Warmth of Winter

by Yari Garcia

  Flynn playfully pushed his shoulder into hers, saying she needed to give him more room to work. Carine playfully pushed back. After giggling and splashing bubbles and flirting in the first sink, it was finally time to rinse the trays in the second sink. Carine thought the water was too cold and started to heat it up with her hands.

  Then she stopped herself. Oops. She needed to be more careful about that.

  Flynn handed her trays while she dried them with a towel and set them aside. When he had the last one in his hand, he said “I want to do this one.”

  Carine reached out to hand him the towel, but Flynn took her hand instead. Time seemed to stop for Carine. Flynn set aside the wet tray as he pulled Carine slowly, closer to him. Carine stepped towards him, feeling like she was walking in a dream, her heart beating faster the closer they became. Flynn, still grabbing her hand, placed his other hand on her arm and pulled her closer, until their faces were just inches apart.

  Flynn cupped her cheek with his warm hand. He leaned in, then stopped to look into her eyes, as if asking for permission. When Carine’s lip trembled, Flynn closed the gap between them, leaning in, taking her lips with a kiss.

  Carine closed her eyes. Flynn’s lips were soft and gentle as he kissed her, his fingertips caressing past her cheek and into her hair. Carine’s senses tingled as she felt the warmth inside her blaze into a sweltering summer.

  When their lips parted, Carine opened her eyes to see Flynn looking tenderly at her. The blues in his irises shimmered.

  “I hope that was cool…” he said shyly. “I… I just couldn’t help myself.”

  Cool was not exactly the word Carine would have used to describe their kiss.

  “Yeah…” she replied. “That was cool.”

  Flynn smiled timidly. “I was actually supposed to be wiping tables,” he admitted. “I’ll come back and check on you.”

  He caressed her cheek one more time, then headed out.

  Carine stood in place, as if her feet had grown roots deep into the ground, her heart still beating loudly. When she grabbed the tray Flynn had set aside to dry it, she realized she had scorched the part of the towel she was holding on to. She turned the towel in her hands, looking at the black burn marks.

  “You know that’s not normal, right?”

  Carine whirled around to see Misha standing there. How long had she been standing there??

  “You probably think I’m just being a bully, but that’s the reason you need to stay away from him,” Misha said as she motioned towards the towel. “You’re going to hurt somebody, Carine. Did you even realize you were burning the towel?”

  “No,” Carine answered in a mumble. She hadn’t. Not at all.

  “I like this guy,” Misha continued, closing the distance between her and Carine. “He’s hot and I can tell he’s a good guy, and I don’t want you to hurt him. I will tell on you, Carine, if you don’t leave him alone. What do you think will happen then?”

  Carine didn’t answer.

  “This isn’t a movie, Carine. You won’t be glorified as a hero. That stuff doesn’t happen in real life. You’ll be taken to a laboratory, where they will do tests on you to see just how you can draw so much heat from your hands. You’ll be a scientific oddity, not a normal girl, and especially not a super hero. Face it, Carine. You should leave people alone, for your own good.”

  Carine couldn’t hold back the tears. It was too much to bear. She threw the towel down and ran out of the kitchen, away from that scorched piece of fabric. Away from Misha’s words, which held more truth than she wanted to admit.

  ****

  It was the afternoon, and time to start preparing for the early bird dinner that Warmth of Winter offered its senior citizens. Carine absent-mindedly placed a pot of water on the stove and cranked up the heat. She could have easily done it with her hands, and it would have saved a lot of time, but she didn’t want to. Not after what Misha had said.

  Carine went to grab a metal ladle to start making soup when Flynn quickly came and grabbed it at the same time.

  “Hey, let me help you with that,” he said in an ultra-happy tone.

  Carine could tell he was happy to be near her again, but she didn’t feel the same way. She couldn’t. She had to stay away from him.

  “It’s okay, I got it,” Carine said, tugging at the ladle.

  “No, seriously, let me help.”

  “I said I got it,” Carine insisted, pulling at the ladle once more, but Flynn wouldn’t let go. He instead used the ladle to playfully pull her closer to him.

