The Crazy Adventures of Aqua Girl

Chapter 53 - Spark Into A Flame

19th December 2008 - Somewhere in the Far North Region, Alaska, USA

A boy sat by the fireplace, while the wind and snow battered the woodland outside the cabin's windows. The boy's dark, floppy hair dangled over his eyes as he sat on the home-knitted rug, entranced by the flames in front of him. A burly man walked into the room, lowering his head to shuffle through the wooden doorframe.

"Evan, I'm going out to find more firewood. Aunt Georgina will be back soon from the village, ok? You'll be alright by yourself?" The man asked, whilst zipping up his snow jacket. The boy turned around and smiled up.

"Yes, Uncle Benny!" He replied, watching his uncle from the floor. The man walked over and ruffled the boy's black locks before walking out of the room. Evan waited in silence until he heard the front door slam before turning back to the fire, watching the flames dance to the rhythm of the crackling wood.

The flames looked warm and welcoming. Maybe he should touch them. But didn't Aunt Georgina warn him about flames? He wasn't sure.

"Pretty fire..." The 6-year-old boy murmured to himself, leaning forward a little to admire the flames. The heat touched his face, warming his rosy cheeks. As the boy leaned nearer to the fire, his hands began to get itchy, like they wanted to touch the flames. Evan lifted his right hand and reached forward. The second his fingers touched one of the dancing flames, the itchiness ceased and a tiny flame sprung from the pal of his hand. Evan yelped and leapt backwards, pulling his hand up to his face to examine the tiny flame on it. The boy's eyes widened as he realised his hand wasn't on fire, it was just holding the flame. With a squeeze of his hand, the flame vanished.

Evan took a deep breath before lifting his left hand up and opening it so the palm was flat. All he had to do was think about fire and viola.

"My own fire!" He exclaimed to the empty room. At that moment, the front door opened, the creaking of wood echoing throughout the empty cabin.

"Evan, sweetie!" As soon as the boy heard his Auntie calling, the flame vanished and he scrambled up and out of the room.

"Aunt Georgie!" He cried, beaming as his aunt welcomed him with open arms. He wrapped his tiny arms around her plump body, burying his face in her woollen jumper.

"What have you been up to?" She asked as Evan stepped back, bringing his hands up.

"Look, I found flames!" The boy declared triumphantly, as two tiny flames sparked from both of his palms. The woman's eyes widened in shock as the boy showed her the flames.

"We need to find your uncle. Now!" She announced, swiftly grabbing Evan and opening the front door without bothering to put her coat on. The boy found himself being dragged out into the snow and began shaking. What was the rush?

"Benjamin! Get here now!" Aunt Georgina shouted into the snow-covered forest. The wind had died down, and her voice echoed through the landscape. The woman looked back at the boy worriedly as his uncle jogged through the trees towards them.

"You called?" Uncle Benny asked, wheezing a little from rushing over. 

"It's happened. T-The flames!" She replied, stammering and talking quickly. The man took one look at the small, shivering boy before grabbing him and softly lifting him over his shoulder. As Evan gazed at his hands, conjuring the flames back, his uncle and aunt rushed back to the cabin, murmuring between themselves about packing, and a facility. 

That night, the little boy found himself bundled in countless woollen blankets, in the back of an open-top jeep, rushing through the snow-covered state of Alaska. Despite the endless array of blankets covering his body, the boy was still shaking as snowflakes drifted into the jeep as it sped along, his uncle and auntie sat in the front, silent. Only the roar of the engine could be heard as they continued their journey, towards the faint lights of a city that the boy had never visited, nor heard of. 

19th December 2016 - San Francisco, California, USA

"Mom! Tell Evan to stop!" The little girl whined, glaring at her foster brother before storming out of the room in search of her mother.

"Oh, Britanny, stop complaining!" Her mother yelled in reply from the kitchen, causing Evan to chuckle and stick his tongue out at Brittany. She stomped her foot in response and shuffled out of sight down the corridor. Evan ran his hand through his hair, turning his attention back to his English essay on his laptop screen. To be honest, he couldn't care less about Romeo and Juliet, but his teachers were persistent, and it was finals week. Finishing off the conclusion, Evan closed his laptop and padded into the brightly-lit living room, smirking at the overweight cat relaxing under the christmas tree.

"Dinner'll be ready in 5 minutes, guys!" The voice of his foster mother rang through the apartment as Evan flopped onto the sofa as he grabbed the TV remote, turning the screen on. The words 'DOWNTOWN ATTACK' burst onto the TV, with a video of a live news report from downtown San Fran. The boy's eyes widened as he read the breaking news report, before standing up and rushing through to the kitchen.

"What's up, sweetie?" The woman asked, turning to watch Evan rush to the large kitchen window. Thanks to their apartment being on a high level, they could see most of the city from here. Evan ignored his mother as he pressed her forehead to the window. Sure enough, there was a police helicopter and multiple sirens around the downtown district of San Francisco.

"Sorry Mom, I've gotta go."

A/N: WELL I BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING, HUH? :) What can I say? I'm full of surprises! I hope y'all enjoyed that bonus chapter of Blaze Boy's origin. But...where were his aunt and uncle taking him? Have a great day/night! :)