Yeah, yeah. Haven't updated in a while. Be quiet. LOLNO I have no right to tell someone to shut up. Anyway, YOU GUYS SAW THE NEW AUSTIN & ALLY EPISODE. Austin loses his swag and gets stage fright. Me: *Inhuman noises* (Btw, yeah, I know this is an old[er] episode, it's just been that freakin' long since I posted the last chapter. I just came back to this story this morning. Don't kill me~)

Okokok, off topic. Alright; let's get to it.

Austin POV

"Music-?" I began to question.

"-Mister Moon?" I'd heard the nurse call meekly from the doorway of her office, just a little bit to the side of the waiting chairs. She must've been scared to come near me because of my, excuse me while I scoff, "condition".

Still can't believe that they actually fell for that.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning my head slightly. The nurse visibly gulped. Ah, poor lady. See how my, uh, 'gift' effects people in more ways than I believe? I tried to soften my facial features to make myself appear calmer. It did no help.

"C-cassidy would like to have a word with you.." she mumbled, sneaking a glance at Ally behind me. "A-alone.." she had added shakily.

I nodded, then lifted myself off the chair. I wanted to see what the hell she wanted with me; but I had to keep my composure. What lie could I come up with this time?

Ally patted my wrist as I walked away, probably her rushed way of giving me reassurance. As if I needed any of it. I still slightly jumped.

It had to have been her skin temperature that did that.. despite that it was no longer freezing and that we each at the same blazing heat rushing through our bodies, but whatever.

Ew, the room smelled like medication and, strangely enough, mint. It bothered me. Too clean. Too.. sterile. Cassidy had her hand wrapped up in a gauze, and she was glaring at me. No, she was trying to burn a hole in my face with her eyes.

The nurse rushingly went out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her. Cassidy and I just stood there, each exchanging a stare of distrust, cruelty, and, well, hate.

"I can't believe you, Austin," Cassidy told me, her voice surprisingly harsh despite its high pitch. "I didn't even think you smoked, and now I have a huge-ass burn.." she told me. I blinked uncomprehendingly, not wanting to interrupt.

Maybe she could come up with a lie for me. If she were smart enough, which I'd highly doubted.

"What did I even DO?" she asked stupidly, making me laugh dryly. She scoffed, and crossed her arms, wincing slightly when she put pressure on the burn.

"Shall I list it off for you?" I asked rhetorically, straightening myself up from my sarcastic slouch. "You were screwing around with other guys behind my back, which, with the amount of cleverness YOU have, I'm shocked that I didn't find out after two whole days of you doing it."

Her overly-plucked eyebrows creased.

Suddenly she interrupted me just as I opened my mouth to add something.

"Then why were you dating me? I thought you were 'the player'. Did you fall in love with me or something? Is THAT why you were so jealous?" she questioned me, somehow sounding halfway logical. She sounded smug.

Stupid.. bit- witch. Ally had told me to ease up on my swearing. Not like I had gone along with it.. but.. yeah. Back to Cassidy. I still felt that at least HALF of what she said was pure garbage.

My eyes slowly retreated to the door, as I wondered if I should've just left the room right then. But I wanted to make her feel like sh- crap.

"Why would I fall in.." I held back my snort of disgust. "'Love' with someone like you, Cassidy? You were just the only girl in this school that was barely hot enough for me.. you helped keep my image. And how in the hell am I supposed to KEEP that image, mind you, if the little fucking slut is sucking some dude in a Janitor's Closet!?"

Cassidy frowned at me, her lip quivering. I'd feel bad, I truly would, if she wasn't, I don't know, Cassidy. Then again, the whole keeping my image thing was true. So, really, I was just being painfully honest. She should be grateful.

… God, I sound like an asshole.

That Same Day

Austin POV

After the drama in the Nurse's office, I really wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone. Not even Ally.

I know what you're thinking subconsciously.

"Why does he care so much about Ally? They barely know each other.."

That's right. I DO barely know Ally, and I've already been to her house. Not like THAT's an important fact. But.. she was the only person I knew that went to my school that possessed the same powers as I did. Not (cough) royal embers (I still hate calling them royal), but definitely more powerful than the average firekeeper. I can't really explain, which is the only reason why I respect her moderately and stick by her. Do I like-like her? No. But I like her. As a person. As a fellow Blaze. That's all. I swear by my own flames that I do NOT feel that way about her. And it won't turn out that way. I'll make sure of it.

She's more of a little sister than someone I'd like.

Back to what I was saying, I really didn't want to speak with anybody. So I went to the place you'd never even imagine Austin Moon going.

The library.

Believe it or not, the library was a pretty nice place to hang out when I was ditching classes. It was quiet, the librarian never bothered me to go to class despite the fact I never checked out any books. I'd just go into the corner, sit in that dark violet chair, and pick up a very, very, old hard-cover book I had randomly opened one day- being forced to read in class caused this.

I had a feeling it had something to do with the Ember Empire, and our extremely dark past that my great, great, grandfather had been in the midst of.

Just the first page explained most, once you could read the faded writing on its yellowing pages:

The lone ranger strides out across the ocean as light pierces through the clouds like beams penetrating through his soul through clouds of pain as he wonders carefully towards his destiny. The sword he carries glows bright with the flames of passion, intertwined with his soul as they burn brightly for redemption. The will of the water walker carries him across oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. The pain of his past fuels his passion to rise up and find the one true love he seeks. The flames of his sword burst forth with an aura of it's own the more he thinks of her. Alone now, but not for long, he strides out looking for the one, the one to share his life with and to protect. The angel's light shines down glimmering ever so gently with each step through the darkness of the clouds and illuminate his way into the shrouded mystery that is his future.

A man walking the path of a shallowing sea to find his love, his destiny, his future, with his sword alight with fire.

Interesting.

BadaBoomPow. OK, this chapter officially sucked. I hope to update more! :3 Sorry it took me a few weeks to get this done. ; - ;

Credits:

[1]: I DO NOT OWN AUSTIN AND ALLY!

[2]: The lone ranger paragraph wasn't copied from anywhere, mind you, I wrote it on another site a year ago, remembered it, checked my notebook, and rewrote it. It sucked back then. .-.

Hugs and Auslly;

Valerie x