  “I said I got it!” Carine said and Flynn cried out in pain.

  Flynn let go of the ladle and stumbled back. He grabbed his wrist with his other hand, exposing a blistering burn on his palm.

  “No…” Carine moaned. She saw that she had heated up the ladle in her angry outburst, the metal burning into Flynn’s hand. “No…”

  Misha burst through the kitchen door and gasped. “What did you do??” she cried at Carine and rushed to Flynn’s side.

  Misha, seeing the burn on Flynn’s palm, ran to the freezer to get some ice.

  Flynn looked up and met Carine’s eyes. Carine tried to say she was sorry, but no words came out. She was in shock. Flynn’s face was confused and full of agony from his raw hand.

  “I’m sorry,” Carine finally choked out and ran out of the kitchen.

  Chapter Five

  “I’ll be more careful,” Carine said to Miss Gretchen. She was in her office after Flynn had to receive first aid for his wounds. Luckily, they seemed to be fairly minor surface wounds.

  “Accidents happen,” Miss Gretchen said softly. “Flynn is okay, and he doesn’t blame you, so don’t think he’s mad at you. I told him he could go home, but he says he’ll stay, so he’ll be helping us the rest of the evening.”

  Carine nodded.

  “He’s not mad at you,” Miss Gretchen repeated. “So you can get back out there and continue that great team work, okay?”

  “Okay,” Carine nodded. She walked out of the office feeling heavy. After everything Misha had put her through, she had been right. She was a danger to Flynn. She could easily hurt him without even noticing. Luckily this time it was only a surface burn.

  Carine went into the break room, unlocked her locker, and pulled her phone out of her backpack. She texted her best friend, THIS HOLIDAY SUX, then hit send. Carine knew her BFF would text her back soon. Her best friend was the only other person that knew about her strange ability, and she had not once blackmailed her with it. Unlike other people…

  “Carine—throw up again,” Misha said as she poked her head into the break room through the kitchen door. “Go clean it up.”

  “I’m on it,” Carine replied and stuffed her phone back in her bag. When she closed her locker, she saw Flynn walk in through the front door. Carine felt a pull of guilt as she looked at his bandaged hand.

  “Hey,” Flynn said tentatively. He held up his bandaged hand. “Got it taken care of. It was no big deal.”

  Carine didn’t know what to say, so she simply looked down at the floor.

  “Listen, it wasn’t your fault, whatever happened,” Flynn said. Carine could hear the confusion in his voice. If he asked what had happened, she wouldn’t be able to explain it.

  “I’m really sorry,” is all she said.

  “I’m not upset. I know it was an accident,” Flynn said. The room slowly filled with an awkward silence.

  Carine finally spoke up. “Sorry, I have to go clean up—”

  “Yeah, I heard,” Flynn interrupted. “You’re ‘on it’? Why do you let her boss you around like that? She’s been doing it all day, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

  Carine swallowed hard. She looked at Flynn, and instantly knew she wouldn’t be able to lie to him. She looked at the door that led to the kitchen, wishing she could just escape. She couldn’t exactly tell Flynn that Misha had her wrapped around
her finger with the threat of blackmail.

  “I don’t mind helping,” Carine said softly. Not the real truth, not exactly a lie. She was surprised when Flynn stood close to her and grabbed her hands. She felt the bandage, and Misha’s words rushed back into her mind. She slipped her hands away from his.

  “What is she doing to you? Is she bullying you?”

  “No…” Carine replied. Part of her wanted to run away from him, part of her wanted, more than anything, for him to wrap her in a tight hug. “She’s just… difficult.”

  “You’re not telling me the truth,” Flynn said in a grave tone. “Carine, I haven’t known you for long, but I feel like I have. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing’s going on.”

  “She’s doing something to you. She wants you to stay away from me, is that it? She’s been hanging all over me all day. That’s it, isn’t it? Did she threaten you?”

  “No…”

  “Or is it that you don’t feel the same way about me?”

  Carine’s heart beat painfully to see the hurt in Flynn’s eyes when he asked that. How could he ever think that Carine didn’t like him? She felt like she was falling for him, fast.

