Sparks and Bullets

Worst night ever

A couple of hours later Sparks started knocking on the door like some over excited Jehovah's witness, then the doorbell went off as if a woodpecker was hammering at it.

"Fine, I'm coming." I huffed, dragging myself away from a freshly poured cup of tea. I opened the door to see my mother and her army of forest animals.

"Hello darling, how are you?" She asked cheerfully "I hope I'm not interrupting anything".

Her hands were full of shopping, no doubt coming to see me wasn't the main reason she travelled into the city.

"No of course not mum, come in how are you?" I said, trying to sound pleased by her sudden appearance.

"Good, good it just took you so long to answer the door. I thought you must have been in the shower or something."

"Ahh no mum that was..."

"You even left your boyfriend out here, it looked like he had been waiting for a while."

"Boyfriend???" Sparks reared his head over my mother's shoulder, a huge mocking grin on his face.

"Mum, he is not my boyfriend." I said sternly.

"You can't lie to me." My mother's stern look and sharp voice cut a fear through me, I had thought I'd gotten away from "I am your mother you know."

She smiled and squeezed herself and her bags, through the short corridor forcing me back into my living room/kitchen. She was followed by a flood of deer and small birds each carrying a bag and finally Sparks.

"How much did you buy mum!?" I exclaimed, staring at the small mountain of bags my mother and her animals had made.

"Just a little." She replied making light of my comment

"This isn't a little mum, it looks like you've spent half a house today!"

"Well I needed it." She said sniffing pretending to be sad. "I divorced Fred today."

"What the banker?" I asked, trying to make sense of my mother's many relationships.

"No, the CEO." She replied quickly

"Mum that makes it a divorce every other year since I was twelve!" I exasperated. "Will you stop doing this to me! The first time was really hard, you know."

"Me, me, me is that all you can say? I just don't want to be alone for my twilight years." She sniffed

"Twilight years??! You're still forty mum, you can't call that twilight years." I sighed. A short silence filled the flat.

"Ohh yes I got a cake for you." Said my mother, changing the conversation. A woodpecker flew to the kitchen and dropped a small white box on the island counter.

"Thanks." I replied, still angry with her.

"I have to say I never knew that Bunny had such a beautiful mother." perked up Sparks keen to break the silence.

"Ooohhhh why thank you." My mother replied happily. "But there is no need for flattery young man."

"I only speak the truth." He lied. "No flattery here."

"Why didn't you tell me you had such a fantastic boyfriend?" My mother blushed, clearly delighted with him.

"Mum like I sai..." My mother's face suddenly dropped and she stared at me fiercely, telling me not to try to lie again.

"Wait Bunny??" Asked my mother sharply.

"Ohh that's just my nickname for her." Answered Sparks, pausing for a moment. "Cause well." He shrugged.

"Okay, that's the end of that. Mum, do you want to stay for dinner?" I quickly changed the subject terrified at what Sparks might say next.

"No, I wouldn't want to interrupt you two." She said standing up and smiling suggestively at us. "Bunny." her last words made me shudder.

I watched as my mother and her animals dismantled the small mountain of bags. Then followed her and the furry entourage to my front door.

"Do ring me sometime and visit me when you get a chance. I do miss you Poppy." She said, her words only ringing half true.

"I will do." I lied. "Bye mum, get home safe." She squeezed back out the door and left without looking back.

I returned to my flat to be met by Sparks who to my surprise had quite the serious face on him.

"What?" I asked sharply

"I have a complicated family too. I know what it's like." He stated, staring at the ground in regret. "Sorry I said a bit too much."

"I bet the boyfriend thing was her misunderstanding. It's fine." I forgave him. "But what was that Bunny thing?"

"Sorry I had to think quickly it was the best I could come up with, without knowing your real name. I doubt your mum would like me calling you Burning." He apologised.

I walked past him into the kitchen still recovering from her sudden visit. And to think she never used to be like that until.. I closed off my mind before the memory surfaced.

"She did give you a weird name, what's with that?" He asked, not thinking.

"What's wrong with Poppy, and how would I know?" I asked, annoyed with his insensitivity.

"I thought it was a pet's name and you're right I'm sorry." He replied apologetically.

"Look, all I know is that she is very controlling. If you do something she doesn't like, it's really not good news." A cold shiver ran down my back. "I mean you saw her face when she thought I was about to lie, her child doesn't lie."

"I remember one time in primary school I called another kid a bad name and lied about it. That day she defended me fiercely, so fiercely I thought she was going to kill my teacher. Until she was shown the evidence."

"She decided to transfer me to a different school and." I clenched my hands together. "She. Tried to use her power on me, when that didn't work. She tried to train me like a dog." Silence drowned the room.

Sparks looked at me with understanding eyes.

"I never knew my parents as I was taken from them." He opened up. "The Republic found out that I had a power, and what it could be capable of. My brother was taken too although, he might not have been my actual brother, he just told me he was. When we were young my brother would take things from me. Anything I played with he took, anyone I spoke to he turned against me. Eventually we were separated but I met him again, shortly before he." A short pause interrupted his monologue. "And now I am here."

Silence filled the room with mutual understanding, as we both absorbed each other's past.

"This is ONLY, happening today." I announced, breaking the silence. "I'll cook tonight but, to thank me for letting you stay, you will cook every day until you find yourself a place to live. Okay?"

Sparks excitedly cheered in response.

"To be honest I thought you were going to kick me out." He said smiling.

"Ohh don't get me wrong, one foot out of line, one thing I don't like and you are out of here no matter what the Commissioner or anyone else says. Got it?" I said sternly, laying down the rules as I started to cook.

"Rodger." Saluted Sparks, still very happy that he wasn't sleeping outside.

Taking a short break from cooking I had a quick look in the box my mum had left me.

"Ahhhh." I cried disappointingly as Inside was the remains of a badly shaken victoria sponge cake.