Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1)

by M. J. Austin

  He’s disappointed. “I could have sworn it was…" he stops abruptly. "I have a better idea. You were working through things in your mind, not focusing on the plant. You were focusing on solving a puzzle, so to speak. Try to think about a problem."

  I turn back to the plant. Why am I placating him? OK, so what problem should I think of? This is stupid. I had other things to worry about, like where I’m going to live. I guess being a ward of the state won’t be too bad, or maybe I can emancipate… Crash! The plant falls again and this time I see it.

  My eyes must be bugging out of my head because he laughs a little when I look at him. How in the world did that just happen? The plant literally grew a foot making its top too heavy to stand up straight. I start hyperventilating, "Oh my god, how did I do that? What’s wrong with me? I am a freak, aren't I?"

  He puts his hands on my shoulder. "Breath, this is normal."

  I cut in, "On what level do you think any of this is normal? My parents were murdered, I'm the offspring of mythical beings, and in a random dude’s house making a plant fricking grow!"

  He waits until my rant is out. "This is normal for someone like you, now just breath. I wonder…" he muses more to himself.

  "You wonder what?"

  "Nothing. It’s not important right now, what’s important is you have a…" he searches for a word "…skill that we need to keep under control. You might be able to use it to your advantage. We will have to come up with a plan of attack to keep you safe. But first, I'm starving, how about you?"

  My growling stomach answers for me.

  Chapter

  11

  "The main thing I am having trouble with," I say around a double bacon cheeseburger, "is why me. Say I believe you, and I am, in fact, the offspring of Persephone and Hades, I am not a threat. I am a normal teen with teen problems like calculus and acne. Why are two crazy people after me and why did they kill my parents?"

  "One question at a time." He pops a ketchup soaked fry into his mouth. "One question is easier to answer than the other. The two crazy… people… as you call them, killed your parents because they wouldn’t give you up. Simple as that. As far as you being a threat, that’s more complex; even I don’t have all the answers. One thing we do know, is you can influence plant life when you work out problems."

  "That’s not true. I don’t think it’s about working on problems. I think it’s when my emotions are on high volume. I wasn’t thinking just about a problem the second time. I was more panicking because I wasn’t sure where I was going to live now that my parents are gone, and I have no relatives. That’s when it happened. When my emotions reached top level."

  "Oh, you have relatives; a horde of them actually." He snickers.

  "OK, let me rephrase Mr. Smarty Pants, I have no relatives that I can suggest to the state rather than foster care. Wait what do you mean ‘people as you call them’?"

  "Well, they aren't actually people, surely you knew that. You said you knew a little bit about mythology."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Cerberus and Caelano aren't human."

  I’m starting to get a headache. "I saw them they looked like people, abnormally beautiful people, but people none the less." But those names Cerberus… Cerberus… "Holy crap! So you mean to tell me that the Cerberus, the one I met in the library, is the same three-headed demonic pit bull from the legend? Shut the front door, there’s no way."

  "Yes, and Caelano, she is a harpy. And what do we know about harpies?"

  My eyes bulge as realization hit. "They stink, like really stink. I thought she just ate something nasty. OK, so why do they look like people then?"

  He rolls his eyes. "How would you react if you saw a three-headed dog walking down main street?"

  "Point taken."

  "Besides, you can only see their true forms when they want you to. You know that shimmer they have around them? Those are the edges of their glamor. You could see it because you are not mortal."

  "OK, so why are they after me now? Why not any other time in the past sixteen years?"

  "That’s a little more complex. You had a guardian for those years, and you were under his shield. The only reason they found you at the library, is because you didn’t have a guardian. Once you chose to leave with me, you placed your trust in me, accepting me your new guardian."

  "But still, if they wanted me they could have come to my father at any point. Why now?"

  "That, I am still not sure about. It’s possible he just now found out who your guardian was or something else has changed to force him to seek you out."

  That thought scares me.

