the sevens | 𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘬𝘶𝘯

ii.

PAST

The first time I met some of the Sevens, I was in the training area. I didn't realize it back then but I had an ambitious heart. Having an ambitious heart often brought trouble. This particular day, however, brought in the start of a friendship.

During that time, I had been trying so hard to generate flames from my palms with a single thought but not a single flame flickered. For a solid twenty minutes, some crackles and a bit of gray smoke came out but nothing else. I was getting frustrated. I had a check-in with Mr.Tsuchigomori tomorrow. Mr.T, (for short), was my mentor and the only other person who believed I belonged in this institution. He found me by pure coincidence and he had taken an interest in me when I nearly set my house on fire. I suppose I had impressed him with my lack of control.

I pressed my back onto the white walls and slid down in defeat. This is when I spotted them. Well two, to be exact. The cheerful blue -haired girl and the cool boy with the blonde hair that always brushed against his forehead. They were running towards my training section. Suddenly, I felt nervous. At my big age, (seventeen) I was still nervous about talking to kids my age. Growing up, it had always been hard for me to make small talk and connect with others, because no matter how hard I tried, I always managed to scald someone in the process for being too much.

Then, flames appeared before me, uninvited, un-welcomed, but there they were. Taunting me.

"Ugh not now" I whispered under my breath, my heart hammering against my chest. But the flames didn't listen. They were spreading, getting larger and taking up space. I clenched my fists, trying to force them back, but the fire twisted stubbornly, as if they were mocking me.

A voice sliced through, "Relax" His voice was annoyingly calm. I saw him through the flames, his palms extended towards me. His presence was cool like ice on a hot day. The air in the room shifted—swift and sharp. And in an instant, the flames were tamed and they had turned into the faintest flicker. I was shaking and I felt a little nauseous and he didn't even break a sweat.

Aoi rushed towards me, "Are you okay?" her eyes were soft but intense. She looked genuinely worried as she looped an arm around me trying to lift me up.

I nodded. "Y-yes" I didn't have the energy to stand up or say anything else. I just wanted to get out of the room before more people noticed.

"You know, you need to learn how to relax. The flames don't always care about your feelings."

"I know" I felt like the weakest person to ever exist. How could I call myself a student of this school and how could I ever become a mentor, when I can't even control some stupid flames. I could feel the weight of their expectations, They were the sevens after all, how could they not judge me?

Kou smiled, "It happens to the best of us. Frustration often makes any ability uncontrollable."

Little did he know that it was not due to the frustration but rather, my nervousness. My anxiety subconsciously manifested a flame barrier to "protect" me.

"Don't let it get to you, it happens to me too." Aoi chimed in, her voice was softer this time.

As I slowly stood up, a sharp pain shot up my spine and everything went black. I had fainted. How embarrassing I thought during that time but Kou and Aoi didn't think the same way I did. They thought it was alarming and intriguing that I had simply passed out. Only someone with very powerful abilities and great determination would pass out, not a weak link. Somehow, I thought back then, that I always managed to say or do something embarrassing to drive attention to myself. I hated attention and yet, without even trying or realizing, I always caught somebody's eye.