by Taryn Eason
I imagined myself on a Times Square billboard, inflamed. A witty name for me was plastered below. I was renowned as a real-life superhero, famous for the time I saved the world by... I still couldn’t think of anything. What could I do? My power was burning things. How could that help people in any way? How could I save the world? I guess I could go around and kill the bad people who need to be stopped, all the terrorists and rapists. But how would killing anybody at all make me a hero? In all of the comics and movies, everybody looks up to the hero because he never kills the bad guy. He realizes that no matter how bad his crime is, even the villain deserves to live. Could I be like that? Even if I tried to stop a criminal, he would be left with horrible burn scars for the rest of his life. Would I even be a hero if I put someone through that?
I leaned back and sighed. On my ceiling above me hung paintings and drawings that I had done through the years. The one right above my head was one that I loved more than anything. It was a painting of a streetlight. The sun was out, but the streetlight was still on. I always stared at it and felt strangely connected to it because why would you even need a streetlight when the sun was out? It’s what happened when my art teacher told us to channel our innermost feelings and paint them.
Art was the only thing I was good at. Well, that, and ruining every chance I had. I guess my power reflected that pretty well. All I’d ever done was be selfish and irresponsible and it cost me everything. I used to have real friends. Now the only time anyone ever texts me is to ask me to come to parties. It wasn’t even because they thought I was fun, they just liked that my parents had money and I was willing to spend it on alcohol for everyone. And I never thought anything of it until now, when I was terrified of myself and I needed someone to talk to more than ever, and I knew none of them cared enough to listen.
I missed Madison most of all. She had been my best friend my entire life. But I ruined that too. She was the only person who really seemed to tolerate me. She said she liked how I was always brave enough to do and say what I felt. One time she told me that if an entire crowd was going left, I’d go right. What she wasn’t sure of was if I’d do it because I actually wanted to, or just to spite them. For some reason that always stuck with me.
I missed having her as a friend more than anything, but I was always too stubborn to admit that I had messed up. But that night, laying alone in my room, I felt more alone than ever. No one alive could even come close to relating to me. I thought that I could learn to control my powers, but if these random unwanted incidents kept occurring, I couldn't ever be safe around anyone and the thought of permanent isolation terrified me more than anything. I knew I had to talk to Madison and let her know that I was sorry and how much I needed her.
I honestly just wanted somebody who would tell me that I was going to be okay.
Chapter 3
I struggled with my makeup to hide the bags underneath my eyes. Since I had slept all day, I was up for the entire night. After giving up on fixing my face, I retreated downstairs to get coffee.
“Good morning, sweetie, did you sleep well?” My mother asked from the table.
“Not really, I was up all night.”
“Why? You could have taken something. You don’t have to stay up.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” I replied.
“Okay then. Just let me know if you need anything.”
I looked over at my mother. She was so pretty. She had medium brown skin with black hair in a pixie cut around her face. Her soft brown eyes and high cheekbones made her face a perfect combination of Native American and Caucasian features. I looked a lot like my mother, but with my father’s complexion. I had white skin with long, straight blonde hair and green eyes. Delilah was the exact opposite. She looked more like our father, but with a complexion almost as dark as our mother’s. It was always easier on me not looking like the straight-A valedictorian that every teacher loved.
I noticed that Delilah was gone and asked where she was. “Oh, she left a few minutes ago. She said she wanted to get new seat covers for her car or something.” My dad replied, not looking up from his cell phone. I felt guilty that I was the reason she needed a new seat, but at the same time I was relieved that she didn’t hold it over my head or make me buy it myself. She was much nicer than I would have been if someone had completely ruined the interior of my car.
“Oh yeah, Belle?” My mother said, “A package came in the mail for you. It’s over there on the counter.” She pointed to a brown box.
I realized it was my fireproof underwear. I thanked her as I hurried back up the stairs, box in hand. I would be late for class, but at least this time it was for a good reason.
I pulled the tags off of the clothes, thankful that they weren’t the same color they were on the website. They were black with hot pink accents. They looked and felt like real clothes. I slipped on the bra and panties, both of which fit perfectly. I heated my body to observe how the material reacted. I watched myself in the mirror, noticing how amazing I looked when I was on fire. My pupils were even glowing a bright red, a stark contrast from the green around them. I noticed that if any part of my body was lit, my eyes would be red. I looked terrifying. But at least with clothes on, I looked a little bit more like a superhero and less like a monster. Truthfully, I actually felt empowered. I would definitely have to thank Delilah later.
Even without the risk of accidental nudity, I was overly cautious at school that day, avoiding everyone. Which wasn’t hard, considering that was normal behavior for me. At lunch I finally decided to approach Madison.
She sat at a table with the rest of my old friends. I still would see the rest of them if they acted like decent human beings. I’m pretty sure Aaron Wilkes is still offended I never replied to his “wanna hookup?” text. The rest just prefer not to hang out with a “slut” like me. As I approached the table, I felt an urge to walk away and forget about it. However, my overwhelming loneliness forced me to continue.
