by Katie Dunn
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Elliot took a seat in a chair by my bed. “Well, sirens don’t usually breathe fire, so I wanted to see if you were ok.”
“I’m fine. I think. I want answers though and Mr. Drakari is on his way to give them to me.” I hesitated before asking him, “Do you want to stay and hear what he has to say?”
Elliot gave me a bright smile that made my heart race. “Of course.” He stretched out an arm and pet Panda on her back.
We didn’t have to wait long before Drakari was rushing over to me. “I heard what happened and well, first off, how are you?” He seemed agitated and excited.
“I’m fine. So, why did I breathe fire?” No sense in beating around the bush. I wanted to get straight to the point.
“Good. I am very intrigued by your predicament, but I think I know why it happened.” Drakari started pacing. “You see, I’ve been wondering why a goat became your familiar.”
I titled my head in confusion, wondering where this was going. What did Panda have to do with breathing fire? Elliot seemed just as lost as me.
“I’ve been searching my books and researching sirens, but I’ve been researching the wrong myth this whole time!” Drakari turned to us with arms outstretched to the sides of him, grinning like he figured out the answer to the universe.
“I’m lost Mr. Drakari. Why would a siren be the wrong myth?” I asked.
Elliot eyes started widening slowly as he figured out what the Principal was saying and gawked at me. His reaction made chills go down my arms.
“What? What is it?” I asked, getting a little scared by their expressions of awe and curiosity.
“You probably haven’t taken the fire unit in myth history yet, but do you know what a chimera is?” Drakari asked steepling his fingers.
I shook my head. I really needed to brush up on mythological beings.
Drakari started pacing again as he explained, “A chimera is a hybrid of a lion, goat, and snake that breathes fire.”
I looked to Panda, watching the innocent little goat sleep away as if my whole life didn’t change again when she came into my life. “So, are you saying...” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
Drakari stopped again and faced me. “Based on your display at gym today and your familiar, I am ninety-seven percent sure you are chimera blessed.”
“Look at her arms.” My head whipped to Elliot at his words. “Her arms aren’t singed or burned like they should be. I used fire on her.”
Drakari tapped his lips with a finger. “Hmm, yes, it seems as if you have some fire tolerance. In fact, Elliot’s fire may have been what triggered the chimera gifts in you.”
I shook my head in disbelief and wonder. “I-I am siren and chimera blessed?” I asked slowly. How is that possible?”
“I believe you may have had one of them since you were young and got the other at a later point in your life.” Drakari mused. “Do you have any idea which one came first?”
For most of my life I had been normal. Even during my exam to see if I was myth blessed, I was normal. Now I am blessed by two myths. I had no idea when these mythological beings would have blessed me, and I never showed any signs until a week ago. I couldn’t even think of anything strange that would have triggered either one.
Wait.
A song was coming to mind from when I was in Hawaii. I almost drowned in the water. In fact, I probably should have died that day. Throughout that experience I kept hearing a haunting, sorrowful song. Before I knew it, I was suddenly on the beach. Then, during my Karaoke incident I heard the same song from Laneli. Could Hawaii have been where I was blessed by a siren?
I looked to Drakari with my head titled, still thinking about the event and if it connected with what was happening now. I told Drakari and Elliot everything about what happened in Hawaii including hearing the song which I had kept quiet about for weeks. Drakari bit his lip and nodded as I spoke.
“Yes, if that is what you experienced then it may have indeed been a siren you saw that day. The whole point of a siren song is to lure people into the water to drown so I do not know why they blessed you instead,” Drakari confirmed what I had been thinking, “but whatever the reason, you now have two myth blessings,”
I nodded to show I understood, though Hawaii only explained when and where I was blessed by a siren not a chimera. Panda shifted beside me and I looked down at the sleeping kid. It made so much sense now why a goat was my familiar, but I was still disappointed. The universe could have given me something cool like a lion or a snake instead of a goat.
“I also do not know why your chimera side, which I assume you got first, stayed hidden and dormant for so long.” Drakari snapped his fingers. “I will research some more.” He started to leave excitedly but stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, before I forget, Elliot will be your tutor for this new development.” Drakari walked away not waiting for a response, muttering, “This is unprecedented. What does this mean? How did it happen?”
When he was gone, I focused my attention on my new tutor. “So, I guess you will be teaching me some fire stuff, huh,” I said trying for casual conversation. My fingers twiddled with the blanket I was under as I waited for his response.
Elliot stared at the floor lost in thought with an unreadable expression. He didn’t seem to have heard me. Was he angry at this new development? Was he hurting from an injury after all?
“Elliot?” I asked concerned.
He shook his head and looked at me. “Hmm?”
“Are you ok?” I asked instead of repeating my earlier comment.
He slowly nodded. “Yeah. I was just thinking about you being siren and chimera blessed. It…seems like it might become problematic.”
“Why?” I titled my head in confusion. It looked like head tilting was becoming too common for me these days. I had to break that habit.
“Well, don’t take this seriously because I don’t actually know anything about your situation, but…” Elliot paused, looking hesitantly at me.
