Born In Flames

by Candace Knoebel

  My face flushed.

  “Gosh, Rory, you really thought I was gonna say something as crazy as I have feelings for you or something like that? That would be way too normal,” he said bitterly, turning to stare out the window.

  Okay, so that hurt. It shouldn’t have, but it did. “I’m sorry,” I said lamely. “Excuse me.” I quickly stood and headed to the bathroom.

  Standing in front of the gilded mirror, I asked myself, “What is wrong with you?”

  Fenn would be a perfect balance if I chose to let myself go, which for a moment back there I had. I let him know that when I had unintentionally said the yin-yang thing out loud. He thought it was a game I was initiating, but was it really? I just couldn’t bear messing up with him and losing his friendship. He was my best and only friend in the whole world.

  “Get it together,” I said as I splashed water over my face.

  A few minutes later I left the bathroom, only to find an empty table. Fenn’s chair was flipped over, and there were people gathered at the window, occasionally glancing back at our table.

  Uh-oh, I thought as I stepped through the automatic doors.

  There he was walking out to the parking lot. But he wasn’t alone. In front of him was Mr. Creepy. Fenn was following him. No, not following him—he had one hand around the guy’s arm, pushing him forward and shouting at the top of his lungs. This couldn’t be good.

  I hurried over to the car and waited, watching as they yelled at each other. Then, as if he felt my presence, Mr. Creepy’s eyes shot to mine, burning through my core. My brows furrowed as Fenn yanked the guy’s chin away from me and back to his face.

  “You don’t look at her, you hear me? You don’t touch her, you don’t follow her.” He leaned into the guy’s face a little closer, crowding him, and finished, “and you NEVER go near her again or you will have to deal with me.” He shoved him hard against Mily’s car.

  I winced. Mr. Creepy straightened himself out, defiantly sticking his chin up at Fenn. I could feel the burning desire, the anger, and the hatred emanating off of both of them.

  “You will do this alone then. And when she,” he pointed toward me, “is harmed by your ignorance, don’t come looking for me,” he snapped, his tone cutting. His eyes lit up as he scowled, and then he turned his back on me and walked away.

  I was stunned silent. Harmed? Panic flooded my veins as I moved to plead for an explanation. But he was already gone.

  Fenn appeared in my line of vision. “Ready to go?” he asked tightly, forcing a smile.

  “Again? Really? You blew our only source at finding things out again? Fenn, he said I would be harmed!” I glared at him.

  “He-he’s full of it Rory,” he said skeptically. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Remember? Super strength? And what happened to having a normal day? We can’t very well do that with him tagging along, ranting some crap about lightning and fire and the initiation to your change happening tonight. He’s crazy and likes to ramble a bunch of nonsense.”

  He opened my door, indicating with his hand that he wanted me to get in. Sucks to be him because I wasn’t moving.

  “You mean to tell me,” I said under my breath, poking his chest as my temper flared, “that he told you something would happen tonight? Information coming from a man who obviously knows things about us. Things we’ve never disclosed to anyone besides each other. And you pushed him away…again?” My voice rose with anger and I felt my blood boiling. A small wisp of smoke left my nose.

  I ignored it, swatting it away.

  “Look, Rory, that guy…” he paused, the words seeming to struggle their way out, “there’s something not right with him, okay? And you agreed to a day of normalcy. Nothing will happen to you. The forecast said clear skies all day. There’s proof that the man is a lunatic.”

  I shook my head in disbelief, looking to the skies for some patience as I grit my teeth.

  “All right, Fenn, you get one day of normalcy and then it’s my turn. I will flip this island over until I find him.” He moved to disagree but I stopped him. “No. I will find him and get the answers I need, and if after that, if he turns out to be a crazy, then you will have your way. Agreed?”

  He paused to consider, a tinge of humor playing on his lips, and then nodded in agreement. “Please get in,” he coaxed.

  I huffed as I sat down, my legs still resting on the pavement outside the car, and impatiently waited for his answer.

