19 | Ember

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Ember's eyes slowly fluttered open.

She was lying limply on a cot near the front of the healing center. Her arm hung loosely off the side of her bed, the fabric of her foxfire uniform wrinkled.

A headache spiked as she tried to sit up, and she immediately groaned. It felt like a million tiny needles stabbing into her brain every time she moved as much as an inch..

A figure with ruffled brown hair and gray-blue eyes rushed into the room at the sound of her grunts. It was Elwin, the physician of Foxfire. He currently wore spectacles, a gremlin covered tunic, and a warm smile.

"Look who's awake!"

Ember attempted to lift herself into a seated position, but whimpered. Her arms felt so weak that she couldn't even lift her own body weight.

"Woah," Elwin said, rushing to her bedside. "Don't move yet. Bronte really sucked the energy out of you."

Ember moaned in response.

From his tunic Elwin pulled a clear vial of glassy liquid. Assuming it was a bottle of youth, Ember took it and popped the cork off, downing the sweet water.

Her head cleared as the pleasantly cool liquid rushed through her body, rejuvenating some of her strength.

After she'd finished drinking she quirked an eyebrow at the physician. "How long have I been here?"

"A few hours," he replied nonchalantly.

Ember grumbled under her breath. She couldn't believe Bronte had had the nerve to take her out for that long.

A cacophony of voices interrupted her thoughts from the hallway. The door flew open and Daisy ran in, her blond braids bouncing as she jogged into the room.

She skittered to a stop at Elwin's side. "Can I hug her?"

Elwin nodded.

Daisy smiled as she sauntered over and wrapped her arms gently around Ember, who somehow found the strength to hug her friend back.

When Daisy pulled back, her hands were on her hips. "Don't ever worry us like that again!" Her voice was serious, but her demeanor was playful.

A smirk tugged at Ember's lips. "Us?"

As the word left her lips, Ace and Avaline stumbled into the room. Avaline's uniform was wet at the edges; she must have had Hydrokinesis training.

"I'm going to kill Bronte!" Ace yelled, making everyone jump.

"Yeah, he's a creep," Avaline agreed as she sat down on the edge of Ember's cot. "You okay, girl?"

Ember nodded. "Yeah, I just have this awful headache—"

The door burst open again and Ember's breath hitched.

Emerson raced in, his hair ruffled and his expression tense. When he saw her awake he relaxed a great deal, leaning against the wall and taking a hand through his hair. "You sure know how to give me a heart attack, Em."

"Sorry," Ember mumbled.

"Don't apologize !" Daisy exclaimed, nudging her in the ribs. "This isn't your fault, remember?"

"It's not," Elwin agreed as he handed Ember a vial of sloshy green liquid. She decided not to ask what it was made out of; she never enjoyed the answers to those questions.

The sludge was thick as it slid down her throat, but completely worth it when she felt her energy returning bit by bit.

Ember suddenly looked up and searched the room madly. "Where's Ro? I thought she was supposed to be with me all the time."

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