“Oh, just spit it out!” I shouted impatiently causing Panda to lift her head in my direction.
“I was thinking about how water and fire are natural opposites that weaken each other. What if having both affinities causes you problems?”
I frowned, thinking about what he said. According to Drakari’s mutterings when he left, my situation was unprecedented so there was no evidence that fire and water would weaken me. Even if it did weaken me, what was the worst that could happen?
“Maybe it will be balanced,” I suggested.
Elliot shrugged like he wasn’t convinced, but the nurse walked back over to me preventing him from saying anything more.
“Alright, you are all good to go, ducky,” the nurse announced.
I smiled in relief. I did not want to be stuck here any longer. I nudged Panda moving her to the floor and threw back my covers. Elliot stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“Thanks for-” I started to say to the nurse.
“Mom!” A whining female voice interrupted.
The nurse turned around to face the owner of the voice. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“That stupid shadow guy won’t leave me alone!” The girl complained.
I moved to the side so I could see who was in front of the nurse. I gasped when I saw the blonde hair, blue eyes, and scowl of Laneli. The nurse was Laneli’s mother?
Elliot groaned low enough for only me to hear and grabbed my arm, steering me away from the family. We attempted to sidle by unnoticed, but a disgusted snort stopped us.
“If it isn’t dragon boy and goat girl.”
I turned to Laneli. “Seriously? That’s the best you could come up with?”
Laneli curled her lip and bobbed her head mockingly. She looked like she was going to say something else, but her mother stopped her.
“Now, now, honey. Don’t talk to students like that. I will talk to Mr. Drakari about your shadow.”
&nbs
p; Laneli rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Elliot and I didn’t wait for her response. We quickly maneuvered our way past them and left the nurse’s office.
When we were far enough away, I laughed. “Well, I didn’t think I could be shocked anymore today.”
“Yeah, the nurse is why she doesn’t get expelled.” Elliot shook his head in annoyance.
We walked down the halls in comfortable silence until we were out on the quad. This was where we would separate but I couldn’t bring myself to walk away from him yet. I was touched that he came to visit me in the nurse’s office.
“So, siren and chimera huh?” Elliot asked, kicking at a piece of grass.
“I guess so. Hey, are you ok?” I hadn’t seen any damage but maybe it was underneath his shirt.
“What do you mean?” Elliot gave me a curious glance.
“You know, when I, um, breathed fire on you.” I bit my lip in embarrassment.
Elliot gave me an amused smile. “Oh, you mean when you vomited fire on me?”
My nose scrunched up in disgust. No one needs that image in their mind. I had a feeling that he wouldn’t let me live that down.
Elliot laughed at my reaction. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m fireproof after all, courtesy of some dragon that decided to bless me in the womb.”
I turned to him in astonishment. “Wow! That young? How do you know?”
Elliot gave a small smile and looked off toward our dorms. “It is my mom’s favorite memory and she never celebrates a birthday without telling it.” He chuckled as he remembered the birthdays. “Anyway, I guess I will see you for tutoring tomorrow afternoon.”
“Yes, I will be there.” I waved to Elliot as he split off to head toward the fire wing.
It was interesting and unnerving to realize that I could be part of either wing now. In fact, since I was chimera blessed first, I should technically be in the fire wing rather than the water. I shook my head at the thought. I would never give up being roommates with Marion.
This whole new experience, being blessed by two myths and having dual affinities, was threatening to overwhelm me but I decided to make the best out of it. I could train myself to breathe fire which I found slightly better than singing though it sounded painful. I could work on controlling water and fire and see how the balance of the two worked out. I looked down at Panda trotting beside me. With some answers came more intrigue it seemed.
At least my mother will have something else to
celebrate about.
Chapter 10
Water and Fire
When I told Marion and Tamara about my dual myths, they freaked out but surprisingly in a good way. Marion believed it was a breakthrough into why I couldn’t manipulate the water. We planned to use that knowledge to better help me connect, which was where we were now. Marion and I sat by the lake the day after the gym incident attempting to connect me to the lake energy. Unfortunately, it was not just Laneli that encouraged meditating.
Panda lounged under a tree close by but far enough away to avoid the water. The little goat was like me in that way. Not wanting to be close to the water but unlike me she had a choice.
“So, what I’m thinking is you should embrace your fire affinity then reach out for the water,” Marion directed.
“Mmm, that doesn’t seem as easy as you make it out to be. I don’t even know how to access fire.” My eyes were still closed but I could almost feel Marion’s frown.
“Try imagining water flowing through your limbs while heat warms you inside. Let’s see what that does,” Marion suggested.
I did as she said and pictured water flowing from my shoulders out to my arms and fingertips. The energy came readily enough but it was only enough to use my siren gifts. This time I imagined fire sitting inside my body, warming me from the inside out. The warmth increased until I was sweating yet the water continued to flow through my limbs. Suddenly a searing pain in my head caused me to gasp and double over. My chest started constricting making it hard to breathe. I had only ever felt that kind of pain in the water but this time it was much worse.