  He reached over and grabbed the handkerchief, gently wrapping it around my eyes once again. “Agreed,” he answered as his fingers brushed my cheek softly, a thrilling burn left in its place.

  Stop it, I told myself.

  I should have stayed mad at him, but all I could feel was the blood rushing to my cheeks as I stumbled upon what my heart was feeling. There had to be a logical explanation. Fenn was my best friend. I had known him for, well, ever since I can remember…literally. There was no way that I, Aurora Jay Megalos, had feelings for Fenn Aiden Lovick.

  But I had to resist the insane urge to grab his hand as he pulled away from my face. I tried to steady my racing heart as he picked my legs up and gently laid them into the car. The butterflies couldn’t help but roar to life at such innocent contact, but the slam of the car door quickly jolted them away, back to their hiding place.

  “So…umm…where to now?” I stammered, coughing to hide the slight tremble to my voice. I hoped he didn’t pick up on it, but I couldn’t see his face so there was no way to tell.

  “Like I’ve said before, you’ll see when we get there.” His own voice sounded rough, like something strange had come over him.

  He turned the radio up and put the car into drive. The hum of the engine calmed me, quieting my thoughts for a bit. I wanted this, I wanted something exciting to happen. But I certainly hadn’t predicted this intense attraction to be the something that appeased my boredom.

  Chapter 6

  The Storm

  WE DROVE FOR A SHORT while and listened to the ocean breeze. I had no idea where Fenn was taking me, but I liked the silence between us. I tried to relax and push away the thought of what Mr. Creepy had said about the harm I could be facing.

  Clear skies, I kept repeating inside my head.

  “Okay, Rory, we’re here.”

  I leaned forward and untied the back of the handkerchief, anxious to finally see something other than the back of my eyelids.

  Following the blinding light of the sun, valleys filled with lush trees covered the expanse before me. I felt like I was staring at a green sea where the blue heavens met, lightly kissing the treetops.

  I hadn’t been to this side of the island before but had always dreamed of going. It was as close to the Garden of Eden as you could get. Horses grazed the rich grasses, and I knew right away what he had set up for me.

  “You’re taking me horseback riding?” I guessed, noting the smell of hay and the sound of the neighing horses.

  “I wanted you to try something you’ve never done before so I pulled a couple of strings and managed to get us two horses for the day.” His face was bursting with excitement. I’d seen that face before—when we got our driver’s licenses, and at every shared birthday, right before we blew out the candles to make a wish. So why did I have the sudden urge to grip his face and kiss the smile into my soul?

  “Lucky for you,” he continued, pulling me out of my sudden daydream, “I already know how to ride so you’re in good hands.” He opened his door and got out.

  I frowned.

  “Rub it in. You got lessons and I didn’t,” I said after he opened my door for me.

  “It was the only thing I asked for that Christmas.”

  We were both fourteen. I wanted make-up, and he wanted to learn how to ride a horse. He helped me out and then walked off in the direction of the house.

  “Whose house is this?” I asked as I jogged to catch up with him. His pace didn’t hide his excitement.

  “That would be John Stark’s house.” He d
idn’t turn to face me—he knew I’d be baffled.

  “A couple of strings, huh? How the hell did you manage to get the quarterback from high school to lend you two horses for the day?” He headed towards the back of the tropical colored house, away from the front door. I weaved around the random pineapple plants, trying to keep up with him.

  “Are we stealing these horses?” I whispered. “I’m down for something I haven’t done before, but that doesn’t include visiting the inside of a jail cell, Fenn Aiden,” I called out after him. “It’s not stealing, per se…John is simply letting us borrow them,” he answered confidently. “He sat next to me in Calculus so he owes me one. Besides,” he added, “he was all for it when I told him who I was planning this for.”

  I contained my gag. I had a few dealings with John Stark, none of them good. Let’s just say I didn’t care for his lewd demeanor and grabby hands.

  We strolled around to the back of the twostory house and came upon a path that curved like a ribbon, leading to a barn. The yard stretched out ahead like a never-ending carpet of green as we moved along the well-worn path. Solitary palms dotted the landscape, swaying their massive leaves in the slight breeze. There was no doubt about it, this was a beautiful day.

