Blaze

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

I didn't put on the suit and mask that night. Instead I sat down in the living room and began reading a German novel. Emily was across the room, ready her own book. It was six in the evening.

"You're not going out tonight?" she asked cryptically.

"Nope, I got nothin on tonight." I replied, almost saying it in German by accident.

She waited a moment to answer, "I realized that right around now, Blaze goes out and beats up some Rooks."

My heart skipped a beat, but I wasn't going to let her find out. "Hmm, that's interesting. I'm guessing that Blaze comes home his day-job work right about then."

"Oh the contrary, I believe he's a high-schooler, like us." she let it sink in, "I also believe that he lives around our neighborhood, maybe within a few blocks."

She was hell-bent on making me crack, "What makes you say that?"

She closed her book and put it down, sliding onto the couch where I sat. In front of us was a wooden coffee table with a small shelf below it. Mum and Greg had stuffed all sorts of books and papers and magazines in there. Emily slipped out a map book, flipping it to the map of the Castling Town area. There were five red X's and numerous O's. A green dot had been placed where our block was.

"The crosses signify where skirmishes happened, the circles are where people sighted Blaze." she explained, running her hand over the page.

The area near our house was very much clean or anything red because I never changed near the block, as there was a high chance of anyone I knew seeing me. There were a six to seven O's around two to three hundred meters from our block, surrounding it. Four of the five X's were at close-proximity to the stadium, and numerous O's littered the area near Castling Stadium. I hadn't been as stealthy as I'd thought I was.

"Blaze's activity as of yet seems to be concentrated in the South-west area of Castling, but he seems to be avoiding the few blocks around ours. Ya think he lives in this very block?" she was trying to pull a serious, unsuspicious look, but I saw the curl of a smile play at the corner of her lips.

"Fine, Emily, you win," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "But don't tell anyone, okay? If anyone finds out, they'll know it's me, they come after Mum and Dad and you."

The smile widened on her face. She just loved when I submitted. "Yes, yes, of course. You don't think I realized that?" she waved away my warnings, "I just have two requests in return for my silence."

Two request? I was telling her to keep her trap shut for our own safety and she wanted to take advantage of that? Emily was a smart and talented girl, she was only fifteen but could beat me in any subject she wanted unless it required physical prowess. If she'd actually cared for her studies, she'd have earned at least one scholarship by now. I was very much sure she'd be able find a way to hinder my work as Blaze other than exposure.

"Okay, state your request then."

"One, you'll let me see whatever little gadgets you've got. And two, you'll tell me all about your antics every time you come back from on of your runs."

Well that wasn't so bad. Until some somehow forced that information out of her. But I didn't have a choice.

"Fine."

"Okay then, first, show my your flamethrower." she demanded.

"I don't have a flamethrower."

"Don't lie. Fine, then how do you burn those people?"

I held up my palm, and fire ignited on my skin.