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BURN

“Heyyy!!!! Get back here!!” The voice yells near the window. It stops a moment, has a conversation I can’t hear over my own stupid stupid stupid heartbeat.

Then I hear, “I’ll be right back!” A suspicious sound, like someone’s gone out the window? Twice in as many minutes? “Come back hereeeeee!!!”

That.

Is.

It.

I push Oscar away and shove my hand between the couch cushions. There.

 

I hide fire opals in any place I frequent.

“BURN!”

Don’t kill me Oscar.

I rip off the packaging, hit the smoking opal against the hard edge of the table beside the couch as hard as i can, and toss it into the air.

“BURN!”

He’s going to kill me.

As smoke floods the room, I grab it – feel it, the myriad of particles in the air.

And I pull.

“BURN! STOP THIS INSTANT!”

 

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Well crap.

I watch as Burn pulls the smoke – Can’t help but watch because the room went from clear as a glass to thick, thick air.

“Burn we can’t see anything!” I cough. And then roll my eyes. “Nevermind.”

The room thins out a little…

…

“Not the fell wolf Burn!” I hack around the smoke. “Can we not go with the fell wolf?”

The shaggy-smoke animal stands on the couch, Burn commanding from his perilous perch on the couch back, hands outstretched, fingers splayed. It’s horns get thicker and the fire opal burns an eerie red in it’s mouth.

Objectively amazing, right?

Except for all the terrified kids. And the growing spider. And the defenestration. And …

We really don’t need more chaos.

“Burn!” Oscar roars, going to pull him off the couch. Why he though that was a good idea I will never know.

But, predictably, Oscar is the one landing on his butt while Burn with feline grace leaps and rolls onto the ground, fingers still splayed.

The fell-wolf appears to growl, mouth open so that the seething red, eyes equally bright red. It whips to face Oscar, who gives the most Tired Father groan I’ve ever heard.

“Burn the spider’s gone.”

Fell-wolf construct continues to roam, Burn continues to perch in improbable places.

 

BURN

I shake my head and ignore whatever Oscar’s saying. The faint glowing magic is tracing threads through out the room.

Out the window.

Ugh.

This isn’t going to be conspicuous at all.

I really, really, really, really, don’t want to chase the spider. 

 

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“BURN SO HELP ME IF YOU GO OUT THAT WINDOW!”

Aaaaaaand he’s already jumped out.

Because if the thing Burn is scared of runs…

I look down at myself.

I do not look suspicious at all. Ho no. Hospital shirts and squishy moving and shorty-shorts are the height of fashion in the Hives these days. Oh yes.

I really don’t wanna do this!

But we’re doing this.

Because if Burn can chase the thing that scares him out of his wits, I can chase Burn.

And shake him silly for being an idiot.

“Sonja! Don’t you dare follow him!”

I roll my eyes. “Oscar. Watch the kids. Someone’s gotta keep up with Burn. And you can’t.”

I jump.