Netway: Evolutions

Chapter 14: Flaming Craze

These pills were secretly speeding up whatever was wrong with the person taking them, rendering all of the money spent on hospital trips and such completely pointless.

"One day, you will learn something, something so impactful it will change your entire outlook on your life,"

For Firey, that day had come and for the very first time, he picked up a box of matches.

When his father's treatment first started and he could still just about move around with his cane, some of the appointments had taken place in the doctor's office which at the time was his own home.

The address was so clear in his memory, helping his father up those steep, unforgiving stairs just to see some doctor who knew fully what was going on.

It was a lovely apartment block on the  rich side of the city, very sleek and modern and a little bit up it's own ass, Firey had never been a fan.

Such a pretty building, housing such ugly people.

Idiots with power that they didn't deserve, sick bastards who made a living off of killing people like him.

There was a strange satisfaction when he poured the gasoline all over the freshly mopped floors, they were so clean, he could see his twisted grin as he prepared everything.

The sound of the match striking the box, something that he would come to find soothing, just like a lighter flicking on and off in his hands.

The stairwell went up quickly, engulfing the first floor whilst Firey stood outside, just a bit away so he would simply appear as a bystander.

As far as he knew, there were no casualties but the doctor had fallen through the burning floorboards and was permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

When he found out about that, Firey had felt sickly satisfied.

It was deserved.

That's how it all began, without anyone else being aware that most arson attacks in the city were caused by him.

Fire brought him comfort, the smell of the burning and the bright blaze washing over him took him back to much more comfortable places in his mind, reminded him of much nicer people.

It lasted for a few years and overtime, he got really good at it and covering his tracks, he learned a lot about fire and the scientific aspects behind it, it was all pretty interesting.

But all good things must come to an end and this was no different.

His arsonist days came to a halt on a warm summer night when he was joined on a rooftop by a certain girl.

A few offhand comments about how it was dangerous and that she didn't really like it was all it took.

It wasn't that she didn't like what he did though, she just didn't want him causing damage and trouble for no reason.

That was the first night she took the joint he offered her, although she immediately chocked and started spluttering after inhaling incorrectly.

This all occured around the time the short tempered idiot had realized his feelings and wanted to do his best to impress her.

But just because he loved her didn't mean he didn't enjoy the thrill of a good spark.

She may have changed him but old habits die hard and Firey took whatever he chance he had to use his skills.

He was the team's heavy hitter, often being the last person at a major scene to make a grand exit with his explosions.

Standing on the roof as he watched the others wreck their little bits of havoc gave him an unsettling sense of superiority.