The Girl Who Stopped Time

Oblivion

The carpet around Ira's feet has burst into a circle of flames. Bits of ash fly up from the now chard ground and fill the air around us, reminding me of the vast temperature change. What once seemed to be a chilled room radiates heat, and is only seeming to get hotter.

I can tell by the way she is clenching and unclenching her fists that if she doesn't calm down soon this room will turn into a homemade inferno.

I look to Azrail groaning on the ground, hoping and praying that he won't add wood to the fire. He couldn't possibly be that stupid, could he?

He rolls to his hands and knees with one final painful moan before snapping his head up toward us. His eye twitches crazily and his lips curl over his teeth aggressively. He doesn't look angry, no, he looks psychotic. Dark circles surround the outer rim of his overly dilated eyes and his breathing is rapid. When he stands with a growl to his feet, I expect there to be burn marks on his shirt. That or black singed locks on his blonde head but he looks completely fine. Other than the crazed look on his face of course. It doesn't even seem like the fire touched him though I know I saw it make contact.

"Too far?!" he bellows out, his voice guttural and raspy. "You are the ones that pushed me to where I am today, you stupid bîtch!"

Never mind he's not stupid, he's insane.

The flames on Ira's braided hair fly's up towards the ceiling and she brings her hand up, throwing another fire ball straight at his face.

The ball hit its bullseye but this time he doesn't even flinch. From where I'm standing, I could see the flames graze across his skin then disappear into the air, leaving him completely untouched.

He grins widely at his shocked looking sister as her flames begin to die down.

"It's too bad for you I don't have my body yet, isn't it?" He says then turns towards the large black hole that floats behind him.

A burst of energy escapes it once again and I brace myself for the blow by shutting my eyes and covering my head. When nothing comes, I look up to find Ira being thrown harshly to the top of the stairs. Her body rolls down the solid steps and lands next to Lori's unconscious form. She tries to get up, the flames on her head now a light steam as she pushes to a sitting position.

For a moment I think she might get up to fight him again but, in the end, she resigns and scoots closer to her sister. Oleander and Gilah join them in a small protective huddle.

They're scared.

"You cannot say that what I've just done is 'too far'. I have simply told a few household secrets when you took everything from me." his crazed eyes flick to behind me where Atlas is still standing.

"I didn't take anything away from you." Atlas speaks up. "What happened was out of my control. What happened after was all on you and getting your body taken away was the consequence."

Azrail's hands twitch at his sides and he lets out a shaky breath that even I can hear from the other side of the room. He bites his lips hard before curling them into a malicious smile. He chuckles deep in his throat then sits into his hip and rests a hand on his waist.

"You were always meant to reap what I have been bestowed, but look at you; getting exactly what I had taken away from me. What makes you so different that you can keep love and I can't?"

"You should have taken that question up with the gods before trying to destroy your own family."

"He was my family!" Azrail shouts, tears sprout to his eyes and he takes threatening steps towards us. "Then you took him away from me and to make it worse you made me- you made me..." he stutters as tears leak from his eyes.