Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter
Xxx
Seventeen year old high school student Tyler Michaels sat in the back of the class, staring out the window with a vacant look in his bright blue eyes. His history teacher was talking about the Salem witch trials, boring his entire class to death. His teacher was talking about how misguided the trials were, as witches clearly didn't exist. The spiky blonde haired teenager knew better, however, he knew witches were very real, just like teenagers that can create fire with their minds. Tyler rubbed his hands over his temples, as he'd been having a headache toe entire day, and hoped this day would be over soon.
His prayers were answered when the bell rang and everyone got in a hurry to leave the classroom. Tyler backed up his stuff and followed them. Just one more class to go and then he'd be free. All he had to do was get a book out his locker first. As he walked to his locker he saw a group of people coming his way. They were all members of the football club, led by their quarterback. Eric Tillman was basically the terror of the school, since he was the biggest bully around and got away with it due to being the star of the football team. He was also a very large and muscular guy, about twice Tyler's size. Tyler knew this would be trouble, since Eric seemed to be out to get him ever since he first got to this school. He had no idea why, but somehow he always ended up being the target of his bullying.
As Tyler passed the football players, he was suddenly pushed and fell against the lockers. He was already in a bad temper due to his headache, and this wasn't helping.
"Watch where you're going, loser." Eric Tillman said while his goons laughed. "These are my hallways."
"Just get lost, Tillman." Tyler replied as he shrugged it off and tried to walk away, but before he could Eric blocked his path.
"What did you say?" Eric asked.
"I said back off!" Tyler said. "What the hell is your problem?"
Meanwhile the others kids in the hallway all stopped to look at what was going on. In a matter of a few minutes, it seemed like the entire school had gathered in that hallway. Fights were always a big crowd gatherer.
"You're my problem." Eric replied. "Losers like you walking around my hallways."
"Like you're better than me, you might be a big football star, at least I'm not flunking out of every class I take." Tyler said.
"Well, at least I'm not a total reject." Eric said mockingly.
"What?" Tyler asked angrily.
"Oh yeah, I knew all about you." Eric said. "Last week when I was in the principal's office I got a look at your file. You're a foster kid and you've been in like five different homes the last few years. Looks like nobody wants you, not even your real parents."
"Shut up." Tyler said angrily. He couldn't believe that a dumbass like Eric actually got access to his personal files. Meanwhile his headache was increasing as well.
"Truth sucks, doesn't it, reject." Eric mocked him. "You've been kicking out of every home and school you've ever been in. Why don't you just run home and cry to mommy? Oh right, she didn't want you!"
"Screw you!" Tyler shouted and swung his fist at Eric.
Eric stumbled back and reached for his nose, Tyler had actually managed to give him a bloody nose, which made him feel a little better, but also meant he was in serious trouble now. Nobody ever stood up to Eric Tillman and embarrassing him in front of his goons meant the jock would probably kill him. The few people that laughed and cheered were quickly shut up by the angry glares from Eric.
"Oh, you are so going to pay for that." Eric said furiously.
Eric grabbed Tyler by his shirt and slammed him against the lockers behind him. Tyler banged his head against the locker and felt his headache reaching a boiling point. Meanwhile Eric raised his fist, preparing to hit him.
"Nobody punches me and gets away with it." Eric said. "I'm going to kill you for this."
Before Eric could hit him, Tyler suddenly cried out in pain as his head felt like it was ready to explode. He reached for his head and suddenly the sleeve of Eric's letterman jacket caught on fire. The large jock screamed like a little girl when he noticed the fire and hassled to get the jacket off. When he threw it on the floor, the entire jacket went up in a fiery blaze.
Tyler just stood there stunned. He now knew why he had been having those headaches. They were the same ones he used to get as a kid when his powers manifested. This could only mean that his firestarting powers were back somehow. It also meant he had just outed himself as a freak to the entire school.
"Y-You're some kind of freak!" Eric said as he stumbled back. "Like a mutant from those movies or something."
Tyler didn't know what to do or say, everyone was staring at him. Meanwhile his headache was completely gone, which meant that it was caused by his reemerging powers. Now that they were free, it felt like a weight was lifted. The only problem was that he didn't want his powers back. Being in foster care meant he was always an outsider. He didn't need to be a freak as well.
"Should be call the police or something?" A girl in the crowd whispered.
Tyler realized he needed to get out of there or he'd be in a lot more trouble. He took a step forward and everyone else took a step back. They were all scared of him and were looking at him as if he was some kind of monster. He needed to get out of there, so he picked up his bag and started walking toward the door. Everyone went out of his way and as soon as his path was clear, Tyler started to run for it.
xxx
In a small, dark cave in the underworld, a group of demonic Power Brokers were gathered around a stone table. On the table were dozens of glowing white orbs, which each represented a different power the demons had stolen. In the underworld, powers were the most valuable currency around, since everything revolved around power. Only the most powerful demons made it big in the underworld, which is why now that there was a void in the demonic hierarchy, business was going great for the Power Brokers.
