It was barely a week ago that Ember sat and looked at her dewdrop in the Elementopia terminal quay. She burned a bright red of passion as she looked at him. Seldom did she find such rich happiness in anyone - bar her parents. Yet she found it in him. The experiences they shared, the memories they made, it was such a good time in her life to live.
Alas, now was not that time. Ember sat alone in her room days later, thinking about the good old times of mere days ago.
She recalled his face during those first few moments in Elementopia; his smile, not too long after they disembarked. It was as bright as she, happier than could be.
She recalled the very feeling of his arm around her shoulder. It was so very comforting, so soothing. She snuggled into the feeling of that embrace, so warm and inviting. It brought a tear to both past and present her.
"Oh, Wade. This week has been so... fulfilling. I'm so glad I took the chance..." she appreciated.
Past her opened her eyes, looking at him gratefully. He returned the same smile as before to her. Yet things felt cold, distant. He remained silent, making her feel detached.
Then, his face began to fade...
A black vignette gradually closed in on his face, sending Ember into a fit of worry. She lost her smile, beginning to feel like she was falling. She clawed her mental fingers to stay within the fleeting moment.
She reached out an arm to his departing visage. Alas, he returned her with the same happy smile as before. It only added to her feeling of disconnect. She let out a shrieking yell, yet not a sound escaped her mouth.
"Wade?" she mouthed.
With his visage barely visible, he departed with a gentle wave.
"Wade!" she screamed.
The sensation of falling became very real from then on. She fell into pitch black, clawing both arms at the sky in protest. She couldn't feel, hear, or see anything.
...until she hit the bottom.
She gently got up in shock, looking in all directions frantically. It remained black all around. She was the only thing besides in there.
...and she wasn't alone.
"Been waiting for you." a voice called out.
Ember stumbled about in fright once again, holding fists up in fight-or-flight. She turned around, only to be met with a hooded figure.
"What the- who are you?" she queried.
The hooded figure stood a foot or two away, revealing themselves.
Ember couldn't believe her eyes. It was like looking into a mirror, except this one was far more unsettling. The hooded figure turned out to be an exact lookalike of her, only a dark purple, looking as though she'd weathered years of tragedy.
"You're-" Ember began.
"That's right. I'm you." Purple Ember confirmed.
Ember let out a sharp exhale, stepping back a foot. Her purple counterpart's voice echoed through the pitch-black abyss, creating a disheartening width to her words.
"I'm your fear personified, your goal's outcome." Purple Ember warned with an unsettling tone.
"Get away from me!" Ember cried.
The poor, naive her stumbled as she ran away in fright. Anywhere but there would've been better. Her purple self only followed along ghostly, remaining by her side, knowing every move she'd make.
"You will never be worth it. You will constantly chase affection, and purpose, only for them to abandon you." Purple Ember pressed.
"Stop talking!" Ember barked defensively.
"He won't be there forever. Trust me, the day will come, and you'll come crawling back saying 'I told you so'." Purple Ember brooded.
The real Ember got to her feet, a violent rage overcoming her out of fear. She held her fists up, getting into a boxer's stance.
"I'm not afraid of you." Ember scowled.
"Oh? Then why are you scared of tomorrow?" Purple Ember observed.
Present Ember's viciousness halted, and a look of fright returned.
"What?" Ember shakily questioned.
"Face it; you see me now for I am the answer you're afraid of accepting, but the one you will." Purple Ember told.
Ember defiantly scowled at her opposite, arms by her side in protest.
"Accept what?!" Ember scowled.
To really emphasise the point, the haggard, purple her came uncomfortably close, parking herself at Ember's ear. The hooded beast caressed her naive self's face like a manipulative mother.
"Clarity," she warned.
"AGH!"
Sucked via vortex back into the real world, Ember sharply got up in a frazzled state. She hyperventilated like a toddler after their first nightmare.
"Clarity... clarity... what does that mean?" she muttered to herself.
She sharply looked over at her phone; the time reading half an hour later. She continued to pant heavily, her chest flexing back and forth.
She heard a gentle knock on the door; presumably of a Sea-Near.
"Ember? Dinner's downstairs. Come join us and eat!" Uncle Sea-Near announced.
A wave of chills crawled up Ember's spine, causing her to hug herself.
"Be right down!" she sharply replied.
She heard as Uncle Sea-Near made his way downstairs, the sound of his footsteps gradually fading. Feeling cold not from the temperature, she looked down at her phone once more.
Still, nothing from her sacred dewdrop.
She locked her screen and scoffed in disgust, ashamed that she'd come to the point of obsession with his whereabouts. As the screen locked, she stared into her reflection in it. Seeing her visage - and with it, whatever that hooded figure was - she let out a growl in disagreement.
"Not today... or tomorrow," she told herself.
With a renewed sense of urgency, she leapt off her bed, quickly putting on her PPE suit and running downstairs for dinner. She stopped at the stairway, hanging onto the edge.
