In Embers (The Ember Series Book 3) (18 page)

“Madi Lee, that’s not how we talk to people. You know better, young lady.”

“That’s not people, Mommy…” she said, as if the words tasted awful in her mouth.

“Max is your father, and you don’t talk to him that way,” Sam scolded for my benefit, but I don’t think she disagreed too much.

Kneeling down, I reached for her slightly, “I’ve missed you.” She pulled from me and ran to the edge of the hallway.

“Madi, get back over here. Don’t run from your dad,” Kai tried to say.

Slamming her daggers directly into my heart, Madi cursed, “I don’t have a dad.” With hot tears pushing down her cheeks she ran down the hall and slammed her bedroom door. Sam and Kai turned to me with dreadful faces. Asia placed a hand on my back and if she hadn’t, I don’t think I would have had the strength to keep standing up on my own. My daughter hated me.

“I’m sorry, Max…she’s just a tad emotional. You know, with the wedding and everything,” Kai tried to convince me.

I just looked over at him in disgust.

Asia had seen enough though. “Come on, we’ll try again tomorrow.”

“All right,” I said, breaking. Slowly, I shuffled my feet toward the front door. Asia carried me with her strength even though I could sense that it hurt her too when Madi spoke to me that way. Her bond was still strong with Madi. At least Madi would still have Asia in her life. As I stumbled for the Jeep
, Sam ran up to me.

“Max,” she said, and pulled me aside. Asia climbed in the truck and started the engine, never removing Sam from her sight.

“This was a bad idea, Sam. I should have stayed away.”

“Don’t say that. You know that’s not true,” she argued, softly. “I’ll bring her by tomorrow. I have a busy day…”

“You mean with your wedding the following day,” I said it with pain in my voice, and it stunned her a little. She quickly collected herself and tried again.

“That’s right, my wedding.” Her eyes cut through me and for a split second they seemed scared. I leaned in closer without even realizing I was doing it. Sam continued, “Tomorrow morning, be ready. As you have seen, she has your temper.”

Her words actually managed to bring a smile to my face. It was small, but it was there. I let a long sigh escape and nodded, okay. She smiled and pulled open the passenger door for me to climb in. Asia put the truck in gear and placed an expensive pair of sunglasses over her stare. She smiled toward Sam, but I could see her defenses going up.

“Goodbye, Sam. Thank you for inviting us to your life changing day.” The wind swirled around the truck and Sam stepped back just before Asia pulled away. As Asia raced down the road I watched Sam in the side mirror. She stayed in the view of the shaking glass until we turned around a corner.

Feeling awful about how easily my daughter damaged me, I eventually said, “Well, I guess I deserved that.”

“You completely do,” Asia said as fact.

“Thanks a lot,” I sulked
.
Way to kick me when I’m down.

“Max, I don’t think you understand what I mean. Of course you deserved that anger, that pain from Madi. She loves you.”

“Huh?”

“The more you care for someone the more hate they make you feel. She is four-feet of emotional
glycerin,” Asia said, and floored the gas pedal. We tore along the road with the smell of rain in our noses.

“You think so?” I asked, still not believing.

“Max, if there’s one thing I know it’s what it feels like to care for you,” Asia explained, with a hand to the back of my neck. She smiled my way, and declared…

“That little girl loves you like a supernova.”

~ Sour Girl: Stone Temple Pilots ~

Monday morning - 7:57 a.m. - June 17
th

Asia made sure everyone was up and ready for a day of shopping. Her excuse to get everyone out of my house before Madison was dropped off. It was my only chance to fix things with my daughter before the wedding. I didn’t think I could fix everything in one day, but I was willing to try. I wasn’t able to sleep a wink the night before and the baggage under my eyes proved it.

Sam had said she would be over around eight in the morning. Like torture, I watched the kitchen clock tick away the seconds as I waited for the sound of Sam’s vehicle. With a large gulp of my morning coffee mug, I rubbed my eyes and yawned. When they opened I was no longer by myself.

“Big day today!
”
Uncle Frank said, proudly
.
Great, perfect timing.

“Hey, Uncle,” I said, with a blank stare. I raised my cup to him as if to say cheers. Had I really fallen this far? I was making toasts with my invisible uncle.

“Don’t be nervous, my son. You’ll do great today.”

“Well, I’m starting the day off pretty good. Talking to dead people is always a fantastic sign that I have my shit together,” I huffed. My head fell against the kitchen counter in a thud. Frank let out a loud and heartfelt laugh. It rang throughout the whole house and made me miss him so badly.

“I’ve missed your spirit, Max!”

“Clever choice of words, Uncle.”

“I thought so too.
”
He smiled beside me.

“Madi will be here any second, so whatever cryptic advice you need to tell me, you better do it quick,” I demanded, with a heavy head propped up on my hand.

