Ch 4: A Walk in the Woods
Warren watched his breath frost in the cold night air as he walked home. Will's parents had tried to give him a ride, but he only lived in the next neighborhood over, and it was already 1:30 in the morning. Plus, it was snowing again, and despite not being fond of snow, he felt safer walking through it then driving.
All in all it had been a good Christmas Eve, which surprised Warren, because he generally found the whole Christmas season a little depressing. Aside from his parents, who were more or less permanently unavailable, Warren only had three other relatives, and the farther they stayed away from him the better, but it still got to him this time of year seeing everyone with their families. It reminded him of just how alone he had been since leaving China.
This year it hadn't gotten to him so much though. It probably had something to do with Zack calling him two or three times a day with guitar questions, then showing up on his doorstep when he broke his strings and couldn't figure out how to replace them, and Ethan, who kept calling him about the extra credit in English, despite the fact that Warren wasn't doing the extra credit in English, and Layla dragging him Christmas shopping with her, and Magenta coming with him to the food bank he volunteered at. And then there was Will, who was always just… there. He was in and out of Warren's house, he dragged Warren in and out of his house, and he showed up on Warren's lunch break at work, because Layla was helping her mother at the animal shelter, and Will was board.
Warren was starting to get used to having friends around again. He instinctively knew that that was risky. Having friends meant you could lose them, meant you could be abandoned, meant you could be hurt, and given the people involved and who they were related to, that was a definite possibility. It had been a surprise to him that the Commander and Jetstream had even tolerated him, and he didn't expect them to ever like him. Although, the way things were going, he could be wrong. He suspected having friends like Will was worth the risk, but he still had his doubts. He needed to talk to his dad about it, or write his dad about it anyway. He never actually talked to his dad, but he wrote him almost every week. He tended to have intelligent and useful things to say when it came to this sort of thing.
Warren paused on the bridge that ran between his neighborhood and Will's. There was a green belt and a creek that separated the two neighborhoods. Warren leaned over the railing and looked down at the water rushing under the bridge. All the snow had it running high.
He turned to go, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red in the trees along the creek. He only caught a glimpse of it, but he knew what it was instantly.
He had been eight. Despite the fact that they lived in China, his mother was still based in San Francisco as a superhero, so his dad stayed home with him most of the time. By the time he had turned eight though, his dad had been starting to get into the super-villain thing, and he and Warren's mother were fighting a lot, even though Warren's mother hadn't known what he was up to.
There had been a miscommunication over who was suppose to pick him up from school. All Warren knew as he sat on the front steps of the empty building was that they weren't there, and they didn't seem to be coming. Plus it was snowing. They lived far enough south that it hardly ever snowed. This was the first year since they moved to China that it had. Warren didn't like it. It was cold and wet, and it left puddles everywhere and soaked through his socks, and he hated soggy socks.
And now, he was stuck sitting out in it, because his parents had forgotten him. He was so angry he decided to leave on his own. He would go to his best friend Liang's house. Liang didn't go to his school, but Warren stayed with his family when his dad wasn't home. Lately, it seemed like he had been practically living there. Liang's family liked him, and they would never forget him. Plus, he had walked to Liang's house from his school with his dad before. It wasn't that far.
It was, however, late in the afternoon and already getting dark when he set out. It got dark quickly and started snowing harder, and despite Warren being so sure he knew the way, he got lost. He was cold and tired and all alone and eight. He was terrified.
He also didn't have a clue what hypothermia was. He didn't know he needed to keep moving, he didn't know he needed to stay awake. He knew he was tired and cold, so he sat down to rest out of the wind at the base of a tree, and he fell asleep.
He woke to singing. It was like nothing he had ever heard before. It was almost like a person's voice, and almost like a bird's, but not quite like either. He dragged his eyes open to find a bird perched on the roots of the tree he was curled against. The bird was as red as any fire and its long tail seemed to burn.
Warren, who had been fire proof all his life, had no fear of fire at all, and he reached out to touch the tail with cold hands. It was warm like the fire his dad called up. This was the phoenix that Liang's grandfather had told him about. He was sure of it.
The bird sung a single clear note, then took off, flying close to the ground. Warren stumbled to his feet and followed. The bright plumage glowed in the dark and the snow melted under the bird's path, making it easier for Warren to follow.
Then suddenly it was gone, and he was alone again. He had barely had time to grasp the bird's disappearance, when he was scooped up by a pair of strong arms.
"Warren! Thank God!" his dad held him close and powered up, blanketing him in warm fire.
Warren wrapped his arms and legs around him and held tight, so happy to see him that he forgave him for forgetting him in the first place.
His parents would insist later that the bird had been an unconscious manifestation of his powers, but Warren always believed he had seen a real phoenix.
Now, he follows the same bird without a second thought. Through the icy trees, and sliding down the frozen slope of the creek, until the bird vanished, and the flame like crackle of its wings was replaced by a child crying.
There was a girl of perhaps six standing on the edge of the creek in muddy flannel pajamas sobbing. She jumped when she spotted Warren, startled by his sudden appearance.
"What's wrong?" Warren knelt down in front of the frightened child.
"My sister…" she sobbed and pointed out towards the swollen creek.
Warren turned his head to look, and in the light reflecting off the snow, he could see a little figure clinging to the end of a tree trunk that was laying half submerged in the creek.
"We were looking for Santa…" the girl standing in front of him sniffled.
Warren glance up the slope of the creek bed, spotting the light of a house through the trees.
"Is that your house?" he asked, pointing.
The child nodded.
"I need you to listen to me, okay?" Warren put his hands firmly on the little girl's shoulders. "I'm going to stay here and try to help your sister. I want you to climb back up to your house and tell your parents what's happened. Tell them to call 911. Can you do that?"
The child nodded, and Warren sent her scrambling up the slope, then turned back to her sister. The creek was running fast and deep, and the girl's head kept slipping under, then popping up again. Warren couldn't wait for a rescue team to get there. If the girl lost her grip, they would never find her in the dark. He was going to have to try to reach her himself.
Unfortunately, his powers weren't going to help him. In extreme cold his body would burn up huge amounts of energy trying to maintain his internal temperature, and it would wear him out quickly.
Warren hated winter.
He waded out into the water, bracing one hand against the tree trunk to steady himself. By the time he reached the girl, the water was past his waist, and he was having trouble keeping his feet under him. He reached out and grabbed the back of the child's nightshirt and hauled her to him. With a hiccupping sob and a cough, she wrapped her arms and legs around Warren, just in time for him to slip on the uneven creek bed.
Immediately, his feet were swept out from under him, and he went under. He kept a tight hold on the girl as the current swept them under the tree trunk and downstream. As soon as they were clear of the trunk, Warren kicked them both to the surface. Warren didn't have any inborn dislike of water, in fact he was a strong swimmer, but the cold was already starting to get to him.
The currant was too strong for Warren to fight, but he managed to keep both their heads above water until they reached the bridge and he could grab onto the edge of the huge tunnel that went under it. He pulled himself along the base until the water was shallow enough to get his feet under him and then stumbled up the bank, collapsing down on the snowy ground, holding the girl against his chest. As cold as he was, he probably still felt warm to her. He was pretty sure he would have to be dead for his temperature to drop down to a normal 98.6 degrees.
Warren heard sirens in the distance and a few minutes later voices yelling. He shouted back, a little surprised he could manage even that much between his chattering teeth.