𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐳

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 (𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞)

"ENOUGH!" She screams. Her hands burst into flames, and the sleeves of her hoodie singe instantly. Daniel loses focus immediately, dropping the cougar. "It didn't know, okay?" Despite the tears in her eyes, she stands her ground. "You can't kill it for doing what's in its nature." She hears it growl once more. She looks over, seeing it move for Mushroom. "Back!" she yells, taking a step towards it. The animal jumps back.

She yells at it some more, forcing it further away as she moves closer until Mushroom's body is behind her. Sean moves quickly, picking up the motionless puppy. The cougar swipes at Cherry, scratching her through the sleeve of her hoodie. The fire from her palms dissipates immediately, blood dripping from her forearm.

"Daniel!" The boy listens instantly, picking up the cougar. He lifts it once more, but the anger from his eyes is gone, replaced with sorrow. He forces the animal as far as possible into the forest, its growls growing softer until it's a few yards away, before tossing it even further. It runs off without looking back.

"Cher!" The boys kneel beside her. Her warmth melts the snow around her, allowing her to kneel on the damp dirt below. A few tears roll down her face, fingers twitching from the pain in her arm. Her sleeve is partially soaked with blood.

"Cherry! I'm so sorry," Daniel exclaims, tears pouring down his face.

"This could've been a lot worse," she says, voice cracking slightly. "I want you to look away, mi amor. This isn't going to be pretty." She pulls her sleeve up on her right arm before creating a flame in her left hand. "At least this is good for something." She waits for Daniel to cover his eyes before giving Sean a glance. He looks as scared as she feels. She bites her tongue as hard as possible before bringing the flame down on her forearm. She releases her tongue from her grasp, a shaky breath escaping her lips. She pulls her hand back after a moment, seeing a cauterized wound. "Well, shit."

 She plays with her hoodie, the burnt pieces of fabric crumbling off with each pick of her fingers. She takes in a heavy breath before sighing, disappointed in herself for a multitude of reasons she can't pinpoint. She only knows one reason, and that's that she destroyed her hoodie. Mama's hoodie. She can feel her heart constrict, like someone trying to squeeze it until it pops.

 She glances up and watches the boys finish building the grave for Mushroom. A shuttered breath escapes her lips before she looks back down at her hands, her eyes becoming glossy. She takes in a deep breath before sighing, watching the smoke leave her lips before dispersing. She feels like a freak.

"Cher." She looks up, seeing Sean take a few steps towards her. "Would you like to say something for Shroom?" Her eyes linger on him before spotting Daniel behind him with tears in his eyes. She gets up without a word but stands a foot or two away from the boys.

"Um-" she clears her throat, "Thank you, Mushroom, for looking after us these few months. You really saved our asses."

"You won't be forgotten," Sean adds.

"Guys." The teens look down at the boy, who wipes stray tears from his face. "Do you think she's up in Heaven with Dad?" The two glance at each other before nodding.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll look after her."

"Wait. What about his allergies? Won't he get sick?" A soft laugh escapes Cherry's lips.

"There's no allergies up there, mi amor. Just happiness. They'll be fine together," she says. Daniel nods silently, giving the makeshift grave one last look.

"Cherry." She hums in acknowledgment. "When did you get powers?"

"We sort of figured it out last night," she says, waving a hand between her and Sean. "I'm not sure how long I've actually had them, though."

"I'm pretty sure you've had them since the gas station." The two look at Sean, who rubs the back of his neck with a guilty expression. "You melted your zip ties, and your hands were bright red too." Her face scrunches up immediately.

"You knew and didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know what it was," he defends himself. "Even though Daniel has superpowers, I didn't think you'd get powers too." She stares at him a few moments longer before sighing, rubbing her face tiredly.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"When were you guys going to tell me?" Daniel butts in.

"This morning, and then..." Sean trails off, waving towards Mushroom's grave. "Then shit hit the fan." The three stand at Mushroom's grave for a few moments longer before Sean speaks. "We should go. It's getting late. Can you get our bags for us, enano?" He rolls his eyes but goes to grab them from the house. The teens let the silence linger for a moment.

 "I ruined my hoodie." He looks down, finally taking in all the damage. Her sleeves are burnt and charred black, but the right sleeve is shorter, starting at the top of her forearm.

 "We can get you a new one." She stares at him for a moment, and he can see her eyes are glossed over. "Your mom's." She sucks on her teeth before nodding her head. 

 "Yep. I guess I'll ruin her name next."

 "Cherry, stop," he sighs. He rubs his face roughly, and she can feel exhaustion wafting off him. "You won't. You're doing all that you can. We all are. We'll figure this out and help you gain control like Daniel did. Besides, maybe my grandma can somehow sew a new sleeve on."

 "And if she asks about why it's burnt off?"

 "We'll say you just fell into a firepit." She snorts reactively but tries to cover it up with a cough. "Nah, I heard that," he grins. "Do I see a little smile too?" He leans in closer, forcing her to lean back. She covers her lips with her hand, shaking her head no quickly. "I think I see one, mi cariño ." He watched her eyes widen dramatically at his words and swore he could see roses blossom on her cheeks. 

 "Are we leaving?!" The two look over, spotting Daniel standing on the porch with all three bags floating in the air. Cherry lets out a shriek, followed by a soft thud. Sean looks back to see her on her ass in the snow.

 "I-"

"Not a fucking word." He shuts his mouth immediately.