Ember's POV-

I slump against the bars of my prison, exhausted. Aralynn barely feeds Rafi and me, and the hard ground doesn't help when I want to sleep. The dress from the festival was dirty and heavy. I have no idea what day it is, what time it is, or if my mother is still alive.

"Oh Ember!" Aralynn calls. "Are you tired? Too bad! We have to leave right now."

"Where are we going?" Rafi asks, standing up.

"Oh, you'll see when we get there," she says, grinning, even though there was no light in her eyes. "Kade!" she snaps. He lifts his head from where she tied him up so he would run away. She snaps her fingers and the chains fall off of him. "Get things ready so we can leave."

"Okay," he says, glaring at her.

"Just okay? Its yes ma'am to you," she says sternly. "Now go on. Take Rafi with you. I have to speak with my dear Ember for a couple minutes."

Kade unlocks the cage and drags Rafi away, leaving me alone. "What do you need?" I ask her.

"I need that spell," she hisses. "You face call Annie and ask her if she can get here or not."

"And if I don't?" I ask, not caring if she hurts me.

"I kill you and everyone you love."

I look down at the floor. I have to do it. "I'll do it," I whisper, still looking at the ground. She goes and gets the Future FaceTimer, handing it to me. I take it, and call Annie. After a few moments, her face comes up.

"Hey Annie," I say, smiling uncertainly. "Are you able to come to Didian with the potion?"

"I have to practice still," she says, frowning. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah," I say. "When will you be able to come?"

"Soon," she says.

"Good," I say. "Please don't tell Damien about this conversation. Don't tell anyone."

"Um, okay," she says. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yup," I say, nodding. "Got to go." And with that, I end the call.

"She better come today, or there will be trouble," Aralynn says, shaking her head. "Now, get off your lazy butt 'cause we're leaving."

"Fine," I say, standing up. She presses a tip of something sharp in my back.

"This will keep you in line," she says. "And wouldn't it be funny to be killed by your own sword?"

"Very funny," I say drily. She pushes me forward, toward the door. I pass by Kade as he stands near the door with Rafi. He smiles grimly at me as Kade pushes him out the door. We get forcefully pushed to the Zodiac, climbing up the ladder. "Where will you put us?"

I stand up on deck and Aralynn points to the lower chambers. "Down there. I'll lock all of y'all down there so I can steer the ship alone," she says. She walks us down there. "Don't hurt each other. And I don't want to hear talking, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," we all say. She closes the door, locking it from the outside.

"How-" I start to say, but get interrupted.

"I said no talking, did I not?" Aralynn says from outside. "If anyone talks, there will be consequences. Severe consequences."

I look around at the Zodiac. We all were on here once, best of friends. Now its just Aralynn and me, and she's holding me hostage. I hear the stairs creak, meaning she walked upstairs. "How can we break free?" I whisper to Kade and Rafi.

"Did you not hear her?" Kade snaps. "I'm not going to be apart of anything you two do."

"Rafi, knock him out." Rafi nods and hits Kade, knocking him out silently.

"I dislike him already," Rafi says, looking down at him.

"I hate him so don't worry."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"I have no idea," I say, moving over to Rafi. He moves away a bit. "What was that for?"

"Did you forget the . . . kiss?" He says, whispering the word kiss.

"No," I lie. I totally forgot about it because of our situation. "What about it?"

"What about it?" Rafi whispers, flabbergasted. "You're the one who kissed me first!"

"It was because I like you, you big dummy," I say, hitting his arm. "Don't you like me back? I mean, you did kiss me back."

"I-I don't know," he says and my stomach drops. "I'm so confused right now."

"Oh," I say, going to the other side of the room. "Okay. I get it."

I smack my head slightly. Stop thinking about boys and start thinking about your friends. And your mother. And sister.

"Ember," Rafi whispers.

"No. Stop," I say, turning away from him. "I need my time alone."

