Lehava and Ashanti were best friends, ever since they met in 6th grade. They were almost done with 7th grade, but they knew their friendship would last forever. It was an odd sort of friendship. When they met for the first time, it felt like they had just picked up where they left off, even though neither had met before. It was like they were made for each other, like they were supposed to meet. It was funny that they had never met before middle school. They lived about ten minutes away from each other. So after becoming BFFS, they hung out almost every weekend. Maybe they were both best friends because they were so different than normal.

Ashanti was a quieter sort of girl. She was like an adult in a teenager's body, full of inspiration and philosophy. She didn't mind being on her own, reading or painting or ice skating, etc. She was skilled at many things, and very smart, and she used her skills wisely. She considered getting an A on a quiz a failure, which Lehava found hilarious.

Lehava was Ashanti's opposite in some ways. Though she never spoke a word in class (she was usually daydreaming about one thing or another) she was a constant chatterbox to her friends. She was more like an eight year old in a teenager's body, full up of all the guardians had to offer, dreams, wonder, fun, etc. She loved being on a team, and couldn't stand being alone. She also had many skills, though she tended not to see them or remember to use them.

But Lehava and Ashanti did share some things in common. They both loved humor and didn't care what age group something was meant for as long as they liked it (though Lehava still wouldn't admit she liked My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, that was just too much for her pride). And though their friendship was strange in many ways, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. That is, until one day.

It was during winter break that it started. Lehava was hanging out at Ashanti's house and they were just talking at the moment (like always). They were both obsessed with Rise of the Guardians (after Lehava discovered it) and both believed.

"Do you think I might be something special, Shanti? Like, I might have powers like the guardians or Percy Jackson?" Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Lehava is obsessed with the Percy Jackson series. Mostly Leo Valdez. She was also obsessed with the color green. And music. And magic. And… well you get the point.

"I don't know. It seems likely that you could turn out at be a guardian. After all, you do have something 'special inside' as North says," Ashanti answered in her oddly measured tone.

"But I mean like, magic, sort of special," Lehava said, not satisfied with the answer.

"Most people want to have superpowers, but once they have it, it's scary. Like, I can sorta read minds, but it scares me." Ashanti answered, still carefully not answering Lehava's question. She was betting on the fact that Lehava was easily distracted. She was right, as always.

"WHAT? HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME BEFORE? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU READ MY MIND? THIS IS SO COOL!" Lehava shouted, bouncing up and down.

"Well," said Ashanti in an even voice, "I haven't really ever read YOUR mind-,"

"Good. Please don't read my mind," Lehava interrupted.

"Yeah, well anyways, but I can sorta go into people's minds and tell what they are feeling or how they feel about something. I'm not very good at it yet, but sometimes I can even read a thought."

"OHHHH MY GOSH! MY FRIEND HAS TELE- uhh… tele… help me out here."

"Telepathy."

"YEAH! I was about to say telekinesis but that didn't sound right. YOU HAVE TELEPATHY! Anyways, what's my power?" Lehava asked eagerly. She reaaaaally hoped she had a power. It was her lifelong dream.

Ashanti sighed. Even though Lehava was easily distracted, she never gave up on an idea THAT easy. It wasn't like Ashanti thought Lehava wasn't special. She HAD felt something special with Lehava, like they had powers colliding. Maybe she did have something. She expected Lehava's power was over earth, dirt. It just seemed to fit. She delved deep into Lehava's mind, blocking out all thoughts but one. What is Lehava's gift? What is it? She asked. She heard nothing. Maybe Lehava didn't have a power, maybe she was just a normal girl. But then she heard something. Something ancient inside of herself, whispering to her. "Fire… hearth… she sees it within others… she sees it within her self. Ask her. Asssssk her…"

"Hmm that was interesting," said Ashanti, trying to cover her fear of the creepy voice, "I was expecting earth."

"Well what is it? WHAT IS IT?" practically screamed Lehava, bouncing again. She was not well known for her patience.

"Fire," Ashanti said, "Does that sound right to you?"

Lehava paused for a second.

"Yes," she said hesitantly, "Yes, I think it does."

All of a sudden she was pulled into flashbacks of her childhood, things she had not remembered for so long. She remembered the time she knocked over a candle on a tablecloth when she was seven. She had been so scared, she couldn't move. She had stared for about ten seconds as the flame touched the cloth. The only thing she could do was will it not to burn, don't burn… please don't… Her mother picked up the candle. The cloth didn't burn. There was no scorch mark.

Next, she remembered that when she was little, she used to talk with fire, see things in it. She would sit by the fireplace, staring, until a familiar bird would pop up. It wouldn't speak out loud, but it communicated to her using pictures like the sandman's, or sometimes with a deep voice like an ember, if an ember could speak. She had become better and better at talking to fire but then, her parents had bought a pellet stove (a sort of furnace, not really a fireplace). After that, she couldn't talk with the fire. It was real fire, but not quite the same. It was too contained, too controlled, to be real fire.

And finally, she remembered some nightmares she had. In the first, there had been a blood red, evil goddess, telling Lehava to join her. She had showed Lehava that there were fires inside of everyone, soulfires. Lehava, for all of her life, could sense and influence the soulfires, kindle them. It was just the goddess that pointed it out. And unfortunately, over the next few days after the dream, Lehava had proof that that goddess was real.

The second dream also involved fire. Lehava couldn't control her powers, everything was burning, burning, until there was nothing left. "See what you can do? Without training, thissssss could happen…" the goddess told her.

All the memories… made sense now.

She did have something special.

And she wasn't scared.

"Whoa," Lehava breathed. "I DO have powers… I… I… AHHHHHH! OMYGOSH! AHHHHHH!" She started jumping up and down, flapping her hands and screaming OH MY GOSH at the top of her lungs. Ashanti just watched in amusement. It made her feel good to make Lehava feel this happy- and that was saying something, Lehava was always happy. When it was finally time for Lehava to leave, Ashanti thought. Why did they have these powers? How did they get them? And, most importantly, Where we meant for something bigger?

Those questions would be answered soon, sooner than she thought. Because a shadow was rising, by the name of Pitch. And this time, he had the help of a goddess by the name of Bloody Mary.