While the demons were caught up in trading among themselves, another demon joined them by teleporting in through smoke. He had the appearance of a young man in a black suit with short brown hair. When he cleared his throat, the others turned to him and quickly stopped.
"Arcon, back so soon?" One of the others asked surprised.
"I caught you off guard, I see." Arcon said. "Trading powers amongst yourselves?"
"Of course not." The other demon said. "You're the boss, after all, we would never.."
"Save it." Arcon interrupted him. "We got bigger issues to discuss now. My sources just detected a firestarter, a powerful one. And as you all know, firestarter are incredible rare and coveted, meaning I want his powers."
"But I thought firestarters were off limits." The other demon noted.
"They used to be." Arcon said. "In case you haven't noticed, a lot has changed. We no longer have to bow down to the old generation. They're dead after all. So go out and bring me this firestarter, dead or alive, whatever is easier."
"Of course." The other demon said while bowing.
All the Broker demons around the table quickly disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving Arcon alone in the cavern. The well-dressed demon walked around the table and picked up one of the glowing orbs on the table. He then crushed it with his fist and absorbed the power inside. After the power was fully absorbed, Arcon's breath suddenly turned to ice.
Xxx
Billie Jenkins stepped out of the taxi wearing a dark purple top and black jeans. In her hand she held two yellow roses. After paying the driver, she closed the door and looked around, she was standing in front of a cemetery. She was actually supposed to meet Duncan and Violet at the library at school, but when she checked her calendar this morning, she made a saddening discovery.
Today was the anniversary of her parent's death at the hands of demons, which happened two years ago. It wasn't until later that Billie discovered that the Triad was involved as well, but she still refused to believe Christy was involved. Despite the fact she was working for the Triad all along, she had faith that her sister was at least still human. She would never have agreed to that.
Billie walked down the cemetery path until she reached her parent's graves. She kneeled down in front of the headstone and placed the yellow roses on it.
"Hi, mom and dad." Billie said. "I brought roses, mom, yellow, your favorite."
Of course there was no response. Once Billie had considered summoning their spirits to actually be able to talk to them, but she knew there was nothing to say. She knew they loved her and they knew that she loved them as well. She hoped Christy was with them as well, now that she was finally at peace as well.
Billie continued talking to the graves, because she knew her parents were listening. She talked about everything that had happened recently, with her new friends and destiny and knew her parents would be proud of her. After a while, Billie heard the familiar sound of orbs descending behind her. She turned around excepting to see Paige, but it was Mikelle instead. It would probably take a while to get used to having a new whitelighter.
"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Mikelle asked.
"No, I was just getting ready to leave." Billie said as she got up.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents." Mikelle said. "And your sister."
"Thank you." Billie said.
As Billie looked at Mikelle she suddenly came to a realization. Mikelle had been there, she had actually met Christy. While Christy was trying to convince her that the sisters had lost their sense and good and became selfish, Mikelle had been Paige's charge. She was there in the manor when Billie entered the sister's dreams to see their true natures and had run off, which was when the darklighter that was chasing her had killed her.
"Oh my god." Billie shocked. "You were there."
"Yeah, I was." Mikelle replied.
"It was my fault, mine and Christy's." Billie said. "Because of us, the darklighter got you."
"I know." Mikelle said.
"I'm so sorry." Billie said. "If I had known…"
"You would have saved my life?" Mikelle asked casually. "Look Billie, what happened back then, I don't blame you, or your sister. I guess it was destined to happen."
"But you were killed." Billie said troubled.
"Yes, but I became a whitelighter." Mikelle said. "My life was a mess, and now I have a purpose. That is why I feel it was destined to happen. If not that day, then maybe the next."
"How can you talk about it so easily?" Billie asked.
"I moved on and accepted my fate." Mikelle simply said. "I don't blame you."
"But I blame myself." Billie said. "For everything that happened. I was manipulated so easily and a lot of people got hurt because of it. And everyone has forgiven me so easily. Sometimes I still feel like I don't deserve to be let off so easily."
"Would you rather have everyone hate you?" Mikelle asked.
"No, I mean. I don't know." Billie said confused. "Sometimes, I guess."
"Well, you're lucky not everyone is as hard on you as you're being on yourself." Mikelle replied.
Billie knew Mikelle had a point. Despite everything that had happened, everyone had forgiven her. Some days she even thought she might be able to forgive herself, but she still had a long way to go before she could do that. By becoming a witch again, she felt like she had taken a step in that direction.
"You're right." Billie said after a while. "You're a pretty good whitelighter."
"Don't act to surprised." Mikelle said. "I might act like I don't care half the time, but I do actually love my job. And I care about my charges. Just don't tell anyone."
"Alright. I promise." Billie said with a smile.
