After spending months revising this, I finally decided to post it! Ruby and Liam's eldest daughter just turned 12 and she's about to find out why her classes have started decreasing in size. When her friend is taken by the new generation of skip tracers she has to learn to control the fire within her so she can save her. Ruby and Liam might be a little OOC but this story focuses more on their daughter and it's from her view.
"I'm afraid to report IANN has not yet been resolved and continued use to affect Amer-" mom flicked off the television, unaware I had just seen it. Mom and dad were the only ones allowed to watch the news. They claimed it would only make us sad. They would send us out when it came on, but I know they don't turn it off. I can hear the news anchors speaking, and sometimes I can hear mom cry.
"What's IANN?" Mom jumped at the sound of my voice.
"Ember? Don't worry about that sweetie. It's the disease from when I was young. I hoped it would be cured…" I've seen dad use his abilities plenty of times and I knew the disease is what caused it. I felt myself being lifted into the air and I knew dad was home. I did a few flips in the air until I heard mom speak up.
"Chubs and Vida are outside."
"Okay Ember, are you ready? Here we go!" Dad pushed me through the air and I felt like a bird taking flight. I had the perfect view, I saw them a few seconds before dad and prepared myself for the sensation of falling that came when dad lowered me. I was placed between Uncle Chubs and Aunt Vida. I hadn't seen them in years and no one tells me why. All I know is that they were in D.C with someone named Cate. Aunt Suzume on the other hand, was here all the time. So when I saw her car pull up I was running towards it. I ambushed her with a hug before she was even out of the car. When the last car pulled up I didn't know who it could've been. Mom was throwing a party for my twelfth birthday and I thought everyone was here. A woman and a man I've never met emerged from the car.
"Sam! Lucas!" Mom rushed out after dad yelled the names. The woman-Sam I think- called her name and ran to hug her.
"It's been years!" I heard one of them say. Realizing all the action was outside, the twins came running out. It was turning out to be the perfect summer day; it even smelled like it. The strongest was the smell of fire. I could smell the smoke and feel the heat on my face as if it were in front of me. I saw something orange cross my vision and looked down to find my arm engulfed in flames. The strange thing was, I didn't feel any pain. In fact, my arm felt completely normal. I ran to the house and Aunt Suzume was the first to notice me.
"Oh my god! Ruby!" Mom came running towards us.
"What is happening?" I cried when I saw her.
"LIAM! LIAM!" Dad and the others came running inside. They took one look at my arm and looked to Lucas. I didn't understand it. I didn't even know this man, yet, everyone was looking to him for answers. Why not look to Uncle Chubs? After all, he was a doctor. I saw Lucas whisper something to my dad then he was talking to me, calming me until the fire went out leaving no signs it was ever there. I looked around for mom, shocked. I found her with Uncle Chubs, who was wrapping her hands in white bandages. I hadn't even realized she grabbed me and I immediately felt guilty knowing I burned her.
"Where are Charlie and Delilah?" I heard someone ask followed by a sigh of relief when Aunt Zu ushered the twins inside.
"Ember, take the twins to your room." Awesome. My arm was on fire and I was being punished for it. After only five minutes of sitting in bed and watching the twins, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Where are you going Emmy?" I put a finger to my lips and mouthed the words stay here. I sat at the top of the steps and listened.
"I knew this was coming, she's at that age, but a red? I thought you were the last one." I couldn't see who was talking, or who they were speaking to. I slid down a step in hopes to hear and see more. I heard the soft voice of Aunt Zu say something about colors. Why do they keep mentioning colors? I saw my dad sigh and look up the stairs in the direction of my room. I shrunk against the wall to avoid being seen. Too late. We locked eyes and I saw his lips move.
"Come here." It took a moment for me to realize he was speaking to me. I crept down the remains steps and took a seat between my parents on the couch, watching the others leave the room.
