The Red Bird

Chapter 17-The Red Bird Apparently Has Fire Powers

(She Must Be a Pyromaniac)

I see Scott rush around, frantically grabbing things. I just stand there, for some reason unable to move. I see my reflection through the flames in the glass door and see my eyes glowing red, with little flames dancing in them. Needless to say, I was rather alarmed...

But still, I couldn't seem to change back.

Scott was yelling something at me and pounding his fist on the window, but I couldn't hear him over the roaring of the flames. I just stared at him, watching him panic.

I closed my eyes and tried to think about how on earth this happened.

That weird feeling... Maybe, if I did do this, I could undo it?

I closed my eyes tighter and imagined the flames disappearing, leaving no trace behind, not a single speck of ash left anywhere...

I opened one of my eyes and saw that the flames were gone.

Had I just imagined it?

Almost as soon as I had opened my other eye, Scott flung the door open and sprayed me and the chamber with a fire extinguisher. 

I coughed out the white powder-like stuff and glared at him.

"Oops... Sorry!" he said, hiding the extinguisher behind his back, even though I could still clearly see it.

I just growled at him.

I walked out, shaking the powder off my fur.

I noticed Scott keeping his distance, probably afraid of me losing it and mauling him.

I tried to turn back so I could talk to him about what just happened, but I couldn't do it.

Am I stuck like this? Great... Just what I always wanted! To be a tiger for the rest of my life and have my friends be terrified of me for the rest of my days!

I turn to Scott and do my best to plead for help with my eyes.

He shrinks back a little when I turn to him, which makes my heart sink. I turn away and make my way towards the opposite side of the lab.

I hear him follow me for a minute, then stop, then start up again.

I growl softly.

"I don't know what to do, Carol," he says from behind me. I turn around and sit, meeting his eyes.

I try to speak, but I just get out a few growls and a really weird sounding meow.

"From what I gathered, your heart rate spiked and then I saw everything in there was on fire..." He turns away, not really focusing on anything. He takes a deep breath, then looks back to me and says, "Are you okay?" He reaches out to me, but then draws his hand back.

I walk forward, and I see him tense up. I rub my head on his chest and purr.

He seems to relax and little, and even pats my head for a second.

Then, it happens. 

It's not the weird feeling that apparently causes everything to burst into flames, but the other one. The impulse one.

The one that makes me lose control.

My purring quickly turns into growling, and the friendliness turns into anger and hunger.

He jumps back as soon as he hears the growling. I stalk forward, keeping low to the ground, ready to pounce. Half of me is thrilled at the thought of food, and the other half is screaming for me to stop.