Queen of Random: I know I said I could not write any more. . . but I lied.
I lied big time! So here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
Trial by Fire
Chapter Three: Worshipping the Fire Goddess
Magma just stared at the roaring flames that came flying at her. She was paralyzed, not with fear, but because that for some reason that eluded her, she felt betrayed by him.
"Look out!" cried a voice.
It was like a reflex. Magma raised her hands in an attempt to shield herself, at the same time she transformed herself into her fiery form.
Just as the fireballs were about to hit her, they veered away. Pyro had stopped them from hitting her.
"Amara!" shouted Boom Boom. "You okay?!"
Magma was shaking, although it was not from fear - she had been shaking before Pyro had attacked her. She was shaking because of some weird reason she could not explain. She felt like she was connected to Pyro.
"I'm fine," she said finally. She looked at herself, and then transformed back to normal.
Pyro was just staring at Magma. He shook his head, as if trying to clear itself of something, fog perhaps. Then he managed to compose himself. "Fire. Well, I did not expect that."
A bolt of lightening struck the ground at Pyro's feet. "I suggest that if you value your health and safety, you leave," warned Storm. "Go back to Magneto and tell him that we are not so easily frightened. Or defeated."
"If you insist," said Pyro, before dashing away.
No one gave the look he shot at Magma before he left a second thought.
No one, that is, except Magma herself.
*
As soon as the situation had been dealt with - by Pyro running away - those at the Xavier Institute returned to what they had been doing prior to the alarm going off.
For Amara that meant she was thinking, and this time she had even more to think about.
Pyro.
She turned the word over and over in her head, thinking about it - or rather, him - from every angle. Why had he attacked her, of all people? Why not Storm, who posed the biggest threat, and not some little girl who he had never met? And why had he stopped his attack from hitting her once she had transformed?
But that was not what she was really worried about.
Why had she felt so betrayed by him when he had attacked her? And why did she feel connected to him, as well?
Amara had no idea.
A knock at the door dragged Amara from her thoughts. "Hey, Tabitha."
Tabitha entered the room, and sat next to Amara on the bed. "You okay, girl?" she asked, her tone light, but her eyes serious.
Amara nodded. "Yeah. Just a little shaken up, though."
"I'm not surprised. That guy - what was his name?"
"Pyro," supplied Amara before she could even think about what Tabitha might say or do.
"That's it. Ororo says he's a pretty powerful mutant."
"He is?" asked Amara. She tried not to let her voice betray her eagerness to know more about the mutant with the hair the colour of fire.
Tabitha nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah! Ororo said that she fought him that day that mutants were exposed."
Amara's heart almost stopped beating in her chest. "But wouldn't that mean- " she began, trying to ignore the pain in her chest.
"He's one of Magneto's crew."
"What?" Amara almost demanded.
"He's with Magneto," repeated Tabitha.
"But - but he only looks so young!"
"I know! He only looks to be - what, about seventeen?" asked Tabitha. "I wonder if he has a girlfriend," she said, more to herself that to Amara.
"Tabitha! He's our enemy!"
Tabitha frowned. "You're right." She stood up from her seat on the bed. "See you later, Amara." With that, she left the room.
Amara's own words came rushing back to haunt her once her friend had left.
Our enemy.
Amara knew that to have any feelings for the enemy was wrong.
Then why did something about it feel so right?
*
He had not wanted to do it.
He had not wanted to do it at all.
But he had to know.
As soon as he saw the girl's face, he knew who she was. The fire angel he had seen before Magneto had arrived.
John had not wanted to attack her, but it was the only way for him to know if she really was the angel, or if it was some kind of cruel trick the world had played on him.
But it was not a trick, and she was no mere illusion.
She was a fire goddess, a thing more beautiful than fire itself.
No, that was not quite true.
The girl was fire, so she could not be more beautiful than fire.
"What is wrong with me?"
Something was really bothering John about the girl. Wait, she had a name. Amara.
"A beautiful name for an even more beautiful girl."
Again John shook his head. What was wrong with him? As soon as he had left the Institute, something inside him had changed. No, it had occurred earlier than that. The change had happened as soon as he saw her face.
Trying to regain control of himself, John drew his lighter from his pocket. The best way for him to control himself was by controlling something else. As a new flame was born from the lighter, John realised something. He did not have to try and fight it. Actually, that would have been the worst thing for him to do at that point. He would have to treat this like another part of his power - he had to embrace it.
And the only way for him to do that was by finding that girl - Amara - and not having the X-Men interfere with what he wanted to do.
But how to do that?
John smiled, the answer coming to him.
Amara went to school, right?
