Inferno Rising (IR #1)

Prologue

I'm freezing cold. My body is shivering and my teeth are chattering, fingers stiff and face numb, my pale, bleeding skin adorned with thousands of goosebumps and, no matter how hard I attempt to warm myself up, there's no form of comfort anywhere near. I'm locked in a high security cell in the dungeons of Kaisxai Palace, trying to befriend a thin mattress and an ant crawling on the ground, all while fighting to hold in my bodily fluids because I refuse to use that toilet. Anyone in their right mind should know that prison cells are dirty and disgusting, and I'd much rather live without an infection lodged where it doesn't belong. If I survive to see tomorrow morning, that is.

Now you may be wondering, what did I even do to get myself locked up in the first place? Well, technically speaking, I didn't do anything. I'm only 14. I've never committed a crime, and I don't plan to anytime soon. It's just that this kingdom is infested with dramatic teenage girls who probably still cry to their mommy's about a monster under their bed. Okay, now you're definitely confused. But honestly, so am I. So, for clarification, let me give you the whole story of how I, Bren Vlahos, got arrested. And I mean the whole story.

I was born and raised in a kingdom known as Panaka, or the "City of Angels," although that's a complete lie. No one here is an angel, and that's specifically aimed at King Haider. He's the devil of all devils, and let me explain to you why. He's a malicious, savage man with no heart for anyone except for himself and his family. He discards everyone else as if they're worthless peasants, even his own civilians, no matter their wealth. But he's extremely stern about anything that has to do with supernatural beings, a.k.a yours truly. A few years ago, a supernatural being with supposed "ice powers" killed his eldest daughter, Princess Celeste who was intended to inherit the throne. Ever since that day, absolutely anything and everything related to the supernatural has been banned; books, documents, art, and most of all, the beings themselves. Over the last few years, a whole handful of these beings have been discovered beyond the kingdom gates, and the king has either banished them... or killed them. And I have never, ever since a different outcome.

I was discovered earlier this morning by a group of teenage girls who looked like they were at least 15, possibly 16 years old and were simply trying to shop in downtown Helcaris. At first, everything was normal, a typical day. I was doing my own thing, strolling around the city on my way home from the coffee shop with my hands shoved in my pockets, head bowed. And so were they, huddled in a huge group, laughing and jumping from store to store with so many bags they could barely hold them. But just like any typical group of teenage girls would do, they approached me and asked me for my number because they thought I was cute, yet they got concerned all because of my eyes.

My eyes are orange, so bright to the point that they glow like a flashlight. So honestly, I didn't blame them for getting suspicious. In Panaka, there are only four different types of eye colors someone can have: blue, green, brown, and hazel. Anything else is considered "odd" or "unnatural," so I guess I understood where those girls were coming from when they asked me so many questions, though I'm still holding a grudge against them for reporting me and getting me arrested.

I was born into a supernatural family, which explains why my eyes are orange. My mom, Aguya, and my dad, Kal, both have the ability to manipulate fire, and I gained that from them, though they're clearly much better than I am at concealing their secret. They're perfectly aware of the consequences if I get caught, as am I, but it's complicated. I haven't used my abilities since I was young, which makes it hard for me to turn them off when I need to the way my parents can. While my eyes are always orange, they can change theirs on command whenever necessary.

I used to attend a public school. I made plenty of friends and enemies too, for that matter. Unlike a lot of other kids, I enjoyed it. I was a social, playful kid who maintained good grades and good relationships with all of my teachers as well as my classmates. Until the time when I was seven. I lost control of my abilities one night at my house, accidentally setting the curtains on fire and giving myself second degree burns on both of my hands. That's when my parents pulled me out of school to homeschool me instead. They said I'd be allowed to return to public school for my Freshman year, but that obviously didn't last very long.