Warm, giant hands pick me up off the cobblestone ground, and I’m jolted out of a deep sleep. My eyes pop open. I let out a screech.
A teenage boy with piercing, blue eyes holds me in his arms; his face and arms are covered in a thick layer of ash. “I’m sorry to wake you, but we must go now.”
“Who are you?” I ask him, but I don’t care about the answer when I see my surroundings. Twenty foot yellow and orange flames surround us, threatening to consume all in its path. My mouth hangs open in shock, and my heart beats fast. “What the hell is going on? Where’s my brother?”
The boy mutters, looking into my eyes, “Calm down, miss. Your brother is over there.” He points through the flames, yet I can’t see anything past them. “We need to get away from the fire first.”
I scan the area. All I see is flames. “How are we gonna do that?” I bite my bottom lip, holding back tears. I don’t want to die. I’m too young.
“I’m gonna run through them,” he states as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. “Hold on tight.”
“No! You can’t do that,” I exclaim, shaking my head multiple times. Does he want to die?
“You’ll be fine,” he says. Without waiting for a response, he stretches his legs and takes a deep breath.
I grip onto the boy’s shirt as if my life depended on it. Then heat pours over my body as he steps through the flames. I expect to be burned to death, but not one inch of my skin is burned.
My mind races with thoughts. I can’t think straight. What just happened? Why am I not dead? Is he human? I’ve never seen anyone with his ability before. He’s invincible to the thing that most people are scared of.
I must be dreaming. I pinch myself, but my surroundings don’t change. This is really happening. This boy carried me through flames, and neither of us were injured.
The boy puts me down on the ground and places both hands on my shoulders. “Miss, are you alright? You’re very pale,” he comments, tilting his head.
I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. I don’t know what to say. I’m in pure shock.
All of a sudden my older brother Theo comes from out of the observing crowd and hugs me. His arms are wrapped around me so tight I think my bones will break. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he says. “I was worried.” He pulls away and looks at me. “Are you okay?” He snaps his fingers in front of my face. “Harlow—”
Interrupting him, a policeman and paramedic rush up to us, while a group of firefighters attempt to extinguish the massive fire.
“Is anyone hurt?” the paramedic asks as he observes our bodies, which are clad in ash.
He places an instrument I’ve never seen before on my chest and tells me to take a deep breath. After a few rounds, he says, “Your airways are clear, and your heart sounds good.”
Next, he does the same procedure to the boy and Theo. Thankfully they are good to go, too.
“I don’t know how you are all not coughing,” the paramedic says. “The ashes are thick.”
In the meantime, the policeman shoos the crowd away. Then he takes out a notepad and asks the boy, “What’s your name, son?”
“Casimir,” he says. His voice is monotonous, and his lips are pressed in a straight line. Is he nervous?
“Okay. What are your names?” the policeman asks my brother and me.
“I’m Theodore Stewart, and this is my sister Harlow,” he responds, an arm draped over my shoulders.
Even though he can’t hear me, I thank Theo in my mind for answering for me. I’m not in the mood to talk. I really want to leave this place and cry in peace, though.
The policeman scribbles on his notepad and turns his attention toward the boy who saved me. “How did you do it, boy? You’re a hero.”
“I’m sorry, but I must go,” Casimir says. He bows his head and gives us one last look. “Goodbye. Try not to get into trouble.” Without another word, he scurries off in the opposite direction of the fire.
The policeman furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “That was weird. Do you know anything about that boy?”
I shake my head, and Theo states, “I’ve never seen him before today.”
The policeman rubs his forehead and sighs. “Well, my boys and I will have to do an investigation. Anyway, how did he save you, Miss Stewart?” He keeps his pen close to his notepad, eager for answers.
“I don’t know,” I say, forcing the words out of my mouth. My voice is shaky, and my throat is dry. I’m in desperate need of a cup of water.
“Hmm. Okay. Did you see how the fire started?” he asks.
I shake my head again. I wish I knew how it started.
Theo says, “No, sir.”
The policeman rubs his chin in contemplation. I’m not sure if he believes our answers. “Really? The fire was the largest I have ever seen…why were you two in the middle of the alley?”
“We live here,” Theo explains. “We’re peasants.”
“Interesting. I would have thought the people nearest to the fire would know how it happened,” the policeman mutters. “It seems like no one knows how the fire started.” He scratches his chin. “Where are your parents?”
“We don’t have parents,” Theo says. “We’re orphans.”
He closes his notepad. “Very well. Thank you for your time. Both of you run along. We can take care of this.” He waves his hands at us and trudges toward the fire.
The fire has grown by two feet, threatening to burn nearby houses. No doubt people are evacuating their homes to stay safe.
Theo mutters, “Hey, Harlow, let’s go get you washed up, okay?”
I nod my head and follow him through the town square.
