11 Chapter 11

-UNEDITED-

As Ember cornered Wilbur with a vicious smirk on her face, licking her lips, "I wonder how roasted human tastes." She smirked as Wilbur cowered into the corner.

"W-Wait, if you're that hungry, breakfast isn't over yet!" Wilbur squeaked, "G-Go eat, spare me!" He begged.

"Hm... well... chicken wings probably do taste better then human. Alright, you live." Ember said and Wilbur's face lit up, "For now." She smirked and he pushed himself up against the wall.Ember skipped her way out of the training room and smelt herself and pulled away, "Ew, I need a bath." She noted, "I don't smell nice." She huffed as she walked down the hallway, making her way towards the smell of food. She hummed to herself as she walked down the hall, she saw Atherton, her smile fell from her face as the image from her nightmare appeared in her mind as he turned to face her. But it wasn't the horrible between state he was in the nightmare, he was just out of his puppy form.

He squeaked and turned back into his puppy form, remembering her threat to throw him out the window if she saw his face. Ember shook her head lightly, she felt bad, but she refused to aplogize until he learned his lesson. She hated people who betrayed her in one way or another, and he beytrayed her. Or at least thats what it felt like. Sure she had never heard him speak, but she felt like she had gotten to know Atherton or at least who she thought was Rosco. But now, when she looked at Atherton's puppy form, all she saw was a stranger, not the dog she had grown to know and love.

How did she not notice before hand? How could she have been so stupid as to not have noticed? She walked past him, her train of thought not only going at full speed but hitting everything that dared to pose logic. She made her way to the smell of food and walked in to see Pele and Hestia still eating. Ember avoided eye contact from Hestia and lowered her head when she caught a glimpse of Pele's concerned look.

Ember kept silent as she felt both of the girls eyes on her, she probably looked beat up. Brusied, sweaty or at the very least overly exhasted. Ember sunk down into the chair, wishing for their eyes to leave her alone in their questioning. She swallowed as she grabbed a susage piece and began to eat it. Suddenly she remembered how great food tasted, she grabbed more food and began stuffing it in her mouth. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday and she felt starved and what little energy she had stored up was used up and then some from the training. If it wasn't for her anger fueling her, she was sure she would have passed out from hunger.

Ember felt her stomach growl as it demanded more food until Pele finally spoke up as Ember stuffed a third susage in her mouth, "So... mind explaining where you were for the first, I don't know, three fourths of breakfast?" Pele demanded, a motherly tone coming through. Ember swallowed from nervousness and politeness before speaking.

"Hehe, well because I kind of punched my trainer and was knocked out as a conciquence, I have to train twice today." Ember scammered out an explaintion as Hestia's and Pele's eyes stared into her soul.

"They should have at least let you eat before hand." Pele muttered.

"Yeah! I'm surprised you made it through training, by the time Pele and I were done, we practically gorged ourselves on food!" Hestia chriped.

"Heh, well, I guess thats just not how they wanted to run things this time around." Ember chuckled nervously as Hestia went back to eating and Pele shot her a look of guilt.

Ember sighed mentally, Pele shouldn't feel guilty, it was really Ember's fault. It didn't matter if Pele had helped her or not, she was still going to get that punishment. Ember thought to owning up to her power, well more like curse. She shuddered at the idea of having to stay here, but if she didn't do anything now, she would have to risk Pele or Hestia being chosen. And now because of what she's done, if she didn't own up to it, she would die anyway.

She shoved a chicken wing in her mouth as she thought on it. There were so many pros to owning up to it then letting Pele or Hestia do it now. But she also had to think about the out come of both, because each path led to death. Granted, one sooner then the other, but did she really want to prolong her suffering? Ember looked over at Pele as she munched on a bit of beef. If it meant keeping those two alive, she would do anything. She cared about them, even if she didn't know them very well. She felt that need to protect them, even though they probably knew how to defend themselves better then she did at her age

Ember kept silent, she watched as the two interacted, but her brain tuned out their conversation. She suddenly felt the extreme need to leave, to just get somewhere safe. But was anywhere here safe? She felt her breathing slow to a halt as the room became smaller and she felt like a giant. She pushed herself back from the table and ran out from the room. She looked around nervously as she ran to her room, but she felt like she wasn't safe there.

She looked around, searching for what could possibly be the reason of her paranoia and her eyes caught Atherton in his puppy form. She picked him up, much to his surprise and threw him out into the hall way as she shut the door and ran to the bathroom. Locking the door behind her as she slid down the bathroom door and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

What was going on? Why did she leave right then, what was making her like this? She felt like she was going to suffocate if she had stayed in that room, if she hadn't left the area. She wanted to go home, she wanted to leave. Not just this palace but this world. Not to die, but to just be inviliable. To not be cared about. To be wiped away from history, for this prophecy, this curse, to be gone forever.

But she would never get that, she was doomed to suffer. Ember sniffled as she felt her salty tears falling down her face as she heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Em' are you okay?" She heard Atherton ask.

"W-What do you t-think?" Ember choked out through her tears as she attempted to keep her sobbing quiet, her ears lowering as she wrapped her tail around herself.

"I think you need a hug or someone to vent to." Atherton admitted, "But I know you don't want to talk to me." He muttered.

"No! Please stay." Ember begged, she didn't want to be alone right, she didn't think she could handle it.

"Okay... whats wrong?" Atherton asked, sitting down.

"I-I... I don't know really. The real question is what isn't wrong right now?" Ember questioned, "My life is falling apart, I have the queen after my head, my dog turned out to be some guy, I've been snatched out of my home, I'm basically dead no matter which path I take, and theres more but I can't remember them." Ember sobbed, "Why did this all have to happen? Why all in one blow?" She asked.

"I don't know, you're asking the wrong person. If you really wanted to find out, go ask the gods." Atherton said, "But I doubt they'd answer, they never have time for us." He grumbled. "We're just play-things meant to keep the humans entertained."

"Is that really how the gods see us? Aren't we their children?" Ember asked.

"Thats how I feel about, it just feels that way sometimes. As if they enjoy seeing us suffer while they just continue to fill the humans with pride." Atherton admited.

"Thats a really pestimitic way of looking at it." Ember pointed out.

"Your outlook isn't much different." Atherton defended.

"You have me there. I'm so angry at the world right now, I'm stuck in a palce filled with rasis humans and everyone here practically hates me and even if they don't, if they found out about my secrets then they really would. I just feel alone right now." Ember whispered.

"But are you alone?" Atherton asked.

"No, Pele and Hestia are here, but if they found out I'm keeping them here because I don't want to own up to my curse they would hate me." Ember muttered.

"Ouch, I'm hurt, what about me?" He asked.

"You're practically a stranger to me now. Even when I see your puppy form all I can see if some person I've never met." Ember whispered.

"Would you like to get to know the real me then?" He asked.