Chapter Four: Fire In Her Eyes
Blaze had woken up early the next morning. Earlier then the rest, at least. She quietly went into the kitchen to make herself some coffee and grab something to eat. She took her breakfast and went back into her room. Blaze like to spend most of her time there. She would turn on her radio, and sit on a over-sized couch facing the window to watch the sunrise.
There was something wrong this morning, however. Putting her coffee down on a table and placing her muffin next to it, she drew open the curtains. There was something moving down by the water. She couldn't quite make it out because she was so far up. But whatever she was watching, it was watching her, too.
Remembering a promise she made to Robin about never going to the shoreline by herself, she ran to his room. She pounded feverishly on his door then paused, hoping to hear any kind of movement from inside. Pressing her ear to the door, she was startled as the air-lock door flew open and she fell forward. Robin, even though disoriented from his previous sleep state, caught her and held her up. "Blaze," he yawned as he helped her into a vertical position, "training isn't for another three hours."
"I know, Robin," she paused looking at him apologetically for waking him up and for almost knocking him over, "There was someone outside. He was watching me."
Robin shook the 'sleepies' from his head and grabbed her hand, racing to her room. She was right, there was someone precariously sitting on the rocks and watching them through the window. "Should we wake everyone else?" Blaze asked, noticing the Robin still had a firm grasp on her hand. She didn't object.
"No, there's no time. Whoever that is has probably seen me with you." Robin headed for the door and ran down the hall towards the living room.
"Robin!" Blaze screamed after him, stopping just outside her door. He skidded to a halt just as he was about to turn the corner.
"What?"
"It's faster to use the roof." she pointed to a staircase in the distance behind her. "I can take us down."
"Oh, . . . right."
They were up on the roof in moments. Blaze stepped off the side of the building. In mid-step, a pink platform appeared under her foot. Each time she stepped on the free air, another platform appeared, creating a kind of stairway.
Halfway down, Blaze her eyes set on the figure sitting on the rocks. It hadn't moved, even though it had seen them coming. Very soon she was aware that Robin wasn't following her. She stopped and turned on the step she was at. "Robin, come on!"
It wasn't like Robin to hesitate. Then again, he had never stepped on thin air with only a color to hold him up before. Blaze was yelling at him, but he still didn't want to go forward. "Will it hold me?" he asked, yelling back at her.
"It's holding me, isn't it!" She was becoming frustrated. This wasn't like Robin at all, and it shocked her.
"That's different, you're the one creating it!"
"I won't let you fall Robin! I promise!
He took a step. His foot was firmly planted on the pink. This was all the evidence he need. He took one step carelessly after the other as he raced down to her. Once he was on the same step as her, he noticed the figure beginning to move.
Blaze noticed it too. She also noticed that the figure watching her in her room was Red X. He moved from his seat and pulled something from his utility belt. He held it up to them, and they watched as it expanded into as large disc. Then he threw it in front of him and stepped onto it.
"I hope you don't mind," he laughed. It was almost mechanical. "I liked that little pink thing you pulled last time, so I made a version of it for myself."
Robin was jutted forward as Blaze held out her hand and broke off the step they were standing on. It turned into her disc as she made it accelerate towards him. "Hold on," she told Robin through gritted teeth. Red X was getting under her skin, Robin could tell. It was the same way he felt about the thief.
Red X rose in the air on his solid disc and floated just above the water. "I bet you can't come down here," he taunted, sitting on his disk and placing a hand in the water. "Too bad, cause it's really nice."
"How did he know that?" Blaze asked herself out loud. She hadn't noticed, but they were quite a way out from the tower. Red X confused her. She didn't like him. He was making her mad. Madder than she ever felt before. Her fury was showing through her eyes. She felt herself igniting on fire. Within seconds, her whole body was engulfed in flames. Sparks were shooting everywhere. Blaze felt herself go into a trace-like state, fixing her eyes on the thief.
Robin had backed away from her, forgetting they were on the disc and not the stairs. He fell backwards into the water, and the current was pulling him under. Blaze heard the splash and let her fire burn out. She turned to face him, watching him struggle to keep his head above water. She was helpless, panicked. She wanted to dive in after him, but was aware of what would happen to her if she did.
Blaze felt a blow from behind. It startled her, making her lose her concentration. Her pink screen failed, causing her to fall.