Rouge

by Isabella Modra

  “I thought you might say that. But I recognized the algebraic symbols you used.”

  Hunter felt her heart lurch painfully. “I - I don’t understand.”

  Miss Smart drew another piece of paper from her file, and Hunter’s heart lurched again when the title of the article leapt out to her as though someone had shouted it: ‘SWEDISH LABORATORY DESTROYED: FEUCOTETANUS NO MORE.’ It was the same article pinned with a golden tack to Joshua’s photo board in the lab.

  Hunter forced herself to remain calm, even though the fire inside her was burning, crackling, seeping under her veins. She wrapped her bare arms behind her back so that the golden glow that usually coursed under her skin wasn’t visible.

  How did Miss Smart get this article? What did it have to do with Hunter? Did she suspect anything? Looking up from the paper again, Miss Smart was watching her very closely through narrowed brown eyes. That’s when Hunter realized there was no way a connection could be made between Hunter having superpowers and this article.

  “So... what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that I have researched this drug. It’s an adrenaline stimulant, found in a dying man years ago in a hospital. It doesn’t exist anymore thanks to some stupid scientist who destroyed all the manufacturers-” Brilliant Joshua, she thought, “-but it’s possible the drug could have been passed on, like a disease. If that is so, Hunter, then the rest is simple. The drug is the heat, oxygen comes from air and all that’s needed is something to fuel it. That fuel needs to be powerful though, some form of liquid fire... like lava. I spent a long time developing a formula for it, and your equation is the answer I’ve been searching for. It isn’t coincidence Hunter. Have you ever heard of Feucotetanus before?”

  There was a craziness in Miss Smart’s small doe eyes that Hunter had seen recently upon Joshua’s face in the lab, when there was a solution to be found and he was on the brink of cracking it. She wanted to tell Miss Smart that her theories were correct, but then that would be giving up everything she’d worked for. Every lie she’d told would be a waste of breath and it would put Miss Smart in danger as well.

  So it was for her own good that Hunter told another lie, and it stung her like a thousand pins slicing deep into her skin.

  “Sorry Miss Smart, I have no idea what you’re talking about. My equation was probably just a coincidence.”

  “But Hunter, you-”

  “I’m sorry about my grades.” She scooped her books up and backed down the isle of the lab. “I’ll try to do better.”

  With that, she left Miss Smart behind her desk with a gutted expression much like Eli’s the night before, and she wished that the deceit would somehow get easier.

  twenty- three

  Hunter threw down her pen in frustration and watched it bounce twice, roll unsteadily across the hardwood desk and fall to the floor with a tiny clink. Sighing, she leant over the table and picked it up, turning back to her work.

  The library was almost empty. It was past school hours, but Hunter was desperately behind with her studies, particularly the physics test Miss Smart had set for next week. Besides, if she faced Joshua, he’d either argue with her for not coming home last night when he asked her to, or force her into another training regime. Since she was tired of everyone getting on her case, Hunter decided to stay after school and work inside the peaceful walls of the library.

  Hunter normally preferred to do her school work in the comforts of her own home or finish it in class, but now that her home didn’t feel all that comfortable any longer and she was so exhausted in class – her mind ever worrying about the flames that burned inside her – the library was the perfect place to get a little peace and quiet. Even Clare Holloway, who was staring miserably at a calculus book a few desks down from Hunter and had been doing so for most of the day, would be gone long before her. And she was a cheerleader.

  As if she could read her thoughts, Clare’s blue eyes rolled up from the book and rested on Hunter. Scowling, she flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and stared at her book with an air of someone much smarter than she was.

  Aside from Clare, the library was practically empty. It was the largest room in the entire school, and much more classic. Long stacks made of a deep brown mahogany ran along each side of the room, which towered high above their heads, bathed in the light from great glowing shades that hung low. Centering the room were lines of desks with small golden lamps and comfortable seats to study in. Near the tall double doors was the librarian desk, where Mrs. Carman - a skin-and-bone, beaky woman with curling gray hair and old eyes that had read far too many books - stood flipping through ancient volumes. The only other person in the room was browsing through the poetry section two columns down from her, but she hadn’t seen his face yet.

