6. Ember
Ember
Almost four days since I had experienced Ruined—an experience that had settled deep into my bones.
I knew coming home that night I had ventured into dangerous territory, but as I walked through my front door, I found myself trying to fight the pull to go back.
The second I was inside, Kinsley and Kolby were there waiting for me.
Neither of them were thrilled with my decisions, and walking in felt a whole hell of a lot like coming home to your parents after missing curfew, but in this case, it was my roommates.
I answered all of Kinsley's questions and avoided Kolby’s glare before popping in some headphones and deciding to use my boost of energy wisely.
I rode through my adrenaline high that night by cleaning every surface in the house.
The whole time, I just replayed the night in my head.
I was so proud of the pictures I'd taken, and I knew they were going to be amazing.
Ruined had so many unique elements, but my favorite moment of the night had nothing to do with the club.
Seeing the flicker of irritation within Silas?
God, it had been beautiful—the absolute highlight of my week.
About an hour later, Kolby had found me with a controller in his hand.
Pretending to take a piece of paper out of his back pocket, he unfolded the air and cleared his throat.
“You have been challenged to a duel involving kart racing and trash talking. Please proceed to the couch where you will be thoroughly destroyed.”
I couldn't help but snicker at his choice of presentation. Setting the rag down, I crumpled the imaginary paper and threw it into the trash. “You’re going down.”
My answer must have surprised him, because his face lit up as he took off toward the living room where we eventually settled into our competition.
Inevitably, one match turned into hours.
Every time one of us won, it became a “best two out of three” situation, then best five, then best seven.
At some point, snacks even appeared between us.
By the time I blinked up at the clock, it was 3:57 a.m., and my extra energy was fading fast. I set the controller down to signal I was done and fought off Kolby's repeated attempts to get me to go to his room. By the time I closed my eyes, I was still buzzing with adrenaline.
Fast forward to now, where I sat at my vanity, still somehow feeling the aftereffects. I never reached back out to Silas or Kyrin, but my proofs were scheduled to be delivered today, and in some weird way, I almost wished I could be there to see their reaction.
Twisting a brown curl around the metal rod of my iron, I frowned at the reflection staring back at me.
The morning sunlight streaming in was bright and a little too honest. The pale light highlighted every single part of my exhausted face.
Every freckle and every ghost of a blemish screamed for attention within its rays.
I set down the iron to section off another piece of hair when my phone buzzed, alerting me to a new email. I held my breath as the name flashed across the screen.
Silas Solstice
Masquerade Details
I couldn’t help the smug smile that spread over my face as I read the name of the sender again. However, that smile faded as my eyes moved to the actual message. The email was precise and polished but also arrogant—much like the person who’d sent it.
Ms. Vale,
It seems that I have misjudged your talent.
Therefore, your presence is requested for the masquerade at my club.
I hope you understand we have certain expectations involving a strict time schedule and dress policy.
The event will take place in three days with your scheduled arrival at 6 p.m. Payment for your services will be sent via invoice.
Decency; a behavior that conforms to expected standards of morality.
Example- I hope you have the decency to keep your mask on the entire time.
Not asked. Not invited. Requested—as if I had no choice. Clearly, he was used to people simply following his demands, no questions asked.
Fuck that guy and his god complex.
I set my phone back down and stretched my legs out from underneath me. Placing my feet on the cold floor, I pushed down into my heels and raised my arms, stretching out the stiffness in my back. The hard wood beneath me was stable and real—unlike whatever fantasy world he seemed to live in.
I was ashamed to admit that for the briefest moment, I was actually excited to see the email come through.
That initial reaction suddenly felt like a traitorous emotion, and I scolded that part of myself as I weighed the options of accepting his offer.
The whole event intrigued me for multiple reasons.
Not only was it an exclusive event, but I liked the environment, and I knew it would be a good payoff for me in the end.
I reached for my mascara as I felt my jaw clench. Regardless of my interest, the email hadn’t asked if I was available, it hadn’t even asked if I wanted to participate. I curled my lashes and blinked a few times in the mirror before moving the small brush to my left eye.
I hated that man, and I knew for a fact that in his twisted mind, he saw no reason I wouldn’t be there. The most annoying part was that he wasn’t wrong, which made me hate him even more.
Straightening in the mirror, I ran my fingers through the curls I’d just put in my hair.
I then stood and crossed the room to my closet to find my outfit for the day.
Hangers scraped against the wooden rod as I searched for something that fit my mood for my shift.
I pulled out a black top and paused with it in my hand.
Black. The color of his club walls, which meant that would probably be one of the colors of his masquerade.
Ugh.
Lowering the shirt, I sighed. If I was being honest, it would be stupid to not take the job, especially for that kind of money.
If I could focus on something other than my growing hatred for the owner, I could probably let myself get excited.
Maybe I wouldn’t have to deal with him to get the job done, or at all, for that matter.
I clung to that thought as I dressed quickly, pulling the shirt over my head and tugging my jeans up with sharp movements.
“You look like death.”
I jumped from Kinsley's voice, the one that came from my doorway, where she stood staring at me with her arms crossed. Her blonde hair was twisted into a lazy topknot that somehow still looked runway-ready. Silk pajamas clung to her body, and two green gel pads sat perfectly under her eyes.
