The Rise of Dark Flame

by Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  I don’t see anyone.

  He looked back at the shore and shrugged, gesturing with his hands and arms to show his confusion.

  The four rescued teens dramatically pointed back to the water and shouted, “he’s in the water, he’s in the water.”

  Blue Spekter turned around and studied the water again. He looked ahead toward New Castle Island and wondered if the fast-flowing tide had pulled Peter out more rapidly than he anticipated. He flew forward over the river and looked for a body under the water, using his super vision to pierce the churning, dark waters.

  A minute passed by, but he saw nothing. He was about to give up when something white caught his eye. He immediately recognized the texture of wet clothes clinging to a body.

  “Oh my gosh!” he exclaimed, then panicked. He put his hands together, took a deep breath, then flew into the water as fast as he could, completely forgetting about his ability to manipulate water. Instead, he cried out when the cold water surrounded his body and soaked through his clothes. He grunted when the undercurrent unexpectedly tugged at him.

  Holy crap, they’re not kidding. This water is dangerous, even for me.

  Not quite having the knack of flight-like-swimming underwater, he willed himself forward and pushed through the cold, angry river. He slowed his approach as his arms wrapped around the torso of the unconscious teenager. The last name on the back of his varsity jacket identified him as one of the high school’s star senior football players. Then, the undercurrent grabbed him and yanked him sideways, rolling him upside down.

  You gotta get out of here, Pete’s not gonna have a chance if he’s down here much longer.

  He lost his sense of direction and couldn’t figure out which way was up. The fast-moving water tugged him down and out to sea faster than he thought possible, despite the numerous warnings and stories he had heard growing up in the famous harbor town. He felt the water pressure build against his inner ear, so he knew he was moving downward.

  You can control water, dummy!

  Still holding his breath with remarkable ease, Blue Spekter reached out with his mind and slowed the water near him, forming a nearly-motionless bubble of water around him. He looked around and spotted the sunlight. There’s our escape.

  He pointed his free hand toward the light and separated the waters above him, opening a tube of air for him to fly through. Then he pulled the water away from him and Peter.

  Hang in there, Pete; you’ve got a few more games to win.

  He flew up and rocketed out of the river with blue brilliance flaring around his body. He gasped for air as the waters below him splashed in on itself. He banked left and circled over the river toward the park. He coughed and sputtered as water made its way out of his sinuses.

  People below him cheered and waved as he flew over the crowd to the arriving ambulance at the Court Street park entrance. He brought his feet down and landed in front of the ambulance.

  “What’s the situation, Blue Spekter?” one of the EMTs said, jumping out of the ambulance.

  “This guy was knocked overboard and was underwater for several minutes. He’s not breathing, and his name is Peter,” he responded, landing on his feet.

  “Set him down!” the EMT instructed, pointing to the ground. The other EMT radioed something back to headquarters.

  Blue Spekter complied and stepped back, allowing the EMT to begin CPR—a skill he didn’t have.

  Please don’t be dead…

  Behind him, people ran across the park to get a better look at what was going on.

  Seconds ticked by, but they felt like minutes. The EMT counted out thirty compressions and two breaths while her partner readied some other equipment. Water sprayed out of Peter’s mouth and the EMT turned his head, thinking he was coming to.

  “Come on, Peter, spit it out!” the EMT yelled.

  Please don’t be dead…

  Peter didn’t respond, and the bystanders and the four seniors he rescued arrived at the scene but kept their distance.

  “Oh my god!” one of the girls cried out, giving in to shivering hysterics in her friends’ arms. They were soaked and looked cold, their lips having turned blue from their short time in the river.

  They need help, too. Blue Spekter stood tall and watched, though he felt like throwing up at the idea of losing a schoolmate.

  The EMT counted out another thirty compressions and two breaths while her partner stood by to switch out. Peter coughed, and water sprayed out of his mouth again, but he didn’t wake up.

  “Sheesh, you must have sucked down half the river. Come on, Peter, I need you to breathe!” the EMT said sternly tilting his head once more. The unconscious senior still didn’t respond.

  “How long was he under water?” the second EMT asked.

