Dark Fire

by Bethany Wicker

  The door swung open and I extinguished the flames quickly. A younger girl walked in and looked at me suspiciously before going into one of the stalls. The breath I’d been holding in blew out through my nose and I took one more deep breath before exiting the bathroom. The teacher didn’t even acknowledge me as I took my seat. Yep. I was going to love this class.

  After algebra, I had science and then history. Both of those classes seemed to be interesting and thankfully flew by. Even though I didn’t care to get to know the humans, it was still interesting to learn about how their bodies worked and their past experiences. It proved even further how different humans were from elementals.

  Mom had given me some human money for lunch and I examined it before giving it to the lunch lady to purchase my pizza. We didn’t have pizza often at Westville but it was still one of my favorites, especially the pepperonis. The lady handed me back some of the money and waved me along.

  The cafeteria was packed by the time I got my food, so I made my way outside. There were a few tables open and I took one happily. While I was eating, I decided to start on The Scarlet Letter. Reading wasn’t an enjoyable pastime to me, but I was going to prove myself to the idiot teacher.

  The minutes that ticked by were peaceful, until a certain blonde-haired girl parked herself in the seat in front of me. I glanced at her over the book and shot her a questioning look.

  Nova shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t really have anyone to eat lunch with and I knew you didn’t either so I thought I’d join you.”

  “Why don’t you have any friends of your own?” It wasn’t a mean question, just a curious one.

  She bit her lip nervously and looked at me through her thick glasses with a forlorn expression. “I’m not good at talking to people and people mistake that for me being a loner and a loser. They pick on me for it and I never made friends in the three years I’ve been here.”

  “Why don’t you do something about it? You seem pretty open with me.”

  “I wish I was as confident as you are. I guess I was hoping we’d bond since you’re the new kid on the block. I know you don’t want any friends, but I was hoping I could just sit with you at least. Your judgment of everyone is what allows me to be open with you I guess. The belief that you aren’t criticizing me specifically.”

  Putting the book down, I said, “You’re correct that I don’t want friends, but you can sit there if you want. Just know that we aren’t buddies because of it.”

  “How can you be so carefree about being alone?”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t care about much to be honest.”

  With that, I went back to my book and the rest of the lunch went by in silence. The book was starting to get interesting when the bell sounded and signaled the end of lunch. I put it back in my bag and Nova stood up with me.

  “We both have gym next, so I’ll walk you there,” Nova stated as she took the lead.

  This girl was something. She claimed to be quiet and shy, but at times like these, her confidence radiated from her. It was as if she didn’t believe in herself. The need to help her swelled in my chest and surprised me. She was human and if she didn’t believe in herself then that was her problem. Ugh, I was ready to get this year over and done with.

  Nova and I changed into our gym clothes in the locker room before meeting the rest of the class in the gym. Nobody had attempted to approach me. Word had spread quickly about my cold demeanor and I was more than happy for it. It was enjoyable to watch the others squirm whenever I caught them looking at me, until eventually the looks stopped altogether.

  The gym teacher was a short, bulky man whose muscles nearly swallowed all of his other features. His voice boomed through the gym as he explained that we were going to be doing laps around the football field today.

  This was also my kind of class. Endurance and exercise were important in our training. Remy had this class, too, and he was running ahead of Nova and me with a few of his friends. He was jogging at the same pace as us with no problem. Nova on the other hand seemed to be dying with her wheezing and heavy breathing.

  “You can walk if you want. You don’t have to run with me.”

  Luckily, she agreed and slowed her pace. Without her next to me, I was able to speed up, passing Remy and his group of guys and girls. Catcalls came from one of the guys, but I ignored it and continued to move faster. Running was so freeing and something I loved almost as much as eating. There was nothing that compared to the wind whipping your face as you moved.

  I ran lap after lap, even as my lungs began to burn. The adrenaline had kicked in a couple of laps ago and I was good to go. I’d overlapped Nova a good few times and I’d even overlapped Remy twice. Each time I did, they’d make comments about how I didn’t need to take gym so seriously. Idiots. It wasn’t success in the class that I was aiming for. I was doing what I loved and breaking free. I noted that Remy was never one of the people making a comment.

  Coach Black blew his whistle to let us know it was time to go back in to change into our regular clothes. He tugged at my arm as I passed him.

  “That was incredible.” He grinned. “You’re not even that out of breath from all the running you did. Have you ever thought of joining the track team?”

  “I’m not sure what that is but I’m most likely not interested.” I escaped his grasp and ran to catch up with Nova.

  While changing clothes, Nova praised my performance. “That was so incredible. You could so be popular if you tried.”

  I sighed. “I don’t want to be popular.”

  “Well, that’s good because you won’t get far hanging out with that one,” a squeaky voice interrupted.

  It belonged to a petite blond with bright blue eyes. She stood shorter than me and I stepped closer to intimidate her. She was wearing skintight jeans with a bright yellow shirt.

  “The name’s Isabelle. I’ll give you this one chance to break away from her since you’re new and don’t know any better,” she added.

  My shoulders squared. “And what’s so bad about Nova?”

