Sparks and Flames

by CS Patra

  “You must be rolling in money then,” Midori said.

  Kian smiled so tightly that it was making his face hurt. “We do fine on our own.”

  “Guys, stop grilling him. I think he answered as much as he needs to. He’s a good person,” Rukia said. “What else do you want from him, a blood test?”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Midori joked. “Does anyone have a needle?”

  “Midori!”

  “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”

  Kian laughed. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t mind giving you a blood test. A urine test would have been another story though.”

  Mr. Benton let out a booming laugh. “I like this kid a lot. You did a good job, Rukia. He’s well-dressed, works hard, and has a great sense of humor. I’d say he’s a keeper!”

  “Father, we’re not a couple!”

  “Well, you should be!”

  Kian blushed when he heard that. Rukia had just found out his secret, but he didn’t know if they could be a couple. He never wanted to put her in danger because of his line of work. He knew that the enemy could easily find out about her and do something if they knew she was tied to him. At the same time, being a couple wasn’t such a bad idea. They were already going places together and talking about their dreams. If they weren’t a couple yet, they certainly felt like one.

  “Don’t you think they should be together?” Mr. Benton asked. “You two look perfect together.”

  “Dear, please don’t force them into anything,” Mrs. Benton said. “It’s true though. You both do look good together.”

  “Great. My parents are playing matchmaker with us,” Rukia gave Kian an apologetic smile. “Please forgive them.”

  “We just think you look nice together, Rukia. That is it!”

  “Mom’s right. You guys do look nice together. You’ve got to do something about your hair though. You’ve got all that blue in it for some reason. No one has blue-streaked hair anymore, Rukia.” Midori pointed out.

  “I’ll do something about it when I’m ready to do something about it,” she turned to Kian. “You don’t mind that I have the blue in my hair, do you?”

  “Not at all. Your hair is very lovely,” Kian said. “I’ve always wanted to dye my hair but I don’t think my mother would be fond of it.”

  “No, your hair is lovely as it is,” Mrs. Benton said. “Rukia wanted to do this so badly. She refused to do anything until we allowed her to dye her hair. It turns out she just wanted the streaks. I have to admit that I’m now used to them.”

  “You love them and you know it,” Rukia teased. “It took me so long to convince them.”

  “She wasn’t going to give up until we said yes,” Mr. Benton said. “Well, here we are. Rukia is now happy because she has those blue streaks.”

  “I promise I will dye them back when I’m tired of them,” she said. “If you want, Kian, we can get some matching blue streaks. Then we can really look like a couple.”

  “Not right now. I can’t imagine my father and mother being too thrilled if I came home with blue streaks,” Kian said. “Anyway, dinner was fantastic. You did a great job, Mrs. Benton.”

  “Oh, you are welcome, dear. I tried my best,” she said. “I know it’s not exactly the Indian cuisine that you are used to but I hope it came close.”

  “It was delicious,” he assured her. “I can’t remember the last time that I had Indian food that tasted so good. That’s the thing about it; when it’s done well, Indian food is perfect. When it’s done horribly, it’s terrible. You passed my test so you can relax.”

  “Well, I’m relieved to know that,” Mrs. Benton said. “My daughter said that you would like this. I’m glad to see that we all met your expectations.”

  “You’ve exceeded my expectations,” he admitted, getting ready for dessert. “I can’t believe you would do all of this for me.”

  “Not only that, I’m going to pack some of this food for you too. You can eat that whenever you want it,” she said. “Say hi to your family for me by the way. They’ve done a wonderful job of raising you.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. I will.”

  He felt so comfortable around them that he began to regret ever having bad thoughts. The Benton’s were treating him like he was one of their own. They didn’t seem to mind that Rukia had just picked up a boyfriend or that he came from the Velt. They just liked him and the best part was that he liked them too. He hadn’t met people from Calensa that were as wonderful as them. He just hoped they never found out about his hunting abilities. Then they would never let Rukia go out with him.

  And the very idea of never seeing Rukia again would kill him.

  Chapter 13

  Kian spent another hour talking with the Benton’s and found out quite a lot about them. They were wealthy, but they were the kind of people who helped the poor. Mrs. Benton would often deliver meals to those who were ill and had no insurance. She especially helped out the children who had no home or parents to take care of them. Mr. Benton also did his share to help people out by giving them anything they needed. Rukia’s older sister Mayuri helped out the elderly when she had some free time and even Midori did her share by giving kids free cricket lessons and helping them build their houses. He was beginning to like them with everything that they said.

  “You’re such a nice man, Kian,” Mrs. Benton said as she handed him some food. It was the leftovers from their dinner and he was happy bringing that home to his family. “You may be the first boyfriend of Rukia’s that I’ve liked.”