"Ember! Good to see you! Now, tuck in! Food's getting cold!" Aunty Sea-Near pressed.
Ember let out an anxiety-ridden chuckle in response. She quickly pitter-pattered down, swimming across to sit with the Sea-Nears.
"Well... as cold as fire itself can get." Aunty Sea-Near said to herself.
Ember sat at her spot on the table, an intimidatingly big serving of hot pot awaiting. She licked her lips, unable to wait a moment longer to sate her ravenous hunger.
The only thing that could halt it was the starkly empty seat next to hers; that of Wade's. She looked over at it seconds before starting, looking down in worry.
"So tomorrow, right? Exciting!" Aunty Sea-Near began.
Daunted and caught off-guard, Ember sharply looked up to her.
"Oh- haha! Absolutely right! I cannot wait!" Ember exclaimed half-heartedly.
"Oh, I bet! Wade could not stop expressing his pride." Aunty Sea-Near said.
"Really? He did?" Ember queried half-heartedly.
"Yup! That boy is a winner, I'm telling you! Never a thing to worry about with him." Aunty Sea-Near reckoned.
Ember sharply bruxed her teeth in disagreement with the blatantly obvious lie.
"Right!" she exclaimed passively.
Seeing Ember clearly on-edge, Aunty Sea-Near gently put her spoon down to focus her attention on her.
"You're not worried, are you?" she asked.
Ember shook her head frantically in response.
"No- no! I'm just-" she stammered.
"You can tell us if you are. We're here to help." Aunty Sea-Near told.
"No, I'm fine! Really, I am." Ember assured.
Uncle Sea-Near watched the interaction play out, looking at Ember in concern. He'd grown to know when Ember was or wasn't feeling well.
"You sure you're okay? You've barely touched your food." Uncle Sea-Near queried.
Ember looked down at her unopened food packet with eyes wide.
"Oh- it's here! Right. I'm gonna go ahead and eat!" she announced with fervency.
She sharply opened it up, beginning to inhale the flames rapidly. Both the Sea-Nears looked at each other in worry as she did so.
"Mm- this is so good! Yum!" Ember exclaimed.
She continued her irrational eating, stuffing her face. Aunty Sea-Near lay a hand on Uncle Sea-Near's shoulder, gesturing with a look for him to help.
"You know, I'm sure he'll be home soon-" Uncle Sea-Near comforted.
"Oh, I have to agree there! Just a late work day is all." Ember quickly agreed.
She continued her rapid and frantic eating, causing Uncle Sea-Near to put his cutlery down and lean toward her.
"He misses you as much as you do him. He'll be fine." he comforted.
Suddenly, something in Ember snapped. She lit up a fiery purple, standing up on her floating seat.
"Oh, did he tell you that himself?! 'Cuz I sure as hell didn't know!" she barked.
The Sea-Nears could only gasp at her sudden outburst, taken aback.
A chilling silence followed while Ember's purple returned to a civil orange, still hyperventilating with an expression of disgust. She went back down on her seat, resuming her eating at an even more concerning pace. She finished it within seconds, slamming her cutlery on the table.
"I need more rest. I'll be in my room." she sneered.
She promptly stormed her way upstairs, leaving the Sea-Nears in a state of shock and concern.
The bedroom door swung wide open, and in walked a furious Ember. She entered, slamming and locking the damned thing with haste.
She threw her bloody suit off, slumping back first onto the door, sliding to the ground and holding her head in stress.
"Stupid temper... what the hell is going on?!" she barked to herself.
She sat, knees up on the ground with her arms folded tightly. She stared directly ahead with a displeased expression.
What lay in front was the large, panoramic window that sat on the other side of Wade's pool bed. With nothing better to do, she sharply got up onto her feet, slowly walking over to look out at the view.
Being on the 25th floor, the view was incredible. She'd passively known it was, but never to the extent of now. At this very moment, she stood, arms folded looking out at the Elementopia CBD.
High-rise buildings as far as the eye could see. Small little shops and even smaller pedestrians walking about.
She looked past the buildings to her right; where the beach and ocean sat in plain view. A small river coated on either side with crystallized minerals streamed its way through the urban landscape, providing an intriguing sight she'd never fully clicked with.
In tandem, she heard the train pass by far to her left, prompting her to look over at it.
As it passed, she gradually looked from left to right everything in view. She began to see it not in red, but in vibrant blues, whites, greens, purples, and everything in between. She stared at the vast architecture of every little thing - from buildings to rivers, passes, roads, paths, blocks, everything.
That was when it dawned on her...
"I'm going to build this one day."
A feeling of airiness followed the realisation, as well as another vision from yesteryear...
She looked over to the corner of her eye to her left, and there he was.
Back in Element City in the air balloon she'd made herself, the two stood, looking about the city in wonder. She'd recalled asking how he connected so well with others; something she'd struggled with so much before.
He delivered a line of wisdom, perhaps one of his best...