  Hunter forced her gaze back to the five or so text books spread open before her and wished her superpower could be super-intelligence. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so stupid all the time, said a snarky voice in her mind. It was right; she couldn’t handle her powers, no matter how hard she tried. She was reckless in kissing Eli last night and could have seriously hurt him. She’d practically handed Miss Smart the clue to discovering what she could do on paper without even noticing. And worst of all, she’d angered Joshua – who deserved much better – by lying to him about going to school and seeing Eli behind his back. Skipping out on him last night would have been the icing on the cake. He didn’t even leave her dinner.

  What am I doing? I’ve made a mess of everything, and no matter how hard I try, I continue to screw things up for myself. I wish there was someone I could talk to who could give me the answers without scolding me or forcing tedious training exercises upon me or getting themselves killed. Why is it when I need comfort the most, I’m completely alone?

  Hunter let her head flop with a loud bang on her textbook. She lay there, her eyes drooping shut, her world dark, until someone was pulling up a chair beside her desk and tapping her on the shoulder.

  Hunter almost jumped out of her skin and lifted her head to see Eli’s friend Jack sitting next to her. She blinked groggily and wondered if she’d been asleep.

  “Hey Hunter,” he said. “Do you have a pen I can borrow?”

  “What?” she stuttered. His question didn’t even process through her mind, it was so immersed in misery. Coming back to reality, she tried to focus on where she was. The library, right. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

  His eyes briefly slipped to the spread of books and worksheets on the desk and then back to Hunter’s. He had that same innocence in his eyes that she always saw in Eli, but there was something darker there, as if he too had a secret he was desperate to hide.

  “I was wondering if I could borrow a pen,” he repeated slowly, his deep brown eyes kind and apologetic. “Were you sleeping...?”

  “No,” she replied so sharply, his eyebrows shot up. She handed him the pen she’d been fiddling with before, not even caring about her assignment. “Here, take it.”

  “Thanks. How are your studies going?”

  “I’m exhausted, as you can see,” she said, her foot shaking impatiently under the desk. You have your pen, said the fire exasperatedly, now leave.

  “Yeah, I know what that’s like. Hey, have you spoken to Eli today. He seems a little off.”

  A surge of guilt ran through her. If she knew Eli – which she could confirm with confidence – he was probably blaming himself for her freak behavior.

  “We sort of had a bit of a falling out,” she admitted. Wait, why am I telling him this? It’s none of his business.

  “I figured it was something like that,” he said. “How come, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Maybe he figured out how much of an unstable freak I am,” she said, more to herself.

  “Personally, I never thought you were any sort of skank,” he said genuinely.

  Hunter’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  Jack went suddenly pale. “Uhh… I mean, you know… the rumors in thi
s school, they’re-”

  “Complete bullshit, yeah, I know.” Hunter slammed one of her textbooks shut and Jack jolted in his seat.

  “But uh… you know the truth, right?”

  Hunter frowned at Jack, whose eyes were glimmering with excitement. Pure curiosity moved her to ask him what he was talking about.

  “That rumor, about you and the principal’s son?” He leaned in closer to her and whispered, “It was a cover up.”

  Hunter’s eyes widened. She always knew the rumor wasn’t true - obviously - but all this time she thought Benny was just a wanker and made it up for fun.

  “What?”

  Jack nodded. “I’m surprised Eli hasn’t told you this yet.”

  “He knows?”

  Jack bit his lip, glanced behind him at his sister Clare who was carefully inspecting her split ends, and whispered, “Okay, let me tell you the whole story first. You know Benny the quarterback? Yeah, it was actually his ex-girlfriend who was banging the principal’s son. Benny couldn’t bear the humiliation of being cheated on and having his reputation trashed, so he blamed it on you. He threatened anyone who knew the truth that he’d kill us if we ever told anyone.”