  “I’m not sure; at least three minutes, maybe,” Blue Spekter responded, deepening his voice to disguise it from his peers. The EMT checked his watch and frowned.

  The crowd became quiet as seconds turned into two minutes. His schoolmates cried softly to themselves as sirens suggested the approach of other emergency vehicles. Though the sun was warm, the air was cool and the four soaked and shivering teenagers would catch hypothermia if untreated for much longer.

  Suddenly, Peter coughed up more water and the EMT rolled him onto his side for a third time.

  “That’s it, Peter, spit it up,” the EMT instructed, her voice now soothing and full of encouragement.

  Blue Spekter used his mind to discreetly move the spit-up water away from Peter’s mouth and nose, hoping to help clear his air passages. The boy coughed again and then gasped for air.

  “You’re doing great, Peter, let’s take it nice and easy. You sucked in half the river and you’ve almost coughed it all out,” the EMT commented. A second ambulance and a police cruiser arrived on scene. The second set of EMTs brought blankets and wrapped them around the cold students.

  Finally, Peter relaxed, and Blue Spekter sighed in relief. Then, he noticed the people around him staring at him with amazement. It was the closest the general public had gotten to him since he became the talk of the town.

  “What happened?” Peter asked.

  The EMT looked at Blue Spekter. “Um, I’m not really sure.”

  Blue Spekter spoke. “Your boat capsized, and you fell into the river. I pulled you out and brought you here.”

  Peter looked up at Blue Spekter with wide eyes and smiled.

  “This guy saved your life,” the EMT announced, jerking a thumb at Blue Spekter. “What do you think of that?”

  “Thank you,” the four friends said, their faces expressing relief and gratitude. He nodded at them.

  As the EMTs rolled him onto the backboard, Peter nodded and gave him a thumb’s up. “Thanks, Blue. You’re pretty cool in my book.”

  Blue Spekter nodded back and then ascended, smiling behind his brightly glowing eyes.

  ❖

  “I’ve got something for you, can I come over now?” Keegan asked.

  Quinn stifled a yawn and checked the wall clock in the kitchen. “Yeah, sure, I’m just home with my dads. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so.”

  “Cool, see you in a few minutes, handsome man.”

  Quinn grinned and pushed his phone into his back pocket. Then, he grabbed four dinner dishes from the cabinet and brought them to the table. “Keegan’s coming over early and he said he has something for me.”

  “Oooh,” Daddio intoned. “Your boy’s bringing presents! How exciting!”

  “It’s been a while since someone brought me presents,” Dad said sarcastically as he set utensils on the dinner table.

  Daddio feigned shock and horror. “After I slave over every meal to keep you well-fed, this is how you treat me? With lies and false accusations, Counselor?”

  Dad laughed. “Okay, since you two are busy until dinner I guess I’m going to put off doing boring legal work and watch RuPaul’s Drag Race without you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Quinn and Daddio exc
laimed simultaneously, laughing together.

  “How about we watch the show after dinner with Keegan if that’s something you’re comfortable with?” Daddio asked, regarding his son with mild caution.

  Quinn smiled as he brought four water glasses to the table. “I think I can handle it, but thanks for asking.”

  Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. “I got it!” Quinn shouted, then ran downstairs to greet Keegan. He noticed a mischievous look on his boyfriend’s face.

  “Hey, are your dads around?”

  “Uh, they’re in the house somewhere, but…”

  “Good.” Keegan interjected, a wicked smile on his face. Quinn blinked in surprise as Keegan put his hand on Quinn’s chest and pushed him backward to the wall behind him.

  “Oh!” Quinn exclaimed in a hushed voice. Half a second later, Keegan leaned forward and kissed him deeply. A wave of excitement surged through Quinn’s body, and he whimpered.

  Then, Keegan pulled away. “That’s all.”

  “That’s not fair,” Quinn said, making a playful frown.

  Keegan bounced his eyebrows. “Taste of what’s to come?”

  Quinn smiled knowingly and bounced his eyebrows. “I hope so.”

  He looked down at Keegan’s right hand, which held a small red box. “Whatchu got there?”

  “Can we go to your room?”