And the X-Men couldn't be with her all the time.
Perfect.
Trial by Fire
Chapter Three: Worshipping the Fire Goddess
Magma just stared at the roaring flames that came flying at her. She was paralyzed, not with fear, but because that for some reason that eluded her, she felt betrayed by him.
"Look out!" cried a voice.
It was like a reflex. Magma raised her hands in an attempt to shield herself, at the same time she transformed herself into her fiery form.
Just as the fireballs were about to hit her, they veered away. Pyro had stopped them from hitting her.
"Amara!" shouted Boom Boom. "You okay?!"
Magma was shaking, although it was not from fear - she had been shaking before Pyro had attacked her. She was shaking because of some weird reason she could not explain. She felt like she was connected to Pyro.
"I'm fine," she said finally. She looked at herself, and then transformed back to normal.
Pyro was just staring at Magma. He shook his head, as if trying to clear itself of something, fog perhaps. Then he managed to compose himself. "Fire. Well, I did not expect that."
A bolt of lightening struck the ground at Pyro's feet. "I suggest that if you value your health and safety, you leave," warned Storm. "Go back to Magneto and tell him that we are not so easily frightened. Or defeated."
"If you insist," said Pyro, before dashing away.
No one gave the look he shot at Magma before he left a second thought.
No one, that is, except Magma herself.
*
As soon as the situation had been dealt with - by Pyro running away - those at the Xavier Institute returned to what they had been doing prior to the alarm going off.
For Amara that meant she was thinking, and this time she had even more to think about.
Pyro.
She turned the word over and over in her head, thinking about it - or rather, him - from every angle. Why had he attacked her, of all people? Why not Storm, who posed the biggest threat, and not some little girl who he had never met? And why had he stopped his attack from hitting her once she had transformed?
But that was not what she was really worried about.
Why had she felt so betrayed by him when he had attacked her? And why did she feel connected to him, as well?
Amara had no idea.
A knock at the door dragged Amara from her thoughts. "Hey, Tabitha."
Tabitha entered the room, and sat next to Amara on the bed. "You okay, girl?" she asked, her tone light, but her eyes serious.
Amara nodded. "Yeah. Just a little shaken up, though."
"I'm not surprised. That guy - what was his name?"
"Pyro," supplied Amara before she could even think about what Tabitha might say or do.
"That's it. Ororo says he's a pretty powerful mutant."
"He is?" asked Amara. She tried not to let her voice betray her eagerness to know more about the mutant with the hair the colour of fire.
Tabitha nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah! Ororo said that she fought him that day that mutants were exposed."
Amara's heart almost stopped beating in her chest. "But wouldn't that mean- " she began, trying to ignore the pain in her chest.
"He's one of Magneto's crew."
"What?" Amara almost demanded.
"He's with Magneto," repeated Tabitha.
"But - but he only looks so young!"
"I know! He only looks to be - what, about seventeen?" asked Tabitha. "I wonder if he has a girlfriend," she said, more to herself that to Amara.
"Tabitha! He's our enemy!"
Tabitha frowned. "You're right." She stood up from her seat on the bed. "See you later, Amara." With that, she left the room.
Amara's own words came rushing back to haunt her once her friend had left.
Our enemy.
Amara knew that to have any feelings for the enemy was wrong.
Then why did something about it feel so right?
*
He had not wanted to do it.
He had not wanted to do it at all.
But he had to know.
As soon as he saw the girl's face, he knew who she was. The fire angel he had seen before Magneto had arrived.
John had not wanted to attack her, but it was the only way for him to know if she really was the angel, or if it was some kind of cruel trick the world had played on him.
But it was not a trick, and she was no mere illusion.
She was a fire goddess, a thing more beautiful than fire itself.
No, that was not quite true.
The girl was fire, so she could not be more beautiful than fire.
"What is wrong with me?"
Something was really bothering John about the girl. Wait, she had a name. Amara.
"A beautiful name for an even more beautiful girl."
Again John shook his head. What was wrong with him? As soon as he had left the Institute, something inside him had changed. No, it had occurred earlier than that. The change had happened as soon as he saw her face.
Trying to regain control of himself, John drew his lighter from his pocket. The best way for him to control himself was by controlling something else. As a new flame was born from the lighter, John realised something. He did not have to try and fight it. Actually, that would have been the worst thing for him to do at that point. He would have to treat this like another part of his power - he had to embrace it.
And the only way for him to do that was by finding that girl - Amara - and not having the X-Men interfere with what he wanted to do.
But how to do that?
John smiled, the answer coming to him.
Amara went to school, right?
And the X-Men couldn't be with her all the time.
Perfect.