A/N: Thank you for following, reading, etc!

They Call Me Pyro

Chapter 4

Spiral

Again . . . what's with all of the secrets in this place? My patience is teeter-tottering over the edge. My whole existence is a riddle; I don't need more! I had a fistful of bed sheets in each hand, which I didn't realize until I let go.

I got to my feet quicker than I intended, almost losing my balance. Being helpless and dependent on others was behind me now. I'll use the space I have—it's not much and the fluorescent lighting is the absolute worst, but it's all I've got, and I'm going to use every inch. I need to do this for my sanity or else I'll need a padded room and a straight jacket if I have to stay in here another week. I'll make promises I won't keep, and beg if I have to. I know I'm not a beggar—most likely a hustler—but I'll do it to get out of this space. I've been down here for six years; even though I wasn't conscious, my subconscious damn well knows and it's aching, clawing to get out—a constant feeling that I can't shake.

The regimen started out easy: walking. Eventually, my strides became wider until I was walking like I should for my age. Then I decided to do push-ups until my arms couldn't hold me up any longer. My muscles hurt, but that just meant they were getting a good workout.

As a break, I walked again. Eventually, something caught my attention above the door in the upper left corner. At first, I thought it might be a spider because it was very tiny. To get a closer look, I lazily dragged over a chair. From that vantage, I was able to debunk the spider theory. While on the chair, I checked the other corners of the room. Eventually, my gaze returned to the small, perfect, round circle. They were watching me.

I wasn't exactly surprised . . . I just hadn't thought about it. I gave a short wave to whoever was watching, hopped off the chair and pushed it back in its place. Then I picked a spot and sat on the linoleum floor to work on my abdomen.

I remained on the linoleum surface long after I was finished with crunches. I didn't want to go back to the bed and the floor was actually more comfortable than the chair. The cool temperature of the flooring comforted me as well.

When I heard the door being unlocked, I stayed exactly where I lay.

Moira and Storm stood over me; both of their faces blocking my view of the ceiling.

"Good . . ." I greeted, pausing for a moment, "I don't know what time is."

"It's half-past five," Moira informed me.

"Pyro, have you recovered any memories these past few days?" asked Storm.

"A little, but too scattered to explain," I lied.

"I have confidence that you're ready to handle familiar surroundings and faces." At that statement, I immediately sprung to a sitting position. I probably should've gotten my ass off the floor, but I didn't and Storm continued, "I would suggest taking the latter slowly as there are a lot of faces that reside here. You'll be getting your own private dorm. We have some things that belong to you that will be waiting for you. Meals will be brought up directly to you." She took a breath, continuing, "Depending on how the transition goes, that arrangement might change. The rules I've come up with are for your safety as well as others. Think of this as a probation period. Just stay out of trouble, Pryo." Storm sighed, thoughtful. A smile formed in the corner of her mouth as she said, "You always claimed trouble found you." She paused as the memory passed. "These are the rules: don't leave the campus, however, feel free to get some fresh air. You must be in your dorm at nine p.m. and not a minute later. No internet/TV, and I repeat: Stay. Out. Of. Trouble."

'Even in prison you're allowed to watch TV,' I mused.

As soon as I rose to my feet, I looked her directly in the eye, and said, "Understood, Ms. Monroe." Ugh. That gave me a wave of nausea, but as the words passed through my lips there was also a feeling of familiarity. I knew being polite wasn't in my nature, but it was apt for the situation. I have to be on my best behavior, right? They weren't slapping on a tracking device on my ankle and in return, I could be respectful.

"We will wait in the hall for you to gather your things."

It wouldn't take me long—I didn't have much, to begin with—plus, if I stayed in here for another minute longer, it would've been fifty-nine seconds too long. I took the few plain, basic colored t-shirts I was given and then I grabbed the notebook from under the pillow. Despite my efforts to keep it a secret, they knew all along so I didn't bother to hide it on the way out.

