I sat on the large bed, leaning my back against the headboard, then raising my right hand to my face.
It was only a few inches from my face, and as I stared at it, little flames lit up on my fingertips
They were the size of my thumb, and their heat was more than normal flames, but they did nothing to me. I couldn't feel any warmth, even though they lit up my face with a red hue.
They were mesmerizing, and as I stared at them, only one thought remained in my mind. If I could master this ability, they would have no chance against me.
I eyed the flames carefully and channeled more power into them, watching as the flames impressively doubled in size.
This would have made me smile, possibly even grin, but I don't think I remembered how to do that.
When was the last time I smiled?
I waved my hand, and the flames jumped from my fingers, floating gently. With my finger, I controlled them, drawing Lily's name.
I took my phone from the nightstand with my free hand, turning it on. When the screen lit up, my eyes immediately focused on one thing that caught my eye.
NEW MESSAGE RECEIVED.
My hand seemed to have a mind of its own, for I don't remember tapping on it.
What I saw next startled me slightly. It was a message from Lily, and I knew that wasn't odd, but I still felt a bit uncomfortable about it.
"He knows. I'm certain of it."
The time of the message was 10:06 pm yesterday. I realized that was just around the time when it happened. I hated the fact that he owned us.
I tossed the phone onto the bed and stared at the flames.
If he knows, then why doesn't he kill us?
He should do something about it then, do whatever he likes, I couldn't care less.
But I did care. I was afraid.
My eyes were closed as I took a deep breath, raising my head towards the ceiling. I must get stronger.
I felt a familiar presence filling the room and opened my eyes, feeling the flames dying out.
My heart thumped as I saw her little hands grasping tightly onto my hand. The last bit of the flames lingered over her head before dying out as well.
Words failed to form as her face filled my eyes. She knelt on the bed with my stretched legs between hers. She still wore the same clothes her apparition had on when she appeared in my hospital room.
Her large, dark eyes were on me, but I couldn't tell what emotion or expression they held. She sat then and pulled my hand to her face, folding it into a fist.
"You didn't respond when I called you earlier. What's going on?" I asked her calmly, but inwardly doubted she'd answer me. She inhaled deeply with my fist still to her nose like she wanted to absorb its fragrance if it had any.
"He summoned us to a meeting yesterday, she said without emotion, but I felt a shiveer in my body.
"Us?" I asked.
She nodded. "That's how I came to find you yesterday."
"You shouldn't have gone alone."
She smiled faintly. "As if we have a choice. I had to go since you were unconscious."
"We're to go there again tonight."
I couldn't help but frown.
She looked into my eyes before speaking
"One of us will pay for it, whatever price he demands. That's the usual sacrifice, but I'm worried about what it is he wants. I think he's known about for a long time now, but what does he want that he hasn't acted till now?"
I looked at her distressed figure, wondering if I should tell her I made a mistake last night.
"It will be me, that's how it's always been, and it won't change because of us," I said in a whisper to her. She looked up at my face, and I stared back at her eyes. Her pupils were black, and her sclera were so white they seemed to give off a light of their own.
"Anything can happen when it comes to him. You do know…" her voice trailed off into silence for a second, then came back.
"He's fond of you. You couldn't be defeated by Aryon and Oren in the initiation test. He thinks you're…different. I don't know if he knows, though." She ended the last part with distaste, subtle, but easily noticed by me, who knew her in many ways others wouldn't. Aryon and Oren were two pets He had. THey would attack new members mentally to know our strength. According to the other members, I was the first to pass that test.
I broke eye contact and slowly looked over at my table. Normally, I would be sitting there around this time since I would have nothing much to do.
She had her head turned to the side on my chest as if listening to my heartbeat, but I knew she was only acknowledging my silence, as my mother would. My hands came to rest on her lower back in the form of an embrace.
I thought of how clearly she understood me, what I was thinking, and how I needed the silence, and this made me remember how we first met.
It was just when we had moved over to this side after my dad had deserted us. I knew no one and planned not to in this new place, with no relatives, no friends, and no one.
I didn't even have the contact information of any 'friends' from our previous place. I don't even remember having any.
On my first day of schooling in this new place, the teacher of our very first lesson, our homeroom teacher, began by greeting the class that he was going to divide us into groups of two for group assignments.
He didn't even introduce me to the class. It was like he hadn't noticed, or that he couldn't care less. He produced a pile of cards on the table up front, and every student was to go pick one when their turn arrived.
He treated me like an old student who knew the rules to follow, for I remember how annoyed he got when I hesitated during my turn to go pick a card. I had no idea what the card was for, maybe someone's name, or my new partner's picture.
I approached the table, and could feel several eyes that were on me as I moved slowly towards the table, even the murmurs were drifting to my ears.
I'm the last person, I thought as I picked up a card. I realized two things: one, the card only had a number, and two, there was one more card yet to be picked.
I just turned and walked back to the corner where I sat. I clearly remember the empty seat behind me before I got up, but as I approached my seat, I saw her seated there. She had her arms folded over her chest like a stubborn child, but even though she looked more than beautiful, I could feel loneliness surrounding her.
It felt like she was from another planet, and we were still on Earth. I was sure I remained rooted in my spot staring at her, possibly gaping at her, before I heard the voice loud and clear from the teacher.
"Can everyone make it to their seats?" I came back to my senses and awkwardly made it to my seat.
"Oh, so nobody needs a GPS to get to their seats then," I heard the teacher say sarcastically, knowing very well that the 'they' was me.
There was laughter, and the murmurs continued again, and I could once again feel the eyes that were on me.
It took another shout and a clap from the teacher before the eyes left me, and order was restored.
"So, the numbers are in pairs, if you don't know. Whoever picks your matching number will be your partner for the group work."
He was walking around the class then as he spoke, and I could hear giggles and a series of muffled comments. That was when I realized he was walking in my direction. I tensed then, but he passed by me, and a slam reverberated in the classroom.