The Battle

Seth closed his eyes when she changed, and opened them when he heard the door open. He followed quickly.
~!!~
Samantha awoke the next morning to squealing. Again.

She groaned and rolled over on her mattress, staring up at the ceiling.

"That box is mine!" Carolyn yelled. "No, it was mine!" Lizzie said.

"Shut up!" William shouted, pounding on their wall. Samantha smirked, and finally stood up. Her room was filled with boxes and furniture she had to set up still. And they had school tomorrow. She had a lot of work to do today.
~!!~
"You guys can eat," Leanne said quickly. "Aren't you going to?" Sage asked, as she sat down. Leanne shook her head.

"I already did," she lied.
~!!~
Ember groaned.

"Dimitri, stop it!" She said. "You're going to kill yourself if---" She started, and as soon as she spoke she stopped. She could see this happening all over again; it was just like with Jermey. She could get to know him, be his friend, and then he would die. If she didn't stop him, that is.

"So?" Dimitri asked. "Not like there is much to life anyways."

~!!~
Patrick smiled and sat down. "I don't eat in the mornings." He lied, and laid his head down.

~!!~
Cinder was early runing through the woods, towards her meeting spot with Cole.

"You don't know what you're saying!" Ember shouted. "Dimitri, I watched my friend die. Slowly, day after day! I knew it was happening, and I couldn't stop it! I'm not going to let that happen to you, too!!" She cried. She sounded close to tears, though she could not cry. "I'm not going to just sit by and let it happen!!!"
~!!~
Seth sighed and followed after her quickly. He knew where she was going, but he sure as heck couldn't understand why.
~!!~
Soon they were all seated, and all eating but Leanne.

"Did you guys sleep well?" She asked.

"We know you did," Summer mumbled. Leanne's cheeks turned red, and Winter laughed nervously. "Fine, thanks," she said. Rainy nodded in agreement. Sage nodded as well, still looking around every few minutes.

Dimitri shocked his head. "I-"

What? He didn't care? He did care.

~!!~
Cole was sitting onthe rocks waiting for her. He frowned at her outfit. "Sick or something?" He asked.

"No." She anwsered.

~!!~
Patrick had drifed off to sleep again, his head on the table.

"There was nothing I could do for him, or so I convinced myself," She said. "He was murdered, but there is something I can do for you!" She shouted. "I'm not just going to sit back and watch you drink yourself to death, or whatever the heck it is you want to do!" She yelled. "You say there isn't much to life, but what about family? Sergei? Or friends? Sheesh, Dimitri!" She yelled.
~!!~
K.C. suddenly came in, and sat down next to Sage.

"Good morning," She chirped. Leanne froze. What did she think she was doing here?
~!!~
Seth watched from the cover of the trees, though he wasn't visible, frowning.

Cole sighed, and beconked her closer.

She shock her head. "No." She said.

Anger flashed in his eyes. "What?"

~!!~
Her annoying voice woke him up. "K.C., why the," He cut him self off. "Why are you here?"

~!!~
Dimitri sighed. "Means nothing when you already lost them." He smiled slightly. "Don't call me a heproctye. I know what I told you when I found out you cut yourself. I believe every word. But those are only good for people who have a chance." He said stepping back, about to close the door.

Seth became visible then, but stayed hidden.
~!!~
K.C. smiled at Patrick strangely. "What, I can't come downstairs?" She asked. Sage frowned, and looked down at her food.
~!!~
Ember shook her head, and felt her hands shaking. She put her foot in the door when he tried to close it.

"Dimitri, you don't understand," She said quietly. "You don't. I don't want to lose you," She whispered. "I lost Jeremy. I did nothing." She pushed the door open, and slammed it behind her.

"Do you want me to show you something? Tell you something?" Ember demanded. "You can't tell me life isn't worth living, Dimitri," She said, storming into his kitchen and picking a knife up out of his kitchen drawer. "You have a chance, Dimitri. I'm your friend. And I'm going to show you that I'm your friend," She said. "I'm going to tell you something that I never told anyone before, except Jeremy and my best friend," she said.