Marion scrambled forward and rested her hand on my back. A feeling like a small blanket of energy radiated from her hand filling me with water energy and serenity. The pain started to go away and soon I could only feel the water energy. Once I had my breathing under control, I lifted my head to look at a frightened Marion.
“I don’t think that was the right thing to do,” I said, my hands shaking on my legs.
Marion pursed her lips and got to her feet, pointing to the middle of the lake. “Maybe the thing we need to do is go out there.”
I stood up and backed away from the lake. “Um, I don’t think so.”
Marion turned to me with a hopeful look. “I think this might work! C’mon let’s do it. There is a ca-”
“No!” I shouted. I didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh, but my heart raced, and my body wanted me to run far away from the lake. I was acting out of fear. “No,” I said softer. “I think I am done for the day. I will see you at dinner.”
I left a shocked Marion standing by the lake and walked back toward the quad, calling Panda to follow. I felt terrible for shouting at my friend who was only trying to help me. It was just that the thought of going out into the water terrified me, especially after feeling the pain in my chest. I had been afraid of deep waters for my whole life. My parents told me that when I was younger, I would swim in pools, but I refused to swim in the ocean or lakes.
I would have to apologize to Marion sooner rather than later. Maybe with chocolate cake. She loved cake.
I wished I could go to my room and hide away for a while until dinner, but I had one more class I needed to go to. That is if fire training counted as a class. I veered left, away from my dorm and headed to an area near the gym. Apparently, that was where fires could be made on school property and be easily contained in case it got out of hand.
I saw Elliot sitting in a lawn chair waiting for me even though I didn’t need to be there for another twenty minutes. His black hair looked extra spiky today and he wore a soft gray t-shirt. A giant lizard, Komodo dragon, laid on the ground to his left. Elliot waved his hand at a circle of stones and fire sprang to life in the middle. He waved his hand again making the fire die. He brought the fire back to life with another wave of his hand looking distracted and bored. He was about to wave his hand at the fire once more, but I came up behind him and tapped his shoulder, causing him to jump.
“You’re early,” Elliot commented but didn’t ask why. “Take a seat.”
I sat in the chair next to him and guided Panda to sit on the ground on my right, as far away from Moto as possible. I didn’t want the giant lizard eating my goat. My body leaned forward, drawn to the heat of the flames that flickered mere inches from us. It felt like a blanket of warmth that seeped into my skin, giving me energy. I closed my eyes, basking in the feeling.
“Wow, you seem to already be able to access the fire energy,” Elliot whispered beside me. His breath felt hot against my cheek and my skin tingled at his nearness.
I cracked my eyes open and studied him. “Why do you sound surprised?”
I was surprised as well but I didn’t want him to know that. It took almost a whole week for me to access the water energy easily, but all I had to do for fire was sit down and let it wash over me. It was bizarre.
“I’m not used to tutoring someone who already has access to it, that’s all.” Elliot shifted back into his chair. “I want to see what you can do.”
I opened my eyes all the way, eager to learn as long as he didn’t ask me to touch the fire. My body stiffened at the thought of having touch it and panic threatened to overwhelm me. I quickly took a deep breath, reminding myself that he hadn’t asked me to do anything yet. I failed in water training earlier. I didn’t feel like failing in fire, too.
“The simplest task anyone first learns, well, after they learn to access the energy, is to make a fire.” Elliot waved his hand at the flames and the
fire died down until it was just smoke. His copper eyes twinkled in amusement at his skill. He gave me an encouraging nod toward the middle of the stone circle wanting me to make a fire with my mind.
I looked from him to the smoke in front of us, raising an eyebrow in doubt. I decided to mimic him and waved my hand toward the stone circle. I expected a fire to burst to life, even if it was only a small one, but the only thing I managed to do was disrupt the smoke trail drifting in the air.
“Hmm, try picturing the fire in your mind and remember the feeling of the energy,” Elliot suggested.
I nodded and put all my focus on the stone circle. I took deep breaths and concentrated on feeling the heat from before warming me from the inside out. It didn’t take long until I felt the heat inside, so I started imagining orange and yellow flames dancing around in the middle of the circle. I was concentrating so hard on keeping the energy hot and picturing what I wanted that my head started to ache. My chest burned intensely, and I felt that any moment I would burst into fire rather than the ground in front of me. I gasped and grabbed my head, losing focus on creating fire and tried to contain the pain instead.
“Serena? Are you ok?” Elliot asked concerned.
Without conscious thought, my mind reached out for water to quell the fire burning me inside but the access to both water and fire energy sent me into agony just as it did at the lake. It became hard to breathe as my chest constricted and my headache got worse. I doubled over and fell to the ground, thankfully not into the fire pit.
Elliot’s voice sounded panicked, “Serena! What’s happening?”
He knelt beside me and rested his hand on my back sending warmth and comfort through me, but it wasn’t enough. I opened my mouth to scream but flames poured out. I quickly faced away from Elliot and sent the fire roaring toward the center of the stone circle. Eventually I quit breathing fire, but my body started to shake with tremors.
