"Are you scared? I knew you were a wimp!" mocked Adam, the fat bully from my school.
"I am not! Just watch me! I'm going to go in!" I replied.
Adam and his buddies smiled and mocked me some more as I walked into the abandoned nuclear plant. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down as I walked around. There was little lighting, making the generators look like shadow figures coming to get me. My amber eyes scanned nervously over the room. There were generators connected to a bunch of pipes. I stood in front of a control panel. My hands ghosted over the buttons, my olive skin barely visible in the dark. There was a squeak and I heard scuffling behind me. In one quick movement I turned around. I let out a deep breathe, it was just a rat. Without thinking I sat back on the control panel.
"Shit!" I yelled as the room lit up.
I watched, frozen to my spot, as the nuclear plant tried to start up again. However, it couldn't. The system was so old that it began failing. Sparks lit up the room but I couldn't run. I was stuck. Soon the generators caught fire and for once I could move. I turned and ran towards the exit, but I was too slow. The wall collapsed and I was trapped. I frantically searched for another way out, but my lungs were burning as I breathed in more smoke. Soon I felt light headed and could barely walk. I coughed as I fell to my knees, unable to breath. I fell to the floor. This was it. I was going to die. I felt tears prick at my eyes from the smoke. The last thing I remember before I passed out was green. It was a pretty green. Like emeralds and it reminded me of summer, of home, of happiness. After that, it was black.
...
What happened? Oh that's right, the fire. I heard voices and the soft hum of machines. Is this heaven? Nah, it has to be hell. I groaned as I opened my eyes. I looked at my surroundings. I was on a bed, covered in blanket, needles and wires hooked up to me. The room was white, minus the red chair in the corner. I lifted my head, and watched as people scurried about the room, paying no mind to me. Well, the afterlife isn't that different from real life I guess.
I laid my head back down in exasperation, staring thoughtlessly at the blank ceiling. There was really nothing for me to do. I was kinda tied down to the bed via the massive amount of wires connected to my body. Well, I guess hell would be worse but heaven would be better so I must still be alive. But how? There was no one who could get in to save me. Wouldn't I have suffocated and then burned? I feel fine though. Maybe that's just modern medicine. It must be the morphine.
I looked up again, suddenly aware of a thirst that had been creeping up on me.
"Can I have some water? Doesn't anyone here know about simple hospitality?" I asked to the people in the room.
All eyes turned on me, and then in a second I was overwhelmed by everyone at my bed side.
"What are his vitals?" A man, probably the main doctor, demanded.
A nurse replied with numbers and acronyms that were lost on me. There was some more needle poking and wired attaching before everyone finally stopped touching me.
"Jesus Christ! Can't I get some space!" I complained.
"Doctor it's amazing. His wounds have completely healed." Said a nurse.
"Hmm. He might be..." The doctor trailed off, but the nurse seemed to understand.
"What's going on? Where's my family?" I asked.
"Mr. Vargas we've informed your family of your situation but they can not come in to visit until you leave." The doctor replied.
"What? Why? What kind of lame as joke is this?"
"This is not a joke. You are in a very secure government base and civilians are not allowed."
"Well then let me go home!"
"We cannot allow you to until we are sure"
"Sure of what?! I'm fine! Let me fucking leave already!"
I felt my face go red with rage and my whole body felt like it was on fire. The doctor looked surprised and I looked down at myself. I was in flames.
"Why am I on fire?!" I shrieked, waving my arms to try and get it to stop.
"Lovino calm down, your power is clearly linked to your emotions." The doctor said.
"Like hell I'm going to calm down! I am on fire!" The doctor sighed and walked over to the wall.
Before I knew it I was cool again and not on fire. He used the fucking fire extinguisher. As I wiped foam off my body the doctor said, "Hmm, you haven't sustained any burns."
"What the fuck was that?!" I yelled.
Suddenly, the door opened and man walked in. I felt like I knew him from somewhere. He was tall, muscular, tan, had shaggy brown hair and bright emerald eyes that sparkled as he grinned.
"Hola. Looks like sleeping beauty is up." The man said.
"Don't fucking call me that asshole!" I yelled, lighting myself on fire again.
