Part 2
Through the crowded park the girl ran, John following close behind her. He could hear sounds start again as he ran but he paid no attention. His only thought was of the girl.
Fire engines raged in the background, flashes of red passing into John's vision then out again. Memories from long ago threatened to swallow him for a moment but he pushed them away, pushed his body harder, faster. He could now only see her blonde hair bouncing in the distance as she took off towards the edge of the park. Suddenly scared he was going to loose her, John speed up more, until his body ached with pain but still he ran.
For a second he lost her but sounds of car horns and screeching tyres told him she had made her way onto the busy road that surrounded the park, causing havoc as the cars piled into one another. Following those noises, he crossed the road too but nobody noticed him for the damaged had already been done by his blonde beauty.
A glimpse of a black jacket and goldern hair flashing into a dark alley and John was almost upon her, her footsteps clearly echoing on the damp walls.
"STOP!" he screamed, his body barely able to support his voice. At first she did not seem to hear him, through her running did become slower then before. Slowly, ever so slowly, her steps became less steady, her breathing loud and ragged, no stopping to her tears.
Time stopped as her anguish became to much for her to bear and she collapsed silently to the ground, head on her bent knees, rocking back and forth in a soothing rythm only she understood. By the time John reached her, she was still, a statue without movement. her breath had even seemed to stop.
John did not know what to do. The heat of the first encounter was gone and though there was still a connection, a kind of ackwardness had settled over him that he could not understand. He realised that he did not know this girl, what she had been though, why she was the way she was. God, he did not even know her name.
Hesitently, he reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt her move at the sudden intrusion of space but otherwise she stayed so still it was eery. John suddenly felt like a goofball standing there and went to move his hand away but was stopped when her hand grabbed his. This time, as their skin touched, John could see the steam, the heat biulding up between them and he knew. What he just was not so clear on.
"What's your name?" he asked, being the first thing to come to his head.
"Lili," she replied, her voice coming from deep within her curled up body.
"I'm J... Pyro, I'm Pyro."
He heard her laugh suddenly, a painful and heartless laugh.
"Pyro. As in pyromaniac. How comforting," she said, finally lifting her face and looking at him. Her eyes were red from crying and her lip trembled. There was no humour there, just a sad realty.
"It's just a name. That's all," he snapped, letting go of her hand and stepping backwards.
"Oh no, it's more than just that, J... Oops! Sorry, I mean Pyro." Her voice slipped so icely from her mouth her would have thought it impossible. Standing up to her full height, she brushed her lingering tears away and pulled her long jacket closer to her body.
"Is that it? Are we done here? Cause I'm over being saved."
John was stunned. Her behaviour had taken such a sharp turn, if he did not know any better he would say the girl he kissed was a completely different girl to the one in front of him.
He caught himself suddenly from that thought. He did not know any better, because he did not know Lili. For all he knew, Lili had multible personalities or something. And now John was just pissed.
"What the hell is your problem? I was only trying to help," he said, his voice booming down on her smaller frame but she stood tall and meet him face on.
"Help?" she replied, again that sarcastic humour entering her voice. "The only way you helped was by helping me loose control!
"What do you want? A thankyou? Okay. Thankyou for helping me hurt more people. Thankyou for helping me reveal what I am to almost the whole city. Thankyou for ruining the sorry excuse for a life I had left. Happy?"
John just stood there watching Lili vent her anger. For a couple of minutes, she had started to steam and her fingers had sent of sparks flying into different directions. John was scared see wastrying to blow him up until he understood she had no power over what she was doing. She had no control.
"You're a mutant."
"Yeah well, duh. Where have you been all day?" she bit.
"So am I."
"And?"
"God! Quit it with the over defenceiveness okay? Get a grip."
Sparks tingled again.
"I can help you."
"Help me? Didn't we just go over this? I don't need your help! I can handle things fine on my own."
"Oh, so that is why you have no control?"
"What?"
Sparks bristled.
"You have no control. You probably hurt people all the time." John heard a sound come from her. It was something akin to a growl. "Now, now, I'm sure it is not your fault, well, ALL your fault anyway. I bet some of the people even deserved it. Especially the ones who died.'
Bingo.
Lili let out a scream of anger and ran at him, hands out in front of her, palms facing him. Though John was expecting this reaction, he had not expected the force behind to be so... forceful.
Lili pushed him roughly to the ground, placing her hands firmly on his chest. With all her weight she held him down, her anger and power combined into one very lethal combination.
Starting from his chest, John began to fell a tingling sensation flow throughout his body. Not what he would call unpleasent at all, it slowly morphed into a strong heat, spreading down his limbs and into his head. As the heat began to build up inside him, John finally understood what Lili was trying to do. The only reason he was still alive right now was because of his control. Any normal humen being would be dead by now, the pressure biulding up inside them causing to explode into a mass of flames. To spontaniously combust.
Pulling all of his power into himself, he felt the heat she was sending into him flow into his fingers. Taking a deep breath, he released it, sending Lili flying accross the other side of the alley. Heaving slightly at the strength that took out of him, he got to his feet and faced the somewhat singed girl. She was in a ball again, rocking to that unknown rythm.
"See, I can help you."
"But I have hurt so many people. I have no control. Once I start... Well, you saw..."
"I did. But so did you. You saw what I can do, I can make sure you never hurt anyone. Just... I just want you to stay with me. Will you stay with me?"
Lili raised her head and looked deep into his fathomless eyes, searching for the truth. Lucking for John because all he was saying was the truth.
"I always told people I can create the fire but never control it..."
Lili reached out her hand and John pulled her up, more sparks flying but of a different kind.
"I guess I don't have to worry about that any more."