"It's time we tell you about IANN." Mom started to say. I was told of the disease know as IANN. The one that plagued children ages ten and older. The one that I was now a victim of. At least it explained why all my friends do had either suddenly "moved" or pulled out of school. Mom started to explain the colors and their meanings. She was orange and could control people's minds, dad was blue and had telekinesis, which explained how he could lift me up. He jumped in the tell me I was red. Meaning I had pyrokinetics. I know that my face mirrored the confusion because dad started to laugh. Mom explained that it meant I control fire. Great.
"We are the dangerous ones, but with time, you'll learn to control it." Just minutes ago I was a normal twelve years old. I was supposed to be starting middle school in a few months. Not learning the control my fire. Suddenly the throw pillow burst into flames. Dad grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the fire like it was a normal occurrence. Maybe he knew it would be. I imagined there being fire extinguishers placed in every room, buckets of water always at hand. And worst of all, I imagined Charlie and Delilah being afraid of me. I imagined them backing away whenever I came near, creeping past my room, and never talking to me. Dad started to talk but I didn't stay to listen. I ran to my room and isolated myself for the remainder of the day. So much for the party. Today would no longer be a day of celebration. Instead it would be a reminder of when I became...dangerous.
The days that followed consisted of my parents trying to coax me out of my room, only being successful at meal time. With every passing day, I started to get tired of my own company and nothing to do. I tried reading-the books burned in my hand, I tried dancing-the rug burned beneath my feet. After so many days of doing nothing I finally decided to come out just in time to see Aunt Zu and Aunt Vida before they left.
"Ember! Hey girl, how you doing?" Aunt Vida asked me. I thought back to the layers of ask that now covered my bedroom floor. Everything I touched became ignited by fire. Mom spread her arms and walked towards me for a hug. Her hands were still wrapped in bandages, I could see the start of blistering on her wrists. I caused that. I quickly shook my head and backed away ignoring the hurt that passed through her face. I swallowed my guilt and kept my distance despite the urge I had to run into her arms and sob. You burn everything you touch. I reminded myself. I already burned her once, I couldn't do it again. She quickly put on a smile and kissed my cheek. I saw keys and a laptop float into the room at the same time as she did.
"Hey darlin' I was thin-" he did a double take once he saw me. "The dragon awakens!" I dropped my eyes to the floor, refusing to meet his gaze. I didn't trust myself not to cry. I turned to walk back to my room. I never should have came out, I'm not ready to face them. I felt myself lifted off the ground mid-step and I couldn't stop the grin that made it's way to my face. Dad brought me through the whole house, out the door, past the cars and finally stopping at the treehouse.
"Climb." I obeyed and climbed up the treehouse he built himself. I had to stifle a laugh, thinking about the stories mom told me about the construction of the treehouse. She'd say he fell out about twice and how it took him four tries to get it right. She'd tell me how he was so excited to finally make a treehouse for his children, to finally be a dad.
"It's perfect dad." I tell him, realizing I never thanked him for it. I looked around at the walls that made it ours. The artwork, the paint smears, the dolls that Delilah kept bringing up. Everything that made it unique. You would never find one like it. "-it must be-Ember? Are you listening?" I nodded and gestured for him to continue talking.
"What?" Dad was searching my face for something, and frankly, it was creeping me out. "Where's my little girl?" Was he kidding? "She's gone, replaced by this monster." I stared back at him, my eyes burning with tears threatening to fall.
"That's where you're wrong. You are the sweetest little girl I have ever met. This new ability is not going to change that. They're the monsters, not you. The ones who are always trying to stop you. You control the fire, not the other way around. A monster would just give in and let it take over. I've met some monsters, and believe me, you are not one." What was it mom had said? Don't let it control you. I let the tears fall and this time when dad wrapped his arms around me in a hug I Iet him. I was the girl made of fire and I would be victorious.
I was looking over the first draft before I revised it and I love seeing the differences and improvement! If you liked it reviews are always welcome! Let me know what you think!