Sparks and Flames

by CS Patra

  It was the very least that his family deserved. They told him that a place didn’t make a person. There were many good people that lived in the hills as well as good people who lived in the Velt. He just had to look for them but they were there. For every awful person, there was still someone who was good at heart. Kian was going to start believing that the moment he saw it. He wanted to see these so-called good people who lived in the hills. He just knew them as the greedy jerks who just took everything but never gave anything in return.

  Chapter 2

  Far from the Velt, close to the hills, were the cities where the rich lived. One of those so-called cities was known as Calensa. Calensa was a beautiful place with many rolling green hills and white houses all in a row. Everyone that lived in Calensa could afford to stay there because the cost of living was high. The rumor was that anyone born here was born with a golden spoon in their mouths. This was the town that most people wished they lived in. The beauty of Calensa also lied in the people that lived there. Some were stuck up but there were plenty that were kind and helped out the people in need. There were some who would go down to the Velt to help the poor. Those were the people who made Calensa the city that it was.

  Among the people living in the city of Calensa was the Benton family. Mr. and Mrs. Benton were never able to have children of their own so they decided to adopt three young girls. The girls had lost their parents during an earthquake and they didn’t have anyone else to take them in. The Benton’s saw this as a great opportunity to raise the family that they desperately wanted. The girls would have someone to look after them and they would finally have their own children.

  The one most desperate to see something outside of Calensa was Rukia Benton. Rukia was the youngest of the three girls. They had all come from various parts of the world but Rukia was the only one with fire powers. She was careful not to use them often. She knew how people acted towards anyone who showed an ability to control the elements. The worst part were the hunters. Those who had no powers seemed to be envious of anyone who had them. Not only that, they were also scared. It meant that they had to fight back against the ‘evils of the world’.

  While there were many ‘elementals’ who used their powers against people, most tended to keep to themselves. She knew it was dangerous to show off her abilities. Most people who looked friendly didn’t take kindly to ‘elementals’.

  She went outside to see her older sister, Midori, practicing cricket. “Do you need someone to play with?”

  “No, I think I can manage. Thanks, anyway.”

  Midori was a cricket player who could go up against anyone in any match. While she had no powers, she was useful with using a cricket bat. She had once chased off several boys who had been harassing a girl at school with her bat. It got her in trouble but she assured everyone that it was worth it. She couldn’t stand to see anyone being harassed that way. If it meant beating someone senseless with her bat, so be it.

  “I heard that things are going to happen at the party,” Rukia tried to make conversation. “Rumor has it that ‘elementals’ will be performing there.”

  “Let me guess; you are one of them?”

  “I wish I was,” she sighed. “People are especially scared of anyone with the ability to start fires. I could perform great light shows and that would be spectacular. They just don’t want it.”

  “Well, fire is dangerous. You may be able to control it but not everyone can,” Midori explained, taking a break from practice. “This is just a precaution.”

  “Water can be dangerous too. So can air and the earth. Everything needs to be controlled.”

  “True but they don’t panic over that like they do with fire. Fire can destroy something very quickly. They can snuff out a life in a few seconds flat. It can cause destruction and devastation if it spreads without control. Imagine if you were to perform a trick and it went wrong. How do you think people are going to feel? Do you think they would invite you to come back?”

  “I…I guess not,” she murmured. “Maybe it might be better if they have the other elementals there. Oh well, maybe next time I’ll be able to show my skills off.”

  “Be careful when you do. Those hunters could be out there and I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Midori warned. “I heard that they once burned down a house filled with Elementals and locked the doors so they couldn’t escape. It was horrible. No one came out of that incident alive.”

  “Wow!” Rukia breathed out. “Remind me never to cross their paths.”

  There were days when she wished that she had been like Mayuri or Midori. They were fortunate that they had never been born with powers. They didn’t have to worry about anyone hunting them down or accidentally hurting someone. Rukia learned of her dangerous abilities the hard way. She had accidentally set fire to the roof of her school when she was younger. She hadn’t tried to do it but it happened. No one else was ever able to figure out who set the school on fire. They assumed that it must have been a faulty wire. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but Rukia was terrified.

  “I wish I had someone,” Rukia said. “I wish there was a way for humans and the Elementals to get along. If I could just show one human that I mean no harm, everything would be all right.”

  “You’re living in a dream world, Rukia,” Midori said. “This isn’t like Romeo and Juliet’s story. You’re not going to have some star-crossed love. The humans that hunt your kind down do not want to be loved by you.”

  “I’m not looking for love. I just want a friend that’s on the other side,” Rukia pointed out. “I like the ones I have, but I need someone else. I want someone else that’s a human that I can talk to. Maybe I can get them to see my side of things.”

  “That’s a nice thought, but they won’t fall for it. These hunters are pretty rigid with their beliefs. They don’t change their minds so easily.”

