KELLY J MASSEY

“Ember!” his stupid voice blares through the night. I wanted to get away unnoticed, but apparently Steval woke just as I left our campsite. I pause in the trees, hoping he can’t tell which way I went. Even the insects that chirp through the night still as they listen to the insolent voice break through the air again. “Ember!” My skin crawls. Is that panic in his voice? Does he actually care I am gone? No. I shook my head. He only worries about himself. He fears for his own li

“Ember!” I sigh and turn to the town elder, wishing I could have escaped town to go berry picking like I typically do every other Thursday. “Ember, I’m grateful I caught you before you left.” I purse my lips, not wanting to give away that I found his presence a burden. Well, not necessarily his presence, but I know he wants me to stray from my task at hand. Whatever task he has in mind would not lend me the freedom that berry picking could give me. “It is time for Steval to v

Only a block away, really at the end of our cul-de-sac, we were a world away up on Buttercup Hill. No houses with prying eyes, only boulders with crawly surprises. They would invade our craggy castle and we would abandon it to run farther up Buttercup Hill. The golden grass waved, long enough to slip beneath our outstretched fingers. Sometimes the little blue and yellow flowers would catch our eyes and we would pause our climb. Pick a bunch and run back down the hill, down th