Sparks and Flames

by CS Patra

  “I thought it would be nicer if we took a more scenic route. I hope you won’t mind riding on the bike,” he said, helping her sit up on the handlebars. “Are you comfortable?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she said as he started to pedal. “I’m not too heavy for this, am I?”

  “No, you’re perfect,” he got on the road and began to pedal harder. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve ridden my bike. I definitely can’t remember the last time I had a person riding with me. Just try to bear with me as I do this.”

  “You’re doing excellent,” she leaned against his back and he could feel his face turning red and hot. He had never had a girl do this before. “Now keep pedaling. I want to take you to the perfect place. It’s the one place where we can be alone.”

  She led him down a few paths, making sure that he was careful not to drop her. They finally found themselves in a park that was completely abandoned. The playground had been torn down and ripped apart thanks to countless fights and horrible weather. He looked a little disappointed as he was expecting something bigger than this. He knew that there were some bad places in Calensa but this looked like something that had come out of the Velt. He had to make sure they were still in the right place.

  “This is the perfect place?” He asked.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much, but it really is nice underneath it all,” she said. “No one ever comes here so I try to stop by. It’s a good place when I need to get away from the world. Let’s be real; this is not a safe place for anyone. A lot has changed over the years.”

  “Don’t remind me,” he sat down on the park bench and looked at where the remains of the playground were. “I can’t remember a time in my life when things weren’t so crazy. I feel like we’ve always been at war with someone.”

  “I can’t remember a peaceful time either. Everyone claims that things used to be fine in the past but I don’t believe it,” she said. “If things were so fine, where did it all go wrong? Why did it all go wrong? I keep asking myself that every day. I wish things get better in the future so that any children I have won’t live in this place. I don’t want them exposed to war all the time.”

  He nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. He didn’t want any child to grow up in a war-torn world either. He hadn’t thought far into the future nor did he think he wanted to be a father. No child deserved to have a father whose hands were stained with blood. No wife out there deserved a husband who ran around at night and hunted down monsters. It was why he had decided he wasn’t going to be either of those things. He couldn’t afford to be a good husband or father.

  “Do you ever think about what you’ll do in the future?” He asked.

  “I try to. I’m still young so I haven’t had a chance to explore much of anything. I would like to see some of the other lands out there. Calensa is nice but I want to go to the bigger cities. I want to see the beaches of Trumere and the mountains of Kaslana. I’ve heard those places are wonderful in the springtime,” she sighed. “Yes, I really want to travel. I want to see and gain more knowledge than what I have.”

  “So do I. Unfortunately, I don’t have the means or the money to do that right now,” he said. “Maybe one day, you and I can run off into the sunset together. We can travel around all those places that you want to see. We’ll go swim in the ocean and climb those mountains. We can relax in the sun and spend the nights walking around under the stars. We can do all of that one day. I don’t know when, but it will happen.”

  “When do you want to do it?” She asked. “I’ve got the money. I can make the time. I just need to know if you want to come along.”

  “Of course I want to come along but I can’t do it now,” he shook his head. “There’s so much going on in the world. I don’t have any time for a vacation right now.”

  “I’m not talking about right now. I mean later down the line. I would be nice to get away from this place,” she suggested. “There’s so much poverty and sadness in this place. Even in Calensa, you’ve got your share of people who have problems. If you were to go the mountains, then you would be able to be one with nature. You could do the same down at the beach.”

  “You know what I wish we could see?” He asked. “I wish we could see what the world used to look like in the past. I want to see it before it was split up. I want to know the kind of places that existed back then. I’ve seen the maps but I want to see more. I want to know more about the history behind each country.”

  “Oh, that would be lovely,” Rukia said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think you or I have the ability to go back to the past. We don’t have the skills to see what the world used to be. It’s a shame to be honest. I would love to visit Japan. That’s where my biological parents came from.”

  “Japan sounded wonderful too,” Kian said. “There’s so much history behind it and so many things came from it.”

  They both sat in silence as they thought about the world and what it used to be. It was such a wonderful place until it was all split up. Now they were just divided between the rich and the poor. She felt for Kian and wished that he could live with her in Calensa. He would love it in her house. Midori would be joking with him while her parents would ask him all kinds of questions. He would get embarrassed, but would answer them in good nature.

  “You and I have the same dream,” she said. “We both want to see what we can never see again. The only thing that exists of the old worlds is in books, shows, and memories. We only know what they look like because we’ve seen those old movies and books. We know that they existed and that’s it.”

  “Don’t you ever wish there was a time machine that could take us back in time? We could actually see what life was like back then. I know there was no Velt but there were a lot of poverty-stricken cities. Somehow, they all ended up in one place.”