  “Sure, let’s go.” Quinn led the way upstairs to his room, then shut the bedroom door behind Keegan. A moment later, the boys sat cross-legged on Quinn’s bed, facing one another. Keegan sat the box beside him.

  “So, what’s up?” Quinn asked, sensing his boyfriend’s nervousness.

  Keegan scratched his head and cleared his throat. “So, um, I had this crazy idea and I don’t know if you’re into it, but I thought maybe you would be, I mean, I know that I am, so I figured I would do it anyway and just, uh, see what you said.”

  “Okay,” Quinn said. He’s so adorable when he’s nervous.

  Then, Keegan reached out and took Quinn’s hands in his, and a spark of excitement zipped through his body. Quinn’s heart thumped in his chest as his skin warmed to Keegan’s touch. His boyfriend smiled and said, “Quinn, we’ve been dating for about a month now, and I wanted to let you know how happy I’ve been.”

  “I’ve been very happy, too, Keegan,” Quinn responded.

  Keegan smiled, picked up the red box, and held it in his hand. “So, I got us these. I was hoping we could each wear one.”

  Quinn looked at him with lovable amusement and then reached for the box. Keegan held the bottom in place and Quinn pulled the top off. Quinn’s heart melted when he saw what was inside. “Awww, Keegan! They’re beautiful!”

  Quinn placed his hand under Keegan’s hand and pulled the box closer. Inside, Quinn set his eyes on two silver rings, each inlaid with three, transparent, brightly-colored squares. One ring had red, orange, and yellow squares, and the other had green, blue, and purple squares.

  “You like them?” Keegan asked, nervously playing with his lip.

  “I do, I really do!” Quinn pulled out the green-blue-purple ring and studied it.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not an engagement ring.”

  Quinn snorted and laughed. “Okay, then what is it for? Wait, how come each ring doesn’t have all six colors of the rainbow?”

  Keegan laughed at Quinn’s snorting, then answered, “Because it’s a boyfriends ring; you wear half and I wear half; it will only be complete when we hold hands, kinda like our relationship when we’re together.”

  Quinn’s heart melted inside him and his mouth fell open with romantic surprise at the tender statement. “Oh, Keegan!” Then he leaned forward, and they kissed deeply. I love you so much!

  A few minutes later, they came up for air.

  “So, which one do you want?” Keegan asked.

  Quinn looked down at the one in his hand. “This one. I like the green-blue-purple colors. Is that okay?”

  Keegan smiled and nodded. “It’s perfect. I really liked the red-orange-yellow one. I hope I got the right size. I think our hands and fingers are almost the same.”

  They held up their hands and briefly compared finger sizes. “Here, let me,” Keegan said. He plucked the ring from Quinn’s fingers and took Quinn’s left hand in his own. He pushed the ring onto Quinn’s ring finger, but it was too big.

  “That’s gonna fall off, try the middle finger,” Quinn suggested.

  “Okay.” Keegan pushed the ring on Quinn’s left middle finger it slid into place and fit correctly.

  Quinn smiled, and he wiggled his fingers. “It looks great. My turn!”

  Quinn plucked the other ring from the box and took Keegan’s left hand in his. Skipping the ring finger, he pushed it onto Keegan’s middle finger and slid it into place. “Does it fit okay?”

  Keegan smiled. “Yes, it fits perfectly.”

  Quinn put his ring hand near Keegan’s ring hand and completed the rainbow. “They look great. Thank you so much,” Quinn said smiling at his boyfriend.

  Keegan leaned forward and winked at him. “You’re welcome.”

  Quinn smiled devilishly. “Now, I believe, after you viciously assaulted me downstairs with your kiss, that there was, how did you say it, ‘more of where that came from?’.”

  Keegan smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. “There sure is.”

  Quinn laughed and pushed himself forward, wrestling his boyfriend down onto his bed. Keegan surrendered without a fight. Falling gently on top of him, Quinn hesitated only for a moment to look into Keegan’s beautiful blue eyes. “I love you, Keegan.” Then Quinn lowered his face and they lost themselves in each other.