“You’re safe, Harlow. You don’t need to be scared anymore,” he says as he walks. He gestures up at the deep purple sky and adds, “Just look at the stars. I know they calm you down.”
Sure, the stars will calm me down, but they won’t make me less traumatized about the fire.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I stop in my tracks and breathe deeply. Tears fill my eyes, and I let them fall down my cheeks.
Theo notices me crying and hugs me again. I bawl my eyes out like a baby into his chest. Thank goodness the streets of Mellia are desolate at this hour.
“I know that was scary for you,” he says, patting my sun bleached hair. “I was scared too. I tried to get you away from the flames, but they were surrounding you in a tight circle. I’m grateful Casimir saved you.”
“Me too,” I mumble, my voice muffled. “I can’t believe that happened to me of all people.” I pull away from him and wipe the tears off my face. “How did that fire even start? We’re the only ones who live in the alley.”
“I don’t know, but whoever did it will hear from me,” he says, the anger evident in his voice.
“You’re usually not the violent one,” I state, sniffing.
“No one messes with my sister,” he says, his eyes serious. “Now come on. You look like you were dumped in a pile of ashes.”
In a couple minutes, he and I reach the end of the Mellia town square and enter the peaceful forest. This is my favorite place to be. I don’t have to deal with snobby citizens here.
Theo strips off his dingy t-shirt and sneakers and jumps into the water with a running start.
Plopping down by the edge of the lake, I kick off my shoes and wash them. I could use a new pair, but I have no money to do so. Not in the mood, I step into the lake, instead of doing a cannon ball like I usually do.
I scrub my body and clothes clean and dry myself off using an old towel we own. Theo still stays in the water, swimming laps around the perimeter of the small lake.
I lie on the grass and close my eyes, suddenly exhausted. Before long, I’m sleeping like a bear in hibernation.
My brother’s yells wake me up. “Harlow, wake up! Hurry!”
Without hesitation, I open my eyes and get off the grass. Identical to last night, flames surround me in a circle. What the hell? Again?
I start to hyperventilate. “What do I do, Theo?” I’m stuck. There’s nothing for me to do.
Theo runs his hands through his dirty blonde hair. “I don’t know! I’m trying to think.”
“There’s no time to think, Theo! I could die,” I snap at him, terrified. “What do I do?”
“Calm down, miss.”
My head turns toward the familiar voice.
Casimir.
“Why should I calm down? I’m in the middle of flames ready to be burned to the bone!” I exclaim. “What are you doing here anyway? Have you been following us?”
He stands near my brother, hands crossed over his chest. “I’ll answer your questions later. Right now, you need save yourself.”
“You can’t be serious,” I mutter. “Can’t you do what you did a couple hours ago and save me?”
The corners of his lips turn upward into a smile. “Why should I do it when you can do the same?”
What is he talking about? I can’t do that.
Theo smacks him on the shoulder. “Dude, can you stop beating around the bush and tell her what she has to do? The fire is getting bigger.”
The fire is much taller than me, but unlike yesterday I can see through it.
“Walk through the flames like I did,” Casimir explains.
I gulp. “Really?” How will I survive?
Demonstrating, he reaches his hand through the flames and keeps it there. Miraculously, his hand looks untouched, and I don’t smell burning flesh. “You’re special like me. Theo is too.” He stretches so his whole arm is in the flames. “Try it.”
Skeptical, I take a deep breath and touch the fire with my fingertips. They feel hot, but they don’t burn. “Woah,” I mumble, surprised.
Theo does the same thing with his hand, and his eyes widen. His hand isn’t burned either. “That’s amazing.”
I play around in the fire with fingers and hands before I step through the flames to get to the other side where Casimir and Theo are standing.
“How do we stop the fire?” I ask Casimir. We can’t leave it, or the entire forest will be demolished.
“One second.” He walks up close to the fire and blows on it with his mouth. In the blink of an eye it’s gone. The only evidence of the fire is the burned grass and trees nearby.
I rub my eyes. “I must be dreaming.”
Theo nods his head. “I know. I feel like I’m in a dream.” He looks down at his fingers. “There’s no way I’m invincible to fire.”
Casimir chuckles. “And yet you managed to not get burned to death when you touched it.”
“I don’t get it. How is this possible?” I ask. “Why do we have these abilities?”
“We should talk about this over breakfast. It’s a long story,” he says. He pulls a few $20 Mellian bills out of the pocket of his black jeans. “It’s on me.”
“Sounds good,” Theo says. “Harlow and I know just the place.”
“I’m starving,” I say. On cue, my stomach growls.
Casimir skips stones in the lake, while Theo and I fill our backpack with our stuff. Then, with Casimir in tow, we follow the dirt path out of the forest and into the town square.
The streets are bustling with citizens. On their way to work for the day, most of them wear fancy suits and dresses with handbags and briefcases. Never in a million years could I see myself dressed like that. As they say, once a peasant always a peasant.
