Arriving in Burgess, Jaz couldn't see any fire. She inhaled the air, able to pick up the unmistakable scent of cinder. She turned to face the direction north from the town. The atmosphere around her was much stronger. That was where the fire must have been coming from. Sending a gust of wind behind her, she shot through the air. The fire's trace was quiet simple given how strong the atmosphere reeked of it. Jaz recognized the town that she was flying to. It was Lyndwood; she remembered going there with Jack a couple of years ago when he was bringing the people there snow days in the winter months.

The fires were being tended to by the time Jaz reached the town. Fire-fighters were positioned around the line of burning trees. The fire was closing in on not only this town, but Burgess as well. Her attention was drawn above the trees where a helicopter was flying, a large tanker dangling from a cable attached to it. They poured it down onto the flames. The blaze was repressed but the sudden wind assured that it would continue to spread. Jaz gritted her teeth. She summoned her own channel of hot air, soaring up above the forest. Her arms held out towards the fire, she controlled the winds below her. The fire-fighters released another tanker of water down on the forest. Jaz unsheathed her dagger and began to tame the vicious flames that were starting to engulf the houses closest to the woods. After another hour or so, the blaze was extinguished completely. Jaz landed back down on her feet and double checked everyone was alright. No one at the scene seemed to suspect they had received help. Jaz guessed that was either because she had timed her actions well enough with what they were doing to make look as if they got lucky with the unexpected wind conditions, or they were too overcome by the devastation of the fire to notice anything unusual.

Hearing that there was a fire in Burgess at this time of year alarmed Jaz. The weather was growing colder and it wouldn't be long before it started to snow. Even a human accident wouldn't have been enough to cause a proper forest fire. The wind wasn't high enough to spread it, or at least it shouldn't be. With her influence over the elements, she was certain the fire would not relight. At least it would be calm long enough for her to check on the other locations where fires had been reported. The authorities present for the emergency where she was could handle things themselves for now. Jaz had made sure the scene was completely evacuated of innocent bystanders and residents when she arrived. No one was harmed thankfully.

As she flew to Australia, she couldn't shake the feeling of concern from her mind. What if someone had been hurt? Burned alive like she had been when she was human. All because she hadn't been able to get there fast enough. The thought of being responsible for someone's death made her stomach clench. It called on the memory of how she felt when she inadvertently attended her own funeral in her early days of being a spirit. Hearing about the girl who'd died in the fire, whose body the family couldn't even bury as there was nothing left to find. It was terrible. It was one of the reasons her hatred emerged. She blamed herself, and as a result of it lost her centre. She was unable to prevent asking herself; what if it happened again? What if more than one person lost their life? What if it really was her fault this time? Jaz tried her hardest to rid herself of such confronting questions. She didn't want to know what would happen to her if the consequence of this fire was death. Going back to a life of self-hatred and despair was not an option for her.

"So do you think your father will be alright out there?" Jamie asked his friend as he set up the spare mattress in his room for her. They held opposite ends of a blanket and stretched it out to fit the portable bed. They laid the blanket over the top of its padded surface.

"I don't know" she admitted. "I'm really scared for him." Jamie looked sympathetically at her. He hated seeing her upset. He picked up the pillow from his bed and handed it to her. She took it gladly, hugging it close to her body. To him, sleeping without a pillow wasn't an issue. His mother would disagree, claiming it was bad for his neck. At a time like this though, none of that mattered. He needed to be there for his friend. They had originally planned to have the night to study, but Jamie thought it'd be best not to mention the exams coming up. The last thing Pippa needed right now was more things to stress about. He wished he could know for sure that her father was ok; that way he would be able to tell her everything would be fine without lying or making her feel worse.

He moved over to her side. He gripped the pillow back from her, placing it down on her makeshift bed. He put his arms around her. Even if he wasn't able to comfort her with his words, he knew he would be much more comforting to hug than a cold pillow. His assumption was correct. Pippa's arms wrapped around his body, her head resting on his shoulder as she tried not to let her emotions surface.

The two friends were interrupted by a knocking sound that came from Jamie's door. Mrs Bennett swung the door open. She held a phone in her hand, covering the bottom of it with her palm.

"Pippa" she spoke with a gentle voice. "Your mother's on the phone." Pippa nervously moved away from Jamie and took the phone being given to her. She pressed it against her ear.

"Hello?" she asked into it, her voice coming out much softer than she had meant it to be. She listened as her mother explained what was going on. Her head nodded, unable to say a word. Mrs Bennett took the phone back.

"Thanks for letting us know. I'll bring her there straight away." She lifted the device away from the side of her face, pressing the button to end the call. "We'll leave now. I'll get Sophie." When she was gone, Jamie ran to Pippa's side. Her face hadn't shifted expression from when she had the phone.

"You ok? What happened?" he asked. Pippa couldn't respond. Scared for her, Jamie placed his hands on her shoulders and led her to the door. His mother was already by the door. Sophie was awake and with her. She was questioning what was going on but no one had time to answer her. The four of them left the house and hurried to the car. Jamie helped Pippa get into her seat in the back.