  "How do you know my biological father is Hades?"

  "Your dad. He left a sort of plan of action with the Terentia in case anything happened to him."

  "Makes sense. OK, how can I hear you and him in my head?" It still sounds crazy.

  "You can hear me in your head because I am your guardian. And you could hear your dad because he was your guardian. It allows us to communicate with each other if we cannot do so out loud for some reason."

  "Can you do it all the time?"

  "I suppose so."

  I focus on trying to talk to him through my mind. I feel like I’m trying to perform a Jedi mind trick or something. Can you hear me now?

  He answers, Yes.

  My phone goes off with a chirp telling me that I have a text. I look at the screen and balk at the 13 missed texts from Lyla.

  Where r u?

  R u ok?

  Mom's gonna call the police!

  Seriously freaking out here!

  They all go on this way. I slide out the keyboard and quickly respond.

  I'm alive… stuff went down tell u l8r.

  I wait.

  OK. I'll keep mom from calling popo, but u need to hurry.

  Crap. I lay my head on the table. "You can't tell her."

  I look up in surprise. "What?"

  "Lyla, you can't tell her anything unless you want her in danger."

  "How did you kn—"

  He cut me off. "You’re a teen girl with a best friend similar to a guard dog. I knew this would happen."

  "But I have to tell her something, or her mom is going to flip and it will make things worse."

  "OK, but only the basics. I can't take on another charge, especially one that doesn't like me."

  I grin, remembering her protecting me from my future protector. "Speaking of.. Why were you staring at me that day at school?"

  I wasn’t sure at first, and I had this feeling like you were in danger. I was going to tell you after school, but your mom pulled up. I got confirmation when the Terentia informed me I would be your new guardian after your dad passed.

  "But you said you didn't know him."

  "I didn’t. But I did know of him. In our histories, he's everywhere. He was probably the best guardian to date and his passing is a tragedy."

  "What? Did you go to like camp half blood or something?"

  He drops his fry and stares at me. "Seriously, I am full-blooded human, you know. There's no such place as camp half blood. There is an elite society of guardians called Terentia. We train much like a traditional army, but we specialize in the protection of gods, demigods, and the sort."

  "Will you take me there? I want to know about my father. James, the guardian, not my biological father."

  "Someday, but now is not the time. We should go deal with your friend before she makes my life harder."

  He walks up front to pay the cashier, and I sit here stunned. My dad, the accountant, was a hero. Wow.

  "You ready?"

  "Yeah." We head out the door into the crisp night air.

  Chapter

  12

  "What are you going to tell her?" Alec asks as we walk out the door.

  "I’m not sure. I don't want to lie because she can see through it, so I'm going to have to keep it to a minimum. Maybe I'll tell her my biological father is a serial killer."

  He chuckles. "Technically th
at is not a lie."

  "Yeah, I know, but it still feels like a lie."

  By the car, there is a homeless man screaming into the night. He looks like those men that stand on the side of the road talking about the end of days, complete with a cardboard sign. As we get closer to him, I can hear bits and pieces. Bright…is…saved. It sounds like total gibberish, so we keep walking. The cardboard sign says; 'she will be saved!'

  Just as we pass him, the homeless man grabs my shoulders. "The Bright Fire is the key. The Bright Fire will save her. The Bright Fire is her only hope."

  Alec grabs the homeless man’s hands and bends them both back with a sickening snap. The man howls out in pain and Alec pulls me along to the passenger side of his car.

  "Why did you break that man’s wrists?"

  "He was harassing you and my job is to keep that from happening."

  "He is a crazy old homeless man screaming about a woman who was going to be saved. How big of a threat could he have been?"