"When I lose my temper, I think it's just me trying to tell myself something I'm not ready to hear."
Gently returning to reality, she found herself staring at the architecture, seeing the same thing she saw before.
"Is my temper because of this? Is that really what I want? Do I want to build... this?" she asked herself.
The feelings she had weighed heavy on her, causing her to slide to her knees in daunt. She remained to look all ways, unable to bring herself to decide.
A stark sight quickly took her attention away before long. She looked over and stared at a nearby apartment complex with a small balcony. On it sat a gentle family of earth folks - two parents and a newborn child.
Ember sat and admired the sight; bringing to her another startling realization...
"I can build that." she realized.
She gently got up onto her feet, beginning to pace about the room in that thought.
"I will be responsible for building homes, making memories... being part of a host of lifetimes." she continued.
Within that headspace, she began to smile with wonderous glee.
"That fills me with..." she began gently.
With wonder about her, she gently looked down and unlocked her phone. Wade's visage appeared on her lock screen as always. However, she didn't look at it in worry, but another feeling entirely...
"...happiness." she finished.
Feeling grateful, she closed her eyes.
"I think... I- I feel... No, I want this." she assured herself.
She walked back up to the window.
Apprehensively, she laid a hand on the glass. To her genuine surprise, it didn't melt or contort one bit.
"I think I want to be remembered for this." she reckoned.
She began to envision Wade's reaction as if she were to tell him then and there. With it returned the fluster that it brought her before. She got frustrated, shaking her head in retort.
Unwilling to let her temper control her - aligning with Wade's wisdom afore - she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and composing herself.
She closed her eyes once more, smirking assuredly.
"If tomorrow is day one, then so be it. I don't want to run anymore," she swore to herself.
With that notion, she let out a smile, looking outside with renewed determination.
In wanting to take a snapshot of the moment and make a memory out of it, she took out her phone, skipped past her lock screen of Wade and hastily opened her camera app.
Before she clicked the button and took a picture, a wave of regret overcame her for glossing over him so quickly.
Frustrated at her back and forth in apprehension, she locked her phone once more, reopening it to stare at his face again.
An unsettling feeling tried to claw out of her as she did. She recognised and vehemently halted it with agitation, something that quickly overcame her the next moment.
She sharply turned away from the window, arms straight down like a soldier.
"No. Not this time. I'm doing it. All in, 100%." she swore to herself.
She went to the foot of her bed and gently took a seat, looking down at her lock screen of Wade yet again.
"Even if you're not here to share with at the moment..." she told herself.
She sat with his visage for a moment longer in an attempt to remedy her awful worry over him. She looked at him, beginning to imagine if he were sitting next to her while this was going on. She knew exactly what he'd say; to take in the moment, and not let fear control it.
Trying her best to maintain his presence without him physically being there, she forced herself to get onto her feet. By sheer discipline she shoved herself along, returning to the window and the panoramic view ahead.
Making a point of taking in her new mission, she got her phone's camera back out.
She let out a breath, taking a few carefully placed pictures of the view outside.
As she finished, she looked them over on her phone with a smile; knowing that someday, future her would be thankful she took the liberty.
Not one to post on social accounts too much, she emphasised her doubling down, taking her pictures and posting them on her Elementstagram story. She sat and scrolled through her story, taking them in with appreciation.
As one does with social media, she allowed herself to get distracted afterwards, scrolling through other stories.
The first that took her interest was her father's page. It was a picture of him and Cinder; Ember's mother. The two looked as though they were on a date themselves, out and about in Element City's CBD - an odd occurrence to say the least.
Ember replied to the story with a cheeky 'good to see you out and about!' to her father. She chuckled as she sent the reply, smirking.
Continuing her scroll through, she saw a post from Gale in regard to a recent airball game, where her favourite team - the Wind Breakers - won. It read;
'Breaking wind this season! Toot toot!'
Ember let out a chuckle, sending Gale a flaming laugh emoji and continuing on.
To her genuine surprise, she scrolled through and landed on Wade's story. She could see his awful handle - flowmasta_wade - from anywhere. She let out a light chuckle, continuing onward.
. . .
"Wait..." she said to herself.
Swearing she saw things, she quickly scrolled back to his story.
An air of tension arose in her as she realized it really was his story. The only thing that could make that feeling worse was what she realised he'd posted...
He was out.
Out and about, and looking as though he were having a blast doing so.
His story had a few pictures, all quite professionally done.
Odd. Wade never really had access to that kind of equipment to take ultra-HD pictures.
The last of which was a strikingly vibrant picture of what was presumably the town's Red Light District, with a time mark of only 10 minutes. A caption was present, reading...
"Nightlife... what a time to be alive."
That was when it hit her. Only this time, a lot harder...
He was out without her.
Being the passionate flame, she lit up in fury, unable to blink as she stared at the picture. Her eyes widened in shock. Her free hand clenched tightly, along with her jaw.
"What?!" she muttered.