"Fine." I hear him move closer to the wall, his head hitting it. What is wrong with me? Why does everything bad happen to me? I start to silently cry, not caring if I was being childish. I rub my eyes and try to stop crying. It works. I wipe the tears away. I look around the room and see the doors to the bedrooms. I doubt Aralynn locked them . . .

I slowly stand up, heading to the first door I see. I turn the knob and it opens. I smile and walk in. Of course it's Shun's old room. I look at all his stuff littering the floor. Clothes, papers. I sift through the papers, picking up one random one. I uncrumple it, reading what it said.

Dear Ember,

I really like but I don't know how to tell you. Do you like me? Circle one:

Yes or No

-Shun

I laugh at it. Its so cheesy! I pick up another one and read it as well.

Dear Light,

I really like you. Your hair, your eyes, your everything! I just don't know who I like more. You or Ember. You both are my world and I can't choose. So I won't. I'll let my feelings hide under friendship.

-Shun

Shun liked Light? It felt like a knife stabbed through my already broken heart. No wonder he did nothing to attract any girls . . . I sit down on the floor, just looking around his room. I really miss him. I know the others do as well. I suddenly stand up and leave his room. I shut the door and go to my room. It is empty, only a bed and a dresser in the room. I sit down on the bed, reliving the memories.
(:)(:)(:)
Annie and I sat in silence, watching our surroundings for our friends. I notice a flash of blue as I see Ari and Light walking toward us.

"Hey guys!" Ari said. I jumped up and hugged her. I heard Annie and Light embrace as a male voice said, "Did you guys forget about me?"

I turned around and notice a dude with black hair. "Shun Grey," I said, smiling at him innocently.
(:)(:)(:)
"Ah, okay," I said. "Are we going to his house to tell him?"

"Yeah," Annie said, nodding slightly.

"That's what we just said," Light retorted slowly. I laughed as Annie and I lead them to Damien's house. Annie grabbed some rocks and threw them at his second story window. A few moments later, a blonde head stuck out the window.
(:)(:)(:)
"No duh," I grunted. I realized my head was on someone's lap. I rubbed my eyes and opened them. I looked up and saw Shun's face.

"Hi," he said, grinning at me.
(:)(:)(:)
I looked up at the woman, and I gasped. Her dark hair was just like mine and her piercing blue eyes looked around our circle. Our eyes met and I whisperer, "Mom?"

"Is that you Ember?" she asked. I nodded, getting off of Ari, who let out a grunt. She rushed forward and enveloped me in a big hug. "I've missed you so much!"
(:)(:)(:)
The last one hit me hard. I don't know if Mom is still alive or not. I break down crying again, but for a different reason. Its not for boy trouble, its for all the time I missed with my mom, my life before earth, and the time I probably won't spend with her in the future. I feel arms wrap around me, and I turn, burying my head in the persons chest.

"Ember," the person, who I realize now is Rafi, says. "Its going to be okay. Annie will bring the potion and your mom will be okay."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask, looking up at his face. "What if Aralynn is just lying to us? What if she takes that potion, uses it on herself, and then runs?"

"She promised us, and I think she is one to keep her promises," he says, smiling. "And I keep my promises too. I promise to keep you safe . . . and to love you forever."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Ember, I realized that I do like you, and I want to be with you . . . forever," he says, grinning.

"I want to be with you forever too," I say, smiling back. I lean in but the door to the cabin opens up. "Get out!" Aralynn says while making gagging noises. "Get away from each other!"

"Why?" Rafi asks, standing in front of me.

I push him out of the way so I can be right in front of Aralynn. "What are you doing?" Rafi asks.

"I know you said you would protect me forever, but if she is going to kill someone or hurt someone, its going to be me. I can't see you getting hurt, like everyone else I love," I say. "Now, what do you want, Aralynn?"

"Who knocked out Kade?" she says, glaring at me.

"I did," Rafi says. "He was, uh, being annoying."