“That’s funny…
”
he sighed.

“What’s funny?” I asked, confused. His body began to fade into the morning light again.

“I only come here when you want me to.
”
Like a whisper he was gone. I rubbed the sides of my head and mouthed the words…

“Trust the pain.”

Suddenly, a car horn signaled Madi’s arrival and I gathered myself as best I could and walked to the front door. Sam and Madi were at my door in a matter of seconds and it was obvious that Madi hadn’t slept very well either. Like father, like daughter…I suppose.

“Good morning,” Sam greeted. She quickly searched the house for any signs of other people.

“It’s just me.” I smiled. She noticed the bags under my eyes and scrunched her nose a little. The freckles collected along it playfully.

“Long night?” she asked.

I nodded yes.

She cautiously directed my eyes down to Madi who was standing at her side with a death grip on her mother’s hand and eyelids as droopy as mine.

“Morning,” I offered to her.

Madi looked up at me and huffed.
“Mommy, do I have to do this?”

“Yes,” Sam ordered, sweetly. “Trust me, you’ll have the best time. You used to love it here.”

Hearing Sam say that, flattered me and made me believe that maybe there was some hope after all.

“Doubt it,” Madi grumbled.

“Hey! Be good, little lady.” Sam bent over and kissed her on top of her head. “Play your cards right and Daddy just might sing for you today. You used to love when he did that,” she said, with a curious look.

Was Sam hinting at something. I stole a quick glance at Sam’s thoughtful eyes before offering my hand to Madi.
“I guess I could pull out my guitar.”

“I hope so,” Sam’s voice carried a hint of a familiar feeling…yearning.

Madi looked past my hand and ran for the living room couch and jumped onto the middle cushion with a plop.

“Maybe later, then,” I sighed.

“Have her home by seven, she needs a bath before her bedtime. That work for you?” Sam asked.

I nodded yes.

She offered a polite hug and headed out the door. Just as she began to close it I called to her, but I wasn’t sure why. “Sam.”

“Yes,” she said, from over her shoulder. I stared at her for a few strained seconds and she turned to me and let a half-smile curl along the side of her mouth. “Max?”

With a quick brush of my hair behind my ear, I mumbled, “Nothing.”

“Okay. Goodbye,” she said, and slowly closed the front door. She never took her eyes from mine until it closed. Moments later Sam drove off leaving me with my sour but beautiful daughter. I casually sat down next to her on the couch and looked around the room waiting for my words to find me. After five minutes, Madi spoke up.

“Where’s Ozzy?”

“Umm, he’s still back in Arizona. He couldn’t make the trip this time.”

Without missing a beat, she rolled her eyes. “Perfect.”

The first couple hours were the worst. Madi and I didn’t talk much. She colored a picture for her mom, a sunflower. She played a few Xbox video games and we had an awkward lunch together. Peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches with slices of watermelon on the side. After lunch Madi was cleaning up in the bathroom as I picked up our small mess at the kitchen table. When I was done, I found her snooping around my bedroom. I hugged the outer rim of the door and watched her for a moment. She didn’t see me at first.

First she walked over to my windowsill and placed her hands along faint burn markings in the wood were my overzealous fires had scarred it. Then she stepped up to my desk and found a stack of pictures laying upon it. The first picture was of Kai and I at the beach from when we were in high school. Sam had taken the photo with her professional camera on one of our earlier adventures together. Madi quickly tossed it aside and picked up the next one, a picture of Asia. She smiled wide and traced the picture with her finger. That’s when she noticed the next picture. She slowly replaced the one she had with the new one. Her eyes searched it hard. Finally, she turned it over and read what was scribbled along the back.

“Mia Valentine, age seven.”

She gently placed it back on the desk and turned around.

“Hey.” I smiled as my presence startled her a little. She huffed in a new pout, and I pushed inside my room. “You up for a little adventure?”

She shrugged her shoulders
, but I could see something had changed in her eyes. “I guess.” I waved for her to follow me, but before she did, she stole another glance at the picture of my sister.

At the green and lush site on the edge of Kalama Beach Park, Madi climbed into one of the swings and kicked her legs. I gave her a small shove and the ocean wind caught inside her hair. Suddenly, she did something I hadn’t seen her do since I had been back…smile. After a few minutes we walked over to a picnic bench dug in the grass. She climbed up to the top of it and proceeded to walk the edge of it back and forth. I sat down on one side and watched her carefully, ready to swoop in and catch her if she fell.

She inhaled a huge chunk of air and relaxed. I could tell she loved the beach. At that moment she reminded me of my long lost sister, Mia. I took out my cell phone and snapped a quick picture of her lost in the moment. Her eyes whipped over to me in surprise.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Madi. I just wanted to save that moment.”

Stubbornly, she asked, “Why?”

“Just reminded me of someone,” I said.

