Wild Fire

by Heather Glidewell

  *****

  “Dawn!” Rose’s voice took me by surprise and I shot a fireball at the floor. I growled at the singed carpet and turned to look at her. She was standing at the top of the stairs her green eyes penetrating into my soul. I wasn’t sure if she was pissed or if she was just getting the feel of the place.

  “What’s up?” I asked trying to sound cheerful but instead it came out flat and annoyed.

  “Your mother is nuts!” She exclaimed running down the stairs and stopping two steps up from me.

  “Yeah, that’s what makes her great.” I smiled at Rose. It was obvious something my mother had done got her all riled up.

  “She seriously just asked me what weapons I knew how to use.” Rose smacked herself on the forehead and trailed her fingers down her face.

  “Yeah well in our world guns and biological warfare don’t exactly work.” I was amused by her ignorance to everything that was going on. She really had no clue what to do in any situation. The image of her backed against the wall scared to death shot through my mind.

  “I get that, I do. Why do I have to proficient with a weapon? What do you use?” She asked her face was still frozen in horror.

  “Flaming broadsword.” I said quietly looking around the stairway. I had actually thought my swordplay to be quite natural, especially when my mother threw it to me and muscle memory took over. I didn’t think that it was nerdy in any way.

  Rose just started at me then massage her temples. “You have got to be kidding me. The other two?”

  “Krista has a whip and Helen a pitchfork.” Now I could see how this looked stupid. Three adult females playing with metal. We were the snapshot of a perfect D&D roll playing game.

  “You are all crazy. I knew it was dumb to follow you here.” She looked at me and frowned. “If Adam hadn’t of convinced me to come I would still be in Dallas.”

  “You would be dead!” I yelled at her. “You do not have the ability to take care of yourself. You don’t even know what you are.”

  “I know damn well what I am.” She yelled back at me her green eyes flaring up. I felt the anger consume me I was going to explode.

  “If you did you wouldn’t be standing on the steps of my parents’ house calling them crazy?” I exploded, the flames consumed me. She was frozen staring at me. I felt my eyes burn and my skin tingle as the transformation took over. “Everything that we have done has been for you! Every rock that we turned over was to find you! Every day that I have to wait to get Wesley back is because of you!” I was too angry. This wasn’t me, this wasn’t normal. All the pitted up frustration that I felt towards her all came out in the red flames that were dancing around my skin.

  “Holy shit!” Rose yelped taking a step backwards up the stairs. “Dawn, did you know you are on fire?” Her tone had changed she was scared shitless.

  “Did you know that you are on my last nerve?!” I boomed at her in my hallow voice.

  “Girls!” My mother came running up the side of the stairs and put her hand on my shoulder. I instantly calmed and the flames went out. “What is going on here?” She demanded looking between Rose and myself.

  “Spear.” Rose said suddenly her eyes still locked with mine. I know that they hadn’t changed the burning sensation was still too much. “Double sided spear.”

  “What does that mean?” I seethed my heartbeat was irregular. My mother was still trying to calm me and though she had managed to put the flames out, the protective nature in me was not letting Rose off so easily.

  “I used to play with wooden staffs. My father was a reenactor and decided to have me mess with the spear and I sort of know how to use it.” Rose broke eye contact.

  “Seriously! You were calling me a freak when in fact you knew damn well what you were good at.” I sighed. This woman was going to be the death of me. Krista was too innocent, Helen to bent on blood, and Rose who was the one that rejected her blood. “We are all going to die.” I threw my head back my eyes had stopped burning meaning I was back to normal.

  “I wouldn’t say that. It took a lot for Rose to admit to a weapon proficiency.” My mother said smiling at Rose. “Thank you, I will make sure to have one made special for you.”

  “What is your problem with admitting you know what you are? Is it so farfetched that you have both darkness and light inside of you?” I demanded as my mother turned to walk away but refused to take a step her head in her hands.

  “Have you ever been told you were adopted?” Rose asked her arms crossed. That pissed off look back on her face. “No you haven’t been because your mother and father are here. You try being twenty two years old and being told that you are not biologically theirs. Then within that year these things start chasing you.”

  “I had my innocence ripped apart by a demon, Rose. I may not have been adopted but I know the same amount of pain that you do.” I said. So her problem wasn’t with the fact that she had feuding blood, her problem was with her parents.

  “That is not the same and you know it.” Rose said pointing at me. I believe for a second she was going to poke me in the chest but decided against it.

  “You can’t run from it. All those people out there.” I motioned towards the back of the house. “They are counting on you. Not Rose the tattoo artist that runs when things get weird. It’s Rose, the Water Warden, master of the oceans and rain that they want. No, which they need. So put aside your silly parental issues and the other petty problems and be what they need you to be.” I was still angry. I still wanted to throw her off the stairs and watch her fall. However, if she was like me her body would twist and she would land on her feet.

  “Are you two done yet?” My mother had been standing at the bottom of the stairs her arms crossed staring at us.

  “I think so.” Rose said pushing past us and walking out the front door.

  “Let Adam handle it.” Mom said putting her arm around me and we walked outside. “Let’s go check out the barn.”