“Hey,” I mumbled awkwardly as I sat down across from Madison. I could feel their judgment burning into me.
They all just stared at me wordlessly, so I decided to start. “Madison, can I speak to you, alone? I really need to talk to you.”
Being so open didn’t feel right on me.
“No. Whatever you have to say, you can say it here.” She seemed adamant. I guess I had to apologize in front of everybody.
I sighed, hiding my embarrassment. “Look, I’m sorry. I was a terrible friend and I realize that. I would really appreciate it if you could forgive me and we could move on and be friends again.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “What do you want from me? Why do you suddenly want me to be your friend again?”
I had no straight answer. “I’m just going through some really big stuff and I really need a friend right now.” That sounded vague enough.
She scoffed. “’Big stuff?’ What, are you pregnant or something?” A few people at the table snickered.
No doubt she said that for everyone around me. Despite my terrible reputation, I was actually still a virgin. She used to make so many jokes about it. As okay as I was with kissing boys, having sex was a completely different story. I couldn’t imagine being so open, exposed, and vulnerable. There was no one who I was comfortable with enough to completely open myself up to, and she knew it. She knew it and she still said that, just to make fun of me.
I looked at her unsympathetic smirk. Realizing for the first time that all of our years of friendship meant nothing hurt more than anything. I couldn’t keep up my ruse and I was positive she could see the cracks in my armor as I replied in a wounded voice, “Madison, you know me.”
“Yeah, Maybelle, I do know you. And that’s why I don’t want to be around you. Every single thing you do is for yourself. I know that if I agreed, you would just use me for whatever you wanted and toss me aside, just like you’ve done to everyone else.”
I could feel my temperature rising, but I tried to force myself to simmer down. I had to clo
se my eyes and take deep breaths to calm down. I knew I looked like an idiot, but I really didn’t want to explode.
Madison stood up. For once, she seemed genuinely concerned. “Dude, are you okay?”
I exhaled and opened my eyes. “No,” I replied and walked away before she could pry further.
I kept walking, out of the cafeteria and down the hallway. I felt like a time bomb, and I needed to be away from people when my timer is up. I was almost to the exit when a teacher saw me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Mr. Martin asked in that terrible tone that teachers get when they know they are about to get the chance to assert their authority.
I didn’t have time to deal with this. “Just let me go.”
His reaction told me that my eyes were probably red again. “O-okay.” He stammered before abruptly turning and left.
I continued. I got to the parking lot and realized I didn’t trust myself to not ruin my car. Unlike Delilah, my parents wouldn’t just give me the money to fix something I screwed up. Delilah just walked up to our dad and said something like “Hey, I need to get new seats for my car, I accidentally messed mine up.” And no doubt he just handed her the money with no complaints. If I tried that, I would get the “We knew you were going to mess something up.” And the “Why can’t you be more like your sister?” rants. I swear, it’s like they wanted me to turn out like this. Eighteen, no college plans, and at risk of killing everyone around me. Thanks Mom and Dad.
Not wanting to go home, I kept walking. I noticed I was starting to wander into the bad side of town, but I didn’t mind. I’d love to see what would happen if someone tried to mug me. At this point, I dared them to.
I realized exactly where I was going. Aunt Winona’s greenhouse. I knew it would be deserted. She was a shut-in, so I didn’t think anyone ever visited. I wondered what would happen to the greenhouse now that she was gone. Would it get repossessed by the bank, or did she leave it to someone? Since her funeral was tomorrow, I guessed I would find out then.
My mind returned to Madison. I was admitting I was wrong and wanting to change and she just made fun of me. And everyone was watching. And everyone laughed at me. Was my reputation really that bad? I mean, I know after I made out with her boyfriend, she made up some pretty terrible stories about me, but just what had she been saying? I remembered how she told all of our other friends that I had slept with their boyfriends and told her not to tell anyone about it. In a small town where rumors travel quickly, that made me not only lose all of my existing friends, but also the possibility of making any new ones.
Then my mind came to a wonderful conclusion. I didn’t need her friendship. I was a terrible person, but so was she. At least I was trying to change. I mean, it was a pretty big wake-up call finding out the “essence of who I am” is fire, the epitome of destruction. But what if I would get a better power for being a good person? What if it was like a video game, and the more good things you did levelled you up into something nicer? What if I could trade my villain power for a hero one? Maybe I could get the power of telekinesis. Being able to move things with my mind could definitely help people. I could even throw Madison off of a bridge if she crossed me again. But that kind of logic was what gave me my current powers.
I reached the greenhouse, unzipped the side door, and walked in. The entire building was made of green plastic, so there were no locks. I guess no one wanted to steal flowers. I inhaled the earthy smell as I walked the aisles, feeling of the leaves. They didn’t feel as dry as I imagined they would, but then again, it had only been two days.