“Mia?” she asked, tilting her face directly into the cool breeze.

“Yes.”

“The girl in the picture,” she added. She put her arms straight out at her sides as if she were trying to take flight.

“That’s right. She was my sister.”

“Where is she now?”

Quietly, I hid behind my bangs, “Gone.”

“What do you mean?” she inquired, with a scrunch of her nose.

“She passed away a long time ago,” I said, trying to hide my misery. Madi stopped and sat down on the bench, her bony legs folded over each other.

“How?” she asked. I flipped the hair from my eyes and squinted under the bright sunshine on my face. I positioned my right hand in front of me and nodded. Her big green eyes focused hard on them. With a snap, my fingers came alive with flames. They were yellow with strips of white twisting through them. Quickly, they crawled over my hand and down my forearm. I waited for her to pull back in fear
, but she just watched me burn, silent and still.

“It was an accident,” I whispered. She cocked her head and reached out for my hand. I tried to pull it away
, but she was too fast. Her tiny fingers gripped my knuckles through the fire and she squeezed my hand into a fist. Instantly, my fires extinguished, but not from me. She made them disappear.

“I have accidents sometimes too. Mommy tries not to get mad at me when they happen
, but I can tell it scares her.” Madi scooted from the top of the bench and sat down next to me. I wondered just how strong her powers were. Was she destined for the same agonizing life I had when I was younger?

“What kind of accidents? I thought you could only…you know…heal things.”

She smiled up at me and shrugged. “Sometimes I can make fires too…kinda like you.”

“Show me,” I insisted. She looked around nervous and shook her head no. I decided to convince her. “Can you do this?” Instantly, I made a ball of fire ignite in my palm. It spun around cooking the chilly sea breeze.

With a shake of her head. “Not exactly.”

I leaned down to her and whispered, “It’s okay…show me.” Her brow furrowed as she seemed to think about it much too seriously for a six-year old. Finally, she pointed to a tall orange and red slide across the park, at least fifty-feet away. She closed her eyes and unbelievably a giant burst of fire erupted from the center of the twisting piece of the slide. The plastic and metal surrendered to the heat in seconds, folding in on itself. Pops of dying metal echoed everywhere and the entire slide fell to the sand in burning chunks. When Madi opened her eyes again, the flames disappeared in a flash, leaving trails of black smoke reaching for the cloudy sky.

“Supernova,” I mumbled to myself, remembering Asia’s words.

“Is that okay?” she asked, worried.

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. She was just a child and already as strong as I was, or at least close. I carefully brushed her tangled hair away from her face and smiled.

“Madison Lee, that just might be the coolest thing I have ever seen. You’re amazing,” I praised.

She blushed in shock as if she were waiting for me to get mad at her. “Mommy says I have to be careful. She says people won’t understand what I can do.”

“Mommy’s right,” I sighed. “Mommy’s always right.”

Madi studied my face. “Really?”

“Ever since I’ve known her,” I laughed. Madi turned to me and spoke softly.

“Mommy said you love me…”

I smiled.
“That’s true.”

“She said you love me as much as she loves you.”

My daughter’s words locked me in place. I tried to un-hear what she had just said, but it was impossible.

“I think we should head back home.” I waited for her to say something else but instead, she hopped off the bench and walked toward my vehicle. I surveyed the damaged park equipment one last time and ran to catch up with her.

Back at my house we watched a movie and ate popcorn. Afterward, I showed Madi a recorded video of Kai and I singing at a local karaoke restaurant and she laughed wildly at it. When it was over she asked me to play a song for her. I was hesitant at first
, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. I sang for her. She danced for me. Hours passed and she stole my heart all over again. What started out as a miserably nerve-racking morning had become one of the best afternoons of my life. Little Madison had my heart, but tomorrow her mother would marry my best friend and leave the island again. The thought crippled me. I wasn’t sure I could handle losing her again.

An hour later I was walking Madi up to her grandparent’s house with Sam awaiting us with a wave and a smile.

“Aloha, Madi-Bug! How was your day? You have fun?” Sam asked, kissing Madi on the lips. Madi squeezed her neck and giggled.

“Yes, Mommy.” She looked up at me and smiled.

“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Sam hugged her and stood up and faced me. “How about you?”

“Best day ever,” I stated, with a nervous heat building in my palms. Sam studied my eyes thoroughly. Madi tugged on Sam’s shirt impatiently.

“Mommy…”

“What, Madison?”

“Max sang for me!” she said, as if she was cheering. She called me Max and not Dad. Ouch. Madi hugged me quickly and then ran into the house. Sam waited for me to grow angry and folded her arms together.

“Well, it’s a start,” I surrendered, and turned away. Sam reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Max, are you okay?”

I looked around my surroundings, letting the finality of my situation fall on me. “I have to be.” I pulled my arm from her and tried to walk away again.