Through the crowded park the girl ran, John following close behind her. He could hear sounds start again as he ran but he paid no attention. His only thought was of the girl.
Fire engines raged in the background, flashes of red passing into John's vision then out again. Memories from long ago threatened to swallow him for a moment but he pushed them away, pushed his body harder, faster. He could now only see her blonde hair bouncing in the distance as she took off towards the edge of the park. Suddenly scared he was going to loose her, John speed up more, until his body ached with pain but still he ran.
For a second he lost her but sounds of car horns and screeching tyres told him she had made her way onto the busy road that surrounded the park, causing havoc as the cars piled into one another. Following those noises, he crossed the road too but nobody noticed him for the damaged had already been done by his blonde beauty.
A glimpse of a black jacket and goldern hair flashing into a dark alley and John was almost upon her, her footsteps clearly echoing on the damp walls.
"STOP!" he screamed, his body barely able to support his voice. At first she did not seem to hear him, through her running did become slower then before. Slowly, ever so slowly, her steps became less steady, her breathing loud and ragged, no stopping to her tears.
Time stopped as her anguish became to much for her to bear and she collapsed silently to the ground, head on her bent knees, rocking back and forth in a soothing rythm only she understood. By the time John reached her, she was still, a statue without movement. her breath had even seemed to stop.
John did not know what to do. The heat of the first encounter was gone and though there was still a connection, a kind of ackwardness had settled over him that he could not understand. He realised that he did not know this girl, what she had been though, why she was the way she was. God, he did not even know her name.
Hesitently, he reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt her move at the sudden intrusion of space but otherwise she stayed so still it was eery. John suddenly felt like a goofball standing there and went to move his hand away but was stopped when her hand grabbed his. This time, as their skin touched, John could see the steam, the heat biulding up between them and he knew. What he just was not so clear on.
"What's your name?" he asked, being the first thing to come to his head.
"Lili," she replied, her voice coming from deep within her curled up body.
"I'm J... Pyro, I'm Pyro."
He heard her laugh suddenly, a painful and heartless laugh.
"Pyro. As in pyromaniac. How comforting," she said, finally lifting her face and looking at him. Her eyes were red from crying and her lip trembled. There was no humour there, just a sad realty.
"It's just a name. That's all," he snapped, letting go of her hand and stepping backwards.
"Oh no, it's more than just that, J... Oops! Sorry, I mean Pyro." Her voice slipped so icely from her mouth her would have thought it impossible. Standing up to her full height, she brushed her lingering tears away and pulled her long jacket closer to her body.
"Is that it? Are we done here? Cause I'm over being saved."
John was stunned. Her behaviour had taken such a sharp turn, if he did not know any better he would say the girl he kissed was a completely different girl to the one in front of him.
He caught himself suddenly from that thought. He did not know any better, because he did not know Lili. For all he knew, Lili had multible personalities or something. And now John was just pissed.
"What the hell is your problem? I was only trying to help," he said, his voice booming down on her smaller frame but she stood tall and meet him face on.
"Help?" she replied, again that sarcastic humour entering her voice. "The only way you helped was by helping me loose control!
"What do you want? A thankyou? Okay. Thankyou for helping me hurt more people. Thankyou for helping me reveal what I am to almost the whole city. Thankyou for ruining the sorry excuse for a life I had left. Happy?"
John just stood there watching Lili vent her anger. For a couple of minutes, she had started to steam and her fingers had sent of sparks flying into different directions. John was scared see wastrying to blow him up until he understood she had no power over what she was doing. She had no control.
"You're a mutant."
"Yeah well, duh. Where have you been all day?" she bit.
"So am I."
"And?"
"God! Quit it with the over defenceiveness okay? Get a grip."
Sparks tingled again.
"I can help you."
"Help me? Didn't we just go over this? I don't need your help! I can handle things fine on my own."
"Oh, so that is why you have no control?"
"What?"
Sparks bristled.
"You have no control. You probably hurt people all the time." John heard a sound come from her. It was something akin to a growl. "Now, now, I'm sure it is not your fault, well, ALL your fault anyway. I bet some of the people even deserved it. Especially the ones who died.'
Bingo.
Lili let out a scream of anger and ran at him, hands out in front of her, palms facing him. Though John was expecting this reaction, he had not expected the force behind to be so... forceful.
Lili pushed him roughly to the ground, placing her hands firmly on his chest. With all her weight she held him down, her anger and power combined into one very lethal combination.
Starting from his chest, John began to fell a tingling sensation flow throughout his body. Not what he would call unpleasent at all, it slowly morphed into a strong heat, spreading down his limbs and into his head. As the heat began to build up inside him, John finally understood what Lili was trying to do. The only reason he was still alive right now was because of his control. Any normal humen being would be dead by now, the pressure biulding up inside them causing to explode into a mass of flames. To spontaniously combust.
Pulling all of his power into himself, he felt the heat she was sending into him flow into his fingers. Taking a deep breath, he released it, sending Lili flying accross the other side of the alley. Heaving slightly at the strength that took out of him, he got to his feet and faced the somewhat singed girl. She was in a ball again, rocking to that unknown rythm.
"See, I can help you."
"But I have hurt so many people. I have no control. Once I start... Well, you saw..."
"I did. But so did you. You saw what I can do, I can make sure you never hurt anyone. Just... I just want you to stay with me. Will you stay with me?"
Lili raised her head and looked deep into his fathomless eyes, searching for the truth. Lucking for John because all he was saying was the truth.
"I always told people I can create the fire but never control it..."
Lili reached out her hand and John pulled her up, more sparks flying but of a different kind.
"I guess I don't have to worry about that any more."
