Best Friends Since Pre-K chapter 8
Disclaimer: I do not. What do you take me for, a liar?
Thanks for sticking with me, everyone! Things are heating up! (Pun intended.) This is a bit of a tough story to write and I always have trouble with the next stage of Diana's journey. A lot was only hinted at in the show. I hope you enjoy the directions I take this.
Enjoy the chapter, and see you all at the bottom!
The fire alarm was still ringing. Diana raised her shocked face from her newly extinguished hands to the mirror. Her own frightened eyes stared back at her. She was supposed to go outside and join the students and teachers who were lining up on the field behind the school, but how could she? Everyone had seen her on fire! Would they assume she had set her desk on fire on purpose? They would probably check her things for matches or a lighter once the fire department got here. They would never believe her hands had ignited on their own. She could barely believe it.
And if they did believe her…that was worse.
She gripped the metal counter until her knuckles went white. Her hands weren't even hurt. They looked perfectly normal, except for that cursed green tint. Even the tingling from before had stopped. What was she supposed to say to everyone? She didn't want to go back to the hospital. It felt like things were just starting to get back to normal.
Diana had never been overly anxious. Everything didn't always go perfectly for her, but she worked through the setbacks and managed to keep a moderately optimistic attitude. She had overcome her fair share of challenges, and even when she was stressed, she was usually able to work through it.
This was different. This was wrong. She felt her heart beating too quickly and her stomach clenched unpleasantly. She felt almost dizzy with anxiety. She wished there was something she could do, some magic spell to rewind time back to before the comet, or at least to before this morning.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be nothing she could do except go out and face the questions and suspicions.
There was a knock at the door.
Diana started guiltily at the sound, but before she had time to think about whether to respond or hide in a stall and pretend she wasn't in here, she heard Ron's voice.
"Di?" He spoke softly, voice subdued, but it was definitely him. Diana felt another spark of surprise, although it was accompanied this time by just a hint of relief.
"I'm here," she found herself saying, equally softly.
"Thank goodness!" Ron said, relief evident in his voice. "I didn't know what I was going to do if you didn't answer!"
"Ron…" Diana said, and she suddenly realized that her eyes were wet, and a hard lump seemed to be stuck in her throat. "I don't know what to do." She practically whispered the words, and she wasn't certain he heard them, especially over the constant sound of the alarm. Her voice sounded strange in her ears; strangled. Her friend was silent for a moment.
"It'll be okay Di," he said, almost as quietly. "I promise. I'm here with you."
Diana was silent. Ron leant forward slightly, resting his forehead on the cold, painted bricks of the wall beside the washroom door. He wasn't sure whether he should say something else; some reassurance, but he felt tongue tied. He hadn't seen what had happened to Diana in class, but he'd heard some of the whispers and ejaculations as the students made their way out of the building. What he did hear was alarming to say the least, even though most of it probably wasn't true. That was when he'd surreptitiously slunk to the back of the line and managed to lose his class around the nearest corner. He still had no idea what had actually happened, but at least his friend didn't sound physically injured; just frightened and stressed to the nines. He wished he had been in the same class. At least then he would have an idea of what had happened, even if there was nothing he could have done to help. Stupid schedule.
He glanced again at the door beside him and bit his lip. Still no response. He was almost at the point of calling out again, when the door swung open, and Diana slipped quietly through it. She looked very tense, and there were hard lines in her expression that he didn't usually see, but she didn't look hurt, physically at least, and Ron felt a little trickle of relief flow through him at the confirmation. Diana gave him a rather uncertain look. She didn't smile, but she seemed slightly relieved herself.
The two of them stood silently for a moment as the fire alarm continued to ring in the background.
"I guess…we had better go out before they come in to get us," Diana said at last. Her voice was still quiet, but steadier than it had been.
"Yeah," Ron agreed. He would love to ask what had happened, but now wasn't the time. She could tell him later if she wanted to. He hoped she would. Instead, he shot his friend a small smile, and though she didn't quite return it, there was a light in her eyes that had been missing before.
Together, they started down the hallway, heading for the nearest exit, and the field where the rest of the school would be gathered.
They didn't escape notice, of course. As soon as they pushed outside through the heavy, metal doors, they were confronted by several very upset teachers. Ron was sent back to join his class in disgrace, and Diana was lead, much more gently, over to be checked out by the school nurse. The firefighters were just arriving as well, and Diana felt a pang of guilt watching them head into the building. She was pretty sure the only fire damage they would find was the destruction of her desk and papers. In the back of her mind, she realized that she was going to need copies of the notes to almost every class she was taking this year, but that was something she could worry about later.
Nobody asked her how the fire had started, or whether she had brought a lighter to school, but the questions would come eventually, probably along with a call to her parents.
Ms. Bunsin, the school nurse, was brisk, but kind in her examination, and extremely confused when she could find no injury to Diana's hands. She concluded, rather uncertainly, that the gloves must have protected her skin, and had Diana lie down for a while in the shade while they waited for the firefighters to check the building and make sure the fire was out. Diana didn't protest, or correct Ms. Bunsin's assessment. It was pleasant to just pretend that everything was normal, at least for a little while.
When the school was finally cleared, Diana was sent home. Her father picked her up, coldly disapproving of being disturbed during work. He had been given an abbreviated version of what had happened, and merely told her to rest and that they would talk about it after work. Diana had managed to catch Ron's eye briefly as he was herded back into the school with the other students, and he sent her a small smile over his shoulder. Diana didn't quite smile back, but she lifted her hand in a small wave. Out of everyone, she knew Ron was owed an explanation the most, and she promised herself she would give him one. At the moment, however, she had her mind on what was going to happen next.