"Dimitri, I can't feel pain," She said, looking at him. "My life has been filled with hospital visits, an overprotective mom who wanted to stuff me into a bubble, and having to check myself every morning for broken bones!" She yelled, voice shaking. She still held the knife in her hand. "I could be cut to the bone, and feel nothing. I can't let a boy hold me, because I'll over heat. I can't go outside in winter, because I don't know that it's cold out!" She shouted. "I can't participate in gym, I can't play sports, I can't do anything!" She yelled. "I know just how precious life is, so don't tell me that it's not worth living!!"

She brought the knife down to her arm, a bit above her wrists, pushing her sleeves up. "I'm not lying, Dimitri," she said quietly. "I can't feel anything. Remember the window?" She asked. "Nothing. Everytime I get hurt, nothing." With the last words she cut a deep line in her arm. Blood spilled over and dripped onto the floor, but she didn't even flinch. "I can't cry, I can't sweat, I can't do anything!" She shouted. "Life is more precious than you know, Dimitri!" She shouted. "So don't tell me it's not worth living!" She yelled. She cut her arm again, a bit below the last one. Blood spilled out, more than should. She didn't seem to notice, and she still held the knife over her arm, as if ready to cut once more, looking at him. She hardly even seemed to notice what she was doing, nor just how deep she had cut, or the amount of blood running down her arm and onto the kitchen floor.

Dimitri didn't think, he acted. He pulled the knfie out her hands, not careing that that move sliced his plam open. "Stop it!" He yelled. "I believe you, you didn't have to cut yourself!" He yelled.

A moment later he had her arm under running water. He had somthing to say, but she was more importent.

Suddenly he spoke. "I don't want you to die. Don't misunderstand what I said. Life is importent. Just not for me. If I didn't exist so manytings would be better." He said quietly. "But I still don't understand; why would you want to be my friend. I can't even stand me."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled it out fromthe water. He winced, and pulled his hand back. His own blood covered her wrist.

"I never said Life wasn't wroth liveing, I never said I wanted to die." Dimitri said. "I don't. Life just doesn't want me."

~!!~
"I don't want you near me." She said.

Cole stood, and walked towrads her. "What?" He demaned and grabed her arm.

"I don't want you near me." SHe repeated.

"Since when doyou have values?" He asked.

~!!~
Patrick glared at her. "Your insane, you and your brother."

Seth resisted the urge to go and say something now. He would only step in if needed.
~!!~
K.C. grinned at him. "Insanity is a sterotype," She said. "I'm just crazy, not insane."
~!!~
Ember didn't move even as the knife was pulled from her hands. She didn't know what she had been thinking. She had broken down. She didn't understand what he wanted, and she had lost herself.

She watched the pink water swirl around in the sink. Her arm was cut deeper than she thought. She realized only now what she could have done. His touch made her shiver slightly, but she refused to show it.

She looked at the blood on her wrist, mingling with her own that still dripped down her arm. He was cut.

She shook her head at what he said. "That's not true, though," She said quietly. "It's your mindset. Nothing would be better if you were gnoe. How many poeple would you hurt? Not even including me. And as to why I want to be your friend....well, no one wants to be my friend, either," She said quietly. She looked at his palm. "Sorry," She mumbled. She didn't even seem to notice she herself was still bleeding.

"Dimitri, please, don't. Life doesn't want you? What does that even mean? Life is important for you. You mean a lot to me. I want to be your friend," She said quietly, looking at his palm the whole time she spoke.

He started to wrap her arm, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. His own blood staining the wrappings.

"I died four times." Dimitri said. "Each time they had to reastie me." He said with cleathed teeth. "I thinkI got the point by now." He presssed down harder. "Life doesn't want me."

~!!~
"There's a differentince?" He asked.

~!!~
He was hurting her. "Let me go, Cole." She said.

"And if I don't want to?" He asked.

"Let me-" A loud slapping sound echoed. He had slapped her cheek hard. Her eyes were wide.

"That means nothing," Ember said, her voice low and even. She wasn't afraid of his touch anymore. She took the wrappings from him, and then more, and pressed them down on his palm. "I've almost died several times, even before I moved here," She said. "If I took a hint from life I would have been gone a long time ago," she said. Her sleeve was still rolled up, and the large burn on her arm from when she was young was visible. "Besides, what happened?" She asked quietly, trying to stop the bleeding on his palm. "To you, I mean. That you died four times."
~~!!~
"A huge one," K.C. said. She touched Sage's arm, and looked thoughtful. Leanne glared at her, and Sage hit her arm away.
~!!~
Seth was going to stay out of this, but that was the last straw.