  The barn doors were wide open, inviting the sultry breeze to flow through, perfuming the air with the scent of hay.

  Once inside, I instantly fell in love with the horse closest to me. The sun’s rays filtered through the barred windows, accenting the floating dust that shimmered like stars around the ivory horse. The nameplate on the stall door read Snow Lily. A perfect name, I thought as I hesitantly rubbed her velvety soft nose.

  “Is that the one you want to ride?” Fenn asked. I nodded as I heard the creaking of a stall door opening. Fenn led his caramel-colored horse out and tied it off. I moved out of the way so he could get Snow out of the stall. I was of no use so I walked over to the other horse and waited, rubbing the suede-like fur.

  I watched as he placed the saddle with ease on his horse. It looked simple enough so I decided to give it a try with Snow. As soon as I picked up Snow’s saddle, my arms started aching against the strain, and a bubble of embarrassing laughter popped out. Maybe I should have tried harder in Physical Education.

  “Weakling,” Fenn teased as he grabbed the saddle and placed it on Snow’s back for me. I watched him feed the leather strap under the horse and tighten the girth.

  “Psh, weak, as if. I’m not weak, I just wanted my man servant to do it for me.” I reached up for the saddle harness but he grabbed my arm, stopping me.

  “You sure you want to try getting on her alone? It’s not as easy as it looks, especially for a shorty like you.”

  I shoved him back and out of my way. “I’ll show you,” I said, reaching again for the saddle horn. I stuck my foot into the stirrup, testing its sturdiness. A smile crossed my face with my ever-growing confidence. I braced my foot in the stirrup and pulled with all my might, surprised to find myself actually moving upward.

  “Eat your words,” I said presumptuously. But just as I went to throw my leg over, my hand slipped on the saddle horn as the horse shifted.

  In the flash of me falling, Fenn was there, holding me in his arms as if I was as light as a feather. He seemed to know what was about to happen before it even happened. “Guess you weren’t lying about your strength,” I commented weakly.

  The corner of his mouth turned up as his amused eyes only made those nervous butterflies twirl like a twister.

  He set me on the ground, gripping my waist, the heat of his gaze piercing my resolve.

  “Is that a blush I see Aurora Jay?” he asked softly as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  I gulped.

  “Let’s try this again, together,” he instructed lightly. I had to tame the thoughts that instantly flooded my mind. “Ready?”

  I reached for the saddle horn again, holding onto it securely as I put my foot in the stirrup. Fenn’s hand was there to hold it in place. “Now pull yourself up. Don’t worry, I got you,” he added as I felt his hand move from my foot up my leg, settling on my inner thigh, bracing me as I pulled my body up to throw my leg over the horse’s back.

  A broad smile rested on my face. I was on a horse.

  With a knowing nod, Fenn cocked his head up at me and winked before he turned to his horse. “Ready for this?” he asked as we took off at a walking pace. The clip-clop of the horse’s hooves was curiously comfortable. It felt easy being on top of the horse, unlike the mounting. That was not easy.

  “Actually I think I am,” I replied grabbing the reins from Fenn’s grip. I lightly kicked Snow in the flanks as he had instructed me to do earlier. It seemed to do the trick. She took off at a fast clip. “Whoa,” I yelped, gripping her with my thighs and praying that I wouldn’t bounce off my precarious perch. After all, it was a long way down with no Fenn to catch me.

  After a few moments of bouncing around, the ride grew effortless. I let my body ease into the horse’s gait as the wind flew through my hair. This was better than I could have ever imagined. Fenn was right in thinking that this would be something that I would absolutely enjoy. Then again, he was my best friend.

  We rode through the sunny afternoon, changing pace here and there, talking and bantering back and forth. The temperature was perfect. Everything felt right. There were no worries to clog our afternoon, just me, him, and the beautiful, lush world.

  I led the way taking paths that had us winding up through the hills and into the forest. We were close to the botanical gardens, the so-called Eden that I had always been so eager to see.

