The Gifted

The Return Of The Gifted

It was a cold wet Wednesday, typical weather for mid winter in England. I was sitting in Spanish trying to decide if I should even attempt translating the Spanish verbs that were written on the classrooms blackboard. Miss Likano was the only teacher is my school who insisted on keeping a blackboard in her classroom. Her old fashioned ways proved especially annoying when she was muttering about how corporal punishment shouldn't have been banned and how it was better back in her day.
I looked over at my friend Clare who was looking dreamily at the back of Tony Jacob's head. I followed her love sick gaze to her tousled blond locks. Personally I've always thought his hair looked a little too blond and it seemed like the amount of hair product and gel you could smell in his hair from a mile away accounted for his 'effortless' waves.
I rolled my eyes when she looked down only to write down Clare Jacobs in a love heart. I stifled a groan and nudged her trying to break the spell she was under.
I guess I nudged her too hard as she looked at me in irritation and rubbed her arm then proceeded to look back at him.
I stopped another groan and glanced despairingly at the clock begging time to move faster. Instead the hand ticked by even more sluggishly. I started doodling on my book when Clare elbowed me.
"Eb!"
"What?" I whispered looking at her with a bored expression.
"Flames is looking at you again!" She hissed nudging me giggling.
I sighed and begrudgingly turned around. I looked back to find Flame's eyes boring into mine.
I stared him back and he looked away reluctantly. I rolled my eyes again and turned back.
Flames Kasito was a kid in my class that called himself Flames. His actual name was James. When he first moved here last year he told everyone to call him Flames but nobody listened to him.
So he set himself on fire in the cafeteria and then the nickname started to catch on.
I wondered why he was staring at me. Again.
Better not question loonies like Flames. He and his family live in a part of my estate that is rumoured to be a cult of some sort. Everyone stays away from them. My mum warned me not to go past Marybarrow road as soon as I could walk. After you pass it, you're in their territory, the freak neighbourhood. That's what every call them, the freaks. I'm not sure why, there just seems to be some sort of deep rooted sectarianism. I know they belong to a religion, they stay segregated from the rest of us.
I got broken away from my thoughts by the bell ringing. I heard a sad sigh from beside me. Clare won't be able to look at Tony Jacob's greasy hair until tomorrow. I checked if Flame was still staring at me, as if I needed to check, he's been stalking me for the past two weeks. I looked up only to see the same smouldering pair of eyes. At that point I had it.
After school I decided to confront him.

"Look Kasito I don't want any trouble. " me and Clare had him cornered in the car park.
Flame's took a deep breath and flicked his hair to the side. He had coal black hair that he kept long at the front and short and the back, giving him an emo-ish fringe that he was constantly playing with. He sweeps it from side to side, letting it always cover his eyes.
Aside from his hair that was in great need of a haircut, he wasn't too ugly. He had thick, black eyebrows and long eyelashes that reached his eyebrow and touched his cheek when he looked down. He had a snub nose and an impressive jawline and cheekbones.
"Neither do I," he said, sounding bored but you could tell by his clenched fists that he was nervous. I'm not sure why, he's thin but muscular and me and Clare are not exactly the most intimidating girls in Northbrook.
I put on my toughest voice. "Good, then we're on the same page, let cut to the chase-"
"-Why the fuck are you stalking her?" Clare cut in, jutting her chin out and tapping her foot impatiently.
"I'm not stalking her," He said emotionlessly as he glared at us cooly.
"It sure seems like it." I fought the urge to get on my tip toes, he was taller than me and I didn't like it.
"Yeah, freak," the slur slid off Clare's tongue so easily, it was like she wasn't even saying an insult.
I didn't expect Flame's reaction. He was tall before but he seemed taller now and ten times as intimidating. He stepped towards us and we instinctively stepped back. His eyes seemed darker, scarier, colder.
"Don't. Call. Me. That." He said each word slowly and clearly as if we were five year olds learning the alphabet. I gulped and Clare's face had gone pale in fear. He seemed to be speaking more so to Clare than to me.
"Ok, chill," She stammered, stepping back again. She grabbed my elbow and hissed,
"Let's go Eb,"
And we ran.