Dimokre Chronicles Book 1: Crossed Paths

Chapter 11 - Don't Worry About Parents

"What the fuck do you want from me?" Michael got up from the ground, wiping blood off with his sleeve. His voice was steely calm.

"Apologize, for one."

"No." Michael rolled his eyes. "You started it when you bumped into me." Sarah realized there was a tray of food knocked onto the ground by Michael's feet.

Sarah turned to look at the other kid. His brown eyes pierced through Michael, his fiery red hair long enough to reach the nape of his neck. He wore a T-shirt and jeans, much like most of the other students did.

Michael turned to leave, but the other kid grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the rib. Hard. Sarah gasped. A few teachers shoved their way through, but they stopped suddenly, glancing out over the students, who whispered confused murmurs to each other. Everyone walked away.

He grinned, but Michael didn't even acknowledge the crowd dispersing, too busy cleaning up his tray and sighing over the spilled food.

The accuser clenched his fists, narrowing his eyes. He punched him again. Michael doubled over. Sarah covered her mouth quickly.

Here it comes... Sarah thought, holding her breath for Michael's rattlesnake to show.

"You punch like a child." Again, only five words, but so much confidence. Michael shoved him back. "What are you?"

After that response, Sarah knew Michael could take care of himself, but thoughts of Kael sneaked in her head. She glanced around. Found him. He sipped from a kid's carton of milk, just staring at them. His eyes wide and scared, his tail and ears drooping. Kael appeared just as helpless as she felt. She glanced around before casually strolling over to him. Sarah smiled down at him and offered her hand. His eyes softened and squeezed his hand tightly as they both watched.

"People call me Flame."

"So, a fire spirit then?" Michael's voice dripped with inconvenienced boredom.

"I'm an elementist. Now, give it back."

Michael stared at him. "I don't know what 'it' you're talking about."

Sarah believed him, but it was clear Flame didn't. He glowered. "Stop lying."

"You wasted my food, and now, you're wasting my time. If I knew what you were talking about, I'd already be addressing it."

Flame clenched his fists and tried to wham into Michael's cheek, but he blocked it with his forearm. He shoved Flame off of him.

Sarah's eyes widened and gulped, watching Michael. Kael squeezed her hand, and she glanced down at him. He smiled at her, a purely innocent, sweet, reassuring smile. Sarah understood Michael's protection of him. She guessed as soon as Michael saw Flame, he knew he wasn't human and sent Kael away from him to hide.

"Liar, liar. Pants on..." Flame paused, smirking, then pointed to Michael's feet. "Fire." When he finished the sentence, flames sparked up, dancing and blazing around his feet. The fire was controlled, though, and didn't spread to the school building or even Michael's clothes.

Michael glanced around the cafeteria. The people who were watching were now seated at their tables and were talking and laughing together again. The cafeteria was full of life, no one paying attention to them. Michael watched the flames danced around, the fire reflecting in his eyes. He casually walked through them, hands in his jacket's pockets.

Sarah turned back to Flame and tensed, clutching onto the boy's hand tighter and backing away a bit. His bone structure had stayed the same. However, he had fiery red eyes with a scar across his left eye, and literal flames for his hair. The flames leapt ferociously from his head. Flame wore a beige vest with a reddish brown border, no shirt underneath, pointy brown shoes, and some loose, baggy beige pants. He also had a leather satchel, the strap going diagonally across his chest.