Elements of Love

Chapter 1: a dark room

"Alma, a 15-year-old bank robbing 'amalgamation' who confuses scientists and enrages the police, stole, and killed at a local government bank with her so-called father three days ago; it's still all the rage on the news as this fire fueled duo have stolen over 270,000$¥ Capanianese (67500$ American) over the last year. Now Alma is going to attend 'Wadel middle and high' school with special permission from the headmaster, this criminal isn't in juvenile rehabilitation centers for one reason alone, that being-"

"Because I'm too powerful" I laugh to myself as I shut off the radio in my cramped room. You know, with all the money we stole from banks, Blaise and I should have a better house.

I walk down the stairs and see my 'dad' on the porch smoking cafeed, an amalgamation plant breed that combined caffeine with weed, and now everyone's addicted, well, at least everyone I'm acquainted to.

I pack my bags and make breakfast. "Hey, at least we don't have to pay for a gas bill." I say as I snap a spark from my fingers and form it into a circle beneath the heating iron of the stove, then I cook some French toast for my 'dad,' then I leave a note as I leave through the back door, the porch-less door, to avoid Blaise.

I put my headphones on and attached them to my old sucky phone. It's been sixteen years since mass fusion, and I'm still stuck with a flip phone? At least it's upgraded, if that's what you call an iPod taped to it.

I walk past a familiar cave entrance to an anything but familiar school. A student a year older than me stops me at the entrance.

"Student I.D miss." he says, I pretend not to hear him, giving him a chance to move out of the way before I light him on fire; but he doesn't stop.

"I'm going to need an I.D miss." he repeats. What an idiot. I look up to him and his expression changes from anger to fear. He steps back, almost tripping on his feet.

"Never mind, please continue miss A-Alma."

Yeah, people know me, but I'm not arrested because who would arrest someone who can shoot fire out of their hands? Also, just robbing banks is nothing compared to what other amalgamations are doing. People are most confused by my age. The mass fusion happened sixteen years ago, and I'm fifteen, the mass fusion is what gave other amalgamations their abilities, those abilities don't get passed down to others, and there's no way to get a fifteen-year-old any fire powers, it's confusing, but people around me are more scared than confused.

I walk to the entrance ceremony a bit late to see a black-haired guy with dark green eyes and thick glasses walk off the stage, followed by a guy with yellow contacts and yellow hair up in a ponytail, with thinner glasses going onto the stage in the gym. I try to find my class row, 2-B, and sit next to a small girl wearing a cat-ear headband and a magenta flower in her hair. On the other side of me is a guy with deep blue hair and the same color of eyes (I couldn't see the cat girl's eyes, she was looking down and was shorter than me.), he also has some bruises and seems like a tough guy, potentially someone in a gang.

I finally Start listening to the yellow hair guy as he Starts introducing clubs, allowing the leaders/captains of the clubs to stand so that people know who to see if they want to join any of those clubs. The only two people I notice that stand are the person who Started the announcements or whatever you call them, and he's the head of the archery club, his name is Derik, the other one I notice is the blue haired guy named Kyle standing next to me, apparently, he's the men's swim team captain.

I kind of zone out for the rest of it, until people Start leaving and I follow the short, green-haired girl who Starts talking to a guy in an eyepatch. He stops and turns around, looking directly at me.

"Hey." he says to me. "Why are you following us? We're going to our part time job; you have a very recognizable face, and you clearly don't work with us."

"I thought we were going to the classroom, you know, to do school stuff."

"I'm afraid not; the only event today was the entrance ceremony. You can go back home and space out some more there." he replies, not in a condescending tone of voice, but a calm one, which is weird to hear from anyone but my 'dad'.

"Why are you so calm?" I ask him, to which he responds with "Because I'm not in danger. Why would I not be calm?"

"Because I'm a-"

"Yeah, I know; pyromaniac, pyrokinetic, grand larcenist, burglar, former gang member, and anger prone criminal. But I didn't do anything to you, if I'm in danger it's purely illogical, why should I try to predict the illogical? One of its key traits is unpredictability."

"Oh.. I guess that makes sense. But then why are others so afraid of me?"

"They simply aren't as levelheaded. When someone sees you, their mind immediately connects the dots to the news, which never shows you doing anything good. Once that happens, the emotion causing chemicals flow to their receptors, that makes them afraid. Though irrational, emotions take control over the body relatively frequently."

"So why didn't that immediately happen to you?"

"I've been in scarier scenarios I suppose." he replies, pointing at his eyepatch. He then reaches out his hand for a handshake.

"The name's Phaze, what's yours?"

I grab his hand and reply "I'm certain you already know, but if you forgot, it's Alma."

The green haired girl piles her hand on the two of ours. "I'm Flora! Let's be friends!"

Friends? Me? Those don't work together, I've only had friendships end in three ways; they run away, they die, or they disappear, so I'm a bit hesitant.

"You seem a bit hesitant, Alma."

"Well-"

"Let me guess, friends don't suit someone living like you, right?" Phaze interrupts

"Something like that."

"I think we can be friends, we're strong!" Flora says.

"Not strong enough. Sorry." I say as I walk away.