Chapter 1: Tide and Prejudice

Wade walked Ember from the movie theaters, standing a respectful distance from her. He nervously fidgeted as they stepped out of the doors into the evening air.

"So, what did you think of the movie?" Wade asked awkwardly.

"It was good," Ember answered, not meeting his eye.

Wade smiled softly at her as they walked. He could tell she was just as nervous as he was, her flame flickering softly. She looked over at him and he quickly looked at the ground.

"So . . ." he started slowly, "why did you come?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

Ember slowed down and stood straighter, taken aback by the question. "Well . . ." she started, wringing her hands, "you invited me."

Wade let off a small smile. "Well, yes. But if you hadn't shown, I couldn't have made you. Something had to make you decide to come."

Ember came to a stop and Wade stopped next to her. "Well," Ember started again, "you did help me save my dad's shop. It's the least I could do."

Wade's smile faded. "Oh. You don't have to repay me for that, you know," he said, trying and failing to hide his disappointment.

Ember's eyes widened as she realized her mistake, and she shook her head. "Oh, Wade, that's . . . That came out wrong. I . . . wanted . . . to come," she said, almost not believing herself though she told the truth.

Wade started to smile again. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

Ember exhaled softly and smiled back. "Yeah. Really. You're a very sweet guy," she said, finding it hard to meet his eye again. She didn't like the way his eyes made her feel fluttery inside – or maybe she did and didn't want to admit to herself that she did yet.

Wade looked at the ground, fiddling with his fingers. "And you're a very strong woman," he responded softly.

Ember felt herself flutter again and she started to find the ground as interesting as Wade did in that moment. A long, awkward moment of silence passed between them.

"Why did you ask me to come?" Ember asked finally, her words leaving her mouth without her realizing she was speaking.

Wade glanced up at her, surprised by the question. She continued to stare determinedly at the ground. "Well," he started, continuing to stare at the ground, "I guess I just felt like we kinda connected when we were in the hot air balloon. And working together to find that leak and patch it up, you were . . . truly amazing with how quickly you acted in getting those sandbags. And the way you work so hard to take care of your family and save their shop, it was truly moving. And you –"

Suddenly, Wade realized that he'd been talking for too long and felt Ember staring at him. He looked up and met her eye for a moment, feeling beads of sweat forming on his head.

"I'm sorry," Wade said quickly, breaking eye contact. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't," Ember responded, causing Wade to make eye contact again. Ember was smiling softly. "I appreciate that, Wade. But I hope you understand that we can't . . . be anything more than friends," Ember continued, trying to ignore the strange hurt she felt in her heart as she said it.

Wade nodded slowly. "I accept that," he said softly. "Meet me again tomorrow? I'll take you to the Skyrise. The view of Element City is amazing up there."

Ember hesitated, not sure that it was a good idea to see him again. She looked up at him, his eyes soft and his smile lopsided. She sighed, knowing that she couldn't deny the pull he had on her. "Okay," she agreed. "But nothing weird still, right?"

"Nothing weird!" Wade responded quickly. "Just . . . friends."

Ember nodded and started to walk toward her firecycle parked across the street. "Yeah," she called back as she walked. "Friends."

The two started their journey home, knowing in their hearts that neither of them believed in the last words they exchanged but being too afraid to admit it.