Fairies of The Black Circle

24

Screw this. Screw him.

Screw her for thinking he might be capable of being human. Of trusting her.

That's what this was. He didn't trust her enough to let her use her real power.

For a week, Bloom had been humiliated, feeling like she was being ripped limb from limb, and now when she finally had the opportunity to show him her true combat prowess, he had ripped that away from her too.

Alone in the training room, Bloom cursed herself for her foolishness. Screw him. Screw him.

Her goal was clear: control Believix. Use the flame.

Fire lit in her palms. She held them up, slowly flicking her fingers through the flames. A brief serenity washed over her as she stared at her magic. Sometimes she forgot how beautiful fire was.

But her thoughts became clouded as Ogron's sneer loomed to the front of her mind. His icy eyes; always judging, always mocking.

She hated him for his harsh training. She hated him for his turbulent mood. One moment they were friends, and the next, enemies again.

And she hated most of all that she couldn't defeat the army she had freed without his help.

Her thoughts became storm of anger, frustration, and fear. And all the while, the fire in her hands grew, snaking its way up her arms.

All she wanted now was to prove that she still had control over something, even if it was just her own magic.

Her frustration escalated, her emotions threatening to consume her. And her magic surged, a fiery tempest that began to encase her whole body.

A small pricking sensation, like little needles, snapped Bloom from her daze. She suddenly felt hot, though no sweat could drip down her face.

She looked around frantically. She was on fire. Not just her hands. All of her.

And it hurt.

Stop. Go back. She hadn't meant for it to go this far.

She tried to reign her magic back in, but like its very nature, it continued to spread like wildfire.

She was a human torch, lighting up the training room like a martyr being burnt on a bonfire.

Panic began to take hold, tightening her lungs so that she couldn't breathe. The searing heat bit into her arms like a relentless beast, the pain a harsh reminder of her lack of control.

A cruel reflection of the chaos that had become her life.

"Help!" She tried to cry, but her voice was hoarse, and barely a sound came out.

Still, it didn't stop the uncontrollable screams clawing up her throat.

And that was noise enough for the wizard close by to hear.

She heard the door slam against the wall.

Ogron rushed into the room, eyes wide with alarm as they found hers. He stood still for a moment. Staring at her. At the flames that rippled across her body.

She saw him wince at a scream. A hair-raising scream that was coming from her own mouth.

And then in a split second he was by her side, a hand on gripping each arm, commanding her attention despite her obvious agony.

His glacial eyes flickered with her flames, and he hissed through his teeth as the flames licked over his hands, but he did not move.

"Bloom," he said, "breathe."