"Soph, you can have the front" he called to his little sister. Sophie was already climbing into the passenger's seat next to the driver. Jamie strapped himself in beside Pippa. Mrs Bennett started the car and they drove to their destination.

The trip didn't take long as there wasn't much traffic. Mrs Bennett parked the car and walked with her children and Pippa to the entrance of the hospital. She asked Jamie to watch Sophie as she went to speak with the receptionist behind the glass. She explained their desire to visit Pippa's father. The receptionist nodded, telling them which ward they could find him in and to wait a moment as she opened the doors. There was no issue, much to their gratitude. The barricade like doors swung open and granted them access to the inside of the hospital. Locating the right ward was a task made simple thanks to the signs and arrows that pointed them in the right direction. Finally they made it to the place they were keeping him. Pippa pushed her way through the curtains enclosed around her father. She almost collapsed when she saw him. He lay under the white sheets, patches of ash stained his face while burns could be found on several of his limbs. Jamie and his mother held Sophie back as they allowed Pippa to grieve for her father. The slight rise and fall of his chest was no more comforting than his appearance. The percentage of him passing away was still an unknown factor.

Pippa cried by his bedside, not wanting to leave him ever. Seeing her father like this gave her a pain like she'd never felt. Thoughts of losing him came rushing back.

Mrs Bennett slowly came up behind her and stroked the top of her head in a soothing manner. Witnessing her this distraught made her feel just as saddened. She had known Pippa since she was a baby, watching as she grew up alongside her son. She often considered her to be like a second daughter to her. Mrs Bennett was aware of how poorly Pippa's own mother treated her at times. It was because of this that she cared so much for the girl. Pippa more than often considered the Bennett's to be her surrogate family. She knew that theirs was the one place she truly felt accepted and at home, and would always welcome her.

They decided to give her a moment alone with her dad. Mrs Bennett led her two children to the outside of the curtain. She pulled Jamie aside to speak with him alone.

"Did I interrupt something at home?" she asked. Jamie's felt his body flush with embarrassment when he realized she must have been referring to the hug she witnessed in his room.

"What? No I…W-We were just" he stammered, trying to think of what to say that would explain himself to his mother. She smiled at him.

"It's ok, Jamie. You're not in trouble for it" she assured him. He sighed in relief. For a moment he thought she was going to tell him off for helping his friend relax in a time of need. "But do you?"

Her question caught him off guard. "Um, do I what?"

"Do you like her?" Jamie froze. He literally thought his heart had skipped a couple of beats. Was she actually asking him these things? How the hell was he supposed to answer? He could feel his face grow hot as the blush spread outwards from his cheeks.

"I-I…She's just a friend" he managed to choke out, his voice breaking. Seeing him so awkward was more than enough for Mrs Bennett to see the truth behind her son's denial. She assumed she'd made him uncomfortable a sufficient amount.

"Come on then" she said as she turned to go back to where Pippa was with her father. "Let's see how your friend is coping." Keeping his shoulders hunched over and his head as low as possible, he followed her.

There was nothing left of the fire when Jaz landed in the burnt towns of South Australia. She looked around her, taking in what could only be described as a scene in a horror film. Houses crushed under the weight of trees whose trunks were burnt through to send them crashing down with flaming branches onto whatever lay beneath; the smoke from the flames choking any victim unfortunate enough to breathe it in. Particles of ash floated through the air, a few embers found in the ruins as the only colour left in the grey washed-out atmosphere.

Jaz searched the land for signs of life, or the contrary. All she found was burnt wood and a lost hope that lingered in the very air itself. She walked barefoot through the ash that covered the ground like a layer of snow. She may have lived for over 300 years but that didn't mean seeing the destruction of another fire was made any easier, especially now that she'd found her centre and true purpose. She picked a piece of charred wood from the ground, feeling its blistered texture in her hands. Something started to rise within her. Her hand grasped the handle of her dagger, ripping it out from its receptacle. She drove it into the fragment of the forest she held and started savagely carving the scalded wood away from its outer surface. Once it was stripped bare, she threw its remains down into the ash which blew up around her.

"How am I supposed to protect people with a power that kills?" she yelled up at the moon. The last time she tried to speak with him was when she was chosen as a Guardian. "You gave me this control. How does something that causes this," Her gaze moved over the burnt land, "also create light?"

Her head fell to her chest as if in defeat. "How do I prove to the others that it wasn't me who did this?" she whispered. The moon shone silently as she stood in its faint light. Jaz's head lifted. She held out her hand, a small ring of ash forming in the centre of her palm. She inhaled its familiar scent. She extended her dagger into the air, catching a few specks of the ash on its blade. She touched it with her finger and cautiously drew it up to her nostrils. Its scent was smoky like a recently set fire, the same as hers, but something was different. It had the slightest sweet tinge to it. Jaz recognized the scent almost immediately. Her pupils dilated when she realized who it was behind the fires that had been set.

R&R