by Sara Kincaid
As the needle descended, fury overtook my tears, exploding in a spark of hatred. I didn’t know the power or its origins, but I called it to me from the deepest reaches of myself, forcing it out and giving fuel to the fire of my hatred until my body erupted in flames. My temperature rose dramatically, but I felt nothing except the tidal wave of desire to kill the man who threatened the life of the one whom I thought I had lost. I called forth the power of the sun, that elusive being that plays hide and seek in the smog that billows above us, not caring that the power was likely too great for me to control or even survive.
A searing heat burned my wrists as the shackles that bound me to the chair softened. In a fluid motion, I tore my hands from their bonds and dove headfirst at Kade, my enemy and my tormentor. Flames erupted along my skin, enveloping my hands and arms in a ball of fire. I screamed as my hands wrapped around Kade. He shouted and slipped, trying to escape. We fell to the ground with a painful crash. I tightened my grasp as I lost control. The fire grew until the flames themselves turned on me, searing both my victim and me. Because I had started the fire, I felt like I was being burned both inside and out. Howls of rage and pain ripped from my throat. The flames licked along my flesh, moving quickly onto the rest of my form, rendering my clothing a smoldering mass of hemp. Finally, as I completely lost control, an explosion shook the room, throwing Leo across the floor and thrusting my head roughly to the ground. Everything went black.
I wasn’t out for long, for no guards had appeared in the room by the time I awoke, or perhaps they were too afraid. My ears rang and I breathed deeply. I was alive, though my body cried out for nourishment with an insistence that I had never experienced. My vision swam and all I could sense was energy around me. Tendrils danced in front of my eyes and I waded through the void in search of nourishment. Then, the soft symphony of Leo’s life force cut through my thoughts and my primal senses. I stopped my desperate search and scrambled on four limbs to where he lay.
Leo didn’t move. His features were softened in unconsciousness from the force of the explosion. He seemed otherwise unharmed. Hesitantly, I reached for him, the tendrils of his energy knitting quickly to me, and though I had the terrible urge to steal his energy, I refrained. I cupped his cheek in my hand and reveled in the warmth of his skin. Slowly, his eyes opened and he stared up at me in disbelief.
Neither of us spoke. But Leo noticed the dazzling insignia of the Curare on my arm and he traced his fingers lightly along the outline of phoenix. Beneath his touch, my skin blazed. Our eyes met once again and the corners of his lips quirked into a small smile. “You flew.”