DON'T BE AFRAID OF AWESOME POWERS


"Annie, c'mon. You'll need to tell me sooner or later..."

"..."

The situation felt like "The Talk", only ten times more awkward for me. Seriously, how couldn't I be like that after witnessing an innocent little kid incinerate a fly, the remains of which covering the top pancake on my plate. Besides that, nothing was seriously damaged except for a few singed spots on the cupboard and wall. 'Like those would even bother me.' I've achieved much worse with my two bare hands so compared to this? Actual child's play.

Althought it wasn't a game we were playing. She technically killed a living being, no matter how small and annoying those buggers are! Which led me to the current time of things. Annie was resting on the edge of my couch, her plate of pancakes already growing cold and left untouched while she curled in on herself. Her bear Tibbers sat next to him, yet something was beginning to seriously feel off with how much heat that plush began generating.

In the meantime I made myself comfy on the opposite side, sitting cross-legged in a pair of pyjama shorts and top with my half-eaten plate of food on my lap. The wavy cloud pattern stretching from the bottom to the mid-riff of its fabric felt warm on my skin but would've been a problem due to the general temperature in my apartment. Luckily the girl nullified that issue with her presence alone. Some old douche was ranting on TV about protests regarding a new video game or wh-

'This can't go on like this.' I needed to talk with her.

Uncomfortable talks would usually be avoided like the pest in this household. But c'mon, both of us are feeling sulky and I want to get this issue off our plates. Uh, metaphorical plates, duh. So putting aside my real piece of tableware alongside the fork and knife respectively on the carpet for Mr. Charles to sneak a few bites in as I shift closer to her.

"Listen, sweetie. I'm not mad or angry with you," admitted the voice speaking my current thoughts.

"...Huh?", was her very timid and silent answer. Turning to me again, I've been greeted once more with those beautiful green eyes. But this time, there wasn't a ton of sparkles to see. Only a kind of broken gaze. One that really tore into me without having the intention to do so. 'Makes me want to help her even more.'

"Yeah." A hand slowly tried to grasp her shaking shoulder, yet she saw the appendage and coiled back with me freezing mid-movement and trying verbally again. "I'm not mad. Not even annoyed or scared," I went on, although I was slightly freaked out over it on the inside. "All I want is to know what "that" just fucking was. I'll promise that no matter the answer, you'll not be treated any worse by me."

"...P-Promise?" There we go...

"I promise."

"...P-Pinky promise?" Awww, her little finger is so small!

Here, you little cinnamon. There! "Pinkie promise."

With my reassurance, she's visibly relaxed to a degree. There was still that underlying nervousness creeping up on us, yet the more once breathtaking pressure melted into the air and losing its grasp on both our minds. I could see how she was still tense from my questioning, with her bear continuing to lay next to her.

'Maybe that can help...' One more time I reached out, this time confusing the little girl as my hand was kept low. She quickly caught on, however, looking even more distressed when fingers grasped the slightly worn-off fabric and OH GOD THE BEAR IS STUPIDLY HOT!

'Oh fuck, OH FUCK!' It still didn't make any logical sense. Heck, the incident before didn't as well! For some reason, the surface I'm touching Tibbers with is warming up more and more! I was pretty that sooner or later, my skin could suffer from at least first degree burns; if not, worse. Yet, as foolish and logically stupid as it sounds, my grip didn't come loose even a little bit. If anything, it made me hold onto him even more.

Mentally shoving the pain aside I finally got a good look at the plush. To be real, he didn't seem as badly damaged as I thought before! The sewn spots were fixed quite well, fabric carefully handled except a few rough stops here and there which didn't seem to affect his overall appeal. And then there is the issue with the missing eye button. In the end, I simply decided to mutely point at the spot in question.

That...didn't seem to get a good reaction out of her, at all. Her gaze refused to mine as both hands seemed to tremble with her face concealed by purple-red strands of hair. 'Pain...whatever caused him to lose that button is bringing up the pain.' Seemingly I wasn't the only one who noticed this. As I reshifted the bear in my grasp, his heat began dwindling down, then rising again before lowering once more. Almost like a comfortable heartbeat made out of warmth, Tibbers was mutely kept in my hands.

