Awakening of Fire

by Holly Hook

  We came up for air.

  “If I kill you,” Sven said, “it will be with kisses. Is that okay, Felicia?”

  I took a breath. The world spun.

  I had just shared a forbidden kiss with Sven Olsen.

  And that made it taste so much better.

  “Yes,” I said. “It's okay.”

  “Good night, Felicia,” Sven said. He let go of me, leaving the gentle pressure of his hand on my hip. “I'll see you soon. Please, stay safe. We can't tell our families about this. It has to stay a secret.”

  I trembled. My heart raced.

  We were enemies by birth.

  If I went into this, I'd go into yet another lie.

  “Good night,” I said.

  He smiled. “Good night.”

  And then I watched him turn and run.

  * * * * *

  By the time I got in the house, the sundaes were getting to be in pathetic shape. But Principal Adler had left. My parents had chased her off.

  They wanted to keep me as I was for a while longer. When I set the sundaes on the kitchen table, Mom closed the cabinet door and looked at me from the corner of her eye. I tried not to look, but I could detect the fear and the worry in her eyes.

  And grief.

  Mom loved having me around and she feared losing me. To the coming changes or to a Slayer, I couldn't be sure. Maybe it was both.

  Now that I thought about it, Mom couldn't be a dragon. She ate like a rabbit. And both my parents had aged since I was a child. Mom had wrinkles around her eyes while Dad was graying around the temples. Principal Adler hadn't undergone any of that. Who else in town seemed forever young?

  “Sorry these are in bad shape,” I said, relieved. “It's just so hot out there. I had to eat my cone on the way home since it would have ended up on my hand. I tried to wait until the sun started setting, but--”

  “We understand,” Mom said.

  “Is something wrong?”

  She opened another cabinet and rummaged through, looking at nothing in particular. “We're tired. Thank you for the ice cream. Principal Adler decided to go home early. And thank you for finishing up on the picking.”

  Dad stepped into the kitchen from the living room. He grabbed his sundae. “Don't go out near nightfall anymore, and if you go out during the day, take a friend or two with you.”

  “Why?”

  Instead of giving me freedom, they were tightening the reins even more. They didn't want me to leave. My parents didn't want to lose the child they'd adopted seventeen years ago. They wanted me to stay human-like forever. It was no wonder they hadn't freaked when I put out the grease fire with my hand. But now they knew I was vulnerable to the Slayers for the next few months.

  And they knew what I'd become after that.

  In a few months, I would—

  “You know about the violent incident at your school,” Dad said. “The stabbing.”

  “It was with a fork,” I said. “A plastic one. It looked like that kid was trying to break away from her.”

  “It was still a violent incident,” Dad said. “You'll go to school with Tasha or another friend from now on if you decide not to take the bus. Dirk might be another good person to walk with you, too. Call him tonight.”

  I cringed for more than one reason. Sven's kiss lingered on my lips right along with his taste. He was a guy of the world. Dirk was great and all, but he'd remain in Olivia for life, running the local paper. Sven was right about that. And it was no longer necessary to play the jealousy game.

  Dad continued. “And you will also walk home with a friend. And if you take the bus, I'll drive you to the edge of the farm to wait for it.”

  Unbelievable. Heat flushed again, filling my body. “Whatever next? Are you going to hold my hand, too? Maybe Mommy and Daddy can walk me to school while holding both.” I felt as if a monster were waking within. The heat intensified. I wanted the walls to go up in flames. The temperature in the room rose a few degrees.

  Mom and Dad looked at each other. The tension in the room thickened. Mom bit her lip. Dad took a step back. They silently debated whether to just tell me already. I wasn't acting reasonable. They were trying to do their best in a horrible situation. But the heat inside me built until I felt as if my skin would catch fire.

  Fire magic.

  I let out a breath, forcing the heat back. If I set something on fire—

  “I'll go let Tasha and Dirk know,” I said, shaking. I had to choose between that and sitting in my dad's truck, waiting for the bus every morning.

