UA High

Chapter 1

Eight years ago, to this day, I was saved from a fire in our apartment. My biological mom and dad had left my older brother, Enkai, and me alone for the day, saying they had something 'very important' to do and would return before night fell.

They never came back.

If I focused I could remember the fire well. Often mom and dad would leave for work early in the morning and come home before it got dark, telling us there was food in the fridge and we could watch whatever we wanted on TV as long as we behaved. Of course, now that I think about it, how could they know how we acted while they were gone?

Eventually, night came and it got dark. The moon was full and bright and I remember sitting on our small balcony in the oak rocking chair, watching and waiting. Enkai had been complaining about being cold and then stood from his spot on the floor, mumbling something incoherent and stomping inside. At the time I just thought he was going to get a blanket and come back but he had decided to light a few of the many candles we had around the house to make a makeshift fire. It was dumb but to his 10-year-old brain, he thought it was the only thing we could do.

A few minutes later the fire alarm rang and I jumped, racing into the kitchen. His blanket had caught fire and he flailed, trying to get out. I ran forwards and grabbed a hold of the flaming material ripping off him and throwing it aside. It was too late though and the apartment had begun to catch, the couch was a flame and the blanket was across the entryway, blocking our escape.

"ENKAI!"

"STAY CALM!" He screamed, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me towards the balcony. We stepped out, momentarily relieved to be away from the heat but it was quickly smashed to bits as it dawned on both of us that we were four stories up. We'd die if we tried to jump down. He turned to me and then to the flaming living room. "We'll- we'll have to book it!" He grabbed my hand and we ran for the door.

Something hissed to my right and I stumbled back, breaking away from him. He realized it before I did and shoved me to the ground, landing on top of me. A loud blast filled my ears and then silence. I could feel myself coughing and my skin burning but ringing had filled my ears. When I opened my eyes Enkai was over me, his face twisted and his mouth open in a silent scream. Tears fell from his face onto mine and I looked behind him to see his shirt was hanging off his back and the wall behind us was black and ugly. Shards of red hot metal were embedded in the wall and floor around us. Black smoke had gathered above us so thick I couldn't see the ceiling. My mouth moved but I couldn't hear a word I was saying and it didn't look like he did either.

"AGH- HELP!" Enkai shrieked, falling forward, his arms trembling. "HELP!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him away from the burning stove "PLEASE- H-HELP US!"

"I'm here!"

I looked towards the resonant voice, hope swelling in my heart. A tall man ran through the fire, unscathed and unafraid. His skin was black and shiny, like metal and he leaned down to us. His face turned to skin, his eyes found their color, a dark luminescent blue. "My name's Nightcrawler, okay? I'm going to get you two out of here." He looked over me and then Enkai, reaching for him first. He screamed and wriggled, trying to get away. His eyes were full of terror.

I grabbed his hand and he looked between me and the man. Behind us a shelf fell and the glass figurines shattered across the floor. With a start, Enkai dove for his arms, accepting the help and using his free arm, Nightcrawler scooped me up, easily navigating through the fire. In the heat of it, I turned and buried my face in his shoulder, his metallic skin was cool instead of hot. I held my hands over my mouth as I coughed and suddenly we were outside and on solid ground. He let me go and a woman rushed over to me, her bright pink hair was in loose ringlets that bounced with each step.