We stop at our favorite place, Adeline’s Café. The instant we enter, we are greeted by the owner, an elderly woman named Adeline.
“Oh, dearies! I’m so glad to see you both,” she exclaims as she hugs Theo and me at the same time. She looks at me and hugs me again. “Harlow, I’m happy you’re safe. I saw what happened to you on the news.” Suddenly, she recognizes Casimir. “Oh, you’re the boy who saved Harlow! Thank you, dear. She’s like a granddaughter to me.” She hugs him, and I can tell she doesn’t want to let go.
“Of course. It’s my pleasure,” he says. “It was no big deal.”
Adeline gasps. “It’s a huge deal! Everyone is talking about you. You’re a hero!”
He sighs. He appears to have a lot to say, but he says instead, “Thank you.”
“Can we be seated, Adeline?” Theo asks, changing the subject.
“Oh, yes, dearie. Let me see if there is a booth open.” She scurries off and searches the café for a spot.
“Thanks,” Casimir mutters.
Theo pats his shoulder. “Don’t mention it.”
A minute later Adeline returns with three menus in her wrinkled hands. “Okay, I found something. Right this way.” She leads us to a small booth in the corner of the café and places our menus on the table as we sit down. I sit next to Theo, and Casimir sits across from us.
“Pick anything you want from the menu, dears. It’s on the house,” she says, holding a thumb up.
“You don’t need to do that, Adeline,” I say. “We have money.”
She flashes a sympathetic smile. “I know you don’t have any money, Harlow. I want you to pig out today. You’re looking skinnier than usual. When’s the last time you and Theo ate?”
“Two days ago,” I admit, my cheeks turning the color of a tomato. I avoid her gaze.
“I will not have my two favorite customers starving,” she says, her voice strict. “Theo, when you’re out of money for food, come here please. My staff and I will treat you both to anything you want.”
“Okay, Adeline,” he replies. “Thank you.”
She nods her head, pleased with her speech, and leaves us alone.
Casimir lifts up his menu and looks at the items on it as if he didn’t hear our conversation. “There is a lot to choose from on here.”
“Yeah, there is,” I say, my voice weak. All I want to do is crawl in a corner and cry. I’ve always felt embarrassed by our lack of money. We can’t even afford our own meal. It destroys my confidence and my pride every time I think about it.
I feel Theo staring at me. “Harlow, are you okay?” he asks, concerned.
I cover my face with the menu. “I’m fine, Theo.” He annoys me sometimes by how protective he is, but I would rather have an over-protective brother than one that doesn’t care about me at all.
He looks away from me and turns to Casimir. “I have a random question.”
“What is it?” Casimir asks.
“Do our powers relate to the fires that have been starting next to Harlow?” Theo asks.
Casimir nods his head. “Yes, I guess that she’s accidentally started the fires in her sleep because she has emotional dreams. If so, her dreams trigger fires to start because she is unable to control her emotions.”
I rub my chin in contemplation. “I do have crazy dreams.”
“There’s you answer,” he says, gesturing to me.
“Does that mean we can start fires on command?” I ask, wide eyed.
“You can,” he says, nodding again, “but we’ll get into that later.” His calm facial expressions change when he looks at something behind us. “Seriously?” he hisses. “I’m on TV now?”
I set the menu down and stare at the TV. A newscaster announces, “Breaking news…a boy who has been named by some as Casimir the Great was seen saving a peasant girl in an alleyway last night. A fire erupted at approximately 3:32 AM without a cause. The girl was surrounded by flames. Many assumed she would die, but along came a hero. Casimir carried her through the flames without getting injured. Observers are shocked and don’t know what happened. Here’s a mind blowing clip of the hero in action!”
They play a thirty second video of him saving me, and gasps come out of every person’s mouth in the café. All eyes are glued to him.
Casimir runs a hand through his obsidian hair. “This can’t be happening. I’ll be in a laboratory by midnight.”
“What are you talking about?” Theo asks.
“I’m sorry, but I must go,” Casimir responds. He lowers his voice. “Meet me by the docks in an hour and a half. Don’t make a scene.”
“You’re the master of fleeing,” I say, frowning.
He slides out of the booth. “I know. I’ll explain when I see you again. Stay safe.” A waitress comes to the table with a basket of sliced apples, and he snatches a few out of it before she has a chance to place it down.
“Sir—” she begins, but he’s gone. A group of people chase after him out of the café.421Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQIH2j9mMv
The waitress asks us, “Are you ready to order?”
Theo and I look at each other and say in unison. “Yes.”
Once we give her our order, Theo sighs. “I guess we should meet him.”
“No duh,” I say.
I must figure out what I am.
I have other important questions, though. Why are we going to the docks? Where are we headed?421Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CVHrMH2jt