He stormed out from the woods, and pulled Cole off of her.

"You're disgusting!" He shouted at him. "You're actually going to stand there and hit her?!" He demanded. "You're pathetic. If you're looking for a fight, I'm sure you can find it someone else," He said, pushing him away from Cinder. It was a wonder he hadn't punched him yet. He was shaking with rage.

Dimitri sighed. "There's a differentince between almost dieing, and dieing." He said. "My heart stopped beating." He said simply skipping the details. His eyes didn't meet hers, he just wacthed their hands, silently.

~!~
Andrew walked in the room. "Khris." He whined. "I been looking for you. And that one is mine. You can have the others, but that one is mine."

Patrick sighed. "Shouldn't you two be asleep?" He asked.

~!~
Cinder's eyes widened even more. "Seth. . . Thak you." She said quickly, before truning arounded and quickly ran back to the woods. She was going to run back home, but she stopped and hide behind a tree. Through she knew it was silly to, she was worried. Not about Cole; but about Seth. She was thankful to him; he seemed to always save her. It was like he was her . . . gurdain angel, or something. She shock her head, that wasn't possiable.

Cole stood up and glared at Seth. "You have nothing to do with this!"

Ember shook her head. She pressed down harder on his palm, trying to stop the blood from flowing. She didn't even seem to see that her arm was still dripping blood.

"It still....doesn't mean that you're supposed to die," She said quietly.
~!!~
Sage's eyes flared up with anger. "You creep, don't talk about me like that when I'm right here!" She shouted, pushing her chair back and standing up. Rainy bit her lip nervously. An angry Sage was never a good thing.

"What are you talking about?" Summer asked. Winter nodded. Leanne stood up as well.

"K.C., Andrew, go away," She hissed. "Now."
~!!~
Seth watched until he was sure Cinder was gone, then turned to Cole.

"Really," He spat. "I think I do. I'm not going to sit back and watch you hurt her. She doesn't want you anymore, or was she not clear enough? If you ever touch her again, I will hurt you," He growled. He took a step towards him, hands balled into tight fists at his sides. His dark eyes were actually scary right then. He looked murderous.

"Ember, ya ne ponimayu." He said softly. "I don't understand." He repeated in English.

~!!~
Andrew looked at Leanne. "Sit down, shut up!" He commanded.

~!!~
Cinder listen quietly, hand over her mouth.

Cole glared athim, but took a step back. "I can do what I want." He spat.

Leanne glared at him, but was soon back in her seat and silent. Sage looked at him.

"Don't talk to my friend like that!" She shouted, taking a step towards him. "Who do you think you are, anyways??"

"Sage..." Rainy began, but Sage cut her off. "No, I'd like to hear what this punk has to say," She spat. Winter and Summer were biting their lips nervously. Leanne's eyes were wide; she wanted to tell her to stop it, but she couldn't speak.
~!!~
Ember shook her head. "What's not to understand?" She asked quietly. "I don't want to see you get hurt. I like you; you're my friend. And I know a lot about life and how easy it is to lose it. I'm not going to let it happen to you, too."
~!!~
Seth shook his head. "No, you can't," he said. "You're pathetic. You take advantage of her and then get angry when she decides she's had enough. You're disgusting. I can't believe you even call yourself a man."

"I am Andrew Wishbone, older brother of Kristy Cally, son of Myame, daughter of King Draven, and his Queen Vina, younger sister of King Vane, anut to the crown Prince Draven, Prince Tobias, and Princess Elianna, and Sean, former royal gruad to the fallen Wishbone name." Andrew said, seriously.

Patrick sighed. "You're a moron."

~!!~
Dimitri looked away. "But why?"

~!!~
Cinder closed her eyes.

Cole glared at him. "Times have changed, moron, this isn't the 1800's."

Sage just looked at him like he were crazy.

"Yeah, right," She sighed, sitting down again.

K.C. glared at her brother and grabbed his arm, trying to drag him away forcefully.
~!!~
Ember sighed in annoyance. "What do you mean, but why?" She asked. "I need a reason for wanting to be your friend now??" She asked.
~!!~
Seth held his glare.