  She giggled. She’d be so pretty if her comments weren’t so ugly. “She’s not part of my group and she has no friends.”

  I laughed humorlessly. “You obviously missed my introduction this morning, but I suggest you run along before you have me to deal with.”

  She looked like she was going to rebut, but changed her mind when I stepped closer. She ran out of the locker room like I’d set her on fire, which I only did mentally. If only I could do it in reality. Just a little to scare her, not to harm her.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Nova stated behind me.

  I ignored her and stepped out of the locker room. Isabelle had run towards her group and they kept looking over at me. Remy was among them, but instead of glancing, he openly stared. These were the type of humans I was expecting to see from the beginning: the petty and egotistical ones. They seemed to be formed into subgroups with the populars being the ring leaders. Elementals were divided by their level and not their social rank.

  The bell for the next class blared. Before I could leave the gym, the coach thrust a packet of papers in front of my face.

  “This explains our track program. I’d be willing to waive any of the fees if you’re interested in joining. You’re too skilled for me to ignore,” he admitted.

  I took the papers from his hands and met Nova at the door. She sure was useful. I hated to admit it, but I wouldn’t have gotten around so easily if it wasn’t for her. She was in my next class, which was art. As for my last class, health, I was on my own. Remy, however, was in my last two classes. I was on the other side of the classroom in art, but the only seat open in health class was next to him, unfortunately. I was relieved to see that none of his friends had that class though, so I only had him to put up with.

  I didn’t catch the health teacher’s name, but she was a tall, energetic lady who loved encouraging excellent human health. Another class that didn’t apply to me, but t
his one was interesting like the science class. I listened intently as she explained that some humans inhaled poison every day and that it could lead to an early death. Was this why humans got sick and elementals didn’t? Did they do it to themselves? It was an odd thought.

  Chapter Seven: Remy

  Kyler walked into the last class of the day and my heart sped up. I was even more hyped when she took the desk beside me. Her brown hair flowed behind her as she sat and I caught a whiff of apple. It was delicious and I couldn’t help but to lean in. Realizing my newly developed stalker complex, I shifted away from her.

  I’d watched her as she ran like a gazelle in gym. She’d been so fast, but still managed to maintain her elegance. It was astonishing and Ethan and Oscar’s remarks were irritating. They’d been trying to get a reaction from her, but their tactics were unsuccessful. Isabelle insisted that she was a menace when she came bounding out of the locker room and I could see where she was coming from. Kyler certainly wasn't the nicest person around.

  I kept stealing glances at Kyler throughout the lesson. She claimed she didn’t care about anything, but here she was, listening intently to the health teacher. Humans must be more interesting than she originally thought. It was amazing what people liked when they open their minds to it.

  Her beautiful ocean eyes were wide with interest and her hair had fallen into her face, but she didn't seem bothered by it. My hand itched to move the locks aside, but they were clenched into fists and rested in my lap to prevent myself from doing so. Her hair was messy like mine, and it worked for her.

  I pondered if she’d been raised to believe humans were inferior. If so, then why was she even here? I had so many questions, but she’d probably never give me the time of day to answer them. I hated how she shook everything alive inside of me, but I had no effect on her. She sent my brain into chaos and my soul called out to her. Was the mate bond one-sided? My dad never elaborated on it, but here I was, pining over a girl who wouldn’t even spare me a look.

  Kyler let out a little gasp when Mrs. Ladner explained the risks of smoking cigarettes. It was the cutest sound and I found myself hoping she would do it again.

  I blinked. I needed to get a grip on my feelings and stop acting like I was whipped. I hadn’t even had a proper conversation with the girl.

  The real reason I was attracted to her was most likely because she was the first person I’d met that was like me. Because of that, it was easier for her to leave an impression.

  I shoved thoughts of her aside and ignored the internal fight about it. I could get through the rest of class without looking at her. I stole another look at her as soon as that thought passed. I was an obsessed idiot and would find a way to get her to speak to me and I would do it as a human. It would be pointless if she knew I was like her because then she’d like me for that and not for me.

  Crap.

  I was so lame, but I had to prevent Ethan from moving in and claiming her. She probably wouldn’t be interested, but I couldn’t risk it. He was impatient and would hit on her soon, so I had to do something quick.

  My eyes were trained on the teacher and I focused so hard that I forgot to blink. It caused my contacts to become drier. I rubbed at them again and willed my eyes to water. At least this was the last class of the day and I would make sure to change them out as soon as I got home.

  If I made it that long.

  They would probably come out in the car.

  The final bell rang, indicating the end of the day, and I’d been spaced the whole time. I turned to watch as Kyler put away her notebook and pen. She never wrote a single thing down so she should’ve left it where it was. I couldn’t let her leave without saying anything. I’d missed my chance in art class because her easel was on the other side of the room.

  Her actions were hurried and her lips were parted in thought. I hadn’t pulled anything out so was good to go and approached her desk. She was oblivious to my advance so I needed to try another tactic.

  “You’re a strange girl,” I commented and it startled her.

  She gazed up at me with wide eyes and I gave myself a mental high five for getting her attention.