"Look, about what happened back then." Mikelle started. "I know it's water under the bridge, but I do think that you need to tell Duncan and Violet. Your destinies are intertwined now and they need to be able to trust you, and you need to be able to trust them with something like this as well."
Billie thought about what Mikelle said. In fact, she had been thinking about the same thing as well. If this new destiny was going to work, they all needed to trust in each other, which meant she would have to be honest with her new friends about her past, no matter how painful the past was.
"I know you're right." Billie said. "But it's a big step."
"I know, and you should do it in your own time." Mikelle replied. "I'm just saying that it's a step forward."
"Okay, I'll think about it." Billie said. "Now I need to get going. I promised Duncan I'd help him teach Violet about magic."
"That sounds like fun." Mikelle remarked sarcastically.
"I know, I remember the boring history lessons Leo gave me." Billie said. "I hope that by the time I get there, they'll have moved on to the fun part."
Suddenly a familiar jingle chimed through the air and Mikelle looked up at the sky. Billie knew it meant the Elders were calling her for something.
"I have to go." Mikelle said.
"Okay, see you later." Billie said.
Mikelle looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then dissolved into a column of orbs, which rose up to the heavens. Billie sighed and turned to her parents' grave. She said her goodbyes and headed toward the exit of the cemetery. While walking she thought about what she had discussed with Mikelle. She wanted to be honest with Duncan and Violet, but a part of her was scared about how they would react. She wasn't ready yet, maybe the right time to tell them would rise on its own. As she left the cemetery, Billie spotted a taxi and called it over.
xxx
When Tyler arrived at his foster home, he realized he had run the entire way and was pretty exhausted. He headed into the house and almost immediately tripped over a skateboard that was blocking the door. The foster parents he was staying with right now had five kids running around. Tyler himself was the oldest and the youngest was about three years old. Having so many kids around meant that Tyler was pretty much being ignored and that he could do whatever he wanted, as long as it didn't cause his foster parents trouble.
Tyler headed into the kitchen to get a drink and found his foster mother, Margret, sitting at the table. As usual she had already poured herself a drink this early in the afternoon and was still dressed in a fluffy worn-down bathrobe.
"What are you doing home so early?" Margret asked in her usual cranky tone.
"Teacher was sick." Tyler said as he got a drink from the fridge.
"Oh. So it has nothing to do with the call I just got from your principal?" Margret asked.
"What? What did they say?" Tyler asked as he spun around.
"They said you started a fight and burned someone's jacket." Margret said. "Care to explain?"
"Not really." Tyler replied.
"Look, kid." Margret said with pointed finger. "I don't need this kind of trouble. The deal was you'd stay out of trouble and we'd leave you alone."
"So leave me alone." Tyler replied annoyed.
"I'm warning you." Margret said. "One more incident like this and you're out of here."
"Whatever, I'm going to my room." Tyler said.
Tyler slammed the fridge door shut and headed toward the basement, which is where his room was located. Having to share a house with so many kids, Tyler actually preferred the basement over a room upstairs. It was a lot bigger than the room upstairs and a lot less noisy. The only downfall was he had to share a room with the washing machine. When he got downstairs he threw his bag on the floor and dropped down on the bed. He needed to figure out what to do, since there was no way he could go back to that school.
Why had his powers returned now? They were supposed to bound indefinitely, unless he chose to get them back, which was never. Fitting is was hard enough without being a freak. This was not supposed to happen. The plan was simple, finish the last year of high school, turn eighteen so he'd be free from the foster program and then start a new life. Having the power to set things on fire with his mind, was not a part of that plan.
He needed his powers bound again, and he only knew three people who were able to help him with that. They had done it once before after all. The only problem was that he didn't want to go to the sisters for help. He thought they were his friends, but they had pretty much abandoned him after they had helped him the first time. They had promised to keep in touch, but once he was back in the system, he never saw them again.
Suddenly a sharp pain ran through Tyler's head and he grabbed his head in pain. Before he could get it under control, a fire suddenly erupted in the dirty laundry basket in front of the washing machine. Tyler quickly jumped up and grabbed a blanket to try and dampen the fire. When it seemed like he was about to get the fire under control, the door to the basement suddenly flew open and his foster mother appeared.
"What the hell are you doing?" She called out hysterically. "Are you trying to burn my house down?"
"No, it was an accident." Tyler replied in a panic.
"I don't care!" Margret screamed. "I am calling the police. You are out of here!"
Before Tyler could say anything else, she slammed the door shut. He realized he was in real trouble now. If the cops got involved, he wouldn't end up back in the system, he'd be sent to juvie. There was no way that was going to happen. Tyler quickly put out the fire and emptied his schoolbag on the bed. He then filled it with all the clean clothes he could find and the few possessions he had. Luckily there was door in the basement that led to the backyard. He headed out the door and took one last look back. Right now, his foster house was another place he could never return to.
xxx