  ❖

  Doesn’t matter what I say or do, my dads will know we were up to something.

  Quinn pulled his T-shirt back on and ran his hands through his hair. He turned to Keegan and watched him pull on his button-down shirt.

  I’m so lucky to have such a hot boyfriend.

  “Um, would you want to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race with us after dinner? Even though we’ve got school tomorrow, my dads said it would be okay if you stayed to watch it with us.”

  “Sure,” Keegan said, buttoning and tucking his shirt into his pants. “Do you think they will let us cuddle?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Quinn asked, laughing. “When they see this ring, they’ll shit glitter!”

  Keegan smiled. “Of course they will. But, um, on a more serious note, do you think they’ll know, um, you know, what we just did?

  Quinn nodded emphatically. “My dads aren’t stupid. They probably won’t ask while you’re here, but I might get the safe-sex talk again. I’ll let you know what you’re missing out on.”

  “Yeah, about that…I can’t wait.”

  They laughed together and finished dressing, then double checked themselves in Quinn’s mirror.

  “Okay, let’s go see where my dads are at. I’m pretty sure dinner’s almost ready.

  Keegan followed Quinn downstairs into the kitchen, where Daddio was putting the finishing touches on their meal.

  “Hey guys,” Daddio said, glancing at them for a few seconds a longer than normal and smirking. “Keegan, did you want to watch Drag Race with us after we eat?”

  Pretty sure he knows…

  “I’d love to, thanks.” Keegan answered.

  “Food’s about ready. Quinn, could you pour the waters for us?”

  “Sure,” he answered, nodding to Keegan. The boys grabbed the water glasses from the table, filled them, and put them back on the table. Several minutes later, they sat down to eat Daddio’s homemade lasagna.

  ❖

  After the dinner dishes were cleaned up, Daddio turned to the boys. “Would you like root beer floats or popcorn for the show?”

  Keegan looked at Quinn with a giant smile on his face. “Root beer floats, please!”

  Quinn smiled and nodded. “Ditto. Thanks, Daddio.”

  “Excellent! Why don’t you guys chill in the living room and I’l
l…” Daddio paused as his eyes locked on to the shiny silver ring on Quinn’s left-hand.

  Noticing his father’s gaze, Quinn smiled and raised his hand. “About time you noticed. We’ve been wearing them since dinner started. Keegan got us matching boyfriend rings.”

  Daddio gasped with overly-dramatic surprise as his hand rapidly patted his chest. “Oh I do believe I have me a case of the vapors! You’re kidding me! How romantic! Tim, come here! You have to see this!” Daddio yelled. “How the hell did we not notice those bright shiny things at dinner?”

  “Coming,” Dad answered from his home office.

  “How did you, what was the…wait, don’t say anything yet,” Daddio gushed, looking at Keegan’s hand. “I see what you mean, by boyfriend rings. They’re gorgeous. You’re okay wearing this?” he asked Quinn, who nodded.

  “What’s going on?” Dad asked, entering the kitchen.

  “Look!” Daddio said, pointing at Quinn and Keegan’s ring fingers.

  “Oh my gosh,” Dad said, stunned. “Those are beautiful!” Then, Quinn saw him become concerned but try to hide it. “Um, what are they for?”

  “Keegan got us matching boyfriend rings.”

  “Oh!” Dad said, his face conveying relief. Quinn rolled his eyes, knowing Dad probably jumped to engagement rings in his mind. “That’s wonderful!” He looked at Keegan and smiled. “This was your idea?”

  Keegan nodded, beaming with pride. “It was.”

  Dad winked at him and then looked at Quinn. “And what do you think?”

  Quinn blushed, took Keegan’s hand in his, and looked into Keegan’s blue eyes. “I love it, and I love you.” He leaned forward and met Keegan’s lips for a quick kiss. When Quinn looked back at his dads, they were staring at him. “What?”

  Dad spoke first to Keegan. “Okay, who are you and what did you do to our son?”

  “A lot of things,” Daddio mumbled under his breath, smiling wickedly.

  Yup, he knows we fooled around.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Dad asked.

  “Nothing!” Daddio said. “I’m going to make us root beer floats now.”