Zero

Chapter 5

Molly's POV

"Good afternoon Blaze," Chief Owens greets, offering me a polite smile.

I nod, "Chief Owens, thank you for the ceremony. It's really not necessary though."

"Nonsense. You've been helping us for half a decade now. That's no minor feat. You should be honored for the sacrifices you've made." I see the pain her eyes as she undoubtedly thinks about Psyche. I bite my lip, trying to restrain myself from rushing forward and hugging her. Blaze isn't that close to her.

"Hey, uh, Blaze!" Felix calls from around the corner, panic in his eyes, "May I please speak with you?"

I nod,"Excuse me." Owens watches as I walk over to her son. Felix grabs my arm and pulls me out of sight. "What's wrong?"

"We might have a slight problem. Well, you might anyways. Calum's out in the crowd. None of the others or Zara are, just him. But I know the effect he still has on you. So I'm just reminding you, Blaze, you're not Psyche or Molly anymore. Don't do anything dumb."

I roll my eyes, my heart thumping loudly in my chest at the thought of Calum, "I know." Someone out on stage calls my name, making the crowd start cheering wildly. I turn and start to walk to the curtain.

"Please don't do anything dumb." I ignore him and go onto the stage.

Calum's POV

I watch silently as Blaze leaves the stage, a new medal pinned on her leather jacket. She makes her way around the back of the stage and disappears out of sight. Slowly, police officers and other onlookers start to stand and leave. I move through the crowd, pushing over to where Blaze was last. No sign of her. I sigh in defeat and turn back around to head back to my car. Two tallish men from the crowd stand in my path, moving closer and closer until they're physically pushing me down the alley.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I demand, confused and a little panicked.

"Give us your phone and wallet," the chubbier one demands, his voice low. The other pushes a cold metal object against my ribs. I glance down and see the gun. Panic fills me. I reach into my pockets, but come up empty-handed. Dread fills me as I realize I left them both in my car when I ran to try to make it in time for the Blaze ceremony.

"Now!" The second one shouts, pushing the gun deeper into my side.

My voice cracks, "I don't have anything. I swear, I left them both in my car. I-"

"Leave him the fuck alone," a new voice calls. All three of us turn and look to see Blaze standing there, her hands curled into fists. Her eyes are dark, dark blue. I nearly cry in relief. Both robbers back away from me nervously. She super speeds forward and flips them both onto their backs on the ground. The two men groan in sync. She handcuffs both of them, then texts someone, almost undoubtedly the police. I stand there, my back pressed against the brick wall as I stare at her. There's something almost familiar about her. Blaze knocks both guys out, then turns to face me, her gaze softening.

"Calum-"

"Thank you for saving me," I cut in, moving closer to her. As I do, my nose gets filled with the same familiar scent from earlier. She smells just like Molly used to. But I guess this means that I was smelling Blaze earlier in Felix's apartment, not Molly. My gut tells me I'm wrong.

"It's my job," she shrugs, staring at the ground. Her face is sad. She turns and starts to leave. I lunge forward and grab her arm, not really ready to let her go for some reason.

"Please," I beg, "Don't go, Blaze. I- there's something about you that is so familiar. I-" Thoughts fly through my mind, trying to process everything. I feel like I'm on the brink of discovering something. I just can't quite place it.

"Calum, please," she begs, "Let me go. I have to leave." She doesn't try to pull away though. She just stands there as I move in front of her, staring at her masked face as I try to figure out what I'm missing. There's something special about Blaze. I can feel it.

"You know my name?" I breathe out, my mind racing. Her eyes grow wide and dart back and forth nervously as she searches for something to say. Before she comes up with anything, her phone starts to beep, startling us both. She glances down at the screen, reads her new text, then swears.

She looks back up at me, her blue eyes wide, "The cops will be here soon to get those two and get an official statement from you. I- I have to go. I, um," Blaze cuts herself off, then presses her lips against mine. I blink in surprise, then kiss her back, my body melting against hers. Her lips feel like Molly's used to. All too soon, she's pulling away from me and vanishing into thin air, leaving me all alone with the two knocked out robbers.