“Oh, come on,” Tom urged, taking a sip from his glass.
Joan didn't look up from her plate as she cut her steak into several smaller pieces. Tom's request would be harmless were it not for the fact that they were sitting in a crowded restaurant.
“You're going to ignore me?” Tom asked, “You'll hurt my feelings.”
Joan looked him in the eye and couldn't tell if he was being honest or not. He seemed earnest and, having already upset him once, Joan knew better than trust his outer show of confidence.
“I'll get in trouble,” Joan said flatly before returning to her meal.
“Fair enough,” Tom said, “But you will have to show me one of these days.”
Joan put down her fork. “I don't see what the big deal about it is,” She said, “You've seen fire before.”
“Yeah, on a log.”
Tom's expression betrayed him and Joan knew he was only trying to rile her.
“You can't expect me to believe that you've never noticed the spot on my back.”
“Covered in hair,” Tom said offhandedly, “Doesn't count.”
Joan's eyes narrowed and she had to fight to keep her pilot light from igniting. Tom's persistence was becoming annoying.
“Well I don't like how you're turning me into something just to be looked at,” She said in a firm tone, “So let it go or this might be your last date.”
Tom slumped. “I'm sorry,” He said, “I didn't mean to come across that way.”
Again, Joan found it difficult to tell whether he was telling the truth or not.
“I just think it's cool that you can do what you do,” Tom continued, “And it's a whole lot more interesting than talking about me.”
“Well there's more to me than just fire,” Joan said, “And I think I'll be the judge about whether or not you're interesting.”
Tom smiled and nodded his head before taking another sip from his glass. “But just so you know,” He said, “I grew up here in the city, was a shy, sheltered child who got everything I ever asked for. My parents died in a car accident while I was away at college and I've been floating on the inheritance ever since.”
“Really?” Joan asked.
Tom nodded. “Yup, except for the part about my parents. They're living happily in Europe herding sheep.”
“That's not funny,” Joan said, her pilot light practically begging to be lit.
“Which part?” Tom asked, his face still set in his playful smirk.
“What part do you think?” Joan demanded as Tom's charm grew more and more upsetting.
“It was just a joke, come on,” Tom said, holding up his hands in defense. “My parents are fine, still live in the city, and I have dinner with them once a month. Honest. What about yours?”
Joan's breathing came in short bursts as her emotions swelled. Of course Tom couldn't have known about her family, but she couldn't sit there, looking at his smiling face. She stood up and began walking briskly away. If she could just get outside and down an alley she could burn without anyone seeing.
“Hey,” Tom called out in astonishment, “Joan! What's wrong?”
Joan kept walking, holding back the tears and fire as best she could.
The moment the crisp evening air hit her face, Joan broke into a run. The sun had set since they'd arrived at the restaurant and dusk had settled in full making the world gray and shadowed. An alley opened up suddenly half a block into her run and Joan turned down it, grateful for how wide it was and for its lack of windows and doors.
Fire burst into the early night and Joan cried, screaming to drown out the roar of the inferno around her. She hated herself for losing control, for how her fire still intensified her emotions, for how little control she really had. They'd lock her away, she knew it. It was only a matter of time.
Another voice reached her ears and Joan turned around. What she saw drove back her tears but fueled her fears all the more.
Tom was lying on the ground just a few feet away from her, screaming as he burned. Joan tried to pull her fire away from him but it wouldn't obey.
“Help!” Joan shouted, but where they were both deep into the alley she doubted anyone would hear.
Tom continued to writhe on the ground but most of his movements brought him closer rather than further away. Joan doubted he even knew which way was up, blinded as he might be by the fire and pain.
“Get away from me!” Joan shouted to him and Tom pushed himself in the right direction. “That's right, keep moving!”
Joan could only stand there and watch, hoping that Tom's screams were growing faint because of the distance he'd put between them. Joan tried again to extinguish her flame but with similar results as before when she was struck with an idea. She looked up, checking to make sure there was nothing above before she focused on channeling as much of her fire upward.
It worked. The fire shot upward between the buildings on either side like a tornado. The swirling flame whipped around her, smacking her hair into her face, but it was held close around her and that was what was important.
Tom, free of the fire, curled up into the fetal position. His clothes and skin were so badly burned that it was difficult at first for Joan to tell them apart.
“I'm going to get help,” Joan assured him and she ran passed, back toward the mouth of the alley.
Behind her, Tom whimpered and moaned.
Once she got back onto the main sidewalk, it didn't take very long for her to spot other people.
“Please,” She shouted to them from where she stood, knowing better than to run towards them as a burning pillar and potentially frighten them away. “Please, I need you to call an ambulance.”
A middle aged man not far from her complied and pulled out his cell phone, though shock played clearly on his face.
“My name is Joan Darcy, I'm the girl who burns and my friend's been burned,” Joan explained quickly once the man finished dialing and held the cell phone to his ear. “I didn't know he was behind me when I ignited... please,” Joan's tears returned and hissed as they were evaporated by her spiraling flame, “Please tell them to hurry.”
No comments:
Post a Comment