Ablaze

Thirteen

Ashling's POV

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been tutoring Kaen for finals, and he's improved so much. We've spent a lot of time together, and we've gotten closer and closer each day. He talks to me in school now, and even walks in the hallway with me sometimes. His grades have been great, and he seems like he's just been in a better mood overall.

I can't say the same for me, unfortunately. Not about my grades... but my well being. January is a really hard month for me, especially when it's the end of the month.

My father... his death anniversary is on the 26th. It'll be four years since his passing. To be honest, I don't even know why I mourn him...

He was a villain.

My father turned into one of strongest villains out there— Alaric.

He's the one I got my siren affinity from. And he's the reason I don't use it anymore. Growing up, I never hid my affinities. I created beautiful illusions for my friends and I to play in, and I flew around without a care in the world... I always left my wings out. I was so... free.

But my father... he was a very powerful man. And when he found out his daughter was born blessed with his affinity, plus another... he knew exactly what he needed to do. Of course, nobody knew what his true intentions were. I couldn't help but think that if I had been born normal, none of this would've ever happened. From the minute I could walk he started training me.

Every. Single. Day.

I'll never forget the way that he treated me... it was horrible. My mother tried to get him to stop... but she was powerless against him— she didn't have an affinity. It would only result in her getting hurt by him, too. There was nothing that she, or anyone else could do.

He wanted me to be strong... like him. So, I did what he wanted of me— to avoid being hurt by him everyday. And by the age of fourteen, I was stronger than I had ever imagined. He made me use both siren and flight... causing my body to be more drained of energy. He pushed me harder, and harder... every-damn-day.

Then one day... I found out what he had really doing this whole time.

He was training me... so that he could use me for evil. For his twisted plans. He was going to make me fight alongside of him... killing people, and doing God knows whatever else. It made me sick... finding out his true intentions. I refused to be a pawn in his game, or be a part of anything evil— so I confronted him.

We got into a huge fight. And although he was evil... he never used his affinity on me. Only once, to show me how it works. But he never used it to hurt me— he had other ways of doing that. But during our fight... I used it on him. Or should I say tried.

He didn't like that.

I wasn't strong enough to use it fully on someone like him— he rejected it like it was nothing. And he got angry.

Really angry.

My mother came home and saw that the house was destroyed and that my father was gone— she knew what must've happened. She came rushing in... but she was too late.

She found me lying on the floor, curled up in a ball... in a puddle of my own blood.

My father had ripped off my wings.