Lux

Chapter Two

 I brushed the red hair out of my face, my pen scribbling across the page. Today, I was seventeen. I was also stuck in English class, writing down the words on the board. We were meant to figure out who the author of the poem was, and the first one to guess it won a prize. 

 "They keep me from all sin and error grave, They set me in the path whence Beauty came; They are my servants, and I am their slave, And all my soul obeys the living flame." I recited quietly, thinking for a moment. The words were familar, like something I've read in a book. Charles Beaudelaire. My hand shot up and the teacher, Ms. Tanner, raised her brows at me. "The Living Flame by Charles Beaudelaire." I announced, a small smirk on my face as I watched her give me a small nod.

 This meant I got to leave class an hour early and go home. Scooping up my bag, I waved Courtney over. "Happy Birthday, again!" She grinned at me. "I'll call you later, okay?" Nodding, I said goodbye and sauntered out of the room. 

 The walk home was short, as usual. My mom had left a note on the counter saying she had the night shift at work tonight, so she was sleeping. I headed up to my room and quickly finished my homework. 

 By the time I was done my work, it was nearly five o'clock. Three hours to do homework? I thought to myself. 

 My stomach let out an embarrassing sound. I paced out of my room and down the stairs, into the kitchen. I microwaved leftover shephard's pie from last night. After it was ready, I settled myself down at the empty table. The silence was slightly eary, a strange feeling running up my spine. I was quick to finish my food, placing it in the dishwasher afterwards. 

 Just then, the phone rang. Worried about waking up my mom, I ran across the rom to where the phone was. "Hello?" I answered.

 "Hello, is Lux Kennedy available?" A deep, husky voice asked. It was a man, sounding like he could be about my mother's age.

 "This is her." I murmured, curious as to what they wanted from me.

 "Lux," He paused, taking a deep breath. "You've got to stay safe, okay? Control your anger." His words just added to my confusion.

 With slight hesitation in my voice, I replied. "I'm sorry, but what do you mean? I'm not a hulk, am I?" I tried to lighten the conversation, but it wasn't working. I am a failure. 

 "I'm being serious, Lux. Be careful." Beeeeeeep. He hung up on me. What did he mean? I was rarely angry. My mom always kept me in a safe environment, why would that change now? It could just be a prank.Yeah, it was some idiot trying to scare me. Shrugging to myself, I walked to the living room and nestled into the couch. On the television, S.A.L.T was on, so I sat watching it. 

 *************************

 I was awoken by the sound of my phone ringing. The clock said it was half past nine at night. That meant my mom had left, and someone was calling me. Standing up, I groggily made my way to where the phone was. The caller display said it was Courtney.

 "What?" I snapped, pressing the phone against my ear.

 "Can you come pick me up? My car broke down and nobody else would answer their phones." She sounded worried, and kind of scared. 

 Sighing, I replied, "Yeah. Where are you?" 

 "In the alley behind George's Comics." She muttered. I knew why she drove down there. It was her shortcut home. "Hurry, please, it's sort of creepy out here."

 I laughed at this. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes." I hung up the phone, quickly grabbing my keys and running out the front door, making sure I locked it first. Once in my new, blue Honda civic. That's right, my mom got me a car for my birthday. I pulled out of the driveway and onto the street, heading straight towards the comic store. 

 I got there within a three minute time gap. I pulled up to the alley entrance and got out, locking my car. Down the alley, I saw a group of people, five men, one girl. This got me scared. "Courtney?" I called out. The group turned to face me, the girl seemed to be struggling against one man's grip. 

 "Lux! Help me!" She screamed. Courtney... My legs took me running towards the group, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My best friend was scared, and in harm's way. It didn't even cross my mind that I could get hurt. I quickly reached the group, trying to shove the men out of the way. They just laughed, the smell alcohol eminating from their breath. 

 "Let go of her!" I demanded, staring angrily at one of the men. He just laughed.

 "Not happening, honey." His lips came to mine, but I managed to shove him off. "Oh, come on, babe. You're hot, you've got to let me have a little fun." He tried to get to me, only this time shoving me against the wall so that I was unable to struggle. I felt anger quickly filling me to the brim, heat building deep inside of me. 

 "Ah!" The man pulled away, a pained look on his face. He craddled his arm against him. I could see the burning skin on his arm. Looking down at my hands, I saw a bright orange glow eminating from my skin. In my peripheral vision I saw a man hit Courtney in the gut. The anger inside of me only grew. So did the amount of light on my fingertips. 

 Before I could process anything, balls of fire sat in my hands. "Leave us alone." I growled, my chest rumbling with a burning feeling. The men took one look at the flames in my hands before turning and running. After they were out of sight, I felt better, the flames disappearing. A feeling of exhaustion came over me and I collapsed to the ground.

 The last thing I remember is seeing a horrified Courtney, her fearful gaze aimed straight at me.