  “I know there’s no time machine but I do think we should go on a vacation together,” Rukia suggested. “You and I can escape this world for a little while. You can take your bike and we’ll head to the beach. It would be nice to bike down the boardwalk while the sun is shining down on us. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a lovely thought. All of your thoughts have been wonderful,” he told her. “You are wonderful.”

  The two of them were staring at each other then. Rukia breathed softly. “I don’t think I’m as wonderful as you though. You hold everything so close to you. You live life to the fullest. I’ve never done anything like that.”

  “I don’t know if I live life to the fullest, but I try not to let it get in my way. There will be time to worry about things later.” He decided out loud. Inside, there was a voice telling him to mention the fact that he was a hunter. He just needed to know one thing. “Rukia, how do you feel about Elementals in general?”

  She snorted. “Elementals? That’s a strange question to ask me about.”

  “Well, they are all over the news. It seems like you can’t go anywhere without an Elemental causing trouble. I just wanted to get your opinion on them.”

  “The way I see it, if they aren’t bothering me, I shouldn’t be bothered by them,” she decided. “They have never caused me any trouble. Then again, I rarely interact with people in general. I stick close to my family and my sisters are my friends. I wouldn’t know what to do when it came to Elementals.”

  Oh, it hurt to lie to him but she had to do it. She wasn’t ready to tell him the truth about herself. She couldn’t tell him that he was dating an Elemental right now. The way he brought up the question and talked about them made her think that he didn’t really trust them. If she was going to reveal this, it had to be something that she did slowly. She didn’t want to scare him off right now.

  “I think you should just be careful around them,” he told her. “You have no idea how powerful some of them can be.”

  I think I know how powerful they can be, Kian. She wanted to tell him. Out loud, she just said. “I’ve heard the stories. Anyone that controls a
n element is a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Maybe so, but that’s why we have hunters. They’re out there to keep us safe.”

  “I say that some of their methods are a little barbaric,” she went on. “Have you heard of that one hunter that burned over twenty Elementals? Talk about cold-hearted. He just stood there and watched them die in front of him.”

  Kian couldn’t even smile at that one. He knew very well that she was talking about him, but he didn’t want to take credit for this. He didn’t want her to know that he was indeed the hunter that had set that fire. He didn’t want to talk about how good he was with a flamethrower. All he wanted was to sit there and talk with her about everything else in the world.

  “Let’s stop with the talk of Elementals and hunters,” he decided. “Tell me where you’d like to go the most. We’ll make a plan.”

  “You really want to run away with me?” She asked.

  “I’ll go anywhere you want to go. I haven’t seen much of this world so I’ll be happy with whatever you decide,” he said. “I know you’ll pick something good.”

  “You are giving me too much credit.”

  They spent the next few minutes talking about their favorite places and where they wanted to head on a vacation. However, both were also thinking about their individual secrets. Kian wanted to tell Rukia about his life as a hunter and Rukia wanted to reveal that she was an Elemental. However, they had both just met each other. It was too soon to talk about the different sides that they came from. Class wasn’t the only thing that was dividing them. Rukia knew that he was just a human and Kian thought she was a human being. He probably thought they had more in common than he realized.

  He’s going to have to learn the truth. She decided. If he’s going to be with me, he’s going to have to get used to the fact that I’m an Elemental. There’s nothing either of us can do about that.

  Chapter 7

  Kian seriously thought about going on a vacation with Rukia. It would have been great to get out of the Velt for a few days and just spend some time lying on the beach. It would also be nice to go to the mountains and sit up there in the silence while soaking in nature. The one thing he wanted to do was tell her that he was a hunter. He wanted to show up in his gear and explain everything to her. First, however, he needed to take care of Oda. He needed to end that miserable prick’s life and he was going to do it tonight.

  He carefully laced up his boots, the leather stopping right below his knee. He rolled his pant legs over them and stood up. He was finally ready to get the meeting started. Group Alpha had almost succeeded with their half of the plan, but they had been caught before they could do anything. They had to escape without setting anything off. The good thing was that everyone came back alive. The bad thing was they hadn’t completed the mission.

  Group Beta was no better off. They had distracted the guests all right but Kian had failed to kill Oda. He had been foiled by unseen challenges that he needed to get through. Not only that, he had frozen at the worst time ever. Oda had been expecting death, even taunting him, but he stood there and did nothing. He could still remember the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead. He was sweating bullets, but he wasn’t putting any of them into Oda. He let the creep take the upper hand back then, but not tonight. Tonight, he was going to seal his fate.