  “It’s not that…” Carine said. “I just… I can’t be with you.”

  “Why? Because you don’t like me?”

  “No… it’s not that. I just… I’m just…”

  “What is it?” Flynn asked, encroaching on Carine’s space. His voice was full of concern, worry, and pain. Carine needed to tell him the truth, but at the same time, she couldn’t. “What is it?” Flynn asked again. “Please, tell me. What is it?”

  “I can’t be with you because I’m a freak!” Carine blurted out. “I can’t… I can’t be with you because I’ll just hurt you. The ladle… that was no accident. I can cause fires. That was my hand that heated up the metal ladle. Because I’m a freak.”

  Carine held out her hands, showing Flynn a flame on each palm. The flames, as if on a candle wick, flickered lazily—ironically peaceful in the intensely emotional moment.

  Flynn looked down at her palms, shocked. Carine could see the flames dancing in his eyes as he looked back up at her in awe.

  Chapter Six

  Flynn stared at Carine in amazement. “You… your hands burned me?”

  “I’m sorry,” Carine said, tears streaming down her eyes. “I didn’t know that would happen.”

  Carine felt numb, and now she had exposed herself to yet another person. Soon, she would be a feature in the six o’clock news. The reporters would shoot questions at her while men in white coats led hear away, handcuffed, into a future as a scientific specimen.

  Flynn broke her thoughts by carefully grabbing her hands. He closed them, then brought her fists up to his lips and kissed them. “It’s okay,” he said. “You didn’t mean to.”

  Carine blinked her eyes in confusion. Flynn pulled her into that tight hug she had been wanting so much. She allowed herself to sink into his broad shoulders, taking in that spicy and sweet scent of his. He rubbed her back, saying “Wow… you’re just amazing. And it’s okay.”

  Carine pulled away to look into his eyes. “You mean, you’re not scared?”

  Flynn flashed his gorgeous smile. “I’m not scared,” he reassured. “I knew you were pretty amazing, just by watching the way you care for others. You’re even more amazing to me now.”

  Carine felt a rush of emotions. She had expected him to flee, scared out of his mind, and here he was, calling her amazing. Carine felt overwhelmed, and she pressed her lips to his. Flynn kissed back eagerly, stopping only to say “I love you.”

  Carine closed her eyes, taking the words in. It felt good. She opened them to gaze into Flynn’s eyes, the colors there deep as the blue ocean.

  “It’s not all scary, you know,” she whispered to him. Carine opened her hand and little sparks of fire floated up into the air. Flynn looked at the small display of fireworks, mesmerized.

  The fireworks popped and disappeared as they heard steps approaching. They moved away from each other, not wanting to be caught in an embrace by Miss Gretchen. But it was Misha who stepped in instead.

  Misha paused for a moment, looking suspiciously back and forth between the two. Looking down, Carine pressed her hand to her lips. They felt a bit puffy and red from the intense kiss.

  “Um, Carine, I told you someone threw up out here,” Misha said. “You need to come and clean this up.”

  Carine hurried towards the door that led to the kitchen, but Flynn’s voice stopped her.

  “No, she doesn’t,” Flynn said. “She’s been cleaning up spills and accidents all day. How about you get this one instead?”

  Misha opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. When she finally found her composure, she said “You’ve been here like six hours, you don’t get to boss people around.”

  “Neither do you,” Flynn said with defiance. “I’ve volunteered before at other places, plenty of times. Volunteer work is a team effort, and we need to take turns. And now it’s your turn.”

  Misha coughed out a little indignant noise. “Flynn, I don’t clean up this kind of stuff. She does.”

  “Fine,” he finally said. “Then I’ll do it.”

  Flynn walked towards the kitchen door, saying to Carine, “I’ll clean it, you can start the dinner and I’ll catch up. Looks like we’re already falling behind schedule.”

  Carine nodded timidly as Flynn left the break room—and left her there with Misha.

  Misha walked towards the door too, grazing Carine’s shoulder with her own in a show of intimidation. She then hissed close into her ear, “You are so finished.”