  “Us? Who else knows?” All these years she’d been subjected to jeers and taunts and name-calling, and all because Benny wanted to protect his stupid reputation? The fire flared up inside her, and she had a mental image of herself stalking into Benny’s house, her hands like flaming torches, her hair snaking around her and her eyes brighter than the sun. She could inflict a pain on him ten times worse than the humiliation of having been cheated on.

  “Just you, me, Eli, Benny, Benny’s ex and the principal’s son,” Jack went on, completely unaware of the bright glow coming through her shirt that she hid under the desk. “Benny threatened to kill all of us if we ever told anyone, but I know he’s a coward and he wouldn’t do shit to me. It’s their business who they tell though, and I respect that at least. I just think it’s unfair you had to take the blame for it.”

  “That’s a goddamn understatement,” she replied. “That bastard. I ought to-” She stopped herself before she lost control and swallowed the flames that threatened to burst from her mouth. “How did you and Eli get yourselves roped into this?”

  Jack gave her a small smile. “We were on our way to talk to the principal about starting up an animal rights campaign for a school project - because Eli loves that shit - when we walked right in on it. The principal’s son agreed because it made him a legend, obviously.”

  “Why would Eli keep this from me?”

  Jack looked down at his fingers and bent them back and forth awkwardly. “I dunno.”

  Hunter felt hurt for the first time since she met Eli. He must be really scared of Benny. She remembered the scene in the corridor when the quarterback had knocked him down, called him names and laughed with his friends. Eli was too afraid to stand up to his own father. He’d been bullied for a long time, and that left him with little courage. Eli had no idea how threatening he was to Benny, and still he did the right thing and kept quiet about it, even when he knew how much it hurt Hunter every day. Even though he didn’t tell her, he still had a good reason.

  Then it occurred to her. If Eli could keep secrets for her own good, would that make it okay for Hunter not to tell him about her powers?

  Jack was looking at her school work again. “Maybe you should ask him. But anyway, I guess I thought you had a right to know.”

  She smiled gratefully, and he smiled back. It made his eyes glow and dimples appear on each cheek. He wasn’t as covertly handsome as Eli, but there was a mirrored kindness and a lot more pain there. She wondered what was so terrible about his home life that could be any worse than hers or Elis.

  “Well thanks,” she said, turning back to her work.

  “You’re welcome. Say, I was wondering,” he nodded to her ponytail. “Is that your natural hair color?”

  “Yes it is,” she said, wondering how many times in her life she’d have to answer that question.

  “Cool,” he nodded. “Did your mom have red hair? Eli told me she died when you were really young.” His face paled again. “Oh, I-I’m really sorry, sometimes things come out of my mouth and I-” He made gestures with his hands, as though he were vomiting, and went very red in the face. Hunter would have found it rather cute, had she not wished he would leave her alone.

  “It’s fine.” She waved it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “What... what actually happened to your parents?” he asked hesitantly. “I mean Eli said-”

  “Jack,” she sighed. “Please, I just want to finish my studies. I’m really behind.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, sorry, I was just... making conversation. So what are you studying?”

  “Jack-”

  The fire flared in Hunter as though she’d thrown a splash of alcohol over it and she locked eyes with Jack, praying he would have enough time to run before it exploded just like it had in Eli’s bedroom, but then two things happened:

  A darkness flashed across Jack’s face. It was as if a gray storm cloud had inhabited his deep brown eyes, making them blaze a stone-gray, then blink back to bright and sunny again. Hunter didn’t have time to wonder whether she’d imagined it, because in that exact moment, a loud explosion and distant scream echoed through the quiet library from somewhere in the building.

  She and Jack froze and the fire vanished instantly.