  Mom let out her own sigh. “Thank you, sweetie. We worry about you.”

  A lump formed in my throat. “I know you do.”

  I called Tasha first and told her I could no longer go to school alone. That was humiliating enough.

  “I wish I could come and get you,” she said, “but I'd have to drive across town twice a day and that would run down my gas before I could refill the tank. Plus, the Zombie just made a new noise.”

  I tried not to let my disappointment slip through. “Okay. Understandable.” I thought of the mall trips, which were twenty miles each way. Maybe Tasha's funds had gotten tighter. It happened sometimes.

  Dirk said he'd be happy to walk to school with me the next day. He lived on the next road over, near our tiny printing press, and told me over text he'd be at the end of my driveway the next morning. To avoid getting his hopes up too much, I told him it was my parents' suggestion. Embarrassing, but I had to choose between two awkward situations. I decided I'd rather not complicate things between me and Sven any more than they already were.

  After that, focusing on homework was impossible. Every time I got my mind on Mrs. Cornea's Lit questions and the Beowulf report we had to write, a bubble of panic exploded and popped. I tried to hold the memory of Sven's kiss in my mind to calm the storm, but without him here, it was no use.

  And when I slept, my nightmares filled with towering piles of treasure, burning braziers, and a knight in black armor trying to stab me through the heart.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dirk talked my ear off all the way to school. He talked about our plans for Journalism Club as if he didn't know what else he could discuss. The guy was trying his best, so I nodded and pretended to listen. It wasn't as if I wanted to be rude but I wasn't with it today.

  I felt no better since sleeping.

  Now I was one day closer to the most terrifying event of my life and I wasn't prepared in any way, shape or form.

  I eyed my hands every few minutes to make sure nothing had changed. What would I notice as it got closer?

  “So, tomorrow you're meeting us at the press, right?”

  “Right,” I said. I had almost forgotten about my hidden job. “Look, I'm not supposed to work outside the farm, just FYI, so I'll keep this under wraps from my parents. Is there any way I can work before the sun rises? How early can I get there?” My family might run a farm, but Dad didn't insist on us getting up before dawn. All we had were chickens, and we didn't have to get up with them.

  And Mom had cooked no eggs this morning. I was starving. Breakfast had been hash browns and more veggie bacon.

  “That won't be a problem,” Dirk said. “I couldn't imagine your parents having issues over working with us. I'll show you the best delivery route in the morning.”

  “You haven't seen them at their worst,” I said, upping my pace.

  “True,” Dirk said. “I'm sure you'll be fine. Maybe we can deliver papers together to speed it up? That way, you'll have time to get back to your house.” He smiled again.

  “Maybe,” I said, thinking of Sven.

  The heat didn't return.

  Tasha was just parking the Zombie when we got to class. She got out of her car and looked me and Dirk over as we walked across the parking lot. The Zombie settled, making ticking noises as the exhaust cooled.

  She'd want answers about this later. A curious gleam formed in her eyes as she flicked her gaze from Dirk to me. Tasha gave me a
nod, and I took the opportunity to get away from him. I waved as we split.

  “Sorry about the ride thing,” she said, hiking up her purse. “It's just that they raised the price of gas, you know?”

  “I get it,” I said. Right now, I didn't even want to be around Tasha. It wasn't as if I could tell her that I had a target on my back for every Slayer who carried one of those Gems. Then I'd have to spill all the things I'd heard through the door.

  “Tell,” she ordered. “Dirk. Now you're eyeballing him?”

  “I wasn't eyeballing him.”

  “He's totally in love with you.”

  “Hey, it was him or wait in the truck with my dad for the school bus. Dirk's kind of my friend, but I don't think he's ever going to be more than that.”

  “Harsh,” Tasha said. “They're never going to give you your freedom.”