“Any word from the demon boys?”
A small sound escaped my throat, something between a laugh and a scoff. “They want me to come back.”
Raising one eyebrow at me, she pulled herself off the doorframe and stepped into my room toward my bed.
“Just wait until Kolby finds out. You know he thinks you belong to him.” With a dramatic sigh, she flopped onto the edge of my purple comforter.
“The electricity bill is due today, and it's your turn to pay. You still good with that?”
“Yeah. With the money from the club, I'll be good for two months.”
At the mention of the club, she shot upright like she’d been electrocuted. “Oh no, absolutely not. I can just use my trust fund. There is no way you are paying with cash from the demons and their—what did you call it? The den of sex and assholes?”
I snorted as I packed up my make-up, realizing she actually had been listening to me that night. “Yup, pretty much.”
Her questions about the club had been pretty direct, and I answered most of them, but we really hadn't talked since.
“I just don’t understand why that place would even exist, Ember.”
That made sense. Kinsley wasn’t exactly that type of person—more so the hopeless romantic, with the meet-cute in a coffee shop. “You don’t have to understand it.”
She wrinkled her nose like the mere thought of the club offended her whole existence. “I don't like it.”
I turned slightly and gave her a small smile. “You don’t have to like it either.”
“No, I don’t accept that. I’m taking care of the bill.” She leaned forward, resting her hand on my shoulder. “You know it won’t even make a dent in the account. That way, you don't have to go back—”
Before she could continue, another presence appeared in my doorway.
“Ugh. What do you want?” Kinsley deadpanned, staring at her brother, who now stood in the same spot she had moments before.
Kolby didn’t acknowledge her. Instead, he nodded in my direction as he strolled in with his usual grin and tousled blond hair. As he reached the bed, he pushed her legs over to create space for himself. “Not you.”
I rolled my eyes at him before clearing the rest of my vanity.
Giving me a lopsided smirk, he threw himself onto my bed beside Kinsley, shoving the pillows on the floor like he owned the place. “She probably wouldn’t have bothered you if I had been in your bed this morning.”
“Kolby—” I scoffed, making eye-contact with him through the mirror.
“That’s seriously never going to happen.” Kinsley half-yelled as she kicked him off the bed.
His body hit the floor with a hard thud, followed by a dry laugh where he’d landed.
As Kinsley turned back to me and opened her mouth to continue our conversation, Kolby’s hand shot up over the bed.
My eyes immediately moved to what he was holding.
Wrapped in his fingers was a pair of my silk underwear, probably taken from somewhere under the bed.
“Can I pretend this was a souvenir from last night?”
“You. Are. Such. A. Freak.” Kinsley shrieked before rolling over the bed and throwing punches that hit him repeatedly. He blocked her, but she yanked the underwear from his grasp and tossed them back to me. Kolby grunted in pain as she smiled at me.
In the next moment, he ripped a pillow off the bed in retaliation, smashing her in the face with it.
A flustered scream escaped her before she erupted into a whirlwind of smacks and squeals. “Out. Get out, you big fat idiot!”
Kolby just laughed in response, as if her temper tantrum meant nothing.
Dodging her attempted attacks, he stood and winked at me before making his way toward the door.
I just sat and watched everything unfold like I normally did with them.
Arguments like these weren’t uncommon, especially with them being only six minutes apart.
With twins as roommates, I’d already learned their life was either a constant competition or an impromptu wrestling match.
Just as his foot crossed the threshold into the hallway, Kinsley ran to the door and closed it by throwing her body weight into it.
“If mom wasn’t visiting in a few weeks, I might actually murder him.
Too bad I have to keep him around for brownie points.
He may be my twin brother, but he’s still her baby boy. ”
I laughed, enjoying the sarcasm in her tone. “He’s not that bad.”
Raising her eyebrows, she folded her arms. “He just had your underwear. Your underwear, Em.” Pulling away from the door, she swung it open and peered down the hallway to check that it was empty.
From there, she turned her head slightly, looking at me from the corner of her eye.
“And we’ll be finishing this conversation later. ”
I responded with a nod of confirmation.
I was thankful for our friendship, even though sometimes it felt strained.
Kinsley came from money; her whole family did.
A few years ago, they put out an ad for a roommate which I’d found in between places.
Upon meeting, I realized they needed to prove to their family they could live on their own, and at that time, I knew I just simply couldn’t.
It was a situation that worked for both of us, and living with the twins had worked out.
Our house was a constant carousel of people, but I didn’t mind it one bit.
I could probably afford to live on my own now, but I liked it here with them—they kept things interesting.
Bending down to grab my shoes, I glanced back at my vanity.
A large photo was shoved into the frame around the mirror—me, Kinsley, Kolby, and the rest of the football team after they’d won the state championship.
To celebrate, Kinsley and I had been hoisted onto their shoulders, our hands raised in victory for them, smiling like nothing in the world could touch us.
I kept my eyes on the picture as I pulled my shoes on. The Ember in that photo was the same woman I was now, someone who was built to withstand anything. Taking out my phone, I shot a quick reply to Silas’s email before grabbing my bag and leaving the room, closing my door behind me.