  Chapter Eight: Kyler

  I jumped at Remy’s voice. He’d kept tight lipped through both of the last two classes, so I hadn’t expected him to say anything now.

  “What do you mean?” I inquired; although, I was going to be strange to him no matter what considering the fact that I was an elemental. I wasn’t normal by his standards by any means.

  “One minute you hate being here and hate life, and the next I can see the fascination in your eyes as you listen to the teacher.”

  “Well, it amazes me how you humans tick.” I froze as the words left my mouth. Crap. Crap. Crap. This was why I didn’t want to associate with anyone. I sucked at keeping secrets and had no filter.

  He stared at me with his eyebrows drawn together. My expression was probably shell-shocked. I wasn’t sure if I should backtrack but that was probably my best shot at throwing him off.

  “I-I mean,” I stuttered. Ugh, I’d never been so tongue-tied before. This was new to me. “I meant us humans. Like, people. Like, you and me.”

  That just made it sound worse…

  “How about we go grab something to eat and you tell me about this human thing?” His smile was strained and sent butterflies of nerves into my stomach.

  “Nah, I’m good. Mom’s expecting me to be back home, so I’m just gonna go.” I jerked my thumb awkwardly in the direction of the door.

  This was so not me, but he was making me feel so uncomfortable after my thoughtless comment. Good thing the teacher had somewhere else to be and had jetted out with the other students. Otherwise, she would be getting an earful.

  He muttered something to himself before looking back at me. “I’ll let the comment slide if you promise to eat lunch with me tomorrow.”

  That sounded like a decent alternate option. “Deal,” I complied without thinking on it.

  “Well, then, I look forward to it.” He left with a smirk, while I lingered in the room.

  What the hell just happened?

  After finally regaining control of my frozen limbs, I stumbled out of the classroom. The halls were busy but there was nobody around outside as I made my way into the woods that led to my house.

  Grunts escaped me as branches stung my face. My pace was quicker than this morning and the trees and sticks were unforgiving. Growing frustrated, I yelled to release some of the tension that was building up again. The energy within me reacted and soon branches were moving out of my way. I inspected the trees to make sure nobody else was around only to find I was indeed alone.

  My feet continued to move me forward with my hands outstretched. The branches, logs, and anything else blocking my path moved to the side. I was forming a trail in my wake.

  Holy crap…

  Realization struck me. I could wield earth.

  Mom and Dad were going to freak because that meant I could control three elements, and we’d thought two were crazy.

  My mouth dried as I recalled the words I’d heard from the sword in regards to me obtaining the power of four. Did that mean I still could develop an affinity to another element? The possibilities swirled around in my head and I continued creating a cleared path.

  Once I got home, I went in search of Mom and found her outside with Ben and Finn. They were laughing and talking about the baby. Mom was telling them she was thinking she was having a boy because she was craving bacon all day. Seeing the smile on her face made me hesitate with telling her about my discovery. Mom was going to have a baby and didn’t need the added stress from me. So, I kept my mouth shut and gave her a quick hug before going to my room.

  She had asked me how my first day went, but I told her it was okay, even though it was a nightmare. I was glad she didn't press for details even though I knew she wanted to.

  In the sanctuary of my room, I pulled out the sword. Holding it in my lap, I willed it to say someth
ing, but no noise came. I growled and shook it, but still, nothing happened. Giving up, I wrapped it back up and put it back in its hiding spot.

  I sat on the ground and leaned my head back on the bed. My thoughts drifted to Remy and his reaction to what I said. I was surprised he held onto it instead of instantly denying it. His human instincts should’ve been to refute anything supernatural. At least, that was the impression my mom gave me when she told me about the time she found out she was an elemental. The only reason she’d believed it was because lightning had shot out from her fingers.

  My stomach twisted into knots and my heart rate spiked at the thought of lunch with Remy tomorrow. He seemed so easy to talk to that I was worried I was going to slip again, especially since keeping my lips tight wasn’t my forte. This was the first time I’d actually had a true secret to keep, but this one didn’t affect only me. It affected other elementals and humans too.

  We’d learned about the war against the humans all those years ago and I’d hate for them to catch wind of us and it being my fault. I didn’t want to be the one to instigate something that grand.

  Dinner went by quickly with little small talk. The two main focuses were my day and the future baby. I wished time would slow because I wasn’t ready for what tomorrow was going to bring.

  Chapter Nine: Remy

  I couldn't believe Kyler said that. At least I was the only one there. She wasn’t too great at lying either. She was so flustered when she realized what she’d said. It was so cute and I would make it my personal mission to ruffle her feathers as often as possible. It was my job if we were soulmates. My dad said that not all elementals had one though.

  Curiosity of what her element could be overtook my mind. My parents had told me mine was rare, so I wondered if she had a basic one or a cool one like me. Thoughts of my element had me calling darkness to my hand.

  The feeling of the shadows surrounded me and I embraced it. I loved being able to hide whenever I wanted, but I wasn’t going to use it to do illegal things like my father did. He, too, could wield darkness, but he used it to rob banks. My mom would always join him as the getaway driver and it eventually led to their deaths a few years ago.