  “The first of her boyfriends?” He looked over at Rukia.

  “I’ve had about two others,” Rukia explained. “They were frogs. You are the first prince that I’ve managed to snag.”

  “It’s true,” Midori told him. “The other two were not boyfriend material and Rukia dropped them after they met us.”

  “Well, I’m glad I haven’t been dropped,” he laughed. “I think I better go home then. My mother and father are probably thinking about me.”

  “I’ll see him out,” Rukia decided. “Come with me, Kian.”

  They were walking around the neighborhood though Kian wished he had brought his bike with him. The air was warm and the streets were rather flat. It would have been fun for them to go riding this night. He would seat Rukia on top of the handlebar while he pedaled fast. They would go anywhere that he pleased.

  “I’m sorry if my parents bothered you too much,” she said. “They really love to ask too many questions about too many things.”

  “I’m fine with them. They are such nice people,” he said. “You were lucky to have been adopted by them.”

  “Yes, I know. They have tried to make us feel like family even if we aren’t biologically theirs,” Rukia agreed. “I do love them even if they embarrass me on a regular basis.”

  “That’s what all parents do,” he pointed out. “I can’t tell you about the number of embarrassing stories mine have said about me. Sometimes, I have to cut them off or else they’ll go into deep details.”

  Rukia stopped in her tracks at that moment and Kian wondered if he had said something wrong. “What is it?”

  “Look ahead,” she pointed to something in the distance. “Do you see what I see?”

  He saw what she was pointing at; a block of ice was stopping them in the middle of the road. “What is that? I don’t remember the weather being so cold today.”

  “The weather isn’t cold. I see someone in there,” she said, squinting to get a better look. “Yes, there is someone in there! Come on, Kian! Let’s see if we can thaw them out!”

  “Wait, Rukia!” He tried to stop her but it was too late. She was already running towards it because she could sense it calling to her. She could hear it.

  Please…help…me…

  “I’m coming,” she whispered, making her voice soft so that Kian wouldn’t hear. It wasn’t just any person that was stuck in the ice. It was an Elemental. He was beckoning her to c
ome so she could release him. “I’m coming. Please hold on.”

  It’s so cold…

  “I know…” She mouthed out, motioning Kian to follow her. “I will let you out.”

  The Elemental was frozen in a block of ice and Rukia began to pity him. Something inside told her that this poor thing wasn’t dead yet. If she hurried quickly enough, she could set him free. She turned to Kian to see if he could help her out.

  “This Elemental is stuck in the ice,” she explained. “We need to get him out before he dies.”

  “I’ve never seen an Elemental like this before,” he admitted. “What do you think happened?”

  “I don’t know. I can come up with many scenarios but who knows what the right one is,” she said. “He’s frozen in place but can you see the light coming off him?”

  “I do. It’s like a million stars reflected on the wall,” he stared at the wall with a thousand lights glinting on it. It was cold in the room, thanks to the ice, but he felt warm standing by Rukia. “How can we free him?”

  “I’m trying to think about that,” Rukia lied. She already had a plan but she couldn’t let Kian see it. She didn’t want him to see her use her powers because now was not the time. “If I had something to chisel the ice, it would work. I don’t suppose you have one of those on you, do you?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t. My weapons are back at home. Are you sure he’s alive?”

  She gingerly touched the ice and closed her eyes. She was trying to make a connection with him. The Elemental was frozen in a block of ice but she could still feel his life force pulsing inside. He was still breathing and surviving somehow. Kian looked over at her as she carefully approached the block of ice. He was desperate to kill him but Rukia was sensing something.

  “What is it?” He asked.

  “This creature is in pain. I can feel it,” she told him, reaching out for him. He held her back. “You can let me go. It’s okay.”

  “That’s an Elemental, Rukia. He may be frozen but he’s still alive. He could hurt you.”

  “He won’t,” she assured him. “He’s in pain. He just wants out of his prison.”

  “I don’t think that’s a smart thing to do. This creature could hurt millions if you broke the ice,” he pointed out. “I think you should step away.”

  “He won’t hurt either of us if we don’t hurt him,” she ignored him and touched the surface of the ice prison. She could feel the energy pulsating off it. Closing her eyes, she tried to make a mental connection with the trapped Elemental. “I want to know how he got in here.”

  Kian looked at the ice and knew it wasn’t normal. “A hunter put them in that prison.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “I’ve known many hunters who fight with ice. One of their favorite things to do is trap Elementals in ice prisons and let them freeze to death over time,” he explained. “This ice isn’t formed from water but chemicals. That’s why it’s glowing like that.”

