“I want something soft,” he continues, ignoring me completely. “Something that cuddles. I miss cuddling.”
He sounds sad and maybe a little lonely? Either way, I make the mistake of taking him to a pet store. He presses his face to every enclosure, examining every animal closely.
“We should get a goat.”
“No.”
“It could wear a bowtie.”
I hesitate for a second, considering that adorable image. “…No.”
“What about a hamster? Oh,” he claps excitedly, “or a ferret?”
“Hamsters are escape artists and ferrets stink to high heaven.”
He narrows his eyes at me like I’m being unreasonable.
In the end, we leave with birdseed and a bird feeder. That’s a compromise I can live with. The birds will bring more life to the back garden, and I don’t have to clean up after another living thing.
Winning.
Friday
Ember grows a few more inches and hits puberty. He stands in front of the mirror, shirtless, turning side to side, assessing his new build. His chest is narrow, and his arms arestill scrawny, but he’s happy about the width of his shoulders now.
“I can’t wait to have my body back,” he says, voice cracking. He sighs, deeply offended by his current form.
When he walks into the kitchen an hour later, his hair is slicked back with a thick layer of gel, and sunglasses are perched on his face.
“Behold,” he says, spreading his arms slightly. “Funeral chic. It’s the new look. Do you think we should make it the uniform going forward?”
“You look like you sell energy drinks out of the trunk of your car.”
“High-end energy drinks, maybe,” he grumbles.
Saturday
We have no services, which means Ember is bored. Which also means pure chaos.
I find him standing at the podium in the viewing room, back straight and chin lifted.
“AS I RISE FROM THE ASHES, DO NOT WORRY,” he belts. The acoustics catch his voice and carry it through the room, the old wood and tall windows creaking. The house likes it. “FIRE IS NEVER QUIET. IT CRACKLES AND CONSUMES. IT DARES TO LIVE ITS BEST LIFE. FROM SMOKE, I RISE. FROM RUIN, I RISE.”
The house pulses with his words, almost like it's echoing the words back at him.
“IF I BURN BRIGHT, LET MY FIRE WARM YOU. IF I LEAVE ASH, LET IT MARK YOU. AS I RISE FROM THE ASHES, RISE WITH ME.”
Silence falls, and for a brief, perfect second, I’m in awe. His speech holds power over me and the house. His words are strong and laced with phoenix magic. I feel like I’m under a spell.
Then he opens his mouth again.
“This is the part where the peasants come forward, kiss my feet, and present offerings,” he says, completely serious.
I throw my clipboard at his head.
Chapter Seven
Sunshine
