Page 24 of Tarnished Embers

“It’s okay, darling. He’s just a passionate young man,” my father assures her, trying to keep the peace. I watch as he strokes her hand, and she shakes her head slightly, her face transforming back into its serene beauty.

I ignore the alarm bells that ring in my head at just how quickly her face can morph from rage to normality, instead, placing my hand over Oct’s that is still on my upper thigh and squeezing it. He gives me a small, grateful smile, and I wonder what hold she has to make him feel so bad about a single swear word.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” Odette continues, and I grind my teeth at the way Oct shrinks back a little. “It’s a wheatgrass smoothie, and is a great antioxidant, plus aids in weight loss.”

I can feel my cheeks burning, my body frozen as I stare at the glass of green goop. I’ve heard of wheatgrass, and decide it looks fucking revolting even if it is good for you.

“How thoughtful of you to help Ember, honey,” I can hear my dad say, but I can’t take my eyes off the horrible concoction in front of me. A weight settles inside my chest, a flush creeping up my neck as I face something else that Odette has casually taken from me. “I didn’t know you were on a diet, Little Spark.”

Tears sting my eyes at his words, and I don’t know what to say. Sure, I’m not supermodel thin like Odette, I mean, who the fuck looks like that, really? But I didn’t think I needed to lose any weight.

“Oh, us girls just know these things, don’t we, Ember?” I slowly bring my gaze upwards, refusing to let the embarrassed tears fall. Odette just looks at me like she really is helping me out, and I’d believe it too if there wasn’t a spark of something in her hazel irises, a malicious sort of pity perhaps? Oct’s hand squeezes mine but I barely feel it, and all my mind can focus on is that Odette basically just called me fat and no one called her out on it.

Hurt lances through me like a hot poker, everything that has happened crashing over me and rendering me unable to talk, to tell Odette to go fuck herself and that her boys don’t seem to mind my curves, but then, why don’t they say anything?

“Um, yes. I–I think I might take this upstairs if that’s okay? I’m feeling a little tired.” Not waiting for an answer, I rip my hand away from Oct’s and grab the glass, ignoring the concerned call of my father as I rush from the room.

* * *

“FIND YOU” BY THE PHANTOMS

CAS

I watch Ember flee the dining room, the glisten of tears in her beautiful, blue eyes, as the pounding of a war drum sounds in my ears. My fists are clenched so tightly around my knife and fork that I’m not even surprised to see that I’ve bent them a little, and I count backwards from ten just to calm myself enough not to launch myself at Odette.

“I hope she’s okay,” her pathetic, fucking clueless father says, but to give him some credit, he looks genuinely concerned, his brows pitched low.

“It’s probably her time of the month, Richard.” Odette titters, and I know her cycle has nothing to do with why she left in such a hurry. We know from her medical records that she’s got a coil, so she doesn’t have periods particularly, not that I’m convinced her not being on birth control would have stopped either myself or Prince from coming inside her.

“Perhaps one of us should check?” Kit asks, and I see her father soften as he stares at Kit. I get he has always wanted sons, or so he told us the many times we met him back in New York, but maybe if he spent less time travelling for business and more time with his daughter then she wouldn’t have been so alone.

“That would be great, Kit. Thank you.”

Kit immediately gets up, even though he’s not eaten anything, and rushes out of the room. I don’t miss the croissant he swiped and hid in his pocket before he got up. We may not be able to stand up to Odette how we would like to, the fallout would only make it worse for Ember in the end, but we can do something to mitigate her vile fucking behaviour.

I push my plate away, my appetite gone when I think about the look on Ember’s face as she fled and what she must think of us for not standing up for her. For not telling Odette to go fuck herself because surely any red-blooded man would prefer Ember’s luscious curves over the bag of bones that is my stepmother.

Fuck, it’s only the second day and we’ve already failed Cinders.

We’ll just have to work extra hard to make it up to her.

CHAPTERELEVEN

“TIDAL WAVE” BY CHASE ATLANTIC

KIT

Icould fucking kill that bitch! As if what she’s put us through over the years isn’t enough, she has to pick on Ember who has been nothing but welcoming ever since we stormed into her life. Odette thinks she’s got us under her thumb, exactly where she wants us, unable to speak up, but we’re just biding our time. She’s in for a rude awakening now that we have something worth fighting for.

The things we’ve done over the years to help, to keep us all afloat would make most people sick to their stomachs. Sure, sometimes it was fun, but lately…I shudder, swallowing down the self-disgust and hurrying after the one light to come into our lives.

I hear Ember’s door slamming shut just before the distinctclickof the lock as I reach it. Then her sobs follow soon after and my heart cleaves in two.

Fucking Odette. Jealous cunt.

“Ember, Pretty Thing, let me in, baby,” I plead, my palm and forehead pressed against the wood as I beg her.

“Go away, Kit.” Her voice is thick with tears, and my palms clench into a fist against the door.

---