It's kind of become a regular thing. She vanishes, someone freaks out, she comes back, everything's ok. That would've been the case if there wasn't a massive explosion in the sky! I wouldn't be surprised if she is involved in this, wait. Scratch that. I would be surprised but you know, not overly surprised. Just mildly. Though I would be curious about how the Hades she managed to cause an explosion in space. But it is unlikely. How would she get up there? Come on, let's get real here. I mean, it's not like her teleporting powers extend to space. I guess you never know, this is Ember after all. Everyone around me is freaking out. People are screaming, pointing at the sky and taking photos with their phones. Everything is chaotic and then, the light in the sky is gone. Now if Ember stopped it that would make a bit more sense, not much more. Just a little. Ember's more of a save-the-world type than blow-up-the-universe type. I hope…

Ember

I don't know how much time has passed, only that I just gained consciousness. I gaze around. The void is gone. I look around fro sign of people or anything living. Only stars. I realise that I am lying on my back, while floating. I mean I've never tried walking around in space before, this feels like there is ground beneath me. I try to sit up. Ouch. Pain sears through my body. I don't even think I accomplished anything. At least the stars are silent about my failure, for once.

"Thank goodness, you're ok!" A young girl's voice says from behind me.

"Uh, hi." I croak. Speaking hurts my throat. Lovely. How the hell am I going to explain this? She leans over me and I realise that the girl is Kate.

"Don't speak, Princess." She warns. Okaaaaaay. Weird. She is five and telling me what to do. Oh yeah, she called me a princess. I am anything but a princess. Ask anyone I know. They will say the same. Trust me.

"I'm Kate…" She says

"I know."

"You do?" She seems excited. I am beginning to suspect Kate of being a psychopath.

"Yeah…" I want to tell her everything but that's something I really am having doubts about. Apparently she already knows about my life and she can fill in the gaps. Someone said she's my sister but that is clearly not the case. "You need to help me."

"Why would you need help? You rescued me! Which your parents must scold you for, right?" She babbles.

"I'm sorry but…" I trail off, and then I consider my circumstances. She expects me to jump onto my feet and take her home, wherever that is. I take a deep breath. "I don't remember anything about my past. I don't even know if Ember s my real name. I need you to… fill in the gaps. I need you and I have been so desperate… Please. I don't know where else to turn. I… I miss having a life and knowing who you are." I feel pathetic. Here I am. Severely injured and begging a mentally deranged child for help. Her face is sincere though.

"Say no more. I can give you your memory. I didn't think they were serious when they threatened to take you and your memory. Here have your memory." She says. She leans down and touches my forehead.

"What the…" I lose consciousness again…