Chapter One
Ember wiped the sweat away from her brow, glancing up at the burning Arizona sun above her. She poured a few streams of water from the watering can into her hand and rubbed it along the back of her neck. But it didn’t cool her off. Instead, it stung and felt as if something had just cut her skin.
“Mom!” she called. “Its doing it again!”
“Doing what sweetie?” her mother, Laura asked from her shady spot on the porch where she was reading the newest issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
“My neck! I can’t go swimming at all or else my skin hurts, like a cut or something. I don’t understand it. Its not fair.”
“You just inherited your father’s sensitive skin,” her mother said, turning a page.
It was true. Ember’s face conastantly had at least two pimples and was using cover up more and more. Whenever she even brushed a fuzzy plant she would get a rash, even some of her friend’s fake grass gave her red spots all over. The one thing unsensitive to her skin was the sun. She could lie in it all day and not get burned. She was tan, and some referred to her as beautiful, when she didn’t have a huge zit on her chin.
Ember brushed a stray hair of her layered strawberry blond hair from her face and joined her mom on the patio. “One last week of school mom,” she sighed, stealing a swig from her mom’s lemonade.
“Yep, then its off to summer camp for you.”
Ember groaned. “Why can’t I go to Rome with you and Hank? It would be so much cooler than summer camp.”
Laura laughed. “Its for our anniversary honey. And its about time you started calling him dad, even if its not to his face. We’ve been a family for a year now.”
“Why can’t I just stay with dad in California?”
Laura sighed. “Ember, you know why not.”
“No, not really.”
“He’s drinking a lot more lately, his new wife, Sandra, has been calling me a lot to ask me how to handle with it. Honey, I don’t want you to enter into that home. Sandra would be happy to have you, but she even agreed with me. Jack is having difficulties, and…she doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
“But mom, maybe I can help him-”
Her mom shook her head. “Ember, its out of control. I don’t want you there either. Maybe…next summer, maybe he’ll be better.”
“That’s what you always say,” Ember mumbled.
* * * *
“Come on Jenkins! Dive for the ball! You’ve got this!” Coach Ash cried as Ember slid on her knees and bumped the volleyball with her forearms, making it soar over the net.
She quickly stood up again, right as the ball flew back towards her. She set it and watched as her best friend, Rose, spike it over the net, winning the team another point. A grin spread across her face as coach called them over. But it quickly faded.
“Ember, I’m going to sub you in with Jolene okay?”
“What? But coach I can do this, I can help. Did you see how great we worked-”
“I’m subbing you out Ember, that’s the end of it.”
Ember sat on the bench after they did the touching of the hands and subbing routine. Ember cringed as Jolene bent her elbows as she hit the volleyball. She rolled her eyes, wondering why Jolene was put on varsity.
The Coyotes lost eighteen to twenty-five, keeping them in the tournament. But if Ember wasn’t allowed to play in the tournament, they would be schooled. “Okay, I want you guys to be ready for the tournament game this Friday okay?” Coach Ash said. “I want you to get good sleep, eat healthy, and practice your hardest.”
“Yes coach,” they all said, chugging water and wiping sweat. All except Ember, who wore a reddened face and a furious frown. If she hadn’t been pulled out of the game they would have won, they would have crushed their opponets.
“Hey Ember!” Rose said and Ember felt a stinging sensation fill her back as ice from the cooler slide down her shirt. Ember winced the pain seeming more incredible as the icy cool liquid sat on her back, a trail following its way across her hot, tan skin.
What’s wrong with me? Ember asked herself. What really is wrong with me?
