The Flame
Prologue #1: At age ten, my dad died. My mum told me it was an accident, a car crash. I didn't believe that my dad could die so easily, but what was I going to do? I was a kid. No one would believe what I claimed, or they would just ignore me. I wasn't a lonely kid, I had lots of friends. They would have listened to me, but they wouldn't be able to do anything. And we moved away right after the funeral, and I barely even had time to say goodbye to anyone.
I didn't even believe he was dead. I never really stopped believing he was alive. Even now after all these years, I still expect him to come through the door, back from work and give my mother and I a big hug, and then we would spend the whole day together, talking while I worked on my metal.
We moved to a remote place, in the desert of Australia, and she homeschooled me. She taught me all the normal things, Math, Science, English, those sorts of things. But she taught me an extra subject. She taught me how to control fire.
Chapter One: Focusing on the pile of twigs, I flicked my wrist, and a small flame appeared in the middle of the wood. I looked up to my mum, who didn't react. Eventually she went back to her writing, and I continued to practice. Of course I could do more than make just a flame appear, but I was tired, and I'd been out here for almost two hours. It was 11:00, and I just wanted to go to bed.
I paused for a minute, and my mom noticing I'd stopped, glanced up.
"You can go to bed if you want." she said.
I sighed with relief, and dragged myself up from the log I was sitting on. I went into our small house, and quickly got ready for bed. Then finally, I collapsed in bed. Even though I was exhausted, it took me awhile to get to sleep. It usually does though.
I paused for a minute, and my mom noticing I'd stopped, glanced up.
"You can go to bed if you want." she said.
I sighed with relief, and dragged myself up from the log I was sitting on. I went into our small house, and quickly got ready for bed. Then finally, I collapsed in bed. Even though I was exhausted, it took me awhile to get to sleep. It usually does though.
"Yeah, 17. " I said, with a shrug.
Of course I was excited it was my birthday, but I was also feeling like I missed out on most of what normal teenage girls do. I mean, I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, with only my mum for company, I was homeschooled, and I'd never even had a boyfriend. That last one was fine with me, but I wasn't too happy about the others.
After I was full, I tried to help my mum wash the dishes, but she brushed me off.
"You have a full free day. No chores, you can do whatever you want so long as you don't go too far, and stay away from any danger."
"Ok" I shrugged. But in my head I was ready for an adventure. I was bored, and nothing really happened, here except for the occasional kangaroo hopping by.
I put on my shoes, but then decided against going outside. It was the beginning of August, so it was searing hot. Instead, I decided to go to the basement.
My mum herself had built this house, I don't know how, seeing as she didn't have any engineering expertise that I knew of, and she hated math, or at least I think she did. There's a lot I don't know about her. Ever since my dad died, she closed up on everyone, which is probably one reason why we moved.
The basement is a musty, boring place, but it has a TV, so it's my favorite place in the house. So I grabbed the remote and turned on to a random channel. After a few minutes, the screen suddenly went blank. This happened a lot, and we usually just had to wait a few minutes.
So I just sat there waiting, for about five minutes before finally just getting up and hitting it. I'd read somewhere that banging the TV sometimes helps. The TV is thin, so it just flipped over with a small crash. Worried I had broken it, I quickly picked it up from the floor.
That's when I saw the odd pattern on one of the floorboards. It looked like to swords clashing with a snake in the middle. I pressed down on it, and it slid to the right, revealing a hidden compartment. I guess mum was a better engineer than I gave her credit for.
Inside the compartment lay a small, yellow file. I gently took it out and held it. I turned it over and nearly dropped it when I saw what was written on it.
James White.
My heart starts to speed up as I slowly open it, and inside there were several pictures a few papers, and a small card. The pictures showed a tall man with light brown messy hair, wearing glasses. I stare at it for a minute, unable to stop looking at him.
"Dad" I whispered to myself even though I knew he couldn't hear me. Carefully, I took one of the papers, and began to read.
JAMES WHITE
DAY 27 NO HEADWAY. …..
