Ellie's Flames BOOK 2

15: Rescue (Is A Failure, As Normal)

My feet hit the ground first, sending a shockwave up my right leg where Gothel cut into me. I cry out, falling to my hands and knees. Above me, the flames rush from the lab room into this one, gathering itself around me in a protective ring. I stare at the fire in astonishment.

And then---

"Ellie!" Carlos' voice rings clear in the otherwise dark room. My fire lashes out in the general direction of his voice, and I get a quick glimpse of my boyfriend shackled to the wall before the blue retracts back to me, leaving us in total darkness.

"Carlos?" I check hesitantly.

"Yeah." He says, quieter. "Um... Where are you? Why is there a hole in the ceiling?"

"Probably because Gothel was trying to do some weird science experiment on me and I exploded, and then broke the floor."

"Wait----Repeat that. Gothel is the one who kidnapped us with P------aaaahhhh, Dark Dude?" Carlos demands.

"I'm calling him Leroy out loud. For some reason, thinking his name doesn't do anything for me." I say.

"Wouldn't that be handy." Carlos grumbles.

"But, no, the people after me are Leroy, Gothel, and your mom."

"MOM!?" Carlos practically bellows.

"Carlos, shut up!" I hiss, trying to stand and falling again.

Carlos sounds like he's holding his breath for a second. I force myself to stand, hating how dizzy it makes me. "Do you know if there are any lights?"

"Um, no. Nobody's ever come in here since PiiiiiiiiiLeroy's powers dumped me into these stupid handcuffs."

I groan, already hating the idea of summoning even a wisp of my fire. But, every second we waste is another that we could be found. So I close my eyes, raising one hand and snapping it. When I open it again, a tiny cadle-like flame is bouncing off my finger, illuminating the room.

Carlos whistles. "So you're still a popsicle."

"Don't make me regret wanting to rescue you." I scold, limping over to him. All humor disappears from his face as he sees my knee.

"Woah. What did Gothel do to you?" he asks.

"Gave me one measly cut." I complain, shaking my hand a few times to get my fire to grow bigger. The heat inside my chest grows as well, and the cuffs holding Carlos to the wall snap under my grip. He stands and hugs me tight.

"We gotta get out of here." He says. "I don't suppose you can poof?"

I laugh, but it turns into a weird mixture of a whimper and a yelp when I put more pressure on my leg. Shifting my weight to my other one, I shake my head. "I can already tell I can't. Leroy traps all shadows coming in or out. We'll need to sneak out."

"Hard, considering the nice skylight you gave my cell." Carlos says. "Any chance you could replicate that on the door?"

I purse my lips, knowing full well the answer should be yes.

Carlos puts an arm around my waist. "Ellie, you're literally shaking. What the heck did Gothel do to your leg?"

I glance down at my jeans. The cut on my kneecap makes my head spin even more, and not because it's deep.

Because it's glowing blue. Just like the cuts I had when my mom's powers were killing me.

I glance back up at Carlos, hoping he won't notice. "Yes. I can do it." I hear myself saying, and he smiles, gesturing to the door. I hobble over to it, basically bouncing on my bad leg, until I reach the slight outline of the door. My fire sputters out, gathering in my palm as I lay a hand against the wood. Within seconds, my fire spreads, disintegrating it and leaving a few metal hinges that fall to the ground.