  As he got dressed, he thought about the conversation that he had with Rukia. It was very interesting to say the least. Rukia made him feel different. Although they had gone to that broken playground, he felt more free there than he had in the Velt. He almost told her the truth about himself, but held off at the last minute. There was no need to scare Rukia now. Most people didn’t take this truth rather lightly. Rukia seemed like the type who would not be happy if she learned why he was with Oda. He had kept his weapons hidden but how long could this last?

  I know I have to talk about this, but when can I get her alone to do that? He wondered. They had spent the last afternoon talking about traveling around the world. It had been a dream of his to get out of the Velt and see something different. Yes, he went to other cities while on missions, but those weren’t for fun and games. He barely got a chance to see anything there. He knew they were filled with museums, clubs, theaters, and other beautiful buildings.

  When he made it to headquarters, he was barely himself. He paced around the room, his heavy boots squeaking as he walked. Although he was focused on his mission, his mind was also on Rukia. He hoped that she wasn’t planning to come down to the Velt tonight. Dominica was telling him about the new plan, but he was only half-listening. Deep down, he kept praying that Rukia stayed at home. She didn’t need to come and see him tonight.

  Please stay put, Rukia. Tonight’s not a good night. He thought, trying to put his focus back. Oda was the one he wanted to kill. Oda was the only one who deserved his attention right now. Once he was gone, he could go back to thinking about Rukia and her pretty blue-streaked hair and her almond-shaped eyes. He could go back to thinking about her sweet laugh, the way she threw her head back and tossed her hair, and how warm her smile was.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Dominica asked. She had been watching him walking around, but his face wasn’t even looking at her. Those green eyes of his were so distant, that she could tell he wasn’t all there right now.

  “I am…” He trailed off and could feel his face growing hot. “I heard you.”

  “You seem lost, like you’re in love.” Dominica realized what had happened. The truth was written all over his face and she could see him turning bright red at this. “Oh my God, you are in love! I don’t believe it! I cannot believe it! That’s what happened, isn’t it? You fell in love!”

  “No!” He insisted. “What makes you think that?”

  “Your face is bright red. You aren’t looking at me in the eye. You’re pacing around and there’s that look on your face. It’s the one look that everyone in the world recognizes. That’s a sign of a man who has lost his heart to another person. Come on, who is the lucky girl?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “If I’m in love, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I just want to know who it is,” she asked. “We’ve been friends for ages now and we’ve never kept anything from each other. Why would you keep this one from me?”

  “It’s no one you’re familiar with. She doesn’t even live in the Velt,” he said, feeling himself blushing. Dominica was right. The red was all over his cheeks and nose. His entire body felt hot. “I met her a few days ago. She was very nice and I found myself attracted to her. That’s all.”

  “Won’t you at least tell me her name?”

  “No. I’ve told you too much. I’ve told you more than I have told her,” he murmured, trying to stop himself from blushing. “I’ll introduce you one day but not now. I haven’t forgotten who I truly am. I’m a Lieutenant in this division and I have duties to fulfill. I need to get ready.” He looked around the empty room. In a few minutes, it would be filled up.

  “Maybe you should let me take over,” she suggested. “You have that glazed look of love and I don’t want Oda to get the wrong idea.”

  “No, this is my job. This is something I promised myself. Well, he’s still out there and I need to finish the job,” he decided. “I was vulnerable last time. I won’t be so careless now. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one. Tell me, Dominica, when does everyone else come in?”

  “They should be getting in within the next few minutes, sir,” she said. “You better stop blushing unless you want everyone to know about your love life.”

  “Please. I can control myself,” he said. “You better stay concerned with your own business, Dominica. I’ll handle everyone else.”

  “Okay, Kian, whatever you say,” she rolled her eyes. She normally didn’t call him by his name unless she wanted to annoy him. “You handle your business and I’ll keep my nose out. Does that sound fair?”

  “Very fair. Now quiet, I can h
ear people. Just straighten up and pretend that we weren’t talking to each other,” he said, trying to calm himself down. “I am okay. I will be fine. No one will need to know what’s really going on with me.”

  By now, the meeting room was starting to fill up. He decided it was time to start the meeting and faced the group. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, our last incident led to some unexpected turns. I wouldn’t mind this if the mission went well. As it is, it didn’t go as planned. We let the target get away. However, that’s not going to happen tonight. We are going to get our targets and wipe them off the streets.”

  Normally, he would get a lot of agreement, but everyone was silent. He frowned, tapping his booted foot against the ground. He could feel that they were staring at him but he didn’t know why. “What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?”

  “Actually, boss, you’re blushing,” someone spoke up. “Your face is bright red.”

  “Is it?” He took a look in the mirror and saw they were right. His face and neck were red. No doubt he was thinking of Rukia deep down. “Well then, ignore that and put your focus back on the mission. We did terrible last time. I demand the best results and we didn’t get that.”