The Fire Unseen

by Andrew C Jaxson

  I smiled at her. She danced as she ran towards me, eyes sparkling, and slammed into me with a bear hug. It hurt, and my wince gave that away.

  “I hurt you! Sorry! Can’t believe I did that. I guess I thought, well, you’re here now, so—is everything okay?” Caitlyn is a fast talker. Especially when she’s excited. “Like, I didn’t think you’d be here, and nobody said anything, but they didn’t know anyway and—”

  “Slow down!” I laughed. “One thing at a time.”

  She took a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I missed you guys, though.”

  “We missed you too.” A different voice. Deeper.

  Josh had come into the picture at the start of high school. He was a quiet boy who normally sat right at the back, away from the spotlight. He was sweet, but because he’d spent most of junior high flying under the radar, we didn’t grow close until last year—when I tripped and broke my ankle at lunch, and he carried me to the office and sat with me until Mum arrived to drive me to the hospital. If you ever need an icebreaker to kick-start a friendship, there’s nothing quite like being carried piggyback while sobbing uncontrollably. It pretty much demolishes any awkward girl-boy dynamics that might have been there before.

  After that, Josh and I spent countless hours talking about literally everything. It wasn’t a romantic thing; we were just really close. I mostly talked about my parents’ split, and he told me about his little brother, who died in a car accident a few years before. It wasn’t that we really even said anything to each other that helped, but the fact that someone was listening and not jumping in every ten seconds with useless advice made a big difference for both of us. With Caitlyn, I’d bonded over fairies, and with Josh, it was pain. They both meant the world to me, and I would have been hopeless without them.

  Josh threw his arms around my shoulders. I hadn’t been away long, but he seemed taller.

  “You better have missed me,” I said, but the huge grin on my face let him know I was just playing.

  He stared at me for a moment, inspecting the damage, his familiar brown eyes connecting with mine. “You’ve looked better,” he said.

  “Speak for yourself! I might have been hit by a metal sheet, but at least I can brush my hair in the morning.” I flicked his messy brown hair, and it flew across his face.

  Caitlyn bounded back in front. “You hardly answered your phone, and your mum said we couldn’t see you ‘cause you had to rest.”

  “It’s fine, guys. Really.” I hadn’t wanted to see them, which was why I didn’t answer calls or texts, except to tell them I was alright. Mum told them not to come because I asked her to. All I wanted the last few days was to be alone.

  Still, it was good to have a distraction now. I wanted to tell them about my encounter the previous night, and about my conversation with the smiley guy at the hospital, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

  “We’re glad you’re okay,” said Josh. “We were both pretty worried.”

  “Aw!” I teased, “You’re such a softie.”

  He grinned and shrugged, “Caitlyn’s a lot to handle on my own. I needed you here to help water her down.”

  “Hey!” said Caitlyn, but then she paused. “Actually, no, that’s true. I am pretty high maintenance. What can I say,” she put on a fake posh voice, “no one man can meet my needs.”

  “Are you saying I’m a man, or that Josh is?” I teased. “Either way, you’re wrong.”

  “Oi!” said Josh. “I’m twice the man you are.”

  I punched him in the shoulder, and laughed. “Enough about me, anyway. Let’s talk about something else.”

  Caitlyn caught me up on the latest gossip, occasionally forgetting to breathe between rapid-fire sentences. Josh jumped in with details, and none of us heard the bell for the next class. We were incredibly late to math but managed to sneak in while Mrs. Walkley’s back was turned. She was not the most observant lady, so we managed to continue our conversation in hushed whispers.

  As we filed outside for our morning break, I saw the new boy across the quad. He looked uncomfortable. It must have been difficult to try to fit in on a day when people were huddled in groups, oblivious to anything but their own discussions of those who had been lost and the inevitable conspiracy theories that followed a huge accident like this.

  It might have been pity, my lingering concussion, or both, but I left my friends and walked over to say hello. It was a long walk—our quad is pretty wide—and on the way over, I had time to observe him in more detail. His dark, short hair somehow managed to look messy, even though there wasn’t much to mess with. His eyes were iridescent green, which I had never seen before.

  As I walked, I flicked my hair—I’d once read in a magazine that it was flirty. But all I managed to do was hurt my still-tender neck. “Hi,” I said brightly, ignoring the pain. “I’m Ari.”

  “Noah.” He held his hand up in a little wave.

  “Tough day to start at a new school.”

  He shrugged it off and leaned against the wall. “No kidding. I can’t really complain, though. I mean, today’s worse for you guys.”

  I joined him on the wall. “What brought you here? No one moves to Ettney if they can help it.”

  “My dad’s the new police chief. Transferred here three days ago.”

  Tough gig. The old chief had been lost in the accident when he’d run in to the crash scene to try and help put out the flames. The fire spread to the fuel tank and caused a secondary explosion, and he was killed when part of the axle blew through his chest. The cops are close in a town like ours, so it would be hard coming in as an outsider, let alone having to run a department still grieving the loss of their previous leader.

  Noah must have seen the look on my face. “It’s not the first time he’s been transferred. He can handle it.”

