Fanning Flames

Chapter Two - Now It's Broken

I set my bag down on our dining table and stretched. Miss Birch (or Miss Bitch as I called her) was a pain in my ass.

"Detention again Ly?" Remus asked, not bothering to put down his newspaper. He was sitting in his spot on the couch. It was the furthest away from the window and directly across from my chair.

"Yep". I grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and sat down in our blue recliner. My mom and I had refurbished it after we found it at a garage sale years ago.

"What did you do this time?" He grinned. Remus would never admit it but he thought my actions were amusing. But as a teacher himself (and my guardian) he had to reprimand me for insulting my teacher.

"I insulted a teacher" I muttered looking away and sipping on my drink.

"Lyra". He set down his newspaper and I rushed to defend myself.

"It was only Miss Birch and she always insults me first!".

"I know sweetheart but she is dangerous you can't keep being alone with her" Remus sighed at me. I grimaced but nodded. We both knew she wasn't human but we couldn't just kill her in front of all those mortals. So we had chosen to not do anything until we figure out a plan.

Remus was a half blood just like me. He was a son of Hermes and a stereotypical college professor. He liked tea and sweater vests. That's probably why my mom was drawn to him. He was the light she needed. Sadly it wasn't enough.

I stood and made my way to the kitchen to start making dinner. Remus could make tea but that was pretty much it. This was my time to think. Remus graded in the living room while I cooked in the kitchen. Our apartment had an open floor plan so we could both talk to each other during these times if we wanted to. Usually the talks that happened during these times were either rants or us attempting to gain/give advice. This was also the time when I felt completely free and safe. I usually let all my walls fall the moment I walked into the apartment. But this was the only time that I stopped hiding from myself as well.

I used to like to go out before I met you
Now I just go out to forget you
Put my favourite shirt on so strangers
Don't know that it looks way better on you

I wasn't a stereotypical daughter of Ares but you already knew that. Well now, at this moment, I could be whoever I wanted to be. And it was now that I felt the most powerful.

I grabbed my mother's recipe box and choose her garlic chicken. With some veggie pasta and strawberry shortcake that could be a good dinner.

Took my heart to California
Now it doesn't work right
Yeah, it beats and, yeah, it beats
But damn it hurts every night
You're not lonely just because you are alone
But ever since we said goodbye
Well, I just happen to be both

My music taste wasn't the stereotypical screamo rock or goth bands. It was random. Soft, crazy, funny. I danced singing along hidden from everyone except myself. There used to be a time where I could be open wherever I go but things happen. And sometimes those things cause you to change. For me it could be seen as for the worse. Either way it was okay.

I guess you could say this was one of my up moments. I choose to wait and talk to Rem about the whole new kids debacle during dinner.

"Dinner" I called. Remus grinned when he noticed my smile. I bounced into my seat and began to eat. Of course the up always has to go down. I sighed and began to twirl my fork.

"What do you want to talk about Ly?" Rem called me out. With this slight push I spilled open.

"Nico is back and I thought I was doing better but just thinking about him makes me self conscious and now I have nearly all my classes with him! I'm only safe during Study Hall, Chem, and Math. But in the other classes I have Percy Jackson or this satyr Reggae. So I'm really self conscious and don't get me started with the whole Miss Birch thing. If I get kicked out this will be the eighth school and I've only been in nine!" I rambled. We had both stopped eating. A sign we were going to be talking with a lot of emotions.

"Nico?" Remus said finally.

"Is that all you got from that?". Boys were exasperating. Scratch that. Everyone is exasperating (I was only going to say humans but have you met a god?).

"No but that's what I was choosing to start with".

"Fine. We can start there" I said leaning back and crossing my arms.

"Well Nico was your best friend. And you never told me about it but I can assume that it was sudden and bad from the way you acted". He didn't need to say the words for me to hear them.

The way you changed.

"So it would be understandable that you feel trapped but since you are-". He continued.

"More mentally stable" I snapped standing and grabbing my untouched plate.

"You're lashing out indirectly again" Remus calmly responded. I set the plate down on the counter with a blush.

"Sorry" I muttered.

"It's alright I know you don't mean to. But as I was saying, yes you're more mentally stable, then you were before. So maybe you can finish that conversation once and for all" he smiled.

"Meaning?".

"Meaning" he sighed, "You can finally get some closure and move on with your life".

"I have moved on". I stuffed a couple fork fulls into my mouth at once. Rem gave me a look that reminded me that he knew me. I could hide from the world but I couldn't hide from him. But after a moment of silence he gave in.

"You can believe what you want Lyra but it's okay to be hurt. It okay to have feelings. All you have to do is process through them healthily. And repressing them is not healthy" he shot me a loaded look. "But otherwise Percy and Reggae could be at your school because of a potential demigod".

"So you'd need two kids of the big three to help?" I scoffed putting away the extra food into containers for lunch tomorrow.

"Perhaps there are multiple half bloods. That daughter and Percy went to pick up Nico and his sister" Remus reasoned. I winced at the mention of Bianca but shook it off. She wasn't my sister after all.

"You have a point maybe that's why" I admitted.

"And with them there you probably won't get kicked out it would mostly be on of them" he teased. I laughed softly before putting on the kettle.

"Peppermint tea sound good?" I asked.

"Yes please".

After our talk we had strawberry shortcake (the best dessert) and our peppermint tea for dessert. Then Rem helped me with my homework and I fell asleep wishing I didn't need those walls.

I took my heart to California, now it's broken

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Yo it's pride parade in Chicago! But now it's storming :(.
The song is Dirty AF1s by Alexander 23. It's really good and it will show up again in this book. I tend to pick a main song for each important parts and characters book I write. This is one of the songs.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you haven't read my other book you probably don't know that I tend to have to relationships go slow so I'm sorry if you're not into that but I tend to focus on the characters instead. Love y'all and hope all stays well!