I approached the spot where Aunt Winona last laid. She had so much faith in Delilah, not even going to the hospital because she wanted to make sure that she passed on her powers to her. As for me, well, she told me I should leave the room. Too bad her powers couldn’t make me leave. I never asked for the powers, and frankly, I didn’t even want them. I wanted Delilah to have to deal with them. I wanted her to try to go public with whatever her powers were and then get rejected by society for the first time in her life.
But truthfully, I was actually glad I got them instead of Delilah. After all, she was my sister and I wouldn’t wish anything that bad on her. I just knew that I could handle it better. She was used to everything good being thrown her way. Such a change would send her into shock. She was so likeable that even I had a hard time finding something to dislike about her. I’m not even sure I hate anything about her, I was just jealous of everything she is. She was smart, pretty, and a genuinely good person. I was pretty, and I’d like to think I was also smart; I just lacked the motivation to do anything in school. I simply didn’t care.
Too bad that’s where our similarities ended. I had done enough to know that I wasn’t even close to being the good person that she is so effortlessly. I would love to be, but so far I had screwed up every single chance I’d been given. But in my defense, I was trying to change. I knew I had to. Winona didn’t even give me the chance to have these powers, but I was still trying my best not to screw it up. If I got careless, it could cost someone else their life, and the fallout from that would only come back on me.
I idly felt the leaves on the plant beside me. I had no idea what type it was, but I felt such a familiar energy in the room coming from the plants. It was strange. I couldn’t help but feeling like I set them on fire. It was the same warm supernatural feeling. It was probably because my aunt had used her powers to make them grow. Apparently the power still resided in them, even after her death. I remembered how she had so much faith in Delilah, but none in me. How did she know that I wasn’t as good a person as Delilah was? I had only ever seen her at family events. She didn’t even know me. What makes her think she could judge me like that?
I felt my hands start to heat up, so I wrapped them tightly around a leaf, attempting to burn through her power out of spite. It wouldn’t burn, which only made me angrier. I realized that her power inside of the plant was preventing it from burning. But there was no way that she was stronger than I was. She was so quiet, so reserved, so afraid of people. I mean, her power was only making plants grow.
Mine was pure fire.
I should be able to burn this entire place down. There was no way that plant magic could stop me. I focused harder. I felt my shirt and pants burn off, but I didn’t care. For the first time, I felt my power flowing through my veins. My skin had turned from red to white with a bluish tint. As the plant burst into flames, I felt like the strongest person in the world. Then I felt pride in knowing that I actually was. I ran through the aisles, setting plant after plant on fire, burying my aunt for once and for all.
In that moment, I was happier than I had been in a while. I felt a primal sense of joy in marking my territory in my own special way. As I inhaled the smoke from the greenhouse burning, I had never felt more at home. I was Maybelle Lewis, the girl who was made of fire. It was the very essence of who I was: powerful, beautiful, and unpredictable. Sure, I had flaws, but they were insignificant in the big picture.
The plastic on the roof started to melt and the smoky night sky became visible. My head fell from the clouds and back into reality. I hadn’t realized I had been in the greenhouse for so long. I needed to get back to my car and back home. Not to mention that somebody had probably seen the fire and called the fire department. The last thing I needed was the police to question me for arson and accidentally discover what I was. I looked down, remembering my clothes had melted away and I was reduced to a sports bra and panties. At least the panties were cut so that they could kind of pass as shorts. Kind of. I sighed as I realized I would have to walk through town like this. I couldn’t think of a way out. Even if I called someone for a ride, what believable explanation would I have? And one that wouldn’t pin me to the greenhouse would be even harder to think up.
I raised my head and headed for the back door. I was so unbelievably drained. I didn’t even question if my power had a limit, but I could definitely tell that it did. I felt like passing out.
The walk home was going to be torture. I breathed slowly and prepared for it. Thankfully, the ceiling burned before the walls so that no one saw me inside. My hand melted through the plastic at my touch, so I pushed the door open by its metal lining. There was a small alleyway between the greenhouse and my aunt’s house, which made it easier for me to leave without detection. I scanned the area carefully, and when I didn’t see anyone nearby, I proceeded to exit. In an effort to get away as soon as possible, I began to run, thinking that I might actually pull this off.
Then I felt someone grab my arm and pull me back. They slung me into the house and my head cracked against the brick wall. I tried to stare back at my attacker, but my vision blurred and my head ached.
“What are you doing here?” A rough voice asked.
“N-nothing.” I stammered. I felt completely frozen. As I refocused my eyes, in the dark alley, the only identifying features I could see were his dark skin and a beanie with black hair poking through it. His eyes, even though barely visible, were filled with so much hate that I instinctively cowered.
“Bullshit!” He shouted as he slammed me against the wall again. “Why did you burn down the greenhouse?”
I felt his firm grip digging into my shoulders. Struggling to regain my orientation, I managed enough strength to light my hands a bit. “Let go of me!” I yelled back as I grabbed his wrists.