  A young boy, Isaac, glared bullets at Noah as he walked past us. The old chief’s nephew. Some people cope with grief through anger, and I supposed the son of the replacement was as good a target as any. I tried my best to pretend I hadn’t seen Isaac walk past. “Doesn’t make it easy for you,” I murmured to Noah.

  “I’ve done it before; I’ll do it again. We move a lot for Dad’s work, so I’m used to starting over.” He smiled, so he wasn’t being cynical, which was surprising. If I ever had to move, I’d have no idea where to start making friends or anything.

  “Well, I hope you stick around. This town needs as many single guys as possible.” I went bright red as I heard my own words. What on earth had possessed me to say that?

  He smiled and said nothing as I quietly died inside.

  After a longer than comfortable pause, I decided it was time to cut my losses and run, telling him I had to get back to my friends. As I walked away, his voice stopped me. “Want to hang out after school?”

  The invitation hung in the air, waiting for my response. Before I knew what was happening, I heard myself agree.

  “Great,” he said, “I just got my licence. There’s something I really want to show you.” He stopped himself. “I just heard that back—it wasn’t meant to be as creepy as it sounded.”

  I laughed. So I wasn’t the only awkward one. “See you after school then.” As I walked away, I glanced over my shoulder and smiled.

  I couldn’t believe it. Who was this new girl and what was she doing in my body? Did I really just agree to hang out with a strange boy after school in his car? This was not like me at all. At the same time, I didn’t really care. This new me was fun.

  The wind stirred for a moment, and there was a new smell in the air, something rank and old. The janitor walked past carrying a dead rat, probably extracted from the gutters of the admin block. They were always running around up there.

  He left, but the scent stayed behind, death lingering around me like a fog.

  I shuddered but shrugged it off, trying to ignore the weird feeling in the bottom of my gut.

  FOUR

  I made my way back across the
quad, and Caitlyn practically ran to meet me.

  “Who is he? What’s he like? He’s cute! Did you talk? Where’s he from?”

  The onslaught of questions continued, and I did my best to answer them all, occasionally glancing back in his direction. He kept looking at me, but not in a creepy way. It was more like he was watching over me. It felt … nice.

  Josh joined in the conversation, asking question after question, and I shyly mentioned that I could answer a lot more of their questions tomorrow.

  “Tomorrow?” Josh asked with a mix of curiosity and concern.

  “We’re hanging out this afternoon.”

  Caitlyn swore. “Who are you, and what have you done with Ari?”

  “I know, right?” I grinned, and Caitlyn let out a squeal. “Maybe the whole near-death experience thing changed me more than I know.”

  Josh said nothing and looked down at his feet.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Just be careful,” he replied, his eyes meeting mine.

  I’d only seen that expression on his face once before. Sadness mixed with … something else.

  “What’s going on?” I pressed him.

  He didn’t reply but glanced at Caitlyn for a moment. She returned his look with a knowing look of her own. There was an awkward pause before the bell broke the tension, marking the end of our break.

  As I crossed the quad back towards my next class, our principal, Mr. Stewarts, intercepted me. I’d always liked him, even though most of the other students called him a psycho. Regardless, he seemed down today. “Maria Carpenter, good to see you’re recovering well.”

  “Thanks, sir. I got lucky.”

  “Perhaps. But it’s nice to have some good news. We lost some wonderful students and staff in …” His voice cracked, and the tear at the corner of his eye made me like him even more. He coughed to clear his throat. “You have a visitor in the office. Would you mind heading there before you go to your next class? We’ll sort it out with your teacher.”

  Caitlyn was waiting for me, but I waved her on.

  “Why?” she mouthed at me, but I only shrugged and pointed towards the office.

  The admin building smelled like old ladies and photocopiers, and I always felt uncomfortable there. As I creaked open the front door, a familiar face made me stop dead.

  The man from the hospital.

  The smiley guy.

  He was standing in my school. Wearing a police uniform this time.

  “What are you doing here?” I threw him a filthy look.

  “I do apologise, we were never properly introduced. I’m the new chief of police here in Ettney.”

  Hang on. If he was the new chief, then: “You’re Noah’s dad?”

  “So you’ve met him already? Wonderful. Such a bright boy. I’m very proud of him.”

  “Sure.” I folded my arms, and he picked up the hint.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to start rambling about destiny again. That was” — he looked around for a second — “a private matter. I’m here on official business today. Would you mind joining me in the staffroom? I have some questions I need to ask.”

  What were the odds I’d meet the new kid and his dad within ten minutes? I squinted at the cop. “You don’t have a name badge or anything. How do I know you’re for real?”

  “It’s been a quick transition, so of course it’s been difficult getting everything arranged. I assure you the school would not let me in had I not proven my credentials.”

  That was true enough. Although our initial encounter at the hospital kept me firmly on edge, I followed him into the empty staffroom. It was weird being in here, like I was entering enemy territory. We sat across from each other at a desk in the corner.

  He explained that he was here to ask me some questions about the accident; they were trying to put together a fuller picture of what happened. I couldn’t answer most of his questions, as I hadn’t been paying attention to much before the accident and the concussion had smacked any other details right out of my brain. The interview went on for some time, but before he finally wrapped things up, he paused. “There’s another reason I’m here, Ari.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “The truth of the matter is you should be dead.”

