Fire & Water & Earth & Air

15: Fire

Juliette

           I hear Edward call me, but it's not like I want to talk to him. So I don't. I practically run to the door, to escape him and his stupid ideas.

          Edward doesn't follow. And I think sadly to myself that, maybe, if he had just followed, we could have talked it out. Maybe, just maybe, I would have forgiven him and then we'd laugh at the stupid misunderstanding. Of course that's doesn't happen. I rush home, wishing I could go back to my old school, where everyone ignored me, where I knew no Edward.

           But it's all wishful thinking.

           "How was school?" Mom asks once I walk through the front door.

           "It was good," I lie.

           "I-I heard about the body," she says cautiously, like it could set me off. I set my backpack on the floor and cross my arms. "Yeah, it, um, was real tragic what happened to that man," I state.

           "I...." Mom was never good at hiding her emotions. Like now, I can tell she is debating on whether or not she should say the next sentence. "I heard he was burned. Is it true?"

           Of course.

           "Mom, it wasn't me. I didn't even know the man. Besides, anyone with a set of eyes could see Mr. What's-his-face was electrocuted. Don't understand why no one has pointed that out yet." It's evident she is still unsure. Really, there is nothing I can say to make her believe, other than, "It wasn't me, mom."

          Then I go into my room and just try to block everything out. I hear a commotion outside, though, and race to the window. From my spot, I see a girl, maybe a year younger than me, and a boy, about two years older than me, fighting. It doesn't look real, but it's definitely not acted out.

            It looks a bit like sparring, for fun.

           At some point, it happens so quick I can hardly tell, the girl's hand turns snow white as she holds onto the boy's wrist. It isn't that I have super sight, or that I'm more observant than most people, but I know no one else noticed. The only reason I'm sure it happened -it was so quick, it could have been a mind game- is because I felt it.

           The air around me lowered two full degrees when her hand was ice. For half a second, I went from having a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit, to 98° Fahrenheit. And let me tell you, it isn't a pretty feeling. Especially because my core temperature is such a sensitive thing, meaning it took more than half a second to recover.

           In my quaking shoes, I stare out the window, as a small crowd gathers around the sparring Supers. People pull out their camera phones, their jeers, their whoops, and their chants as the boy and girl battle it out. A high kick here, a left hook there, and to top it all off, a vicious uppercut.

           After blood and bruises, the girl manages to pin the boy down, and everyone claps. I don't move and unknowingly start the tips of my fingers on fire to battle the ninety-eight degree temperature. But as the fire gets bigger, Icicle looks up at my window.

           She felt the change in temperature, too.

           I don't put my fire out, though. And it's not like she steps down, either. Discreetly, as everyone turns to their friends to discuss the coolest punches and biggest bloodsplatters, Icy freezes her arms over, making sure that the hands and knees pinning down the boy stay.... normal.

           As I feel myself get colder, I amp up the heat. I turn my hair into fire and feel my eyes blaze.

           But now she doesn't care who sees her. Her entire body turns into a big ice sculpture, the poor guy asking for mercy. He thrashes around until she gets off of him. A few bystanders have taken notice of the ice girl, and they seem freaked out. But ice cube doesn't care; the floor around her shoes has frozen up, too. From down there, she crosses her arms at me, like she's saying, "Try and beat that. "

           I can beat that. I'll prove it to her, too.

           I do something that I've only ever done once, and it hurt like hell. I turn into fire. I don't mean I catch fire, no. I turn into fire.

           When icy starts melting (yes, melting) I go back to normal, in fear of man slaughter. It takes her a while to recover, and the bystanders are now running away, screaming about a witch. The guy on the floor gets up and starts shouting at her, probably for giving away their powers. Before anyone can get too far, they all drop. Their bodies starts shaking violently and electrical pulses are seen coming from their phones in their hands.

           And soon, in one horrible scene, the seizing teenagers turn coal black. Their hair is on end, their eyeballs rolled into the back of their heads, their identity no longer recognizable.

           The smell is putrid, even in here, and I start to dry heave. They keep on arguing, until the girl points in my direction. The boy turns his head and I feel the air around me crackle. My melted phone -now on the floor, along with scraps of charred clothing- crackles with electricity once, then stops.

           They both charge in the direction of my house. "Well, oh crap," I mutter. I pull on a pants, shoes, and a shirt, then run downstairs, still dancing into my top. "Mom!" She's in her bedroom, on her bed, with a book in her hands. "Mom! We need to get out of here, now. Come on, come on."

           She gets up and puts some slippers on. "What's wrong?" Her face shows just how scared she is and I suddenly feel horrible for putting her through this.

           "I'm not alone, Mom. But they aren't on my side. They're dange-"

           The lights go out just as the sound of a door hitting the floor echoes through the halls.

           "Damnit, damnit, damnit." I look around, trying to find a place to hide my mom. My eyes land on a window. Looking back at my mom, I whisper quickly, "You need to get out. I'm going to go fight them off, but you need to run. They're two, but I'll manage. Once I leave the room, Mom, you gotta run. Go out through the window, okay?"

           The footsteps separate, one pair goes upstairs, the other walks closer to my parents' room. "C-can you beat them?" Mom's eyes show worry. I may be scary, but I'm still her daughter. She wants me to be safe.

           I give her a kiss on the cheek. "Mom, I'll be fine. If you stay, you won't. You need to go." Mom nods and goes to the window. I glance once behind me, then step outside the room. I hear the window slide open, a body hit the floor, then retreating footsteps. Just then, I see, in front of me, the guy. "Well, hell-o Heat. And how are we today? My friend and me, we're just.... toasty." Electricity guy has a chilling smile on his face.

           His hands crackle with white light and, for the first time in a long time, I'm scared.

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