Flaming Passion Stories presents
another story by fieryjunior35 of
"The Master Firebender"
-inspired by The Cahill-Demigod Witch's "Cahills vs Vespers: The Shapeshifters"-
Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues, or the said story above. All rights are reserved to each and everyone's literary work. I only own Flaming Passion Stories, 'fieryjunior35' and all my wonderful stories here in FF.
Chapter 2: Passing Off
As my Lucian Shapeshifter self, minus the firefly and add the normal clothes | Minerva's POV
Okay, I'm back! Back at the mansion grounds. I'm wearing my 'live passionately' shirt (which is my favorite, btw), five bangles with one branch color on each one, my jeans and lucky sneakers. Yup, I'm definitely being lucky today! Well, first, I'm going to meet the most controversial Cahills of this generation. Second, Fiske said he has a surprise for me. He wasn't that specific, since he only said, and I quote, "Come back to base and report at the meeting room immediately. Remember, you shouldn't raise attention or suspicion. Isn't how Lucians do it?"
I should have said something like, "No Uncle, since I'm raised differently and I still have no idea what my boss is trying to teach me. And that's the old way of a Lucian to do it. I've heard that they're throwing parties just to get that one person to get just a simple message," but then I might have offended him or something. So I just plainly said 'yes' and moved on.
According to my calculations, all the Cahills I so wanted to meet would be here in less than an hour. So, I just made it the faster way-being a phoenix. I could transform into a eagle, but then I already did that on the way here. Why? Well, I'll save that story for later. But then, it does sound cliche, right? Nah, I'm the only Lucian out there that's like this. And that's just the tip of the iceberg...
I arrive to the meeting room, with Keith in tow. Keith is my only butler who I can be, as how I say it, confidante around. He's the next thing to a big brother, and that he's there since my tragedy. He's a Lucian too, but with Tomas blood because of his grandmother marrying a Lucian grandfather. He's trained to protect me and be impeccable at the same time. Oh, and did I mention he's a Pilipino too? He transforms into a reddish-brown bear though, and is well-adjusted to controling both water and fire well.
"Hello there Artemis. Time for business." Fiske said, me and Keith chuckled a little at the unseemingly obvious rhyme.
"Of course. As expected, you don't want to lose them again. It's like Grace died again when they're gone, or worse."
He nods and gestures us to take our seats. I took out my pen and notebook and started taking notes as Fiske shows us the next part of our plan. Since the clue hunt, we have been planning a decoy plan in case when everything goes wrong. Since we're Cahills, it's more likely imminent that it could get wrong. Add to that the inherited superhero-like powers of Gideon's charms over the years.
Our plan consists of effective escape plans when, for example, the house is bombarded, burnt to the ground (what I call the "Cahill Cliche House Incident") or attacked by muttation-Vespers. I could do well when the house is being burnt down, I can suck out the fire like Natsu in Fairy Tail does, and store itself in me as a power. Then I could make my construction drones repair the damage. As of the gems protecting our powers, well, they're protected in indestructible but see-through cases that the Ekats have perfected since preserving Marie Curie's items. And they're protected by a key that only I have, and Uncle Fiske as well.
He explains new plans on cases like earthquakes, tsunamis (though highly impossible, since the tsunami should be as powerful as either Japan or Indonesia in order to damage the Estates), the occasional robbery and Vesper robbery. Speaking of plans, I'm also thinking of a way to highlight this year's Christmas festivities. Maybe making the Lucian float 'shine' even more? Very possible. I just have to add something to this year's.
"...and those are the plans. Did you get all of that Artemis?" Fiske said as he rested on his chair.
"Yes I did. But Uncle,"
"What is it?" Fiske asks curiously.
"Try to have fun for once. You know, this year's festivities are always as grand, but I've never seen you actually enjoy them for yourself. I'm just saying. The Reps are doing their best from making it spectacular. Although I want to recommend Lucian-branded fireworks to be the ending highlights."
He chuckles. Well, when I mean Lucian-branded fireworks, I meant my display of fire fauna and control over the Philippine night sky. After all, that is a better substitution to just buying plain fireworks, and to minimize costs on the festivities for just a little. "You always say that I don't enjoy them. I actually do, but the danger lurking around around the corner always gives me bad ideas while trying to have fun."
"I understand. Besides, I'm here to take care of the two Royals. Since the former Queen just shot them and dump them senseless. Well, you know what I mean by that, right?"