"No one knocks out Kade," she hisses. "I'm going to punish-"

Suddenly, the ship leans over, causing us all to fall to the left. I land on Rafi while Aralynn lands on the hard wooden wall. "What was that?" she yells. The ship lurches as it hits something, quite possibly the ground. It bounces, hits the earth again, and bounces one more time before hitting the earth and staying there. I hear Aralynn groan in pain.

I stand up and run over to her. "Crud, she's unconscious," I say.

"No, not crud," Rafi says, a little bloody. "It means we can escape!"

"You're right!" I say. "Can we change first? I can't hardly move in this dress."

"Yeah," he says nodding. "I'll drag Aralynn out of here so you can change."

"Okay," I say. "Wait, before you go. Tie her up so we can take her to my mom."

"Good idea," he says, nodding. "What about Kade?"

"Tie him up too." He nods, dragging Aralynn out of my room. Since the ship turned, my dresser let loose all the clothes that was in it, so now my room is a pigsty. I search around, trying to find a good pair of jeans and a regular T-shirt. I finally fond some, tearing the dress off and putting the clothes on.

I walk out of my room to see Aralynn and Kade tied up together. Rafi picks them up and they slump over his shoulder. "Come on."

I climb down the ladder and look out over the land. We're near the castle. Good. We start walking in silence, the castle growing bigger and bigger. "We're almost there!' I say to Rafi, and instead of a reply, I feel a sharp tip pressed to my back.

"You're not going near the castle," Aralynn says. "And if you do, I will cut off your left arm."

She moves the point to my left shoulder. "What did you do to Rafi? And where's Kade?"

"Oh, Rafi is unconscious and I sent Kade away," Aralynn says. "Now, we are going to wait here for Annie, got it?"

"Yes," I say, scared of my ex-best friend. We wait for a few minutes. Suddenly, I hear a roar that's sounds like a person and the sharp tip pierced my skin. I cry out in pain as it goes deeper and deeper into my muscle tissue, going through the bone, and finally coming out the other side. I watch as my arm drops to the ground.

"Rafi, did you see what you have caused?" Aralynn asks. "You have caused your girlfriend to lose her arm."

"Ember, I'm-" he starts to say but I shake my head.

"Its okay," I say when the pain hits. I fall to the ground, screaming. Rafi starts to come near me. "No, Rafi. Fight her."

All he does is nod as he turns around and starts swinging fists. I look at my shoulder to see blood oozing out of it, at a fast rate. I need to do something to stop the bleeding. Maybe my powers would work. Since blood has water in it, I could stop the bleeding! I concentrate on the red sticky stuff that is hitting the ground, willing it not to leave my body. The blood from the ground lifts up and comes back in my body. I seal the wound with ice, coming from the water in the grass. Maybe I should do one more thing to it . . .

I use the water in the grass around me to make an arm. I attach it to the sealed wound, stretching my new fingers. I couldn't feel them but I also could feel them. I slowly stand up, turning around, feeling a new sense of determination. I walk to Aralynn, whose back was to me. She was trying to hurt Rafi, my Rafi, so I decide to hurt her. I reach out with my new arm and grab her hair. I swing my arm back and she flies backward. "Get away from him," I say.

She looks over at me and her face is scrunched up in hatred. Aralynn stands up and runs at me. I raise my real arm, which raise a wall of earth. She smacks into it, falling down. "Ember!"

I turn around to see Damien and Annie standing with a lady I recognize immediately. "Nailea?" I ask. She nods.

"What in the world is going on here?" Damien asks.

"Aralynn," is all I say.

I let my hand drop as Annie runs toward me. "You're hurt," she says. "What happened to your arm?"

"Ah just your half sister," I say angrily. "She took it away."

"I did it because someone decided to roar right in my ear," she says, glaring at Rafi. "Now, I expect you give me that potion or else . . . Aria won't be the only one dying."

She suddenly grabs Damien, putting my sword to his throat. "No," I say as Annie screams.