Their Flame {ON HIATUS UNTIL MY WRITER'S BLOCK GETS HIT BY A TRUCK}

Chapter 7: Jack

I'm worried about Katrina. I don't want her to overdo it. But I keep my mouth shut, not wanting shoes thrown at me. 

Together we sit in the corner of a field nearby. I extend my hands and watch as Katrina's fingers brush my palm. The effect is almost immediate and we watch as the sphere forms. As the glow intensifies we breathe heavier, Katrina looking at me as a determined look crosses her face. 

The glow eventually gets so bright we can't look at it. As the burning sensation grows stronger, it begins to hurt a bit. Katrina grimaces, shutting her eyes as the burn increases. 

I try staring at it, but end up having to squint in order to see the glow. A split second later, something flickers, and I realize that the light isn't a light anymore, but a flame. 

"Katrina." I say, breathless as I look over at her. She opens her eyes and looks at our hands, gasping. "I can't believe we can actually do this!" She exclaims. 

"Ok. Now let's try letting go of each other's hands to see if it stays." 

She nods and I let go of her slowly, the fire still flickering calmly in our hands. "Wow!" Katrina exclaims, marveling at the palms of her hands. I do the same, watching my fingers at first.

I notice that the flame is slowly creeping up my body. It starts spreading up my arms and onto my torso. When I look at Katrina, she is already completely engulfed in flames, a shocked look on her face. 

She looks over to me, gleaming as I look down, realizing that I am also covered in flames. "This is incredible!" She mutters to herself. 

Then I realize something, "Um, now what?" She looks up at me, bright red flames reflecting in her eyes. "What do you mean?" I briefly glance down at my flame covered body, "How do we turn it off?" 

For a moment Katrina looks at me, deep in thought. Then she closes her eyes, a few seconds later the fire disappears. "You just have to command it to go away, you control the fire, not the other way around." 

I close my eyes and will for the fire to go out. When I open them, the fire is gone. A smile covers both Katrina and I's faces as I whisper, "We did it."

***

It is eight o'clock when Katrina and I gather our things and start heading back. We discuss when to come back to the park and practice. "I can do Sunday." She suggests. I have nothing planned that day so I agree. "How about the same time?" She nods, "That'll work." 

We walk in comfortable silence the rest of the way, both of us in our own heads. When we reach her doorstep, I say goodbye and begin walking to my apartment. When I get home, I head straight to my bedroom and look at my hands. 

I can't believe I can do this. That me and Katrina can do this. Training and going that far with our ability takes a toll on me though, and it hits me how tired I am. I quickly change and climb into my bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

***

On Sunday I walk to Katrina's house and ring the doorbell, listening to it echo inside. Footsteps follow the sound and the door soon opens. 

Katrina stands in the doorway, smiling at me briefly before grabbing a jacket from the nearby coat hanger. "Bye mom." She yells, closing the door quickly behind her as she lets out a breath. Looking over at me, a slightly sad expression crosses her face. 

"She loves me, I know she does. And I love her too. But she tries too hard. It's exhausting for the both of us." I just listen, letting her talk as we begin walking. 

"She's always trying to make me happy, but I'm already happy. I wish she would stop, but I can't tell her that. She's done so much for me, she's my foster mom. I've been with them longer than any of my other families. My foster dad is usually always working, so she's basically my only caretaker. I can't hurt her like that."