  She kept her hand on the ice. “I wonder if there’s a way to communicate.”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I want to figure out what really happened. This ice looks like it’s been around for days but this Elemental is still alive. He must be made of strong stuff.”

  “Okay, let’s say you do get him out of his prison. What will you do then?” He asked. “Are you going to take him home or something?”

  “He’s not a pet, Kian. I’m sure he will find his way home…and we can help him,” she motioned him to stay quiet. “Let me try to talk to him.”

  She turned to the Elemental. “Hello. We aren’t here to hurt you. We want to help. Please tell us who you are.”

  The light around the Elemental flashed and she heard something. Who is the stranger with you, my friend? He is not of our kind.

  “I am Rukia and this is Kian. He isn’t an Elemental but he means no harm. You can trust him,” she said. “Please do not be afraid of us.”

  I trust you but not him. I can see that he has blood all over his hands.

  “So do I,” Rukia whispered. “I swear he will not come anywhere close to you. I will do all the talking. I just want to know who did this.”

  A day ago, a hunter found me and froze me in place. It thought I was going to die so easily, but I didn’t. I’ve learned how to survive in the harshest winters so this was nothing. However, I feel short of breath now. I have been trying to break free of my prison and I cannot.

  “Then allow me to break you free,” Rukia said, turning to Kian. “You wouldn’t happen to have something warm on you, would you?”

  Kian bit his bottom lip. “I only have a lighter. I don’t think it’ll be enough to melt that ice.”

  “That’s what I feared,” she sighed. “I’m going to see if I can claw away at the ice. Can you do me a favor and get something to break it apart?”

  “You’ll be left alone over here,” he pointed out.

  “It’s okay. The two of us have an understanding,” she said, looking at the frozen Elemental. “I just need you to find a shop that sells those things and bring me a pick axe or something of that sort. Do you think you can get that?”

  He nodded. “Please be careful with him.”

  “Don’t worry. Neither of us will go anywhere,” to give him some more assurance, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s to keep you warm on this cold night.”

  Kian blushed. “Thank you…I guess.”

  He turned to find a shop where he could get an axe while she turned back to the Elemental. Now it was just the two of them. “I needed him to go away because he doesn’t know about us. It’s better he stays in the dark when it comes to this.”

  What do you mean?

  “I am going to melt the ice a little bit,” she said, touching the ice again and using her fire powers to warm it up. Slowly, it was turning to water and pooling around her feet. She began to feel the Elemental breathing down on her. “You’ll be out of there in no time!”

  Will he come back?

  “He might, but he won’t hurt you,” she said out loud. “He’s with me. I don’t make friends with anyone that I think is a threat.”

  He doesn’t scare you?

  “No. He’s my friend,” she said, wondering if she really meant that or if they were more than that. “He never hurt me. I will make sure he doesn’t hurt you.”

  Do you know why we are hunted?

  “Yes. The world fears us,” she went on. “Ever since we were born, they see us as a threat. If we can’t control our powers, then they will do what they can to get rid of us. That’s why hunters rose up. They were afraid to lose to us.”

  That’s right. If your human friend is unaware of us, you need to tell him the truth.

  “Oh, he knows about Elementals already. They’ve been teaching humans more about us,” she lied. She didn’t want to reveal that Kian was secretly a hunter. “He’s not unaware of the current situation here.”

  Very well. I wish to go home before he returns though. I will tell you more about my situation at another time.

  “What time would that be?”

  It will be a time when we will meet again. Rest assured, that will happen. All you have to do is sit and wait.

  Slowly, the ice started to melt and the Elemental finally collapsed to the ground. Rukia helped him sit up and tried to get him warm. He was shivering as he leaned into her. “Th…th…thank you. I owe you.”

  “Please don’t say anything else. You need to get somewhere warm,” she said. “Save your thanks for later. I know of an inn that’s right across the street. I want you stay there and get warm until you feel well enough. I’d take you there myself but I need to wait for my friend. If he notices both of us gone, then he’ll become suspicious.”

  “Why are you doing this?” The Elemental asked.

  “There’s no time to explain anything. I want you to go,” she whispered, pushing him towards the inn. �
��Go home to your family after you get warmed up. I will distract him.”

  “Thank you again.”

  “Please don’t thank me anymore. Just leave,” she motioned him to run because she knew that Kian would come back soon. She wanted him to survive long enough so he could get warm and then well enough to go home. When the time came, she would find him again and find out his story. She was sorry that she had to deceive Kian like that but she didn’t want him to get this Elemental. He wasn’t going to get him.

  Kian came back in time to see that the Elemental was gone. “Where did he go?”