-one year later-

Ember moved in with Alfred at his house in New York. She was thought to be his sister by the neighborhood women, so there could be avoided gossip. In the year she had known Alfred, she has learned a lot about him.

"He is too loud, a womanizer, and a pervert." She said matter of factly while attending one of his lavish parties

"Come now dear sister! I'm not really like that!" He said obviously drunk from the excessive amounts of champagne he took in. She usually sat in a corner reading books rejecting every man who asked her to dance.

To the public, it was hard to believe the two were siblings at first. Ember had blue eyes 8 shades lighter than her so-called brother, she had hair blacker then a raven, and abnormally pale skin. The only thing they seemed to have in common was their popularity with the opposite gender. Every woman wanted Alfred and every man wanted Ember.

"What kind'a name is Ember?" asked a man who had beer breath and was invading Ember's personal space.

"It means fire, get too close and I will burn you" she spit out at him, with no lady-like manners at all.

"Come on honey, don't be like that"

"I shall act however I please"

Sensing the tension between the two, Arthur walked over and politely said' "miss, you are needed in the kitchen, allow me to escort you"

Her only friend aside from Alfred was Arthur, he was a gentleman. He was always nice to her, far better then Alfred. Then again, Arthur became somewhat of a brother to her, as did Alfred, she considered them family and would gladly lay her own life down for either of them. They had saved her own life, so she owed them hers.

"I am so sorry Ember, I wish I could stay with you but I have some business to attend to." And with that, Arthur took his leave and Ember was left in the kitchen.

She liked to think of herself as a house-keeper, having nothing better to do she would clean, cook, and do everything a normal maid would. She was washing the dishes, like she does after every party, while Alfred said goodbye to the guests. She heard the door to the kitchen open and looked over to see none other than the hero.

"Alfred, be a dear and help with the dishes" She heard him stagger in a bit and she was met with his head on her shoulder and his had around her hips.

"I thought I told you to call me Al" he said as she smelled the alcohol on his breath. She hated when he got like this, he never remembered it the next morning. She turned off the water and dried her hands ignoring the blonde-haired man. He was sitting at the large table in the middle of the kitchen and looking at her with a red face. Ember took a wet cloth and put it on his forehead.

"Keep that on your head" she said as she led him up to bed. He crashed on his mattress and abruptly said,

"come join me, Emmy."

"No Alfred, go to sleep." She said as she took off his glasses and set them on his bed stand. He grabbed her wrist as she turned for the door and held an intense gaze with her

"Quit calling me that" he said in a serious tone as Ember shook him off and headed for the door. She closed the door to his room and quickly went back down the stairs, as she thought to herself.

Why must he always be like that! Why does my chest hurt so much around him. I can't love him. I can't.