Free Embers & Ice (Rouge) by Isabella Modra Page A

rolled her eyes and stepped around the empty table, cautiously
approaching Eli. He was too frozen in shock to move. “Eli, I know you must have
so many questions for us. Let me first assure you that your vitals are
completely in check and your tissues have healed miraculously well.”
    What?
What the hell is this?
    “We
just need to know if you feel like yourself. Can you tell me that?”
    Her
eyes were so warm that Eli felt almost compelled to answer her. He shot a
nervous glance at the man standing against the wall, his pale skeleton fingers
touching the cuffs of his shirt, his eyes narrowed and waiting. So he tried to
remember where he was before he woke up. Maybe it would explain who these
people were.
    Suddenly,
he was drawn back into a memory. He wore a tuxedo his father had ordered for
him. Sounds of clinking glass and loud chatter blared around him. The world was
tinted golden and glimmering with faces. Somewhere in the distance, a violin
was playing. He recognized the piece and longed for the instrument he’d played
almost all his life. He attended the benefit for his father’s sake, but he
didn’t want to be there. He’d rather be anywhere else, in fact.
    Through
the haze of glamorous people, he saw her: The girl with the red hair. She
passed him, her arm looped through another man’s. Eli stared closer at the man
with the pale eyes and realized it was him; he was the one she came with. The
girl locked eyes with him and his whole body tingled. Her eyes were golden like
a glowing flame. Then, she was swallowed by the crowd.
    Eli
breathed in slowly, stared at the man and woman, and suddenly felt a terrible
fear rake through him. What had happened at the benefit?
    “Eli,”
the woman pressed. She hesitated, her frown deepening, before she asked another
question. “Do you know who I am Eli?”
    He
shook his head. “No. I don’t know either of you.” The man and woman exchanged
worried glances, causing Eli’s heart to thump. “Wait, should I? Who are you?”
    “He
doesn’t remember us,” said the woman. Her voice wavered. “Did something happen
to his memory during the revival? What did you do , Joshua?!”
    The
man called Joshua moved not an inch, his pale eyes wide as he gazed down at
Eli. A chill spread through the room. He opened his mouth and closed it again.
An eternity seemed to pass before he spoke.
    “Tell
me, Eli, what is the last thing you remember? Can you recall Prom?”
    “Prom?”
he hissed, and started coughing. “That’s – months – away. It’s still January,
right?”
    Joshua
pursed his lips. “Answer my first question.”
    Eli
thought back for a moment. “I… I went to my father’s benefit for Colombia
University. It’s like… a week before school goes back.”
    The
woman put a hand to her mouth, her eyes glistening with shock. “Oh God…”
    “What?
Where am I? What day is it? What did you do to me?”
    Joshua
pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. “If he doesn’t remember
who we are, Jenny,” he whispered, “and his last memory is the benefit… you know
what that means, right?”
    The
woman nodded. She looked about to burst into tears.
    “He
doesn’t remember Hunter,” she said.

 
    PART 2
    REMEMBER ME

 
    TWELVE
     
    “Check
mate.”
    Ryo
sat back in her chair, her grin wide like a Cheshire cat, leaving Hunter
completely flabbergasted.
    “A
twelve-year-old beat me at chess. ”
    Benji
was chuckling to himself in that cute way only nerdy kids do. And then Hunter
was thinking about Eli and how much she missed his laugh.
    “What’s
wrong?” asked Ryo.
    “Nothing,”
she replied. “Rematch?”
    “I
could beat you with my eyes closed.”
    Hunter
scoffed good-naturedly. “So… what else is there to do here?”
    “Not
much. I mostly hang out here, or in my cell, and I go down to the labs when I
need to. There’s the fitness room, but only Marcus and Mosi bother to use
that.”
    “Can
you show me?” Hunter asked, eager to keep