  “Thanks,” I said dryly.

  “Everyone who was near you died, either of burns or shrapnel. You were hit head-on by a metal barricade and smashed through a window, and all you ended up with were stitches on the back of your head.”

  “I also got a pretty mean migraine.”

  “Regardless, your survival was a miracle. Surely, you understand that?”

  “I understand I got lucky.”

  “Luck had nothing to do with it.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to start rambling about destiny again.”

  He ignored me and continued, “You didn’t survive by chance. You survived because you were meant to. Everything happens for a reason. Your survival … It has a greater purpose.”

  “A greater purpose?” My voice rose. “You think any of this had a purpose? What about the people who died? What about Adam, and Shaylee, and Mrs Annalund, and George, and the guy whose job you took? If I’m alive for some greater purpose, it means they died for that purpose or they just didn’t matter, and you’ve got to be one sick, messed-up freak to think either of those things are true!”

  I launched to my feet, slamming the chair against the wall, and stormed out of the staffroom. I didn’t care if he was a cop. That last part was “private business,” meaning the official interview was over. Noah seemed nice, but his dad was a creep.

  The rest of the day was uneventful, a blurry haze of facts and figures, algebra and art. The tone of each class slowly lightened as everyone returned to routine, and by our last lesson, we were all pretty rowdy. I think our geography teacher was more than relieved when we all filed out at the end of the day.

  I had almost forgotten about my impulsive plans with the new guy when Caitlyn nudged me and pointed towards Noah, who stood next to an old yellow truck. He waved and smiled.

  “Have fuuun,” Caitlyn sang, shoving me in his direction. She was never one for subtlety, and she’d always possessed a special knack for making things awkward for me when it came to boys. A rush of adrenaline hit me, but I tried to play it cool.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey.”

  We had walked into awkward second-conversation territory. The first one is easy, the third is better, but the second is somehow always a bit strange. I’m never quite sure how to act. The first conversation, if it’s really good, ends with a familiarity that I’m never sure how to carry over into the second. Should I start casual, or like it’s our first conversation all over again? How comfortable should I be, and how comfortable is he? Did our first conversation not go as well as I thought, and now he’s regretting the invitation for a second? I was silent for an uncomfortably long time. My ears burned. They had to be bright red, lit up like a flare.

  “So, this is awkward,” he said as a wry smile spread across his face.

  “Sorry, I’m not very good at this.”

  “Good at what, exactly?” he asked.

  “You know …”

  “Talking?” He grinned.

  “Shut up!” I laughed and shoved him gently into his car door.

  Awkward moment over. My shoulders dropped. I could relax now.

  “I met your dad,” I offered.

  “Oh.” His eyes said it all. “And?”

  “Nothing. I just met him.” I didn’t want to embarrass Noah. Mum had ensured I knew exactly what it was like to be embarrassed by a parent.

  “Yeah, well, whatever he said, sorry. He can be a bit …”

  “Intense?”

  He smiled. “That’s one word for it. Anyway, are you ready to go? Do you need to call your mum or something so she knows you’ll be late?”

  “How very responsible of you,” I replied. “But exactly how late am I going to be?” I tr
ied tilting my head in a flirty way, but it was so strange and staged it looked like I had a neck spasm.

  “Not heaps, but it’s a bit of a drive to where we’re going.”

  “Should I be checking your truck for a shotgun and a shovel?” I joked, only a tiny part of me seriously wondering.

  “Sorry, I’m probably not giving you enough information. Dad says I do it all the time—only give half the answer. It’s a thing. But, seriously, you can trust me. Besides, if I were a serial killer,” his voice lowered in a mocking threat, “I wouldn’t need a shotgun.”

  “Fine, but my friends know I’m with you,” I played along, laughing, “so if you leave me in a ditch somewhere, they know who to come after. Josh and Caitlyn will totally kill you!”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” He grinned.

  I returned it, attempting to be cute. Ugh. I had no idea if it was working. I climbed in the passenger-side door as he got in the driver’s. The door creaked as I slammed it shut, and the cabin was warm and musty.

  “Sorry about the wheels; the only other one we have is the cop car. Obviously, Dad doesn’t let me drive that one.”

  “It’s fine.” The truck was old but felt solid.

  He looked over his shoulder to reverse, arm resting on the back of my seat. His hand accidentally brushed my neck as he retracted it. “So, this Josh guy. You dating or …”

  “No! No. Nothing like that.” I cleared my throat. Hopefully my denial didn’t seem too strong.

  “Hooked up?”

  “No! I’m not like that.”

  “Sorry, that’s not what I meant,” he apologised. “So, friends then.”

  “Yeah, just friends. Well, best friends.”

  “Sure.”

  Silence. Neither of us had a new topic for discussion.

  Before I even noticed, we were coming up on the site of the accident. If you want to get across Ettney, you have to go through Founders Road, the centre line of our town—and the place where I was blown through the front of the café. But my house is near school—and I was asleep when we came back from the hospital—which made this the very first time I’d passed this way. My stomach clenched.