*Walks up in full suit of armor* You may now release your various projectiles upon me! Sorry, really, for the incredibly long update wait, but I was having one of those crises where I hated everything I wrote, then I got overly wrapped up in some characters I was designing for school, and I was really busy with homework, and basically I have no real excuse. Sorry. I really hope this insight into Ember was worth the wait, and if not, sorry. As far as updates go I'll aim for once a week, and we'll see. If it goes well, I'll go back to every four days, okay? Don't kill me. Thank you for being patient, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Stay awesome, everyone.

-ROC6

Thursday, September 27th, 19 years after defeating Gaea

Ember didn't care what anyone else said about her. It was her life, and she would live it how she wanted. The third-grader was in gym class at the moment, and the boys were heckling her for trying. They were fitness testing, and she was the last girl running the pacer test, though there were still a couple guys left.

"Hey Val-don't! You're a girl! You gonna stop being weird and sit out already?" One said to her as the ran.

"Hey Stupven," she said back confidently, sweeping her braid over her shoulders, "You're a boy. You should act like one rather than a donkey."

They continued running laps, and much to his chagrin, she lasted ten laps longer than he did.

-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-

Monday, October 18th, 22 years after defeating Gaea

The cinnamon haired girl was stopping at her locker when a group of girls walked past. She didn't normally like to eavesdrop, but the sixth-grader had heard her name mentioned, so of course her ears perked up.

"What is she wearing?" One said, snickering with her friends. Ember recognized her as Maddy.

Macy spoke up next, "A white t-shirt and grass stained jeans? Is she trying to look like an idiot?"

Then they were out of earshot again. But it didn't matter, she still knew what they said. The girls were talking about her. Again. She'd heard some of the rumors that had begun to spread. She didn't know who was starting them, but they hurt. She always had her friends around, though, so she'd never had to worry. It made her wonder, though. They were never this vicious in elementary school, what changed? What's different now?

She slammed her locker shut like she always does, and went to go meet her friends for lunch.

-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-

Friday, November 13th, 25 years after defeating Gaea

Ava grabbed her arms and pulled her around the corner, pressing her against the wall and pinning her arms.

"Come on!" Ember yelled at her friend, "Let me at 'im!"

The blonde frowned, "Em, you can't go challenging everyone that teases you to a fight. You'll get expelled."

The other ninth-grader scowled, "They've been teasing me for years. Why can't I get back at them just once?"

"No," her blue-eyed friend said assertively, "Because once turns into twice, and it just goes on and on. Don't let them know that they get to you, it'll only encourage them."

"But Ava," Ember said childishly, dragging the word out, "I want to get back at them!"

"So go steal Rose's stuff or something and prank them, but don't you dare do anything head on. Wait 'til you cool off, okay?"

Ember grumbled some things in Greek, then finally agreed, and Ava released her arms.

"Better?" she asked.

"Better," Ember said, crossing her arms with a scowl.

-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-

Wednesday, September 12th, 26 years after defeating Gaea

Lunch was almost over by the time Ava found her. She probably could've stayed hidden longer, but the bathroom was a fairly uncreative hiding spot. Her friend found her sitting on the floor leaning against the wall of the bathroom.

Ava didn't say anything, just sat down next to her fellow tenth-grader. The two girls sat in silence for awhile.

"Ava," Ember said, finally breaking the silence, "Why do they- Why do they do this to me?"

"I don't know," her friend answered honestly, "But we'll get through it. We always do."

-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-

Tuesday, October 20th, 26 years after defeating Gaea

Ember had been trying to work on an essay for school due at the end of the week, but the tenth-grader hadn't been able to bring herself to do it. Rather, she'd ended up staring blankly at the computer screen for the past hour. Tear tracks stained her cheeks, and her eyes were pink, though she wasn't even aware she was crying.

Their words echoed in her mind. Ugly. Stupid. Fat. Dumb. Freak. Babyish. Wannabe.

And those were the milder ones. They called her other things, said she did other things, and every word they'd ever said about her was still knocking around her head, reminding her every time she felt good that she shouldn't, that people saw her this way.

She didn't know what she did wrong. She obeyed every rule, was nice to everyone when she met them, put up with their taunting for years. But she couldn't do it anymore. Ember knew she couldn't. Something had to change before things got any worse.

Ember turned her head to look at her bedroom door, contemplating. Doors were just that, doors. They could lead somewhere nice, or lead somewhere horrible. For awhile now she'd been curious what was on the other side. After all, every door lead somewhere. The question was where. She knew if she did this, things could get worse for her. But they could also get a heck of a lot better, which she knew there was no way in Hades was going to happen if she continued to lie down and roll over to everyone in her life. She stood up, fingers dancing across her leg.

Then, she steeled herself. She looked around her room, and grabbed a few personal items, and a couple day's worth of clothes. She walked downstairs, and once she was sure no one was paying attention to her, she shoved a bunch of instant breakfast bars, a couple of water bottles, and a box of crackers into her old backpack. She threw on her Hunger Games sweatshirt, and strapped her sword to her waist.

Ember walked to the front door, then looked back. This would change things, for better or for worse. She smiled, then stepped through the door.

She started to run, as far away from her childhood home as possible. Her worn sneakers beat into the sidewalk, then as the city ended, the packed dirt, and eventually the green grass of the countryside. It was dusk when Ember finally stopped for a break, and she'd switched to walking a while ago, but she didn't care. She felt great, better than she had in a long while. There was no one around to tell her how horrible she was and how she didn't deserve to live, it was just her.

It felt better than she could've imagined to be free, able to run or to fight or to do whatever. She knew she'd only have a few nights out here. With the magic of Camp Half-Blood, and her family's technology, Ember knew there was no way she'd have long. Everyone would be looking for her now, even her sister Hyacinth. Ember knew she cared, no matter how much she hid and pretended not to.

After downing an instant breakfast bar and some water, Ember lay down on the ground, using her backpack as a pillow. The light of the stars and the moon occasionally cut in and out with the clouds, and she loved it.

For the first time in a long time, Ember slept peacefully through the night, with no one haunting her dreams. She woke up rested in the morning, and set out again, determined to see where this door would lead her.