  Somehow, I managed to worm our way into an area just beyond the entrance to the forest that was full of beautiful flowers collected from different parts of the world. A sacred garden. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed here, but I wanted to see it and it seemed like we were the only two people around.

  The sun shined through, illuminating the field to sparkle and taunt us, urging us to take a break from riding. Every flower seemed to dance beneath the rays, enchanting the moment, while the moss-laden trees hugged around us, hiding this spot from prying eyes. I could see the comparison to Eden.

  I hopped off Snow and took a moment to steady myself. Although it was amazingly fun to ride, my legs weren’t so keen. I could feel the tension building up into my thighs. It felt like my body was stuck in the riding position, my legs wouldn’t straighten themselves out. Fenn chuckled at me so I stuck my tongue out at him. I tried to walk around for a few minutes and eventually found a semi-normal walk that worked for the time being.

  “This place is amazing,” Fenn surveyed in awe. A little stream gently rushed over jagged rocks not too far from where we stood, melodically nourishing the supple earth. A picture-perfect moment.

  I waddled over to Fenn’s horse, my muscles still protesting, and rummaged through his bookbag to see if he had packed a camera. He had, thank God.

  “Smile,” I said, catching him off guard and getting a great picture in return. His stunned face gleamed in the sunlight as the water ran behind him. “My turn,” I said, tossing the camera to him. I walked over to where he stood and posed, hands on my hips, cheesing as hard as possible. He laughed and shook his head before snapping the picture. Then he jogged over to me and took one of both of us, poking me in the side right as our images were captured.

  I took random pictures of various exotic plants as he tied both our horses by the stream. Then he pulled out a pack of sandwiches from the saddlebag of his horse.

  “Wow, you really thought this through, didn’t you, Bear Grylls?”

  He paused and placed both hands on his hips, looking like Peter Pan as he said, “Now I’m going to show you how to survive the wild Botanical Garden.”

  “You’re such a goof,” I replied, brushing him off with laughter.

  He bent over to continue setting up our picnic. Laying the sheet in the very middle of the field where the sun shone the brightest, he gestured for me to rest. So I sa
t down while he gave each of the horses an apple. A moment later he sat next to me, his smile laced with satisfaction.

  He handed me a sandwich and then cleared his throat. “I wanted to give you a normal day. This is your perfect day, Aurora Jay, all joking aside.”

  My face flushed once again, my blushes beginning to blend together.

  “It is perfect,” I said softly, avoiding his gaze. I could feel his eyes searching the side of my face, waiting for something.

  “Normal’s not so bad, is it?” he continued.

  “I suppose not.”

  “So you admit that I was right then?” he said confidently.

  I could hear the smile in his voice. I turned sharply towards him. “Absolutely not!” I answered, disbelief coloring my tone.

  He chuckled. “I’m just messing with you,” he mused.

  I nudged him playfully, glad that the mood had shifted. He took another bite from his sandwich and then leaned back onto his elbows.

  I looked down at his adorable face and giggled. His puzzled expression, particularly with mustard staining the corner of his mouth, made me laugh even harder.

  “What?” he asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him.

  “Nothing,” I answered, touching the corner of my mouth. He caught the hint, quickly wiping the mustard away and turned his head to the sky.

  We sat there for a while, looking around at the flowers and then back at each other, delight lingering in the air. He started humming a tune he often played on his guitar absent-mindedly. I wriggled my toes to the beat, a feeling of bliss bubbling up inside me. I watched him as he hummed merrily, admiring the features of his face. His smile held such peace as he took another bite from his sandwich.

  He finished the last bite of his sandwich and then dusted his hands off. I don’t think the day could’ve been any better. He had to have felt the same. That is, until things suddenly took a turn for the worst.

  He looked up and then all of a sudden his face paled to a ghostly white. My eyes followed his stare and then my stomach twisted in terror. The sun’s rays began to disappear upon the horizon and our new special spot turned grayish and shadowed. A dark cloud was forming above us.