'It's as if he wants to comfort her.' Some old woman at my workplace once stated how things like smell, feel and even sound could effectively calm down anyone. Hope she is right.

"You really took good care of him, Annie," was my soft response.

Her green eyes snapped open, few tears threatening to drop from her eyes while she looked at her plush before me. Keeping my hand open and nudging it slightly, she tentatively reached out at first before snatching it in one fast motion. "...He's my dear Tibbers, after all." She soon calmed down once more, softly patting the fabric of her bear in thought.

I kept silent for at least a few minutes. She seemed stressed enough...

"...Joy?"

On second thought. "Yes?"

"Close your eyes? Please?"

"Alright." Out of everything that happened today, this seemed like the most harmless request ever. Still odd but definitely not crazy! "Closing eyes now," I muttered while Annie and the world around her dipped into darkness.

At first, nothing.

Then, the shift of something whizzing in the air followed by a gentle tint of orange spawning through my eyelids.

"O-Okay...y-you can open them now." Following her word, my vision was greeted again with the familiar, run-down apartment of mine...alongside the little girl sitting on that grey-colored couch, her palm outstretched and a gentle flame floating just above her skin. The actual fire didn't seem all that impressive, calmly swaying around with an eerie, orange light that illuminated everything around it. Annie looked very uncomfortable during her actions, her body trying to distance itself from her own creation.

Although, only one question rang in my head when looking at it:

"Can I touch it?" Mentally giving my own boldness a pat on the back, I moved my own arm to the flame before Annie could even react and began holding it closer and closer until my skin began to feel the real existing warmth. After getting a feeling for the actual heat I began playing around with it, blowing at his to let the flame flicker, staring at close into it as if I excepted something else to happen or quickly brushing a finger through the flame.

The last part, in particular, seemed to finally snap her out of whatever shocked state she was in, letting her fire fleet with it. Out of nowhere she stood up on the couch, took a step closer and practically shouted at my face.

"WHY AREN'T YOU SCARED OF ME!?"

...

"Y-You're supposed to be afraid! You should've been scared! YOU SHOULD'VE REACTED LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!", she kept exclaiming, tears again building up behind her eyes and both hands balled up in fists.

Was that how others saw her?

"Y-You..." *Sob* "W-Why aren't you scared?"

...

She was right. Why wasn't I? Even my own mind didn't come up with a set answer, merely throwing thoughts of my own at me until it clicked.

I never associated her with her ability, merely viewing her as who she really was. A sweet, misunderstood child.

"Because you're you, Annie. That fire is simply a part of who you are."

That was the girl's breaking point.

Soon after these words there was a trembling girl hugging the life out of my body, shoulders shaking and the wetness of tears staining my pajamas. I didn't push her away, instead holding her closer and causing the sobs to intensify. Never have I seen someone this young go through so much trouble that her mentality expected others to leave her alone. It's one of these things that I could never understand unless it happened to myself.

The only thing I could provide was an open ear and mind, seemingly enough for her. Inbetween our hug was her precious bear, his rhythmic aura attempting to calm her down.

By the end of that escapade, Annie fell asleep out of mental and physical exhaustion. Her body was still latching onto mine, breathing having steadied and leaving a big stain on my own clothing. 'I'll probably have to change the top.' Turns out that having a young minor attached to your waist hindered my capability to move. Deciding to let the garment issue be not of immediate importance I hoisted her up with my free hand, making sure she wouldn't fall off.

Just before we moved away, my tired gaze spotted the fabric of Tibbers next to Mr. Charles. The sneaky cat rolled up next to him as he slept, making me smile at the scene. 'I don't think you two would like to be separated, no?' So for the final time in this night, I picked up the seemingly alive plush.

Yet this time he didn't burn my hand, instead pulsating like before.

...

(To be continued...)