Chapter 10
Later that night, Ember stood in a dark corner at The Garden, staring around at all of the regulars. She remembered their faces, but she didn’t know why. She didn’t know many of them, but even standing alone and inconspicuous in a corner, they seemed to know her. She crossed her arms, watching as the eyes diverted away from her just as she looked over, the people whispering to each other and snickering nervously.
Once, it would have bothered her. Now, it annoyed her.
A half hour went by, and then another. When two hours had gone by, and Acton hadn’t made an appearance, she went up to the bar. Zinnia Knox was there, as she usually was, wearing a metallic blue corset and peacock feathers in her hair. She smiled as Ember approached.
“Ember, sweetie! How nice to see you!” she said, her darkly colored lips spreading into a broad smile as she winked. “You’re here alone tonight?”
“Acton,” Ember replied with a frown. “Where is he?”
Zinny leaned on the bar to rest her chin on her hand, batting her eyes. “He’s out with friends tonight, but you can hang around and help me, if you want.”
Ember shook her head. “I need to find Acton. Something’s going on.”
Though her gaze remained fixed and her lips never budged from their smile, the mask fled from her eyes. “What do you mean, Em?”
Getting up close to the bar, and leaning in to lower her voice, she watched Zinny’s face as she spoke. “Did Acton make me eat a rabbit?”
Zinny’s smile sank like melting wax. As she slowly stepped back from Ember, her feet crunching on the peanut shells on the floor behind the bar, her expression transformed into a dark-eyed snarl.
“My son would never,” she said in a low, deadly tone. “He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You should be grateful.”
“Where is he?” Ember demanded.
Zinny crossed her arms. “Have a seat.”
Pursing her lips, Ember crossed her arms to match Zinny’s stance. She continued to stand.
“Sit down,” Zinny said, this time more forcefully. “And I’ll go find him for you. Don’t make me call your mother, Em—I’ll do it. And I’ll tell her everything that you’ve been doing here.”
Ember scoffed. “I’m a lost cause. She won’t care.”
Zinny slammed her palm down on the bar, making everyone sitting down the way jump and look over. “She’ll care about what I have to say, Ember Gillespie, because Acton would never do that thing you said. If you ate a rabbit, it was of your own volition, and your mother will know it. Now, sit down!”
Ember swallowed, knowing that Gina wouldn’t bother herself to come and retrieve her. However, the warning stood as a stark reminder of exactly how alone she was, and she sat. As Zinny stalked off, fidgeting with her hair in annoyance as she went, a cold chill ran down Ember’s spine.
“My, my…” Asher said, sliding in to the seat next to her. “You’re a clever girl. Who told you about the rabbit?”
“I did,” Ember snapped, shifting uneasily.
Asher had composed himself to face her, leaning on the bar and letting his knees rest wide. He grinned when she finally looked over.
“You didn’t win,” he shook his head. “So you couldn’t possibly remember. If you assuage my curiosity now, I might decide to return the favor and keep Kaylee from fishing it out of your head later. Who’s the traitor?”
When Ember turned back, staring across the bar with determination, Asher stood and launched himself over the bar like a skilled gymnast. He put a beer in front of her as she glared at him.
“Come on, what’s got you down today, little birdie?” Asher said, resting his elbows on the bar. “You’re usually so happy to see me.”
Ember eyed the beer suspiciously. He stood in front of her, refusing to move as he pouted at her, until she finally relented.
“How drunk was I when I ate it?”
Asher’s mouth dropped open a half-inch, but then he laughed, picking up the beer and taking a gulp. “You don’t remember a damn thing.”
“Which means you must have cheated.”
The sound of his voice so close behind her made Ember jump. She spun around on her seat, her eyes going wide, and nearly falling down as she tried to find the floor with her feet. Acton was standing so close that there wasn’t enough room, and she had to slip back onto the bar seat when she had only gotten halfway off.
“You’re getting annoying, Ember,” he said crossing his arms and frowning. Ember heard Asher’s feet land next to her as he vaulted back over the bar.
“You made me eat a rabbit,” she accused.
Acton looked at her for a moment; then, he shrugged it off.
“I didn’t,” he said lightly. “You can believe me or not. You ate a rabbit because Isaac wanted to give you a present, and you didn’t want to insult him. I warned you he didn’t cook it long enough.”
“I can’t trust you,” Ember pressed. “There was fur. I want to know what’s going on, and—”
Acton took a half step forward, closing what little distance was between them, and laying his hands on her shoulders. His lips twitched in amusement. “Em, this is the third time. I’m afraid I have to demand to know how you’re doing this.”
“Are you going to have Kaylee fish it out of my head?” she spat back at him.
Asher held up a finger. “That one, I gave her.”
Acton took his hands back, crossing his arms across his chest as he paced for a moment. He turned back to Ember, and smiled as her eyes continued to drive into him.
“I’ll tell you what…” he said finally. “You apparently like games, and you have a strong desire to prove yourself. Let’s play a game, Em. If I win, you’ll tell me how you did it this time.”
“If I win, I want to know how you did it,” she shook her head. “I want to know why you made me eat the rabbit, and what the hell is going on around here.”
Acton smiled. “I can accept those terms.”
