THE UNSEEN FLAME

Chapter Ten

Tania's family resurfaced, drawn by her glowing flame and fame.Ethan,broke after a failed garage,showed up at her home unannounced,his face lined with regret."I messed up and am very certain that I don't deserve forgiveness," he said,the porch light casting shadows on his stubble.She gave him $500,-not a loan,a goodbye- and watched him shuffle away.Clara crashed a reading,all smiles and selfies, until Tania's glare sent her scurrying.Her father visited once,frail now ,their town a husk."I should have seen you,"he whispered,hands trembling.Tania nodded, unforgiving but soft and drove him home.Tania was so fed up of his constant regrets.He just couldn't stop regretting whenever they met and this had Tania at the edge.None of his regrets would make up for the damage that had been caused.None of them would make up for her childhood.How she wished he knew this and he stopped regretting already.

Tania wrote Flame Keeper,a novel about legacy-hers,her students',the world's.It was her biggest yet, sprawling and tender and it won a national award.The stage felt familiar now,the lights warm,not searing.Julian snapped photos from the crowd,his grin quite an anchor.She painted more,her art in galleries,the colors bold but controlled.Tania and Julian adopted a stray dog- a wirry mutt named Ash with a limp and a bark like gravel.The house smelled of wet fur and paint,their life a rhythm of walks,shoots and drafts.She wrote less and concentrated more on attending to her students,her family and painting.She made sure she gave quality time to her students.She believed that her students had the ability to reach the stars and she was very dedicated to help them get there.They are all that mattered to her at this moment in time.She was going to do everything in her power to heal their traumas.Well,no one can guarantee that,but she was determined to do her very best.

She wrote Ashfall,a deliberate act and not a race. Critics still came out.They called her "reflective," sales dipped,then steadied,her readers flowing and aging with her.She didn't really mind,the fire wasn't for them anymore.Her point had long been proved and she didn't wish for more.She liked doing the life thing with her students,very satisfying.