The drive was silent. Her father dropped her at the end of the driveway and Diana watched him speed away, back to work. Then she crunched her way up the gavel walk and fumbled her key out of her purse. When she unlocked the door, the house was silent and felt dark and peaceful. Her brothers were all still at school, and her parents at work. Diana let out a quiet breath. She looked around the entranceway, then towed her shoes off slowly. She was thinking, and had been ever since her father had picked her up.
Still moving slowly, Diana locked the door. Then, after a moment, she drew the deadbolt across. Her parents had a key for this as well, of course, but it gave her a little more notice if anyone arrived home early. She crossed the hall and opened the door to the basement. She flicked on the light switch and headed down the steep wooden stairs. The basement was unfinished, and the bare bulbs showed the dusty, concrete box starkly. There were some stacked cardboard boxes, and the laundry corner with the shiny new washer and dryer her mother had bought. Another corner of the basement held a rug, a couple of couches and an old T.V., along with several boxes of toys the twins had left out. Diana picked an area where the concrete was uncarpeted, and she seemed a safe distance from anything flammable.
Ignoring her problem hadn't worked. It had just bottled up the feeling until she couldn't hold it in anymore and it had burst out of her. And look what had happened then! Thoughts of school washed over her, and Diana took another calming breath. As much as she wished today hadn't happened, she couldn't let herself ignore it. She had probably a couple of hours before her parents returned, looking for an explanation. If they discovered what had actually happened at school she would certainly need to go back to the hospital for tests, and she didn't know what would happen then. She pushed the thought away with difficulty.
Before all of that, she needed an explanation too. Much as she didn't want to, she needed to find out more about the green fire she had seen only twice before. She needed to know what was happening to her body, and she needed to learn how to control it. She didn't want to be poked and prodded at the hospital, never knowing what might set off the fire again, and she never wanted what happened at school to happen again.
Diana inhaled deeply, then slowly let the air out. She needed to be calm for this. She couldn't let herself lose control. The fire may not have hurt her, but she still had a vivid memory of her hands sinking into the solid metal desk like it was made of butter, of her papers and binders engulfed in flame. It was terrifying. She remembered the hiss of smoldering metal and the brilliant green of the flames. Truly, the only thing she wanted to do was crawl into bed, pull the covers over her and pretend today hadn't happened. Because that worked so well the first time. The tingling had been plaguing her for days before her hands actually lit up. If she ignored the feeling, or tried to bottle it up again, a repeat would certainly happen. Maybe she could avoid getting sent to the hospital if she pretended she had been playing with a lighter or something, but that wouldn't solve the main problem; the fact that this was thing, whatever it was, wasn't going away.
Anyway, the fire was clearly dangerous to her surroundings. That was why she had picked the basement to practice in. It would probably be even safer to do this outside, but the last thing she wanted was more people seeing her. She still might be able to do damage control in that regard.
Diana tried to relax herself. She glanced around her again to make sure she was far enough away from the carpet. I have to try to control it. Slowly, she raised one hand in front of her face. It was bare of course; her gloves had been incinerated.
Her hand was trembling.
No, stop. Calm down, she ordered herself. She took another deep breath, but her heart still seemed to be beating too quickly. At a sudden thought, she lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the concrete floor. She wiggled her shoulders to try to release their tension and rested her hands on her knees. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated only on breathing.
In, hold, out.
In, hold, out.
Gradually her heartbeat slowed and she felt herself growing calmer.
That's it; take your time. You can do this.
Diana opened her eyes. She still had that trickle of fear at the back of her mind, but she felt much more peaceful. Slowly, she lifted her right hand and held it in front of her face once again. This time it was still. Now came the hard part. She wasn't sure what to do next, but she figured what she should try first was to recreate that tingle she had felt, but in a more controlled manner. She tried to think back to when she and Ron had done meditation in gym class. It was all about getting in touch with how your body felt and quieting your mind.
Diana closed her eyes again. How had her body been feeling lately? Well, there had been the tingling of course. She had felt it all through her intermittently, but always strongest in her hands. What else? The heat. Ever since the accident, she had felt warmer than normal. Even when she saw her brothers pulling on warm sweaters against the early spring chill, she hadn't felt it. She was warm, but it wasn't the warmth of an illness or the kind you feel from snuggling up to a crackling fire. This was a warmth that came from inside her. She could feel the warmth flowing through her now, as though her blood was being heated, and there was the tingle!
Diana's eyes snapped open and the feeling disappeared.
She rolled her eyes at herself, trying to ignore that brief start of fear she had felt. This wasn't going to work if she kept freaking out. It's alright. It won't hurt me. She breathed again, steadily until she was calm. All right; the warmth. The warmth spread through her from her head to her toes. She could feel it in every part of her. Now, how to create the fire. Her eyes were closed, but she could almost see her hand in her mind's eye, suspended before her face. There was the tingle again. She almost opened her eyes again, but managed to keep calm. It wasn't like what she had felt before. Not the unpleasant pins and needles from earlier this morning. It was gentler, less urgent. She felt it start in the tips of her fingers and she felt her hand grow slowly warmer.
She opened her eyes.
The instant she did, she felt her concentration slip and the feeling was gone. She had only a glimpse of the gentle, green glow surrounding her fingertips before it snuffed out like a blown candle. But, despite that, Diana found that she was still calm. That hadn't been as frightening as she had been expecting. She felt her spirits lift just a little.
For a few minutes, Diana remained sitting on the concrete floor. Then she closed her eyes and began concentrating again.
Thanks for reading!
It's been a while! All I'll say is I have some free time for the next little while, so I'll get as many story updates out as I can in that time. I'm aiming for one update per week. We will see how I do.
Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you all!
Thanks for sticking with me, everyone! See you soon!