At Arm's Length

Chapter 3

THE POWER OF FIRE

Temper practically ran back to her little abandoned building, feeling scared again. Her heart was beating quickly as she realized that her time was up. It was obvious that that guy was there to take her, though it didn't seem like his heart was into it. He could've grabbed her, but he gave her a chance to slip away. Hopefully that would give her enough time to escape before the rest of his group found her. 

She fought the tears that threatened to leak, knowing now was not the time to think of the past. She packed away any meager belongings, mostly being any spare food and a few knives she'd managed to pick up. 

The memories of the first time she was taken flooded back to her, overtaking her thoughts as she prepared to run. 

Now she could remember when she was eight and they came to take her away. She had been sitting with her family in the kitchen, watching her mother cook. Her father was reading something and her brothers were working on some homework. 

There was a knock on the door and her father went to go answer it. A moment later there was a loud noise from the front of the house, the sound of banging and windows cracking. Temper cowered by her mother, who watched the commotion with concern. Jay and Kevin went to check it out. Jay came back a moment later, breathing heavily. 

"Temper they're here for you!" yelled Jay. He looked panicked and distressed, which was odd for him. He always looked collected, and it unnerved her that he no longer seemed to be able to hold his emotions in check. 

"Come on Temper," said her mother sternly, shuffling Temper away from her brother, who had gone back to help their dad. 

Temper could remember herself screaming for a moment before the world spun. She landed hard on her stomach, the air being knocked out of her. It was difficult to breathe, as if something was crushing her completely, making it impossible for her to move. 

Her mother was about ten feet away, a small cut leaking blood on her forehead. Temper saw her two brother with their hands tied, leaning against a wall with her father, who looked to be unconscious. 

A man came up to her, dressed in all black. Temper remembered crying, the tears flowing uninhibited from her eyes. They had learned of some organization that collected people with powers, but she couldn't remember what they were called. She was scared because she knew they would take her away from her family. She knew at that moment that she would never see them again. 

"Finally we've found one that will be of use," said the man in a deep voice. 

"Just leave her alone!" yelled Kevin. The left side of his face was swollen from a hit he'd taken and his lip was split. Jay wasn't doing much better. 

The man turned to him and Temper spoke, "You want me... there's no reason to hurt him anymore."

He turned back to her and looked at her critically. "Very well. You'll be coming with us anyway, so I'll fulfill your last wish."

Temper looked at her family one last time, trying to memorize their faces. The tears flowed as she looked at each of them in turn. 

The man in black grabbed her arm tightly, squeezing. The world faded as he used his power to transport her, ending her life as she knew it. 

Temper blinked away her memories, willing them to stay away. Now was not the time to think of the past, but to preserve her chance at having a future. 

She ran out of the building, the smacking of her feet making it difficult to run as quickly as she would've liked on the pavement. It was cold, but her power of fire kept her warm.