my shoulder and stopped me. “I want you to light the candle. Focus and look inside yourself.”
As if to show me what she wanted, Gram stared at one of the candle’s wicks.
After a few seconds, a small flame ignited. The flicker of bright orange and yellow grew until it rose above my head. Then, as quickly as the fire began, it vanished.
“Light the candle.” Gram lightly squeezed my shoulder.
Staring at the candle, I tried to focus, to remember what I once knew.
Discouraged, I said, “I can't do this.”
“Stop this nonsense. You can.” Gram slammed her hand down onto the table
in front of me. The uncharacteristic aggression scared me. “Your doubt is the only thing keeping you from connecting with the elements. It’s the only thing that will keep you from succeeding. You saw what Breeze, Blaze, Bay, and
Daisy could do. Now, trust yourself, Mara. This is the time to remember.”
Closing my eyes, I thought about Blaze. Words from my past filled my mind.
“Mara, you cannot call that much fire. You will burn down the forest. The elements will listen to your command. Kindly dance with them.”
I opened my eyes, knowing what I needed to do. Once again, I focused on
the wick of the candle. Each breath I slowly took made a small spark. With one
deep breath, I whispered to myself, “It is inside you.”
As I exhaled, a spark lit all four wicks. They burned with vibrant orange and
red flames. I didn't need to look at my grandmother to know she was pleased.
“You just needed to regain your confidence." Gram grabbed my hand and
patted it. "Now, off to bed, love. Tomorrow, we'll deal with the past.”
Agreeing, I stared at the flames and silently released them. The fire died out,
and a small thread of white smoke swirled towards me.
“Thank you, Fire,” I said. Hugging Gram, I left to get some sleep.
When I entered my bedroom, I found Cole in a deep slumber. He was still
dressed in the same clothes that he had worn all day, including his shoes. I untied
and removed his sneakers from each foot. Then, I covered him with a blanket from the end of Meg's bed.
Cole didn't stir once.
Kissing him on his cheek, I softly whispered, “Sleep sweet, love.”
Cole let out a soft moan, and then resumed snoring.
I don't think I could love him more than I do today, I thought wistfully.
Feeling no energy to change into my pajamas, I took my boots off and fell into my bed. The metal cylinder I had been hiding dropped to the floor. Picking
it up, I hid it back inside my pillowcase before laying my head down on it.
Unable to fight the exhaustion that was overcoming me, I drifted off into a
dreamless sleep.
Chapter
Eighteen
“Stop making that noise, Meg!” I cried.
I didn't want to wake from the sleep I had just fallen into. Still,
the loud murmur and clanging bells didn't stop. Angered, I threw one
of my pillows in the direction of Meg's bed.
“Please, go back to sleep,” I pleaded.
“Mara, it's not Meg. Wake up.” Cole climbed onto my bed, and over me, to