"Okay. Meeting adjourned." All of us stand up and leave the room. I then ran to the Lucian Mansion, no sweat. I stopped by the door to see where Keith is, but he's nowhere to be seen. I opened the door when Keith jumps out of nowhere and scares me with his partial transformation. A shriek escapes my mouth, and Keith laughs so hard, he forgot his manners as a butler. I laughed at him as well, however when he stands up, I shoot him with my tranquilizer dart gun. I then transform into a dragon, minus the flames, because I have to carry him to my room.
I greet some people passing by, and thanked them for their comments on how powerful and able-bodied I am to carry my butler. When they ask me why he's unconscious, I say he accidentally shot himself with my dart gun because of training. When I reached my room, I fall into bed after I place Keith in his. I know I'm not supposed to do this, because he's the one taking care of me, but I want to. He's like a brother to me.
I waited for him to wake up. It is Christmas week, and I should be buying a present for Keith. I already did, while I was on vacation. He'll love it. All I have to do is wrap it and make it look like a real present.
After fifteen minutes, I'm already done wrapping the present. It's not that big, but I'm not really a Janus for gift wrapping, so I ultimately waste all my wrapping paper and get some stuck to my fingers (that's another story). By that time, I have already kept it in a safe place, somewhere I'll reveal to Keith later on.
"Uh...Minerva..." Keith moans over.
"What?" I say as calmly as I can.
"Did you just knock me out earlier?"
"That explains your situation, having headaches worse than ever?"
"Yeah," he says as he places a hand over his left temple. "Ugh. Were you using me as a lab rat again?"
"Well, I can't possibly do it to people I don't want to hurt and/or tranquilize, and you gave me a reason to."
He chuckles. "Makes sense."
"Wait! I have to show you something first." I say to him. "True Phoenix Form!"
I transform into a flaming phoenix, a real flaming phoenix. He applauds, and does a half-transformation just to tell me telepathically, Looks like someone has mastered her flame well.
I do a crooning sound and say to him the same way, Of course. I'm not called the Master Firebender for nothing. And this is not the only animal form I could control my fire in.
He raises his bear brow, as I call it, and looks at me as if he doesn't believe me. Then, he smiles. You are really in control of your power. But remember, don't show it much around everyone else, or you may start a war...or worse.
I raised him an eyebrow. How many times have you repeated that warning to me? Let me see...the time I showed you my fire whip during training, my hair first turned red everytime I have a strong emotion...
He roars, as if making a chuckle. Okay...that's enough. Isn't that tiring? For me, it is. Staying in form for just five minutes without doing anything, am I getting old for you?
I transform back into myself. "Of course not Keith, and you will never be too old for me. As long as you can still protect me." I winked at him. He smiles. I race myself out of the yard, then bump into someone in the way. It was Ysa.
"Hey Ysa! Long time no see, I guess." I say as I hug her.
"Hey Minerva! So, how's the fire going on?" she asks.
"Great! I've even managed to control fire while in my transformation." I say proudly. "I've just shown it to Keith and he looks utterly impressed."
"Should you tell these things to him? Well, you know..." she tilts her head to Keith's direction.
"Oh Ysa...he won't be a part of your brother's plan or something. Besides, we always check the background of all our servants, even just the average garbage collector." I say to her reassuringly. "Now, where are you going anyways?"
"The Cahills are coming here any minute! I should be there already with the other Reps!" she says in a rush. "Then there's the whole parol thing...we haven't even started on it!"
"What? I'll take care of that. You go and meet with the other Reps, Ysa."
She smiles and runs toward the Madrigal mansion. Keith runs toward me in his whole bear form. He then lets out a loud roar. At that, I covered his bear mouth and said, "Quiet down! We don't want to frighten anyone! And you're not scaring me either!" He changed back into himself again, and charged at me. Meaning, he tickled me like crazy until my throat hurts and my sides ache as well. I then tried fighting back by messing up his butler do, and wrinkling his standard suit. Eventually, we were lying on our backs on the grass.
"Never do that again. Seriously..." I spat at him.
"The roar or the tickling?" he asks curiously.
"B-o-t-h!" I say to him, with an eyebrow raised. We just let the cool Philippine wind to calm us down until I stood up and gave him a hand.
"Come on, we need to work on the parol I promised Ysa."
"Okay, my mistress." he says mockingly.
I slap him in the shoulder. "Never call me mistress! You're just five years older than me!"