  I opened my locker. “Well, I start work tomorrow, so that's a start, right?”

  “I suppose.” Tasha straightened out her blouse.

  My body filled with heat again. What was wrong with me? I gripped the locker door and squeezed it as hard as I could, trying to channel my anger into it. My arm trembled, but it worked. I let out a breath as my body cooled.

  “Um, Felicia? You look a little too stressed.”

  “I just realized I haven't finished the Beowulf report yet,” I said. “That old language is a pain.”

  “I agree. It's too bad we won't get to hear that Sven read anymore. He was to die for. But we have the whole weekend to write, so there's no need for you to worry.”

  “Forgot,” I admitted.

  Sven, of course, hadn't returned to class. I wondered what he was doing right now, and how hard he was grieving for his cousin. He had no idea he'd kissed the girl who had killed him. If he did, he wasn't showing it.

  Or he just didn't want to consider the truth.

  Neither did I. That made two of us, right?

  Those thoughts dominated my classes right along with lunch. Tasha and I sat with Dirk, Becca and Yasmin (at her insistence) and I tried to listen to their gossip, but it was no use.

  I shouldn't have kissed the sizzling hot, well-built, perfect Swedish Slayer. This wouldn't end well for either of us.

  But I couldn't resist.

  I needed him and didn't know who I had to avoid to make it happen.

  Except for one person.

  We sat in Money Management, waiting for the final bell to dismiss us, when the office PA beeped.

  Principal Adler spoke in her usual upbeat tone. “I would like to inform you all that Bus Seven will be five minutes late this afternoon, so please wait. The Girls' Soccer Team will play in Arlandia this weekend, so show your support for Olivia High and please attend. Proceeds from the game will go to the local animal shelter.” She paused. “Felicia Bonns, will you please see me in my office before you leave today?”

  I gripped my desk as everyone in our small class looked at me.

  The PA switched off.

  I took a breath. Principal Adler wouldn't tell me anything I didn't already know and at least she would tell me the truth, unlike my parents. I'd have to fake shock, but given that I was already in that state, it wouldn't be hard.

  The bell rang, and I got up to go get this out of the way. I visited my locker before Dirk could find me and headed into the office, palms sweating. He'd have to wait.

  Principal Adler shelved binders as I stepped into the office.

  “Can you close the door?” She flashed me a smile.

  I did. The room felt smaller suddenly, like a cave.

  “Let's wait for the school to clear before we talk,” she said.

  “My parents want me to take the bus home,” I said.

  “I don't think they're taking the correct approach to your coming maturity,” she said.

  “I agree.”

  Principal Adler continued to shelve stuff as I stood there, waiting. The school cleared and the warning bell rang to announce that the buses would depart within the next minute. “I'm in your corner, Felicia,” she said.

  Here stood the woman who had chained Sven to the brazier.

  Who had gone to get the other dragons.

  Who knew she was condemning a young man to death.

  Who just might have been doing it to protect me.

  She faced me and swallowed. Even mature dragons suffered from nerves, then.

  “There's more to Olivia than you think,” she continued. “And more to you. You have a greater future here than you know. You're important. The farm isn't the only thing waiting.”

  “Important?”

  “You'll see,” Principal Adler said. “Can you follow me?”

  “Sure. But if I miss the bus, I have to walk home with someone--”

  “I'll tell your parents where you are," Principal Adler said. “Let them take it up with me.”

  My excuses were evaporating like the river. I studied Adler's eyes for the terrifying red glow, but it stayed absent. So once the halls were clear, and she looked up and down the main one, she motioned for me to follow.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, following.

  “Things are dangerous, Felicia,” she said. “There are people out there who want nothing more than to destroy our kind. One got spotted at the shopping center last week in Arlandia."

  I choked up. She knew about Sven's cousin. Of course. She'd mentioned it to my parents yesterday and already asked me about the story. My parents knew I might have killed. I hadn't thought about that until now. It was no wonder grief filled Mom's eyes last night.