I stared at the sheet in hands for a minute, confused with what I'd just read. What exactly was this? I continued reading until I came across a small paper that said:
AGENT JAMES WHITE KILLED IN ACTION
I gasped. So my dad was an agent for something, and he died on the job. Not from a car crash like I'd been told. This proved that my mum lied to me. I felt the anger rise up inside me. Why...why did she not tell me!? Of course I knew she was hiding something, and I knew my dad didn't just die in a car. I can't live without knowing the truth. Or water. Or food. Or clothes. I could live without clothes, but that would be awkward.
My mum popped her head down the stairs, and I quickly stuffed the files back into the compartment.
"What are you doing honey?"
"Nothing Mum." I said innocently.
She looked at me with a crease in her brows. I smiled and tried to slide the board back into place.
"I was just watching TV."
She looks at the broken TV on the floor and shrugs her shoulders. "Ok. Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm fine." I say, trying to be patient.
"Ok, well I'm going to go for a short walk. Be careful." She left me sitting on the floor in the ruins of the television.
I don't understand why my mum likes to walk in the heat. We have fire powers, but we can still feel heat, even if it doesn't affect us. When she left, I pulled back the board. I picked up the small card I had noticed earlier. I picked it up and read the small print It was an address in Iceland. I looked at it in confusion I wondered to myself what happened in Iceland that I don't know about? I kept reading until I saw 7 words.
Agent James White last seen in Iceland
Below those words was phone number for a flight agency.
I looked at the paper. What's in Iceland? I wondered…
Chapter two: So, apparently my mum has her own private jet. I wished she'd told me, that would have been useful for when I was bored. Anyway, I called the number, after I'd packed, and I found on the card while my mum was on her "short" walk (they're never short, I don't know where she goes). I told the flight attendant I was Rachel White's daughter, and that it was my 17th birthday, and she told me to use this card to go somewhere, and I'd chosen Iceland.
They let me in, and I sat down on one of the lush couches. The flight attendant came in and offered my carbonated water, and a menu. I took the menu and looked at the fancy dishes that sounded disgusting. I finally decided on a Caesar salad, and the waitress took my order and went to the back. Then I took a magazine from the glass table in front of me, and read.
Forty minutes later, my salad arrived. I didn't understand why it took so long to concoct a simple salad here, when McDonalds would make one in like, 40 seconds. I ate it slowly and looked out the window. It's so beautiful, I thought to myself. When I finished the salad I looked at the screen in front of me and saw all the movie options. There was a bunch of movies and tv shows I chose a tv show called "Doctor Who" and started to watch it. After about three or four episodes, we landed in Iceland.
I stepped out of the airplane, and onto the grass in an open field. I always found it interesting that Iceland is all green, and Greenland is all ice.
In front of me stood a small wooden hut, that was in desperate need of renovation. The paint was peeling from the sides, the windows were cracked, and there were holes in the planks which had been eaten through by bugs. It was the address from the card, so it must have some importance.
"Could you stay here for a minute please?" I asked the flight attendant.
"Of course, anything." She said with an all too friendly voice.
I took my bag out of the plane, and headed towards the hut.
"We can keep your bag for you if that would be easier." The flight attendant called back.
I paused for a minute, wondering if I should give it to her or not. "Ok," I said.
She took my bag, and I headed for the hut. When I was inside the small shack, I realized that the appearance was much different on the inside than out. The walls were perfect, except for the holes from the insects.
I looked around for anything that might be odd, or have anything to do with my dad's death. Finally, after several minutes of looking, all I found was a moldy piece of cheese. Hmm, I wonder why there's a piece of old Swiss cheese on the floor of a hut, in the middle of nowhere. I leaned forward to examine the cheese, and lost my balance. I fell on the cheese, and my elbow hit the floor hard. Then suddenly, I fell into darkness, then hit a hard floor. I held out my wrist to catch my fall, and I could feel it break. I screamed in pain, and just lied there for a minute, unable to move from the hurt. After what felt like hours, I stood up being careful not to move my wrist, and looked around. I conjured a small flame in the palm of my hand so I could see more easily. I was in a cold, and very white room. There were doors everywhere, making this underground basement or whatever it was look a lot like a laboratory.