"So what?" He demanded. "Does that make it okay to do what you just did??" He demanded. "Are all values lost?? Even now, it should not be okay to hit a girl!" He shouted, and in the next moment he had Cole pinned to the ground. His long black hair fell over his eyes, and he glared at him, keeping his boot over his neck.

Andrew let her drag him away.

~!!~
"No, but you have every reason not to." Dimitri said.

~!!~
Cole's eye's widened. "You're crazy." He choked out.

Cinder looked out from behind her hidding place. Her eyes widen. She quickly pulled back.

Seth rolled his eyes and let him up. "Next time you have a problem, come to me," He said. "Leave her alone."
~!!~
K.C. glared at her brother once they were far enough away. "Are you insane?" She hissed.
~!!~
"I could say the same thing to you," Ember said simply, finally letting go of the bandages. She looked at her own arm and frowned. "I think I cut too deep..." She mumbled.
~!!~
Leanne finally spoke.

"Sorry about that," she said quietly. Sage looked at her. "You never let anyone talk to you like that before," She said quietly. Rainy nodded in agreement. Leanne shrugged and looked down.

Cole stood up and walked away after he glared at him.

Cinder stepped out of the trees when Cole was gone.

"Seth . . ."

~!!~
"You think?" He asked. "I think what you did was stupid. I already knew about it, you didn't need to prove it to me." He said, accidently telling her what he knew.

~!!~
"I thought insane was a setrotype." Andrew said.

~!!~
Patrick sighed. "Andrew is blackmailing her." He lied easily.

Seth looked at Cinder, then quickly looked away. He said nothing.
~!!~
Ember took a step back. "What do you mean, you already knew??" She demanded. The room was spinning, and she placed a hand over her right arm, trying to stop the bleeding. It soaked through her fingers. "How?!"
~!!~
K.C. glared at him, but said nothing more.
~!!~
Summer and Winter's eyes widened. "Blackmail??" They asked at the same time. "About what??"

Sage was silent, for once. She was thinking; she wasn't about to let him get away with blackmailing her best friend.

"Leanne..." Rainy whispered. Leanne looked around nervously, then back at Patrick. Her eyes said 'What now'?'
~!!~
December soon stood up, and stared in the mirror. Her eyes were tired, and her skin was paler than usual. She had hardly slep the past few nights. She had just gone down to the lobby and checked out of the other room.

She knocked on the door. "Simon, you can take your stuff over here now," she said. "We need to be out of that room now. And then we can uhm...go," she said quietly.

Patrick shock his head. "Something stupid, I'm sure." He said.

Darren walked in the room, handing Patrick a phone. "Aici." He said. "Your sister is driveing me crazy."

~!!~
"Seth." She repeated. "I'm sorry. I'm really am."

~!!~
"It doesn't matter." Dimitri said, grabing her wrist, and his keys. "You need stichs."

~!!~
Simon nodded, and he started moveing his bags over.

~!!~
Andrew laughed.

Leanne looked up as Darren came in, then quickly looked away. Rainy was watching her friend worriedly.

"Well!" Winter said, standing up. "Change of subject, then," Summer said. "How do you like the town here?" Rainy asked quietly.

"It's nice," Leanne said, though she sounded distracted. She was glancing at Darren. Sage frowned.
~!!~
"For what?" Seth asked, finally turning to look at her. "You did nothing wrong."
~!!~
Ember pulled away, glaring at him. "It does matter!" She shouted. "How did you know?! And why didn't you tell me?!?!" She yelled. She stumbled back, dizzy from loss of blood, but kept her glare.
~!!~
December helped him, and then closed off the door to his room.

"Alright," she said, grabbing her keys. "We should go now."

"Why does it matter? You alreay told me." He said. "Now come on."

~!!~
Patrick put the phone to his ear. "Hello." He pulled the phone away, and a low screaming was heard.

Darren glaned at Leanne out of the coner of his eye.

~!!~
Cinder stepped closer, and looked down. "How do you keep doing that? Cming just when I need you?"

~!!~
Simon nodded, and followed her quickly.

"It does matter!" Ember protested. "How did you find out?!"
~!!~
Leanne glanced at Darren out of the corner of her eye as well, then quickly looked away. Winter seemed to notice this, and a look of understanding crossed her face.
~!!~
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Seth said quietly, looking down at her.
~!!~
December walked out and down to the lobby. Soon she was in her car, waiting for him before starting the engine.