Disclaimer: Total Drama series doesn't belong to me but to Jennifer Perth and Tom McGill. I write for fun, not for money and blah, blah, blah ...

Summary: Scarlett had a unique power that made her different and special. She thought she would never meet anyone like her. Until she met Max, and with him, a world she never imagined. / AU. Scax (Scarlett / Max)

Warning: English isn't my first language. It's Spanish. If you notice any grammatical error or something like that, please let me know. Thank you!

1

Her first day of school wasn't much stranger than that.

The equations seemed cakewalk for her, resolving them all in a span of less time than it took the teacher in correcting them.

Thanks to that, she won suspicious looks from some of her classmates, and exclamations of admiration from the teacher, and Sky.

Sky, who now accompanied her on her trip back home. Looked at her, and saw her fiddling with one of her bracelets, absently.

Scarlett turned her sight to the city that was fading before her eyes. She knew that when she got home, she should feed her turtle, do her homework, wait for her parents and tell them how was her day.

She didn't really like that last part.

She had no idea what to say, but she never really knew what to say in front of them. They spent so little time at home, both focused on their work, which was very similar to live with a couple of strangers.

And so, the simple question 'How was your day?' was transformed into a philosophical question like "What's the meaning of life?"

Scarlett didn't know what to answer to any of those questions.

She heard as a distant echo Sky's voice, and waved her right hand in farewell. Again she was alone in the bus seat. She thought about taking a brief nap, but she knew that would reach her destination soon.

She straightened, fighting her eyelids so they didn't close. If she got lost in that unfamiliar and new city, she would go into a panic. And that didn't seem like a good idea.

She recognized some buildings, that she remembered seeing on the way to high school. It was time to get off. She did so, and quietly walked a couple of blocks, addressing her home.

On the way, she had to hug herself, muttering an inaudible curse. A few raindrops fell on her face, and ran on her left cheek. Rain was coming, threatening her again.

She tried to hasten her steps, and even was tempted to run, only to stop feeling these liquid needles piercing her body mercilessly. Recognizing the front of her newly purchased house, she sighed. Just in time.

She hurried, and as she closed the door behind her, she heard voices in the kitchen and smelled a strong sauce aroma. She grimaced. Her parents had arrived earlier than expected, and her order of tasks changed drastically.

She came to the origin of the voices, and stood in the doorway. Her father, wearing a gingham apron, was devoutly cooking while her mother sat at the dining table, she greeted with a warm smile.

"Honey, you're finally here" she said, indicating a chair in front of her to take a seat. "How was your day?"

'What's the meaning of life?' Scarlett heard.

Sighing, she dropped her backpack beside her, and went to the indicated chair. She watched her hands carefully, as if they sought the answer to that question.

"It was okay" she muttered after a few minutes, looking up to the sweet expression on her mother. "Normal, mother."

"Did you make friends?" questioned her father, but soon received a small blow by his wife

"Joseph!"

Scarlett formed an almost mocking smile at that dialogue. Her parents knew of her difficulty socializing with people, but for some reason, her mother was more sensitive to that. Scarlett considered it something completely unnecessary.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"Actually, I did make a friend" muttered the girl suddenly, without really knowing why. "I need to feed Albert. If you excuse me..."

She rose from her seat, without waiting for any of them to try to stop her. And they didn't. She picked up her backpack from the ground, and went to her room.

She climbed the steps to the second floor slowly, as if her feet asked each other authorization to move.

Reaching her room, she entered without much encouragement, and went straight to bed, where she fell rendered. She buried her face in her pillow, letting out a drowned sigh from her lips.

Then she remembered Albert, her eleven years old young turtle. So she forced herself to get up and get moving.

She doubted she could sleep.

Classes were quite easy for her to understand. She realized that her old high school had a more advanced study program, and so it was easier to adapt.

And stand out.

It wasn't her intention, actually. She just couldn't resist the urge to randomly raise her hand every time she knew the answer to any question.

It was almost one week since her arrival to that classroom, and she had already won the brainiac stereotype. She didn't know if it was good or bad, so she decided to take it as a compliment.

She used to chat with Sky in the breaks, and also on the trip back home. But also, she used to have lunch alone. She preferred it that way, not to socialize much with her peers, or with anyone. Then, if her parents got another job in another state, she would have to leave. She didn't like that.

She was too distracted with her nose buried in an astronomy book, when she realized that someone had sat at her table, which usually only she used.

She slowly lowered the book and looked at the intruder. The weird guy in the purple dye, Max.

She watched him a moment, waiting for him to do or say something. But he didn't. He was just staring at her, as if he also expected something from her.

Finally, he smiled a little.

"Fire, huh?" he snapped then, resting his elbows on the table to look at her better. "Very interesting."

Scarlett swallowed, suddenly nervous. She thought that question from her first day had been in the past, and as the boy hadn't insisted again... it looked like she was wrong.

She closed her book and laid it on the table, sighing.

"Yes... I just said the first thing I thought" she tried to explain, shrugging. "And I don't quite understand what you meant. Neither what you mean now."

"Oh, yes, you understood. You understand."

She pursed her lips at his mocking tone, and couldn't help but cross her arms, a sign to say that she didn't want to have that conversation. She didn't want to talk about something so intimate with a stranger. Let alone with a stranger who acted if he knew her.

"I do not understand" she repeated cogging, only receiving a sly laugh as an answer

Max leaned a little closer to her, then lowered his voice to make it barely audible.

"You can continue in denial, if you want" he muttered, then glanced at the table where the rest of their peers were. "I thought you were different from them... what a disappointment."

