Flame Touched

Chapter Twelve - Rei

Staying in a luxury hotel was nice, much better than at home. It was also starting to get a bit boring. There was only so much TV she could watch. She had no books and no other ways to entertain herself. Worst of all, she had no one to talk to. At one point, she'd gotten bored enough to try and get a guard to talk with her. He acted as though she didn't exist.

When am I going to be allowed to leave here? she wondered. She wanted her phone so she could message Matt. Too bad I don't have my phone. I could call him. Then it hit her. I can call him! Rei bounced her way to the phone near the bed, giggling at her brilliance. She dialed his number, something she'd known by heart since the day he first gave it to her. Not simply because she had the world's biggest crush on him, but also out of logic. What if her parents had smashed her cellphone? Preparing for that potential disaster was now going to save her from something else entirely.

The phone rang a few times before the line picked up. "Hello?"

It was him. She didn't get a wrong number. "Matt?"

"R-Rei!"

"Yes!"

"How are you calling me?" he asked, his voice low. "I mean...where are you calling me from? This isn't a number I recognize."

Rei continued to grin, she loved the pleased shock present in his tone. "I'm at a hotel. They came, Matt. They came!"

"Good," he whispered. "I mean...who?"

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Don't play dumb. Of course you know who came. The Guard. I've been chosen for the Elite! I know you're aware of this. How did you know, by the way?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Matt said, though there was a coyness present as he spoke. "But you're part of the Elite, huh? I knew I had good taste."

Heat spread across her cheeks. "You can't tell me my convenient selection is based only on your hunch."

"I can tell you whatever I want. Whether you believe it or not is up to you." He paused. "I'm glad you're okay and out of the house. Your parents weren't super upset were they?"

Rei felt a slight pang in her chest, one she wasn't expecting, as she remembered how her mother tried to fight to keep her at home. "Dad was elated," she said at last.

"No problems, then?"

"No," she whispered.

He stayed quiet for a beat. "You don't sound so sure of that."

"Everything went fine. Everything is fine. I couldn't be happier. I just wish I could move on to the part that's next. I'm so bored, Matt. They took my phone, so I couldn't call you or anyone else, and they won't let me leave my room until it's time for some ceremony? I can't even go to the pool. It's awful." She didn't mean to unload on him. If she couldn't talk to Matt about everything, then who? He'd understand. He was just that easy for her to feel comfortable with.

Matt made a quiet "hmm" sound. Louder, he said, "Try to hang in there. But Rei? Don't call me again, okay? There's probably a reason they don't want you talking to anyone. Please, stay out of trouble. I'll talk with you soon enough, promise."

"Do you think I'll still be allowed to after I'm an Elite?"

"You better be, or heads are going to roll," he said darkly, so determined. It couldn't have been an empty threat.

She gave a reluctant sigh. "I won't call you. We'll talk again soon. I can wait."

"It'll be worth it. I promise you that too."

"All of the things you've said have come true," she said in a soft voice. How could she doubt him? He knew, somehow he knew and he could make all of her wildest dreams come true. For some reason, he cared about her. Was it possible for a guy to get any more perfect?

Matt chuckled. "Goodnight, Rei."

"Goodnight." She hung up and lied down on the bed. They didn't say goodbye, so it was far from the end of their time together. A few minutes later, the phone to her room rang. She scrambled to answer it, hoping perhaps he'd decided to call her back after all. "Matt?"

"My lady, I am informing you that you now have access to the pool if you so desire," a man said, and then promptly hung up.

Matt couldn't have possibly... She shook her head, but couldn't shake the thought. Who is Matt, really, and how is he making all of this happen?