  "I'm not willing to take that chance."

  ~~~~

  At Lyla's house, I go to the door, and Alec is right behind me. "Where do you think you’re going?"

  "With you, of course." He looks at me like I’m an imbecile for not knowing the answer.

  I hold up my hand. "Look, this possessive ‘I’m not letting you out of my sight’ attitude is wearing thin. There is no way Lorraine is going to let you in her house, let alone Lyla’s room. You can wait outside. Right here." I point at the stoop for emphasis.

  "OK, but if I see or hear anything I'm coming in guns blazing."

  My eyes widen and he holds up his hands. "Kidding, kidding. I don’t use guns, relax. But do try to hurry because it’s rude to leave people on door stoops you know."

  I roll my eyes and walk into the house.

  "Delfia Stryker! What the hell happened to you at school today? I got a call from Ms. Thorpe, in a frenzy. She said you and this boy left school early after some sort of tussle. I was worried sick. How could you do that to me?" Lorraine is on a rampage, and if she is a force to be reckoned with in a nightgown, I can’t put words to the scene of her wrath in a business suit.

  "I’m sorry. I wish I could explain it, but I can't right now." I look down.

  "Is this about your parents?"

  I jerk my head up.

  "Because, you know it's normal to lash out after the death of a loved one." Her face softens instantly.

  "Yes. This is about my parents, my real parents. They are trying to get in touch with me, seeing as I don't have any other family. I just needed time to think. I've decided to go back home until I can figure out what I want to do. Thank you so much for letting me stay here, but I don't want to overstay my welcome." I feel sick inside with guilt over lying so well to someone I love so much.

  She looks stunned. I take this moment to run up the stairs to Lyla’s room. I hurry in and shut the door. I’m sure I only have a few minutes before Lorraine attempts to stop me.

  "Hey," I say and move toward her bed. She doesn’t look up. Great. The silent treatment; which means I’m in big trouble. She’s looking down at her phone. "Look, I know I had you worried but some stuff has gone down and I've had a terrible, with a capital T day. I could really use my best friend right now." She continues to stare at the phone, no dice. Time to bring out the big guns; guilt. "Listen, Lyla. Please, please don’t be upset with me. I had to take off, the same people after my parents are after me."

  She jerks her head up, her face full of concern. Gotchya

  "It’s just that I found out who my real parents are today. And believe you me, I did not want to know. To top it off my dad is a psycho that makes Manson and Bundy look like Queen fricking Elizabeth, and I don’t know exactly what to do about it."

  At this point, I stop, and her jaw drops. "What? Your real parents? Really?"

  "Yeah. I mean, I didn’t daydream about them often. But when I did, I dreamt they were doctors or astronauts."

  "Your mom isn't a psycho too, Is she?"

  "No, she’s his prisoner. It’s a long story. Anyways, I have to go. I have to try to make sense of this, and I can’t do it here and put you and your mom at risk. I didn’t exactly tell your mom the truth, so I need you to cover for me. She’ll probably catch on fast, but I just need a little time to sort it out. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

  "Yes. But if your dad is a psycho, shouldn’t we call the police?"

  "They can’t help. Trust me, this is way bigger than that. You are my best friend, and I love you, but I need you to keep this between you and me for your safety. If anybody strange asks if you know me, lie. You’ve never heard of me." I can hear Lorraine banging around downstairs. I have maybe two minutes tops. "Promise me, Lyla."

  "OK, I promise." I give her a deep hug. I fight back tears because I have no idea when I’m going to see her again. But I know I have to get away to keep her safe. I shove the thoughts away and leave through her window. I don’t have it in me to battle Lorraine.

  Chapter

  13

  I slowly climb out of the window. It’s not that far of a drop, and I’ve done it a few times before, but the toe of my Chucks catch on the lip of the trellis and I slip. I wait for my butt to impact with the lawn, but it doesn’t. Instead, I feel strong arms curl around my legs and neck. It’s Alec. I almost forgot he was waiting for me out here. I look up, and he is smirking this heart-stopping grin that did funny things to the rhythm of my pulse.

  "Smooth." He smiles and places my feet on the damp grass.

