Argathripe - Book 2 ~ (The Dead City Series)

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ Chapter 1 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Scarlet

     We were outside, in the middle of the woods in my mother's backyard. Mushrooms of different sizes and colors surrounded us, as well as strange glowing flowers. There were birds chirping tunes of freedom and happiness. Jonathan was sitting on a stump with a book about water, and I was kneeled over a small pond that was right next to him. The more I kept thinking about it, the more it made me nervous. But it also made me think I should do it.

     "C'mon, Scar! What good is it to just stay here, lying around? Go on an adventure! Be brave!" John nudged me with his foot slightly.

     My mom had told me about the prophecy, and that it seemed like I was one of the ones with fire. After me and John told her about the fire not hurting us when the car hit our house and killed our beloved father, she figured one of us was a fire element. But since we both cared about each other so dearly, we wouldn't just be able to pick it out by chance. We had done a few tests, and it turned out that I could control fire and my brother could control water. I definitely couldn't control it very well, but still a little bit. Even at the moment, I was practicing. I had a little fire going on my palm, and so far it was under control.

     "Brother, you know I love adventures, but this is out of my league. Literally just a week ago Katrina showed up, after disappearing randomly, and told us that I was probably one of the 'Two of fire' from the prophecy. I don't think I can do that kind of thing anyways..." I said, making the fire go in between my fingers like a little snake.

     I felt his eyes on me for a short period, but he was quiet. I wondered if he agreed that I wouldn't be able to do such a thing as 'fulfil a prophecy.' I also wondered if he was jealous. He usually wasn't one that would be like that, but let's be honest now. Everyone can be jealous sometimes. Maybe I didn't know my brother as well as I thought I did. He knew about all of this before me and was able to keep it a secret from me after all. What do I not know about Johnathon? I pondered at this until I realized I had been controlling the little fire quite well.

     "John, do you want me to go? Like, you're absolutely sure you want me to go?" I asked.

     "Yes. I mean, I'll be scared something bad might happen to you, of course. But still, I don't think you should pass up this opportunity," he answered.

     I thought about it some more. Every time I thought about it, Katrina came to mind. And when Katrina came to mind, I would think about the terrible things humans had done to her species. The 'Grinesolians'. Then I would be amazed at how well these creatures had been kept a secret. Obviously they were much more powerful than us. But apparently humans had, once again, found a way to get what they wanted. Legal or not.

     "Scar! John! It's time to come in. It's getting dark!" I heard Vici from somewhere to the right.

     The fire I had in my hands had a warm glow around it, as if to comfort me that everything would be okay.

     "Gah, it's cold," I heard Johnathon complain as we both stood up.

     That's right. We also figured out that I would be about 20* warmer than anyone else. Mom said it was like that with any fire species. Fire wolf, demon (not sure if she was joking about that or not), Grinesolian, etc. (whatever other kind of fire species there apparently were). And then Johnathon would be about 10* cooler than anyone other than a water species. Mom said that around here 'Things couldn't get any colder. Especially since 'Angel Season' is coming up. Whatever that meant. Basically, it took a lot for me to get too warm, and it took a lot to get John cold. So I understood why he was cold as I felt a shiver go down my spine. Vici came from somewhere inside the bushes, and John jumped in surprise. Apparently he hadn't gotten used to how large they could be.

     "What's taking you two so long? Your mother is waiting for you to come back. Oh! Nice job with the fire, Scar!" I looked down to see the fire still in my hand.

     I willed it away but it stayed put. "I'm not really trying to keep it. It won't go away, I guess."

     "Oh," Vici apologized.

     "You're fine. No need to be like that," I heard John say as he came up from behind me.

     We all stood there, then Vici finally broke the silence.

     "C'mon. We have a guest."

     Oh, great.

     As we finally got a view of the house, I noticed that I still couldn't see the stars. Ever since the first time Katrina had shown up, there had been a red misty fog covering the sky. Luckily the sun was strong enough to get through the red blanket of fog so we still had light, and we could kind of see the blue of the sky every once and awhile. For some reason it reminded me of The Hunger Games. The back door opened, and out came Mom and Katrina. I sighed in unison with Johnathon. Neither of us were particularly big fans of her. She was kind of rude, and even though my mother didn't seem to mind, Katrina was always asking for one thing: chocolate. It was so random that the first time she had asked me if there was any in the house, I thought she was joking.

     "Hello, Scarlet," She greeted me as we all met up on the back patio.

     "Hi," I replied, "What's going on?"

     "Since Angel Season is coming up, I'll be taking your answer on whether or not you'll be joining me to find the other prophets."

     Oh so that's what this is all about. I thought at the exact same time that I heard John think it.

     "So? Do you have an answer?" Katrina asked me seriously.

     All eyes were on me. I suddenly realized that this was the second that would determine my future and I had no idea what to say. I looked at Jonathan. He nodded his head. I looked at Mom. She watched my face for a hint of interest. I hoped she was satisfied.

     "Yes, I'll come."