  “Shopping center?”

  She held me with a serious look as we walked. “He was a Slayer, Felicia. They're very dangerous. Someone killed him and now they know for certain we have a lair in the area. What's more, a scout has already gotten into it and escaped."

  She meant Sven. And she was leaving out that he hadn't wanted to go down there. And it sounded as if she didn't know I'd helped him escape.

  "He'll tell the other Slayers and they'll move into the area soon enough. It's vital you mature as soon as possible. We need all the help we can get to stop them."

  We were headed to the basement door.

  To the caves.

  I stopped in the hallway. “Mature?” Sven mentioned it would happen. Now Principal Adler wanted to force it.

  I wished Dirk would show up and tell me we needed to walk home. But there was no luck. He must have been waiting for me outside or by my usual exit doors near the Biology classroom. He wouldn't figure things out for minutes. I was supposed to be in the office and everyone knew.

  “You're not like most of Olivia's residents, Felicia. You're so much more. And there's no reason to be afraid,” Principal Adler said, gripping the handle of the door. “We might bring you to full maturity today since I suspect your powers are awakening. I'll warn you it will be a big change. Follow me and don't panic. You must stay hidden for a week or two as you adjust, but I will excuse your absence during that time.”

  I froze in the hallway as Sven's warning swirled through my head.

  The caves.

  Principal Adler was taking me down there for the worst. Could the dragons force me to mature faster?

  She had no idea a family of Slayers had bought the Treasure Water Company and that I might be in the caves when they attacked. Not only was I going to face the full horror of my origins, but I might have to fight and kill Sven's father—or maybe even Sven himself, if the head of the family made dragon slaying a family affair. The old man would want him to prove himself.

  “I know this all sounds confusing, but I promise you have an important role to play,” she continued. “You're more valuable than you think.”

  I couldn't go.

  But there were only two ways to accomplish that.

  Tell Principal Adler that Sven's family owned the water company and suspected they had the right cave system. Then she'd roast them all.

  Or I could run.

  I bolted down the hall.
/>   “Felicia! I didn't mean to scare you,” Principal Adler said, giving chase.

  I pumped my legs harder. Farm work had made me athletic, but it was clear from the sound she was catching up.

  “Come back. You don't understand."

  I was abandoning Principal Adler to danger.

  But I couldn't go back.

  I rammed my shoulder into the exit door, bursting into the sun.

  But Principal Adler gripped my shirt and pulled me back with great force.

  "Felicia!" Her voice dropped to an unnatural growl as she lost her composure. "You're coming down to the caves. There's no choice about it right now."

  I faced her. The faint red glow had returned to her eyes. As if realizing I'd seen, Principal Adler shook her head and blinked. I tried to pull away, but she kept the back of my shirt in her grasp. I was caught in the grip of a monster.

  "Let go!" I shouted, voice echoing across the empty parking lot. Another rush of heat filled me. Savage electricity pumped through my body. I felt as if I couldn't contain it.

  And then a burst of wind snapped across the concrete. It blasted against us both, throwing Principal Adler against the now-closed double doors of the school. I remained standing as my hair whipped into my face. The sky darkened. Adler gasped as her arms splayed out on the doors.

  She couldn't pull them off. The wind was so strong that it held her in place.

  But it wasn't pushing me. It made my tank top snap, made my jeans press against my legs, but it didn't threaten to knock me over.

  A single raindrop struck my forehead.

  And then another. Thunder cracked. Clouds had filled the blue sky in a matter of seconds.

  The sky opened, letting the first rain in months hammer down.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The impossible deluge continued as I pumped my legs, taking advantage of the distraction to get away from Principal Adler. The wind died down. I hadn't expected her to take me to the caves yet. What I thought she'd do was sit me down and explain, as gently as she could, my real origins and what would happen in a few months.

  I hadn't expected her to go dragon mode on me.