Asher was already walking towards the door. When Acton held out his hand to her, Ember could only stare at him with incredulity. She got down from her bar stool and sullenly followed Asher out of the bar. Acton walked behind her, never more than two steps behind, but so quiet that Ember found herself constantly turning to see if he was still there. He always was.
Once they had left the bar, and walked to the end of Main and into the forest, Acton started talking. His voice was calm and conversational, and Ember was surprised to find nothing but a determined confidence in her mind.
“So tell me,” Acton began, taking a few steps to bring them even with each other. “Why are you walking in the forest with two people you think are doing you harm? You’re smarter than that.”
Ember shook her head. “You won’t kill me. You would have done it already. I’ve been stone cold drunk too many times. You’ve had too many opportunities.”
Ember heard him breathe a smile, and looked over just in time to see him shaking his head.
“I can count the number of times you’ve been drunk on one hand, Em. The opportunities have been far fewer than you think.”
“It’s my mom, then,” Ember said. “You’re afraid of her. You won’t hurt me because of her.”
When Acton didn’t respond for a long while, she took her eyes off the ground to look at him again. His hand shot out to grab the back of her shirt and jacket just as she stepped into a sudden dip in the ground and lost her footing. He hadn’t even looked before doing it, and he held her suspended until she found her footing again.
“Keep your eyes down. There’s a lot to trip you out here, and as you’ve kindly noted, I don’t get my deposit back if I return you damaged.” He looked slightly displeased with the prospect. “Ember, I’ve never believed in souls, but if I were to make the argument, it would be you. Your mind is a blank slate, but your soul…it knows. You were an innocent thing when we met, but even now, you know you’re not that person anymore. You don’t remember why, but you know
that it’s true.”
Ember shook her head slowly, trying to count the number of times she had been out drinking and gone home sick, and lost count. It was far higher than five. “Was it drugs, then? Did you rufi me?”
“See—“ Acton suddenly threw his hands up. “That term. Rufi. Where did you learn that? It wasn’t back at school.”
“Around…” Ember shrugged. She had probably heard it from Asher, or maybe Isaac. She was almost sure it was Asher, though.
They walked on for another ten minutes. Acton stayed at her side, although he didn’t speak again. Asher and Acton stopped at the same time, and Ember stopped with them, staring at Acton expectantly. Nervousness suddenly rose in her chest when she realized that the time had come for whatever was about to happen. A polite smile came to Acton’s lips as he looked to Asher.
“Ash, please excuse us,” he said. “Find Kaylee, Isaac—“
“Joseph, beach, yeah, I know,” Asher finished for him, looking at Ember with disappointment before disappearing into the dark.
When he was gone, the silence that surrounded them was so oppressive that Ember could hardly think. There weren’t any crickets or animals making noise, and they were too far from the ocean to hear the waves. Ember couldn’t even hear her heartbeat, but she could feel it, and tried to take comfort in the slow, steady rhythm.
Acton had turned his head at an odd angle, and after several minutes, Ember realized that he was listening to something. However, even as she strained, she couldn’t figure out what it was; the night was dead to her.
His eyes flashed when he finally looked back to her. Flashed—like a deer’s eyes in the headlights.
“Ember, why would you come back out here after I made you eat a rabbit?” he demanded, shaking his head. “By your own word, you shouldn’t trust me, and you came back for your family.”
Ember’s jaw fell open. She had told him about the rabbit, but the only way for him to know the part about her family was if he had read the note. “You knew I had it all along.”
“I made you write it,” he said, frowning. “People have begun to question my sanity for the amount of time I’ve spent with you, novelty though you are.”
“Why would you make me write that?” Ember felt her nerves suddenly turn to panic, and clenched her fists, trying to hold on to reality. The edge she had thought she had on Acton was gone.
He chose a large stump a few feet away, and sat. “I don’t answer your questions, Em. That’s not how the game works.”
“Unless I win,” Ember mumbled.
Acton pointed at her as he smiled again, although he didn’t seem happy. “See? That’s what I mean about the memories of your soul. You don’t remember, but somehow, you know.” He sighed. “What should we do tonight? Do you want to drink? Climb trees? Run? Or maybe you want to choke down more road kill for Isaac’s sake?”
Ember shook her head. “Checkers?”
“Boring.” Acton waved his hand and stood to walk around her in a slow circle. “Cold water. Let’s go down to the waves—“
“No!” Ember said suddenly, falling to the ground and hugging it as though it might save her. As her heart raced, she didn’t know what she was afraid of, but she knew that the beach was a bad thing.
Acton only squatted down next to her, gently prying her hands from the roots and turf they clung to. “Not that beach…a different one.”
Ember felt tears streaming from her eyes, but blinked them away as she turned to look at him, and the world went soft around the edges. She shut them immediately.
Acton’s voice was annoyed. “Fine. You’ve said before you don’t like it, but you’d better make it quick. You owe me a game.”
Ember nodded. Deep down, she remembered that Acton had a sort of gift that she didn’t understand for controling people. She also knew that his patience only extended so far, and when he got bored, the games were trickier.
But also knew that she didn’t have a mark on her. If they really had been doing this night after night, whatever he had in mind couldn’t be too bad.
She pulled herself to her feet, continuing to nod nervously. The world remained cold and dark around them, and he nodded back, offering his arm before leading her off.