  "You think so? It’s all in the landing," I say sarcastically.

  I straighten my T-shirt and brush off the non-existent dirt from my knees. I walk towards the car. I want to get away from the feeling his smile gives me and the warmth of his arms around my body.

  "I’m only kidding," he says because the silent treatment bothers to him.

  "I’m not even upset about that." I realize it’s true as I say it. "I’m mostly mad at myself for lying to the only two people I have left that care about me."

  "What am I chopped liver?" He places a hand over his heart as if he is physically wounded.

  "You know what I mean. People who are not bound by some mythological nonsense to protect me."

  "It’s not like that." He scowls.

  "I know, I'm just crabby. I just wish it were still simple like when we were kids, and Lyla would stay the night, and my dad would read us stories. Back then it was so easy and safe. I miss safe."

  "Your dad read to you?"

  "Well sure, didn’t yours?"

  "No." I catch a small glimpse of sadness in his eyes. Before I can question him about it, he deflects. "What did he read to you?"

  "Oh, mostly fairy tales with knights in shining armor and fairy princesses. The usual stuff. Occasionally when it was just him and me and my mom was off at her sister's or something, he would read other stuff. It was like our own little thing that no one else got to share. There is this one about a girl who is a total badass and takes on this monster and saves the day. It was one of my favorites because it wasn’t the same damsel in distress stuff in all the traditional fairy tales like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty." Oh shoot, what was the name? He hasn't read it to me in a long time but how could I forget the name? "Something about a shiny, no, crap there was a girl with a weird name. Bright…. Bright um."

  "Bright Fire," he says softly.

  "Yeah, that’s it!" I jump up. "Oh! Do you think? But no that guy was just a homeless man."

  "At this point, do you honestly believe it is a coincidence?"

  "No, I guess not."

  "Where can we find the book?"

  "I don’t know my house maybe or a library?"

  "I doubt it will be in a library. Something tells me it’s a one of a kind."

  I freeze. "Alec, I'm sorry, but I can't go back there. No way Jose, it's not happening." Panic rises in my throat. How can I go back to the place where my parents ceased to exist? And on a whim hoping for a clu
e from a book no less. "Sorry, you're going to have to do this one on your own Mr. Guardian. I'm not up for this."

  "I wouldn’t know what I'm looking for, and you need to pack some stuff anyways."

  "Pack stuff?" I look at him with curiosity for a minute before he continues.

  "You have no place to go, and I don't have girly stuff to accommodate you at my house. So, unless you want to sleep in boxers and go without a toothbrush, then we have to go." His grin is annoying me. For a second, I swear he sounds hopeful about the boxers part.

  I shake my head to clear the distraction. "Fine but I need to go at my own pace no rushing me. To you this was a fallen hero; to me this was my life, my childhood, and my happiness torn to shreds. Can you manage to muster enough consideration for that?" I snap. I have no idea where that came from. I don't mean to take it out on him, but he's the only person around.

  "Of course, my lady." He bows asking me to lead the way in some medieval tradition. He's trying to break through my crabbiness.

  I smile a fraction and start walking to the car.

  We talk the whole way to my house, or rather I talk about my childhood. I talk about what my parents were like, anything and everything. He seems like he really wants to know, and it feels good to focus on the positive.

  We pull up in front of my walkway. Was it my walkway anymore? What was going to happen to this place? I take a deep breath, and as I look at Alec, his face is understanding and supportive. I turned the knob and open the door.

  Chapter

  14

  The door opens to silence. The kind of eerie silence where you can hear a pin drop. There is no happy man with scruffy hair waiting to greet his two favorite ladies. There is only cold air and faded memories.

  Tentatively I take a step into the foyer and look around. I’m not sure what I think is going to happen. Maybe goblins and ghouls to appear, but to my relief, it’s still silent. I can feel Alec relax imperceptibly next to me, and I know the coast is clear.

  Right down to business. I have a mission, and I need to focus on it to keep me from breaking down.