I walked from door to door, trying each handle with my one good hand. All were locked. I sighed and sat against a door in defeat. To my surprise, when I leaned against the door, it opened and I toppled backwards.
"What in the…" I exclaimed. I scrambled up, and the door closed behind me. I grabbed the handle and desperately tried to open it with no success. "Help! Is anyone there?" I screamed. I was beginning to wish I had brought my bag with me. I was starving, and the salad wasn't very filling. I sighed again, "What have I gotten myself into."
I decided to make the most of my surrounding, seeing as I wasn't going anywhere any time soon. I was in some sort of office, with a computer on a desk in the middle of the room. I walked over to the computer and flipped it open. It turned, and a robotic voice asked, "What can I do for you Mr. White."
I stared at the in shock. Did the computer say… "White?" I struggled for words. "Umm, what is my full name?" The computer responded, "Your full name is James Mark White." I gasped, "Who is my child?" I sat in wonder. "Your child is named Rebecca White, daughter of Sarah White." I look at the screen blankly for some time, thinking. Then I felt a cold wet cloth over mouth and ruff hands holding my wrists, I screamed in pain someone twisted my broken wrist. I tried desperately to breath but I could smell the chloroform. No! I said to myself, don't breathe! My head started to spin and slowly, the world went dark.
I woke up, and slowly the world came back to me. I looked around and the first thing I noticed was that it was cold, very cold. I shivered and felt all the pain come back to me, and I winced. I looked down and found my hands and legs tied to a chair. I bit my lip, and decided not to think about how I was to get back, or about my mom. She was probably looking for me, feeling completely desolate without her only child, her only company… No. I wouldn't think about her.
"Rebecca White. What a pleasure to meet you." A male voice said from the shadows. I twitched, the man having caught me by surprise. "Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking and failing.
The man stepped out from the shadows and smiled warmly. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I just want to ask you some questions. If you cooperate, you can leave." I looked at him hopefully, desperate to get out of here.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Why are you here?" He said.
"I found some card in my basement with this address and a phone number for a private plane. I decided to check it out." I answer truthfully.
He looked doubtful, but continued with his next question anyway. "When was the last time you saw your mother?"
I looked at him confused, but answered anyway. "She was going on a walk, yesterday or today, whatever day it was."
He smiled slightly, and asked his last question. "What was in your hand when you were in the office?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but then paused for a minute. He wouldn't believe me if I told him, and if he did he would want to lock me up. "A lighter. I keep it with me at all times in case I need it. I must have dropped it."
He seemed convinced, and he nodded. "I'm done. You can go now."
"Ok, you can go now." He walked to me and untied my bindings. He stood back and waited for me to leave. I stood up and went to the door. I opened it and stepped outside and found myself in the middle of a courtyard surrounded with bars and chicken wire. I spun around, looking for an entrance, but there weren't any. I spun back to the door just as it slammed in my face. The last thing I'd seen was the unknown man's face. He was smiling, but it wasn't his usual warm smile. He had told me I could go if I cooperated, but they were never really going to let me leave. I was stuck here.
Chapter 3: After two months of living in a cell with little water and disgusting food, you realize how easy you've had it all your life. I've been stuck here for that long, and I can only go out to the courtyard once a week. The first month was easy enough. That was before they started torturing me for no reason. But now, I have barely any energy, and haven't used my powers once because of the ever present guard standing by my cell door. I don't have any company either.
One morning two guards walked into my cell with a pair of handcuffs. I stared blankly at them, and when they opened my door I automatically lifted my wrists. There was no point in resisting. That would just make things worse for me. They walked me down the hall to the torturing room, but instead of going in we walked right past. I looked back confused, and a guard shouted for me to stay still. We reached a door at the end of the hall, and they led me inside. Then I saw the man that had first questioned me standing by a chair with straps in the middle of the room. His kind smile was gone, and replaced by it was a cruel, hard look in his eyes.
"Sit down." he ordered.