"Fine." he grudgingly replies and we walk on where the other Lucians were working on the yearly Christmas parol for the Ball. It was an open space at the back of the mansion. We have materials, manpower...the only thing we needed was a design of what the parol would look like. I walked over to Fely, one of the Lucians assigned to design the parol this year. There are about 10 or so people here, who are either doing nothing, lying on the grass on their backs, playing with their phones or training.
"Hey Fely! I heard from Ysa, who told me that you are stuck in a runt. Could I help?" I say as she was at her usual thinking position, cross-legged on the grass, pen in one hand and the other on her forehead. She hasn't drawn anything yet, which was unusual for the most creative Lucian parol designer in the entire Shapeshifter mansion. She's 16, has black hair with a red highlight, and is dressed in a green shirt and red pants, to keep up in the festive mood. She's even wearing a Christmas hat to show it off even more. Suddenly, I thought that she thought more in her outfit today than the parol design.
"No! I'm having The Block again! Ugh..." she looks over at me, and she begins to stand up and bow.
"It's okay...you can sit down now." I say, a little embarrassed and annoyed that I have to repeat that I don't like people bowing to me just because I can manipulate an element better than anyone could ever do. She sits and looks at me intently. "What do you usually do to get The Block away?"
"Watch someone transform into an animal completely."
"Hmm..." I say curiously. "Anything else?"
"Read a book and listen to music. That's all I could possibly do to solve the Block." she says in a shrug.
"Okay, how about you watch my transformation then?" I say enthusiastically.
She looks at me as if I told her someone's crush from another branch. "Sure! Maybe that could help me. Oh, and I may need you to move around, so that you could help me."
"Okay...here goes. Lucian Phoenix!" I say proudly and dissolve into flames and again to the bird earlier. I can actually talk English with any transformation I can do. Still having a hard time in the other languages, but at least I can talk normal right?
"Now, watch me." I say to her. She looks at me so eagerly, I thought she was going to control my flames as I am in my current form. Well, I change some of my feathers into different colors, as if to look like an Ibong Adarna. It's a mythological bird found in a Philippine tale. It has different colored feathers, and looks even more splendid with its beautiful lullaby-song.
I then fly around slowly and gracefully as I could...and then perch on a tree nearby. I then sing a few notes of my lullaby when suddenly Fely stares at me real quick and then scribbles something crazy on paper. I stay perched on the tree, now surrounded by very curious Lucians. Keith was standing beside me, even holding a finger to allow me to perch on it. I decline with a swift motion of the tail. The crowd laughs, and Keith stage-plays being bummed.
After a few minutes, Fely waves her hands and motions me to come over. I changed back into myself, ran toward where she sat, and looked over. My mouth let out a gasp as the design literally took my breath away. It was the usual star parol, only this time it has different-colored feathers arranged at the back as if like an opened peacock tail and a drawn profile of my phoenix-face.
"Perfect Fely! You are the best, ate!" I say as I hug her. "I'm going to tell Ysa. Keith, help out in building the parol, okay?" He nods, and I rush off to Ysa.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Lucian-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Joseph, are you there?" a voice sounded through a hidden earpiece in an ear. The ear in question is Joseph Liko's, a best friend of Aaron Valdez, Ysa's twin brother. He's a Lucian too, but he's known for being the sneakiest in the group.
"Yeah, I'm always here for you bro. What's up?" Joseph says into the hidden microphone in his watch.
"Oh nothing. Just checking on the Mansion this time of year. Still being festive?"
"As usual. Ugh, that Master Firebender showed up and boasted her powers again." he replies grudgingly. "She just displayed her newest form, a phoenix, just to inspire Fely's trashy parol design."
"Bro, relax. After I'm done with the place, you'll be the only one who's going to be asked of designs around here."
You see, my dear readers, Joseph has always been envious of Fely's artistic talents since she joined the Shapeshifters the year he did too. However, his designs were more cleaner and professional than Fely's outgoing and out-of-the-box ideas that's why it started a war between them. Now, as revenge for always getting her being assigned as the parol lead designer year after year, he joined Aaron's plan of some sort.
"I know...but why does it have to be then? I want it now!" he shouts into the watch. That got several faces staring, even Keith's. He walks over towards him.
"What's wrong Joseph?" he asks patiently.
"Oh nothing. My dad won't allow me to get the newest video game again." he lies.
"And how many times I told him that he'll get it after he improves his grades in school. This discussion is over. Bye son." And the call ended then and there.
"Joseph, just do your best and help us over here than discuss your wants." he suggests.
"Fine." he says as he 'drags' himself over the workstation.
How's that for an update? Come now, please review!
fj35