  The school library was located on the outskirts of campus, connected to the computer rooms and science labs. As a bad feeling crept over her, Hunter prayed that the scream didn’t belong to the teacher she cared most about, not after their unpleasant talk earlier.

  “What the hell?” Jack leapt to his feet - as did Clare, her eyes wide in fear - but Hunter was already running.

  She flew past the befuddled librarian, noting two sets of feet following close behind her. She burst through the library doors into the long corridor that led to the science labs.

  She wasn’t sure what she was running into, but something had kicked an adrenaline lever and set her senses into hyper-mode. Hunter thought of her daydreams about being a real hero in physics class as she powered on through the computer corridor lined with identical doors on either side, moving ahead of the others chasing after her.

  Was this her chance to prove herself?

  Joshua’s voice blared inside her mind like warning sirens, urging her not to be stupid and reckless, warning her about the Agents –

  “Help!” came a second scream, and Hunter fumbled on the handle of the door leading to the science building. She recognized the voice amid the sound of a great crash. There were other sounds coming from Lab 3, sounds so familiar to her ears that her heart began to claw itself out of her chest.

  She burst into the hallway and her breath caught in her throat.

  There was smoke trailing out of Lab 3 two doors up on her left. She could just hear the faint crackle of a fire she knew all too well, and the sound of someone crying for help, coughing, choking, spluttering through the thick air. Dying.

  Hunter shot a glance behind her and saw, through the window of the double doors, that Jack was not far behind. She had a split second to decide whether she should stand back and wait for help, or risk exposing herself to save Miss Smart’s life. And even then, when the fire inside her roared and her heart was hammering inside her chest, the answer was clear.

  Do it.

  Hunter gripped the door handle and felt the metal heat in the palm of her hand. She thought no more of the consequences of revealing her powers, nor about what people would say or how furious Joshua would be once he found out she’d gone against everything he’d taught her. She even forgot about the Agents who might possible discover her identity and come to take her away. She thought only of Miss Smart, on the brink of death, and how it was her responsibility to get her out.

  She twisted the handle and threw open the door. Smoke poured out like a tidal wave and consumed her, as if tryin
g to wrap itself around her, to swallow her whole. But Hunter breathed in and didn’t batter an eyelid. She felt the familiarity of the impossible temperatures inside and the flames licking at her clothes and looked back at the corridor where Jack had burst through the doors and was spluttering against the wave of smoke. Clare and Mrs. Carman couldn’t be far behind. An alarm blared somewhere in the building, and Jack caught sight of her standing in the doorway. His eyes widened despite the smoke around him.

  “Get back!” she shouted. “And call 911!”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Jack choked, his hand shielding his eyes and mouth from the haze. It was a good thing he couldn’t see her covered in the flames that were seeping from the lab. “Are you crazy, you’ll get yourself killed!”

  “Just get help!” Hunter shouted and turned back to the lab where she readied herself, gripped any courage she had inside her and stepped into the engulfing fire.

  Flames were everywhere. They were crawling up the desks like orange snakes, stretching to the roof and pooling across the ceiling, feeding on everything. Cupboards were exploding from the highly combustible chemicals inside of them and Hunter had to shield her eyes in case she was hit by flying glass.

  Find her, echoed a deep voice in her mind, and Hunter knew it was the fire talking. But unlike the snarky, slippery voice she was so used to, the fire sounded like a guardian angel, helping her, encouraging her and guiding her.

  Hunter crept between the crumpling stations and through the fallen debris and chaotic flames to the front of the classroom and the teacher’s desk. How the hell did this happen? She asked herself, wondering if Miss Smart was experimenting, wondering if it had anything to do with her and that stupid drug. If Miss Smart is dead because of me, I will never forgive myself.

  And there, against the filing cabinet and looking as if she had run out of air to breathe, was Miss Smart.

  Hunter leaped over a chair melting on the floor and bent over her teacher. The smell of charcoal and pig fat made her stomach curl. Her teacher was already burning.