I was pushed down against my will by the two guards, who left to stand by the door. "What do you want?" I said resignedly
"I want to know where your mother is." he said with a cool calmness.
"I don't know. If you'll remember, I've been stuck here for the last few months." I answered cheekily.
He frowned at me, "Don't play games with me Rebecca." he said cruelly. "You're her daughter, you would know where she is better than any of us."
"Why do you want to know where she is anyway?" I asked meekly. "Is she hurt? Did you hurt her?"
"That is none of your business," he answered.
I frowned worriedly. "She is my mother, it's all of my business on why you want her!"
He sighed, "Well, I asked you nicely but now we have to do this the hard way." He looked at the guards.
One of the guards grabbed me and pulled me into a room I had never been in, this room was bare except for a chair bolted to the ground in the middle of the room. I struggled in his grasp as he tied me in. I looked at the man, "Why do you do this?" he smiled and answered, "I love it when people scream."
He held up what looked like a TV remote and pressed a button. Suddenly, I felt electricity go through my body and I screamed.
"Now tell me again, where is your mother!" he screamed angrily.
I looked up at him Grinding my teeth, "I don't know."
He coldly smiled and punched me in the gut so hard I couldn't breath, I gasped for air. "Say that again," he whispered, his face inches away from mine.
"I don't know!" I screamed in his face.
He startled back but quickly regained his cool. "Ok Rebecca I hope you live through this."
I tried to hide the fear in my eyes but I fail. He smiled as he pressed a different button. "I am sorry."
The next few hours were a blur of pain to me. All I remembered was all the agony, and then eventually passing out.
I woke up in my cell with a massive headache. I looked down at myself, there where cuts and bruises all over my body. I groaned as I sat up. How much more of this can I take? I wondered to myself. Not much more I knew.
I sat there for a few minutes just thinking, then the door slid open and a guard threw me some bread and a cup of water. Then he walked out, closing the door behind him. I sighed and took the bread, bit into it gagged, and spat it out. "That is so disgusting." I drank the water slowly, savoring it. All of a sudden I heard gunshot. "What the …?" I drank the rest of the water and stood up, the gunshots were coming closer. I ran to the back of my cell, as far from the door as possible.
Suddenly, a tall man in a suit walked into my cell. "Do you want to leave?" I just stared at him then stamerd, "W-Who are you?" he smiled, "My name is Jack Rider. I'm a spy for C.I.A., and I am a friend of your Mother." I gasped "You know my mother!?" He nodded, "Shall we go?" I smiled at him, "Yes let's get out of this place."
He took me to a jet plane like the one that brought me here. "Are you going to take me home?" I asked as we were boarding the shuttle."No I am bring you to the C.I.A headquarters." I looked at him confused, "Why?" he smiled a small smile, "We are going to meet your mother there." I looked back outside the plane. "Ok," I sat on one of the leather seats and leaned back, "So tell me more about yourself Jack?" he looked from across the table. "Well I am a spy, as you know already I am 32 years old and-" I cut in, "No how do you know my mother?" "Oh your mother used to be very close to me, she was like an aunt to me." I looked down at my feet, "Oh ok, but who were they?" I gestured at the camp I had been keeped in. He grimaced, "They call themselves the "Great Intelligence Team," also known as G.I.T. They are a group of people that hate the C.I.A. and well, they fight us." I sighed, then asked the question that had been on my mind ever since I was held prisoner. "Why me?" he put his hand on top of mine. "We think your mother was the one they wanted, but they got you instead. I am sorry." I looked at my clothes, "Do you have a pair of clothes I can use?" he smiled "Of course." Then he handed me a bundle of clothes, and I put them on in the bathroom.
When I came out, I was dressed in a full agent uniform, I sat back down realizing how hungry I was. "By any chance do you have food on this plane? Because I haven't had a decent meal since I was taken." he smiled and handed me a menu. I looked at the menu and picked out a PBJ sandwich and water.
A flight attendant brought me the food and I wolfed it down. "Wow what did they feed you?" I looked up from my sandwich. "It's to gross to talk about." he smiled, "Don't worry you can eat as many PBJ sandwiches as your heart desires." I smiled up at him, "Thank you Jack."