"I would prefer of you didn't upset the patient Antonio." The doctor said.
"Lo siento!" The man replied, giving an apologetic smile that immediately cooled me down.
I looked away from the man, not completely sure why. Instead I looked at the extremely burned bed I was sitting on.
"Now, Mr. Vargas, this is Antonio. He saved you from the fire." The doctor said.
I looked up at the man, giving him an expression mixed with wonder, gratitude, and my usual resentment.
"How?" I asked.
Antonio smiled nervously and said "How about just a 'thank you' for now."
I furrowed my eyebrows. He was hiding something and I had to find out what. Antonio had become distracted by talking to the doctor after I hadn't responded. All of a sudden, I had a plan. A plan to find out his secret. Sure, it wasn't very smart, but I could try. I looked at my hand and concentrated hard. I managed to light a fireball in my hand. I smirked before I threw it at Antonio. However, it stopped short, and floated in the air before dying out.
"Lovino, it would be nice if you didn't throw fire balls at Antonio." The doctor said exasperated.
I stuck my tongue out at him and flicked a fire ball that barely missed his left ear. It hit the back wall and left a scorch mark.
"I'll leave him to you." The doctor said to Antonio before hurrying out of the room.
I looked Antonio up and down before saying "So what's the deal with you. You got mind control or something?"
"Well telepathy is the preferred term."
I rolled my eyes, secretly stealing a glance at his smile again.
"So what's so bad about it?" I asked.
"It...um...it can kill."
"Okkaaayyy, but it saved me so everyone's happy right?"
"You're right Lovi! It did help you!" He said, giving me a hug.
"Get off me! And don't call me that!"
I lit my fingertips on fire to get him off me. It worked quite effectively.
"Ouch. Lovi, that hurt."
"Don't call me that!"
"But it's so cute!" I blushed and, consequently, lit myself on fire again.
"Whoops." Antonio said before he made a dash for the door.
"Get back here you idiot!" I screamed as I ripped the wires and needles from my body and ran after Antonio.
I threw a fire ball down the hallway, which was stopped by Antonio's telepathy. I ran after him, leaving a trail of scorch marks behind me. After a while I had lost him and stopped to catch my breath. I stepped into a nearby room. It was a computer lab and had your typical computers lined up in a row. I sat at one and turned it on. I pulled up Google and typed in "Antonio." "Antonio Carriendo" was the first thing to come up so I clicked it.
"Well there's a picture of him. That's promising." I said to myself.
I read down the article. It was about the "Bad Touch Trio," a band of superheroes that Antonio was apparently a part of.
"Hmm. I remember them. I thought they all died though." I said.
I read down the article some more. I wasn't completely wrong. Two of them died. Antonio didn't. The article said that their hearts exploded from an unknown source. I squinted my eyed. No one's heart explodes for no fucking reason, and I think I know who's fault it is. That's why he didn't like his power. He must not have been able to control it, right? I don't know why, but I really didn't want this to be purposeful. I wanted it to be an accident.
"I have to find him." I turned of the power and left the room.
Luckily, I didn't have to search far to find Antonio. He was right outside the room.
"How did you find me?" I asked.
"You weren't exactly stealthy about it." Antonio replied, gesturing to the scorch marks on the floor.
"Whoops."
"Come on, you have to go back to you room."
"No wait, I need to talk to you!"
"Okay, okay I'm listening. Just don't set me on fire"
I raised my eyebrow.
"Not funny?" He asked.
I shook my head before saying "Please tell me it was an accident."
"Lovi I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do!" I was on fire again, and my tears were being evaporated, thank The Lord.
"It was, but I doesn't change that it happened. They're still dead. I still killed my best friends."
My flames died. I was relieved. So he wasn't a purposeful killer. I could live with accidental. Wait, why did I care?! Ugh, now that asshole has me acting all emotional. He must be using his crazy mind power on me. That has to be it.
"I'm okay with that." I said.
"Really?" Antonio asked.
"Yeah. Plus you saved my life, so it works out."
For the first time in a while, I smiled.
"Antonio! Lovino! Get back to the room now!" Bellowed the doctor, who was down the hallway.
"Yeah, yeah." I said as I began walking back to my room, not missing Antonio's smile.