They called it a dorm room. I considered it a suite that you would find in a fancy hotel. From the door frame, my eyes took in the capacious space. The first thing I noticed was the window. It was currently closed and hidden until Storm separated the curtains to let the sunlight in. Moira showed me a button by the bed that I could press if I needed her. After that, Storm told me that I should expect dinner at seven and excused herself with Moira exiting with her. At the foot of the bed, I released the things from my hands onto it next to a box and strode over to the window. I opened it past my head; leaning out, I looked down. The ground was a long way down. I was simply observing as there was no justification in leaving just yet—I had a roof over my head, a doctor that could aid me if needed, and an environment and people that could hopefully give my memory the jolt it needed to piece me back together.

Turning around, my eyes gazed upon the brown cardboard box that was neatly labeled: Pyro's shit. Standing there, I contemplated whether or not I should go through it now or later. I was really curious, even more so to see what I would recognize, but ultimately I decided to wait. What I really wanted was to spend time outside while the sun was still hanging in the sky.

I stepped out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Since my room was located at the end of the corridor, I could only go one way. I passed by many closed doors until I found the staircase and descended until I was at the bottom. Halfway down, I was beginning to think I'd never reach the final landing. Earlier we had used the elevator, as we passed floors Storm told me that it was only used for emergencies and that an exception was made this time. At the time, I didn't ask why; I just nodded in acknowledgment.

I'm glad the doors were right in front of me or else I'd probably get lost. I trotted to the doors, swung the right one open and stepped outside. I had to shade my eyes from the setting sun to be able to see in front of me. The main path went way beyond what I could see—again, just an observation. I headed off to the left. A short time later, I noticed a basketball court. There was only one person on the court shooting free throws, their back facing me. As I continued, I passed a large swimming pool, tennis courts, flower garden, vegetable garden, and an octagon gazebo.

A pair of girls did a double-take as I passed them by and then they whispered to each other shortly after. I kept walking, looking to find a spot where I wouldn't be bothered. Trouble would not find me today! I approached a wooded area. Before I took another step I looked to either side and behind. The coast was clear. I bent down and pushed my way through. Sticks and leaves snapped and cracked under my feet as I walked. Black crows paid me no mind as they were busy tearing through the flesh of a deceased medium-sized mammal. I kept a steady pace until a particular tree stopped me in my tracks. It was in my way, but besides that, it had marks on its bark. A scorched spiral went around the entire trunk of the tree. It was kind of like a decoration but permanent. As I outstretched my arm to touch, I felt a pair of eyes watching me. I spun around. A little girl about five or six years of age with blue eyes and wavy blonde hair stood a foot or two away from me. Before I could speak, she said, "You're bad." in a cute, but annoying kid voice.

"Would a bad guy give you this?"

She stared me down and didn't take the flower I was holding. "Yes, to c-c-coerce me into doing something."

Coerce. That automatically made me laugh and she frowned at me. I tried to stifle my smile, but I just couldn't. "What? Are you going to tell me that bad guys don't laugh?"

She stuck her tongue out and twisted her face. "I don't like you," she said, running past me as fast as her short legs could take her. Shortly after, crows squawked at each other as they took flight above the treetops. I turned my attention back to the tree. I touched the unnatural scar and was hit with a memory: small flames were scattered on the edges of the spiral when suddenly they all went out simultaneously. A short breath later, to the right of the tree, a single line of fire split into two before touching a different tree. After a few moments, the trails came to a complete halt and the flames grew at an anomalous rate. In a blink, the fire disappeared like a magic trick without a curtain blocking your view. The fire didn't spread, but it should have in this type of environment. I dropped my hand and turned my head to the side. I didn't have to check. This was definitely the spot as the evidence stood tall in front of me. My brows knitted together in thought. 'They call me Pyro . . . why?' I gazed at the trunk and whispered in astonishment, "Did I do this?"

A/N: What should Pyro find in the box?

I saw Days of Future Past last weekend. It was really good. X2 is still my favorite though!