We Start Fires

[1]

Emma Beck stands in front of the smoldering remains of the old Culligan barn, sips her coffee, and burns her tongue. Every fucking time. Her sudden intake of breath hisses, but the sound dissolves in the chatter and noise of the fire crew's clean up. She rubs her now-sandpaper tongue against the roof of her mouth even though she knows it's going to be uncomfortable, and thinks about patterns. Or, more accurately, she thinks about how she can't find any.

She is on the verge of attempting another sip of her light roast when Alice makes herself known beside her with a brush of her elbow against Emma's jacket. Emma's eyes don't leave the curl of smoke dissipating into the grey sky above the ruined old barn. Alice's nose wrinkles.

"This is getting stupid now," she says, and Emma's lips twitch in a smile borne of an unfortunate combination of agreement and irritation.

"It's gotta be kids," Alice continues, "right? It's kids?"

"I mean, that's my guess, but since there's literally no fucking proof, I couldn't tell you for sure."

Alice pushes out an audible breath and combs her fingers across her scalp until they're stopped by her ponytail. Emma tries yet again to telepathically radiate her desire to be alone with her coffee and the puzzle that is the smoking barn. It fails.

"If it's kids, we're dealing with small town teenage defiance and some damn good prep work. Jeez. Baffling. Baffling. Just glad no one's been hurt, y'know? Did you burn your tongue?"

Emma turns. "What?"

Alice is looking at her with creased eyebrows and her lips skewed to the right side of her face.

"Your coffee. Did you burn your tongue? You keep doing that thing where you rub it on your teeth."

"Alice."

"Mhm?"

Alice returns her gaze with such actual, genuine concern that the building aggravation sitting just behind her lips is replaced with a fond incredulity that softens her face and reaches her own elbow forward to knock it with her partner's arm.

"I'm cool. Just got impatient. Risa woke up with the call this morning. Had to get Gabe to go to pull a bait and switch while I left. Been up for a while."

Alice smiles. "Oh, Gabe. Sweet man. I can picture it."

Emma pictures it too, and rubs her tongue against her teeth. Sweet man.

"Think it's time to hit the schools?"

"Mm. Yep. I think the crew can take it from here. Hopefully the report turns up something helpful this time."

Emma takes one last sweeping glance over the barn. It's not the crew's fault. There's been nothing incriminating to report. Four fires in as many months, no injuries, no witnesses, and not a scrap to go on. She and Alice turn almost in unison and begin the trek back up the long drive of the Culligan property.

"If it's kids, they gotta fuck up sometime, right?" she says, and she's not even really asking the question, but Alice answers anyway.

"Yeah. We need a plan of attack, with the schools. Kids are vicious." She raises her eyebrows and adopts a world-weary affectation, and Emma laughs. They walk to their cars, the smell of farm and smoke and a coming rain following them, and the sun begins to rise.

***

If Jonny knees that goddamn ball into the back of his head one more time, Dev is going to scream. And then he's going to find the closest industrial garbage bin and make the dude go diving for it. And he'll tape it. He won't release it, duh. But Jonny never has to know that.

They're all sitting out on the soccer field. Class doesn't start for an hour or so, but it's Maggie's turn for Breakfast, so naturally everyone's cool with being early. No chance they're going to miss out on what is often something with a fancy name for Morning Cake. The kitchen goddess herself is parked on the blanket next to him, carefully unloading the goods from her very large wicker basket. A few tight curls have fallen from her hair tie and are now tickling her nose. After the third failed attempt at blowing them from her line of sight, Dev props himself up on one hand and tucks them back behind her ear. She stays focused on her Breakfast set-up, but her dimple makes an appearance, so he is appropriately sated. Carter is splayed out on her stomach in the damp grass, the dew from the morning and the threat of rain no doubt soaking the front of her jacket. There's plenty of room on the blanket, but she's too busy identifying ganglia and axons and whatever else on the biology homework that's due second period. Dev suppresses a pang of envy. There is no way she's even glanced at the textbook yet. And Jonny –

The soccer ball comes whizzing past his left ear, accompanied by an impassioned "shit" from behind him and Maggie's horrified cry of "ORANGE JUICE." It narrowly misses the Breakfast spread and thumps Carter on the small of her back. She doesn't even look up.

"Jonny, I swear to God-" Maggie's almost-threat quickly becomes an exasperated sigh as Jonny runs up behind her to simultaneously pat her head with one hand and reach around her to snag a muffin with his other. She slaps at his wrist, but in one fluid motion he's already gone, hot-footing his way around the edge of the blanket to retrieve his ball from Carter's ribs. Dev grins.

"Sorry, C. And sorry, Mags, but look! Orange juice still standing!" Jonny offers his hands in supplication, one still full of muffin, and Maggie seems appeased.

"What's today, Mags?" Carter pipes up, rolling herself up to sitting and grabbing a muffin for herself. Her front is almost entirely soaked through.

"Lemon and candied ginger. New recipe. It might be terrible."

"When is it ever?" asks Dev, and to make a point, bites almost the entire top off his own muffin. Some of it jumps ship and lands on his hoodie.

"Ick." Maggie makes a face, but she's smiling. And, for the record, the Morning Cake is fucking delicious.

***

the stirring of rain in the air floorboards are expanding something is about to change. it has waited a very long time it is very good at waiting. a small crack in the upstairs front window it is excited. it goes looking for them it knows they are not listening one is listening yes. change is reckless is unstable is mortal is hungry is new. it looks further out past the brush and down the dirt drive and through the forest and into town and it can feel change beginning to simmer again. yes.