When Hell Runs Cold

Chapter Eleven

Alysia debated going to April's apartment, eventually deciding against it when she realized that April would probably be at risk. So she resorted to going to Nathan's base.

Alysia groaned, shifting on Nathan's black leather couch. She could only imagine the condition of her apartment. They had probably trashed the place. She groaned again, thinking about all the money she'd put into it.

As long as they didn't steal the laptop.

The doors of the elevator opened, and Nathan got out, sighing when he saw Alysia on the couch. "You know, when I said my base was yours, I didn't literally mean it was yours. This isn't your new home or whatever."

She rolled her eyes, "Sorry, I was kinda busy getting shot at to think about your needs." Her phone vibrated, and she glanced at it, sighing when she saw the "Low Battery" notification instead of a text from April.

"What do you mean you got shot at?" Nathan inquired, sitting in front of his computer. He didn't even look at her. Alysia didn't know which bothered her more.

"If it makes you feel better, I also shot at them." Alysia said, sitting up, running a hand through her knotted hair. "Do you have a charger?"

Nathan sighed, opening a drawer, and tossing a charger at her. She easily caught it, plugging it into the outlet, and began to charge her phone. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not." She rubbed her eyes tiredly, glancing at her phone when it vibrated.

Expresso Boy: Blanchard has dealt with most of the rebels. You should be safe, but be careful anyways.

"Who knows about your powers?"

"Uh literally all of Ziren City? Did you not see the news? They cared more about me than Taylor Swift." She replied, "That's a bigger accomplishment than class valedictorian."

Nathan rolled his eyes, leaning on the desk, the veins in his arm visible. "I mean, who knows that you're Lux?"

"Blanchard, most of Gevasi, and April knows." Alysia casually said, attempting to untangle her hair with her fingers.

"You told someone?" Nathan asked incredulously, giving her a stern look.

Alysia rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't tell anyone."

"Then how does Apple know?"

Alysia gave him a look. "It's April, not Apple, and I just know that she knows."

Nathan's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. "But you didn't tell her?"

Why was he so confused? It was pretty simple.

She shrugged. "No, but she knows. And she knows that I know that she knows."

"How- you know what?" Nathan decided, holding up his hands. "I don't care."

***

Beads of sweat trickled down Alysia's forehead as she dodged punches that Nathan threw at her. She attempted to sweep his legs out from under him, groaning when he grabbed her leg and threw her to the ground.

"Throw a fireball at me."

Alysia's eyes widened in confusion. "What?" She tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms. "Why do you want me to throw a fireball? Can I even throw a fireball? Is that how fire works?"

Nathan sighed in annoyance. "I said, throw a fireball at me."

"I can barely light a candle or roast a chicken, and you want me to throw a fireball at you? I can't even make a fireball! And even if I did, the last guy I used my powers against, had really bad burns. And really bad is an understatement."

"Just try. I can extinguish it if anything catches on fire Wind powers, remember? You created a flame before, we build up from there." Nathan replied, getting annoyed.

"Okay..." she muttered, closing her eyes. She concentrated on the feeling she felt the last time she had used her powers. She felt heat at her fingertips, and opened her eyes to see the flame. "Now what?"

"You need to visualize the flame growing. It takes time, but we don't have time. With enough experience you'll be able to form flames with your mind."

She tried to visualize the flame forming into a ball-like formation. She heard Nathan back up a little bit before saying something. "Now, chuck it at me."

Alysia made a throwing motion with her hands, pointing them at Nathan, wincing when it passed him and hit the black metal shelf.

Nathan sighed as he watched the shelf collapse. Alysia smiled at him sheepishly, to which he sighed again, rubbing his temples. "We really need to work on your aim."

***

Mindlessly stirring creamer into her coffee, Alysia sighed. She had come to visit Stella, who was still in post-op care after her surgery. She hadn't gotten a chance to think about everything.

Nathan hadn't pieced together the fact that she was Inferno's daughter.

But she didn't blame him. It was rare that there would be more than one super in a family. The mutant gene, being recessive, was rare. It was even rarer for a child to have the same powers as their parent.

A part of her was glad that she had powers. It was a way to prove her father wrong. On the other hand, life had just gotten more difficult. She had lost her job with Gevasi, and in a week, she would lose her source of income.

She continued to stir her coffee, letting out another sigh. She could resort to how she started.

Alysia set her coffee on the counter, taking the watch she had stolen off of Nathan out. She inspected it closely. It was a gold Rolex, which, if she was right, would sell for thousands.

Was it wrong to steal from the person that was trying to help her?

Probably.

But she was desperate.

Alysia groaned. Why was she feeling so guilty about it? Nathan could buy another watch easily.

Shaking her head, she shoved the gold watch back into her pocket, before picking up her coffee cup and making her way to her usual spot. She slumped into the hospital chair she had made her own.

She hated hospitals.

But there was a part of her that didn't want her father to be all alone, even if he had done horrible things. She sighed in annoyance.

Out of all of her mother's traits, why did she have to get her compassion and empathy?

She let out a quiet groan. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

That's when she heard the heart monitor flat line.

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you're all having a good day! How'd you like today's chapter?

Please vote, comment, or share if you enjoyed!

QOTD: Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Or are you an ambivert?

I usually adapt to whoever I'm around. I'm friends with a lot of loud, social people, *cough cough* TheJadeWarrior *cough cough* so I'm more on the quiet side. But when I talk to more introverted people, I become more talkative and extroverted!