  “Well, they need to. They need to see that there’s more to Elementals than just people with a destructive power. In fact, our powers can be used for good if they allow a chance to show them. No one ever wants to see just how much we could benefit them.”

  “They fear the worst. That’s why,” Midori told her. “They think you’re going to hurt them, which is why they turn away from you. That’s why Mother and Father told you never to show your ability to the world. We know you mean no harm, but the rest of the world doesn’t.”

  It was true. Their parents had spent hours telling Rukia to keep her abilities to herself. There was no need for anyone to see what she could do. Out of all the elements, she was able to manipulate fire and that was dangerous. She had accidentally set fires before but they were small. No one would be able to tell that an Elemental made those flames. She didn’t cause any damage that couldn’t be repaired. As years passed by, she learned how to get better at controlling her skills.

  “I still wish I had a friend,” Rukia murmured. “I want someone that’s not going to be scared of me. I want to be able to show my abilities without them running away.”

  “You are asking for too much,” Midori said. “No person out there is ever going to do that. You have the ability to burn anyone alive if you wanted. That’s enough to scare them.”

  Rukia gulped, looking down at her hands. These were hands of destruction. If she ever got angry, she could easily set the whole world ablaze. Somehow, she had to control her temper and her abilities. No matter how angry she was, she could never let it go out of control. Fire was like uncontrollable rage once it got out of hand. It could be beautiful, but deadly at the same time. She folded her hands into fists and put them by her sides. No one was going to see the dangerous flames that she could produce. No one could.

  Midori turned to her when she saw Rukia’s face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. I just feel lonely. These powers make me lonely,” she admitted. “I can’t recall ever having a friend in my life. I guess people were scared of me from the start. They knew what I could do so they never tried
to get to know me.”

  “You’ve never tried to hurt people when you meet them though.” Midori pointed out. “Most people don’t run away when you speak to them. Me, on the other hand, they are scared of this cricket bat.” She gave it a few swings in the air. “Everyone is so scared of a woman with a bat.”

  “Would you be able to fend off any Elemental hunters?” She asked.

  “Are you kidding me? If any of those hunters comes near you, I am breaking their knee caps.” Midori swung the bat twice to prove her point. “Then I might bash their heads in.”

  “Be gentle with them. Hit them once and leave them alone,” Rukia suggested. “They’re just people who are terrified of Elementals and for good reason. Not everyone is like me. Not all of them care to control their powers.”

  “Yeah, those that don’t, are giving Elementals like you a bad name,” Midori pointed out. “I could take my bat to them as well.”

  “You just want to hit something, don’t you?”

  “It’s that obvious, huh?” Midori chuckled. “I just want to play a game with someone. You’re not the only one anxious to have a friend. I want some people that will play with me.”

  “You’re very aggressive on the field though.”

  “You have to be aggressive if you’re playing cricket,” Midori explained. “It’s all in how you play the game. If you want to win, you have to show your opponents that you’re there to win. The same goes for life itself. You have to show that you’re here to live. Otherwise, you’ll be like those flames you make; beautiful for a while, deadly if out of control, and then snuffed out forever. You don’t want to end up like that.”

  Rukia saw what she meant as she played around with the dancing flames. She had been able to do this for a while now and was careful when she used her power. The flame was beautiful and hot but it didn’t last very long. After a few seconds, it slowly started to shrink and then it disappeared. Fire might have been destructive, but it didn’t last forever. Eventually, everything that caught fire would turn to smoke and ashes.

  “You have a gift,” Midori told her. “It’s a powerful gift and you’ve gotten better at using it. Just don’t show it off cause you never know who might be a hunter.”

  “I won’t show it off,” Rukia promised. “I’m not stupid, Midori. I know all about the hunters. I know how horrible they can be. I heard about one that fried over twenty Elementals once. Set them ablaze and let them burn. It’s just disgusting to me.”

  “Don’t remind me of that,” Midori muttered. She had also heard the story about the hunter who burned down many Elementals without thinking twice. The more she thought about it, the more protective she became of Rukia. “I would hate for you to fight that guy.”

  “Trust me, he’ll be toast before I am.” Rukia promised. “Isn’t he known as the Dragon of the Velt?”

  “Yup. Of course the people of the Velt would have some ridiculous nickname for their most lethal killers.” Midori rolled her eyes. “I know you would fry him before he got a chance to hurt you. I still want you to be careful though.”

  “I already told you. I will be careful.” She promised.

  The Dragon of the Velt was not going to scare her off. She made sure that if she ran into him, she would kill him. She was going to make him pay for killing Elementals like that. She wouldn’t hear any of his excuses. She didn’t care if it made her a cold-blooded monster. She was going to end him if she ever saw him.

