Smoke

15: Heat

There was fire coming from my mouth. From inside of me. It was burning through my body. It glowed orangely against my skin, against the walls. It lit up the dark air. I could hear the slight pop of it burning, could feel the heat and the fire tingling against my tongue, my throat. My stomach was turning, my heart was beating very fast. This couldn't be happening.

I was out of breath. I didn't want to close my mouth for fear of burning myself. I slowly stopped exhaling. I saw the glowing turn a soft red color. The fire dwindled, before fizzing out. Smoke pulled out of my mouth like before. I heard my heartbeats in my head. It was like before except I knew that I had a fire inside of me.

My life sucks. I closed my eyes, laying still. The room was dark again. My heart was beating fast. My throat was dry. I felt hot. It felt like I was spinning.

I couldn't be in Romeo and Juliet if I burnt down the school in the middle of a scene. I just couldn't.
Shame and embarrassment for myself and the future heated my face, made me feel light and weak.
I knew less about my power than I could've imagined.
I can't go back to school. I might smoke it out. And then burn it down. I put my head down against my bed, closing my eyes in exhaustion.

After a blur of laying and listening to my own dry breaths and loud heartbeats, I pulled myself up.
My vision dotted in dehydration, and my legs felt weak, carrying me out of my room.

"Mom?" I asked, but my voice was silent and dry. "Mom?" I asked again, feeling my voice leave my body, scratching my throat. Thin strands of smoke left with it.
"I'm on the couch." Her voice was loud in my ears.
I walked up to her. She looked up from her book and she frowned.
"Can I stay home tomorrow?" I asked. My voice was light and faded in and out.
She got up, looking at me.

She placed her hand on my forehead gently, and then pulled it back quickly. Her face was curled in concern.
"You're burning up! Here, lay down." She made me sit in her spot on the couch. "Do you feel nauseous?" She asked me while walking into the kitchen, getting a glass of water.

"Sort of." I said, taking the water from her. The water was freezing and heavy in my hands. I sipped it, feeling the cold go down my throat. I put the glass against my forehead, feeling the sharp chill against my hot skin.

"Did you feel sick earlier today?"
"No." I said simply. I didn't want to tell her about the fire breath. I couldn't face it yet. There was no way it had actually happened.
"Well, You shouldn't go to school tomorrow." She said, feeling my forehead again. "Drink all of that water. Do you want soup?" She asked, sitting down next to me.
"No, that's okay. I'm fine." I said, leaning back into the couch.

I don't know if it's lying to make her think I had a fever. I didn't even know what was going on, myself.

"What's dad's power?" I asked quietly, half-unsure if I should even ask. Her face stilled and she looked away from me.
"He could control heat." She said quietly, getting up. "I'm glad you took on my side of the powers. Much easier to deal with." She smiled gently.
Yeah, right. My body flushed heat then cold then heat again. Mother would be disappointed to know I took more from dad than she thought.
"Does dad's new family have powers--" I was prying. But now was a perfectly good time to figure out more about my step-family.
"No, they don't." She said abruptly, interrupting me, shaking her head. "Sorry, sugar, but I'd rather not..." Mom's voice grew quiet. I looked at her and nodded. A few strands of smoke left my mouth. A few puffs of vapor left hers. She must've been really frustrated. Maybe angry. Maybe sad. Her face was twisted up in a small frown, her eyebrows curled up and her eyes squinted.
"Sorry, mom." I said, voice a nervous whisper, and I drank the water. The silence settled, and I could feel the heat radiating from my body, from my breaths, being kept back by the cold in my hands and the water I was swallowing.

Maybe I really did have a fever, I don't know. No one knew about the power or how to deal with it. And I didn't want them to know. I just wanted it to go away.