Scarlett didn't know how to react to his contemptuous tone, and with a melancholy tinge. She felt confused, lost in several questions that echoed in her mind.

She wanted to talk, but she feared that her lips would just leave her babbling nonsense.

"What...?"

"You've never met others like us, right?" he interrupted, arching his eyebrows skeptically

Without knowing why, so automaton, Scarlett nodded. For the first time, she saw an almost friendly and sympathetic smile in that boy's face.

"Well, you've just met thirteen" he said, in a tone so calm and quiet, it sounded like a sinister lullaby. "They are like you... well, kinda, but... you know."

"I... I'm sorry but I cannot believe your words."

Max gave her a questioning look, and he even looked disappointed. He rose from his seat and sighed deeply.

"If I weren't saying the truth, how would I know your secret, without even knowing you?" he questioned, cautiously, then formes a crooked smile at her incredulously. "By the way... I am earth."

Scarlett watched him walk away from her without looking back, leaving the cafeteria in a lone wolf attitude. She couldn't look away from the road he had traveled.

She was lost in her own thoughts.

Was it possible that this guy was right? All of her classmates... were like her?

She couldn't help but look at their table. They all looked so happy and carefree, that she immediately doubted. To catch her eye, Sky smiled slightly, cradling her hand in her direction.

Scarlett returned the gesture, but she needed to get out. Fast.

She stood, gathering her things with unusual haste. She walked among the tables out of there too, and went to the ladies bathroom of that floor. She mentally thanked Sky for having shown her the way.

She entered there, and then turned on the faucet to refresh her face. She saw herself in the mirror, and her green eyes stared back. The girl in the mirror looked as confused as her.

She looked around to make sure she was completely alone. By check, she sighed with relief. She noticed his hands, that now were wet. She closed her eyes.

She imagined. She imagined flames dancing through her fingers, gently stroking her skin, like silent and deadly lovers. She imagined fire, her fire.

And when she opened her eyes, it was there.

The fire fondly embraced her hands, as if it had missed her for years, and finally returned to find her.

She couldn't help smiling unconsciously. That warm feeling that invaded her body, she found it to be new, but it wasn't. He had simply forgotten it, for concealing that long. For having hidden it even from herself.

But her smile faded as she raised her eyes to the mirror, and in addition to her reflection, she saw a girl with an amazed expression.

She turned quickly to look at her, terrified. She recognized her as one of the twin cheerleaders.

"I Knew it."

It was all she said.

Scarlett closed her eyes desperately, concentrating the maximum to make those flames dissappear, now that suddenly they became wilder because of her nervousness. When she stopped feeling the heat, she dared to open her eyes again.

The girl was still there. And to her dismay, she had a small smile on her face, and she showed to have some difficulty repressing a giggle.

"You too..." she whispered, trying to get closer, but the redhead stepped back a few steps. "I'm also f-fire..."

Scarlett stood still, paralyzed. She didn't know what to say or do, even how to react. She watched the blonde girl smile, and after a few seconds, weak flames appeared over her outstretched hands in her direction.

It was a dead fire, and sad too, you might say. It lacked strength, lacked color. But it was fire. In the hands of a girl she barely knew.

"My name is Sammy... but Amy says it's 'Samey'" she muttered, looking away, and instantly, the fire extinguished. "I never thought that... I would m-meet someone like..."

The redhead watched in amazement as Sammy wiped a tear trying to escape her orbs. She really seemed shaken, if not relieved.

"And now... there's you a-and... I'm so happy!"

Sammy cried inconsolably. Scarlett bit her lower lip, still not knowing what to do. Should she comfort her? Or just run away?

She decided to stay still and silent, hoping for her to calm down. And eventually she did, and dried saw the sea of tears that ran her cheeks.

"S-Sorry about that..." she apologized, sobbing a bit. "You probably think I'm a fool."

"I don't think so" explained Scarlett, finally finding words to say. "Actually... I did not expect to meet someone like me either. Max was right.

"Max? What did he say?"

The redhead hesitated again, but quickly shook her head, trying to think straight.

"He told me that all of you... are like this" she admitted, unconsciously lowering her voice, afraid that someone would hear her. "Is that true?"

Then it was turn of Sammy to get even more nervous than she already was. She began to wring her hands, sighing deeply.

"I don't know... until now I only know of Amy and me. Oh, and you" she said, wincing, and suddenly looked up curiously. "Is Max fire too?"

"No. He's earth... I think so" whispered the redhead, still quite doubtful of her own words. "Amy...?"

"Water. It fits her... she's always extinguishing me."

Scarlett couldn't help but frown at that. She had already noticed these behaviors, but hadn't given importance. Now, it seemed even more unfair.

"You are not alone anymore."

She didn't even realized what she said, the words escaped her lips on their own, reaching her interlocutor' suffered ears.

She saw Sammy smile shyly as she nodded, with another load of tears crowding in her celestial orbs.

"Do you think... that I can give you a hug?"

Although she hesitated a moment, Scarlett nodded. The blonde girl caught it right away, crying freely over her shoulder, then venting years of abuse.

Scarlett returned the hug, feeling certain empathy with her.

And although they barely knew each other, both were hiding a secret that they didn't plan to share with anyone else.

She realized that she was right.

They weren't alone anymore.

Hi!

Chapter 1 of this story. What do you think? I sincerely hope you like it.

If you don't mind, I will now answer your reviews.

Invaderzimdibfan: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter ;)

Madison Wooten: I'm flattered, thanks! You're welcome. Here's chapter 1, enjoy!

Guess that's all.

Read you soon!

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