  That was what she owed her fellow Elementals.

  Chapter 3

  For the next few days, Kian couldn’t do anything but think about his plan. He had a hard time eating or sleeping because he was scared. This was the side that no one ever got to see of Kian Ortiz-Shah. They always saw the strong, cool leader. They never saw the scared kid who thought about whether or not he’d survive another night. He would pace around in his room while his parents would try to talk to him. They knew that he was still young and that it was okay for him to be scared. Kian himself was trying to be brave. He was trying to stay calm and not think about what could go wrong.

  It’ll be okay, Kian. You are the Dragon of the Velt. You work best under pressure. Don’t think about what could go wrong. Think about how you will succeed.

  It was so hard. He was sweating bullets whenever he went to bed. It didn’t make him feel any better when he thought about it. There were parts of him that felt guilty about being the Dragon of the Velt. He could still hear the screams and picture himself standing there. It was a horrible sight but one he loved. Those Elementals were dangerous crooks who had spent their days murdering, raping, or destroying lives. Not only did they hurt people, they got away with it. The courts were so weak that they caved in and declared these killers to be innocent. It was only fitting that they died in such a gruesome manner.

  Oda was one of the worst of the worst out there. On the outside, he threw lavish parties and pretended to give a damn about the people. He pretended that everything he did was to help them. A lot of people had benefited from his generosity. Deep down, he was a scumbag. He was the one who helped keep that weapons trade moving back and forth in Kols. He was the one who hurt those that were living down in the Velt. If a poor person even bothered to look in his direction, he would spit at them and laugh as he kicked them down. In short, he only helped those who were willing to help. It was never out of the goodness of his heart.

  The main thing that had made Oda a target was the death of a young school girl. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and his men just shot her down. The weapon was never recovered and there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him of anything. No one knew who had done it but the hunters were fully aware. This Elemental had used his ability to manipulate earth, hold the poor girl down, and shoot her in the head. Most people couldn’t tell that it had been done by an Elemental, but the hunters knew. They saw the clues everywhere but a weak judge and a terrible jury couldn’t convict this man. That’s why he had to die tonight.

  The day of the party had finally arrived. Group Alpha was already on their way to Kols while Group Beta was getting ready. Kian looked down at the fancy clothes that he was supposed to wear. They weren’t him at all but he needed to get in them. Oda always had a dress code for these affairs and no man was ever seen wearing anything but a suit.

  Kian looked over at the crowd that was forming outside of Oda’s house. As usual, there was a big line of people waiting to get in. Oda always threw such lavish parties and he invited just about everyone in the world to them. All of Calensa would be here tonight whether they wanted to be there or not. He certainly wasn’t expecting anyone from the Velt but he would be getting a little surprise.

  “All right, everything is happening just as I expected it to,” Kian said.

  “How do you plan to get in, boss?”

  “Very simple. I have an invitation,” Kian held up the card. “All I have to do is show it to them and they will let me in. Once I get access into the room, I just have to find the target. Then I will take care of him on my own. It will be a clean kill. I’m not going to cause much commotion and most people won’t even know what my plan is.”

  “What if they ask for more identification?”

  “Oh, I have my ways around that,” he assured them. “The rest of you will follow my lead. I don’t want you to make eye contact with anyone when you’re getting in. Mingle if you have to. Don’t give away too much of anything. You will keep the guests distracted while I try to hunt down Oda. We are on time so we can’t waste any of it. We go in, we kill, and we come out.”

  Kian straightened out the tie he was wearing. He had been given a suit for this mission. Simple black slacks, maroon vest with matching tie, crisp white shirt, and an expensive watch. He looked like he was made out of money with his clothes, his slicked back hair, and the cologne and aftershave wafting off his body. This was normally not what he wore on a regular basis and he felt so strange.

  Getting int
o the party was no problem. They were able to mix in with the crowd and hang out in various parts. The party guests were all willing to talk to them. Kian took a glass of champagne, sipped it, and walked around in hopes of finding his target. Oda would be the hardest one to find despite this being his party. He would be in hiding while the other guests had fun. This was exactly what Kian had been expecting. Drinking his champagne, he looked at the fancy decorations in this house.

  For someone so evil, Oda did keep a nice place. The décor was open and bright and it made anyone feel like they were at home. Kian wished that he could live in a house like this. It had so much room yet was cozy at the same time. He smiled at a couple of people as they passed by and made small talk when needed. He wasn’t going to get close to any of these people. Right now, they were just obstacles on the way to his goal.

  “Well, well, well,” Kian greeted him. “For someone throwing such big parties, you’ve been a no-show at your own house. What gives?”

  “Why does this matter to you? I can stay for as long as I need to at my own parties,” Oda replied. “Sometimes, I have to get away from the crowd. It gets too noisy for me.”