A few hours past, and the plane landed in the middle of new york city. I gasped, "I have never seen so many people in my entire life!" Jack smiled at me, "Oh, I almost forgot you were homeschooled." I sighed, "Yup." He got off the plane, and I followed him as he walked into a tall building.
Once we were inside, I saw my mother. I ran to her giving her a bear hug. "I missed you!" she smiled, and there were tears streaming down her face. "Oh Becca, my Becca, I am so glad you are safe." I hugged her again, "Mum I am so sorry!" Tears where in my eyes. She looked at me. "No, don't say that, this was not your fault."
I bite my lower lip and confess, "Well, technically it is. I found some files and a card in the basement, and I called the address on the card. I should have told you when I found the hidden floorboards. I suppose I was just annoyed that you had kept something from me."
She nodded sadly, "It's okay sweetie, I already knew. Are you alright?" she said, looking me over worriedly.
"I'm okay Mum." I wasn't, but I didn't want her to worry. The truth was I felt all beat up inside. I was thankful that I was wearing the agent's suit or else she would see all the bruises and cuts I had all over my body. I tried to smile at her reassuringly, but it turned into more of a grimace. She was still hugging me, and by bruises were still hurting.
Thankfully, she missed my pain. Unfortunately, she wouldn't let go of me. I winced, but hide my pain.
"Thank you Jack." My mum said.
He nodded and stuck his hands into his pocket. "Okay, well I've got work to do. You guys can catch up." He walked to one of the elevators and got in. I extracted my mum's arm from around my waist, and sighed quietly with relief. "I'm really tired. Do you know where I can find a bed?" I asked, my tiredness finally coming upon me.
She looked a bit disappointed, but gestured towards a door to my right. I walked inside and found a bag with some of my stuff that mum must have gotten before she came here, and beside that bag was a big, fluffy… Bed!
I collapsed onto the soft cushions and passed out.
Chapter 4:
I woke up confused. Where am I? I wondered looking at the ceiling. I sat up and looked around. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain on my back, and it all rushed in again. Mum, Jack Rider, my cell, and unfortunately, the torture.
My mum peeked in on me. "Honey, whenever your ready there's something I want to tell you."
She closed the door. I climbed out of bed, and followed her out. "Ok, I'm here." I said.
She smiled sadly and motioned for me to sit down. Then, she began to talk to me.
"You're father was a spy for the C.I.A. He died during a case in Iceland, in the laboratory that you went to. I went with him once, the day he died. He showed me what he had found on the people he was spying on. That was why they wanted me. We have the same name, and we look very alike, so they took you, and kept you hostage. Your safe now though, and Jack will deal with the G.I.T. We can go back to Australia soon, and we'll move out to a place with more people for you."
I sighed. "Wow, Mum that was a lot to take in."
She nodded. I smiled feeling happy that all this was over. "We could go back to Australia, but to a better home?"
I sighed, "Mum I want to live here in new york, Not in australia, Jack said he needs new recruits, I could help the C.I.A a lot."
She smiled at me and held my hand "Your dad knew this was going to happen" she pulled out a case and handed it to me.
"What is is?" "Open it Becca" I shrugged then opened it revealing a suit, My eyes widened as I pulled it out of the case "It will help you with you powers so you don't overuse them, and I got Jack to make it bulletproof" I looked back at my mom "Wow I don't know what to say… Can I try it on?" she laughed "It's yours, of course you can try it on" I smiled and went to the bathroom to change.
Once I came out I was wearing a full body suit, Mum smiled and walked over to me. "Sweetie It's perfect!" I looked down at it "Yeah It is" I smiled at her as Jack came into the room, And looked at me "Rebecca, you look great in the suit" I blushed at him "Thank you Jack" he frowned "Oh Umm Have you two discussed what your going to do next?" I looked at him "We are staying here In new york and I am going to take up your offer and become a spy just like my father"
He smiled "Well Agent White, let me show you your next assignment"