  Chapter Seven

  Carine and Flynn prepared the dinner together while Misha was off somewhere—probably slacking off on her phone, as she did every year. They chopped onions and mixed ingredients, flirted and stole kisses, heated up water and added potatoes, all in harmony and rhythm, like a beautiful dance.

  Once everything was put together, simmering here and cooking there, Misha showed up in the kitchen.

  “Miss Gretchen wants to see you two,” she said with an odd happiness that made Carine a little apprehensive. They followed Misha towards Miss Gretchen’s office.

  Misha stepped inside and took a comfortable seat. Miss Gretchen looked up at them and motioned for them to also take a seat.

  “Misha tells me there’s been some inappropriate behavior going on,” Miss Gretchen started, and Carine’s heart sank. “She says she caught you making out twice today—once in the washroom, and once in the break room. Is this true?”

  Although Carine wasn’t looking directly at Misha, she could sense her smiling from her peripheral. Carine’s hands trembled, and she didn’t know what to say. Had Misha caught them kissing both times, or did she simply figure it out? It didn’t matter. It was true, and Carine had to admit it.

  “It’s true,” Flynn said before Carine could speak. “I kissed Carine today, twice. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, and I’m sorry if I did.”

  Miss Gretchen clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Tsk, tsk. Flynn, you were welcomed here to help out, to volunteer and be part of the Warmth of Winter family. We don’t condone this behavior of making out and flirting.” Miss Gretchen looked at Carine, and Carine thought she saw a hint of an amused smile in her lips. “If you like each other, please, hang out after your work is done. But while you’re here, try to stick to the tasks at hand, okay?”

  Carine and Flynn nodded in unison. That’s it?

  “That’s it?” Misha asked in disbelief. Everyone turned to look at her. “I feel that their inappropriate behavior makes this a hostile place to volunteer at. I don’t think they should be allowed to stay!”

  Miss Gretchen looked at Misha without much enthusiasm. “And what, have you clean up after our guests? You’ve refused to barely lift a finger for the past four years, I highly doubt you’ll st
art now.”

  Misha’s mouth hung open.

  Miss Gretchen looked back at Carine and Flynn. “You kids are old enough to know better. Since you’re underage, I’ll have to tell your parents. And that’s that. Now please, return to your duties.”

  “Thank you, Miss Gretchen,” Carine and Flynn said, in unison again, and stood up to leave.

  “That’s not all,” Misha said, standing up as well. The pair stopped and turned to her. “That’s not all I have to say about Carine.”

  Carine wanted to plead with Misha—to tell her “don’t”, but she felt unable to speak. Her chest tightened and her anger rose. Misha had no right to expose her the way she was about to do. She really did stoop that low…

  Flynn opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Misha said “Carine is the one that burned Flynn. On purpose. She can burn things with her hands, and I can prove it.”

  Misha produced the burned towel from her purse and showed it to Miss Gretchen. “She did this. She burned him. She’s a menace to society, and she should be taken away—immediately.”

  Chapter Eight

  Miss Gretchen let out an unamused laugh. “Misha, please. Sit down.” Miss Gretchen turned the towel, over and over in her hands, inspecting it. All the while, Carine felt like she was going to faint. That was it. That was the moment she had been dreading all her life. Her truth was found out.

  “You know, this is really dangerous, burning a towel like this,” Miss Gretchen spoke. “You could easily catch fire to other things, and fire can spread very fast.”

  Misha looked at Carine and sneered.

  “So I’m very surprised you would be willing to risk a fire for this little stunt, Miss Misha,” Miss Gretchen said, and Misha’s head swirled around so fast she must have gotten whiplash.

  “What?”

  “This,” Miss Gretchen continued, holding up the towel, “is unacceptable. You could have burned the place down. I’m calling your parents, and I’m not allowing you to come here any longer. You can’t be part of a team, and now this?? Misha, this volunteer work isn’t right for you. Warmth of Winter isn’t right for you.”

  Misha opened and closed her mouth a few times. “You… you don’t understand… it was her! She can make fire out of her hands!!”