Burned

chapter 5

There was a soft chuckle and a voice whispered, “You can open your eyes now.” God, not right now, I’m having a moment with myself. Something nudged my cheek and it felt like fingers. I pushed them away, tears forming in my eyes.

                Something warm and wet pressed against my cheek and my eyes snapped open. Inhuman blue green eyes were the first thing they saw.  Instead of a color blend, you could clearly see the boundary between each color. My eyes zeroed in on those eyes, a sick sense of familiarity seeping into my mind.

                My feet were resting on another pair, and I quickly stepped off, only to step onto nothing but air. I quickly jumped back on the other pair of feet. The eyes moved away from my face, as the warmth left my cheek. My perhivablel vision caught sight of a straight nose, long eyelashes, and beautifully curved lips, pulling into a gentle smile. I suddenly became aware of two, strong arms that were pressed against my back. Holy…crap. Flame was holding me. “Um….”

                Flame laughed, the sound making my heart speed up. “I was just flying through, and you looked like you need a…lift.” He threw his head back and howled at his own lame joke. Only, his laugh was pretty contagious and I even laughed a little bit. Flame snapped his head back to meet my gaze, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight. “So! You probably don’t want to go back up do you?” I glanced up and frowned. Bucky’s torso was completely out of the window frame, his camera’s flash blinding. Brian grabbed at his suspenders but Bucky slapped him away, his camera lens never leaving Flame and me. “Yeah…” I said. Flame chuckled. “Close your eyes.” I raised an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes. “Sorry, safety regulations. Just do it.” With my eyebrow still raised, I obeyed.

                I felt the sudden rush of cold air smack against my face as Flame soared upward, pulling me along for the ride. I gripped his neck tightly, like a scared little kid on a roller coaster, the one that ducks down and puts their head between their knees and is practically gone in the picture they take of you as you go over the hill? Yep, that’s me, and Flame was one scary ass roller coaster. My finger dug into his skin, secretly feeling how soft it felt. Under the smooth layer of skin, I felt nothing but solid muscle.

                I honestly don’t know how long I was clinging onto him, but when his arms dropped, I still clung to him. “Um...You can let go now.” My eyes snapped open and my arms slipped from his neck and I tumbled onto the hard floor. Wait, floor? As in, we’ve landed? I glanced around. We were in a small room and the floor felt like wood.

                I felt Flame’s leg brush by arm as he stepped over me, walking over to the far wall. He came back with something in his hand and I stiffened. He saw and laughed, squatting in front of me. “Relax, it’s just a flashlight.” He tipped my face up to him with his hand and shined the light into each of my eyes. Next, he placed his two fingers to the side of my neck and paused, counting softly.  His hand dropped and he stood up. “Ok, you’re not in shock, but you are defiantly shaken up.” I reached up to touch the spot on my neck that he had touched.

                “You know First Aid?” I asked, staring at the back of his head. He turned, leaning against something that looked like a desk. “Yep. Also, I would seriously considering applying for a different job if I were you. That is what you call unhealthy working conditions.” I laughed, loving his playful sense of humor. He walked over, his hand out. I gulped, but he flipped his palms forward, and I realized he only wanted to help me up. I slowly slid my hands into his; they were large and warm and felt nice against my small, slightly chilled ones. He pulled me up, and I had to back up, staring straight up to look at him. His eyes weren’t on my face though I was so close to smacking him for staring at my chest, but then he said, “Charter?” I blinked and looked down, realizing he had been staring at my name card. His startling blue green eyes met mine. “Nice name.”  I smiled, suddenly remembering how kids in elementary school used to nickname me ‘Chowder’. I glanced around the tiny room, and behind me was a huge door that opened up to a huge forest. Off in the distance, I could see the dim lights of Chives. I was in Flame’s lair….Someplace Bucky had been dying to get into his. I glanced down. We were in some hidden tree house probably 80 feet above the ground and I got a little dizzy.

                I felt Flame’s strong hand grip my forearm, pulling me away from the ledge. “Let’s…try to keep you away from heights.” I shot him thumbs up, trying to catch my breath while my pulse thundered in my ears. He put his hand on my back, rubbing gently. I smiled up at him, backing away from his touch. I’m not a very touchy person, every since Turbo would spend some nights pulleming me with his fists. Not that I think Flame rescued me just to beat me up, but you can never be too careful.

                He smiled and held out his hand. “I should probably get you home.”  I looked up at him and nodded, settling my hand into his. He dropped my hand and turned his back to me. I gave the back of his head a weird look. He turned back to smile at my confused expression. “You gonna get on or what?” Between you and me, I would rather have his arms around me instead of relying on my clumsy grip to keep myself from falling, but I obeyed, jumping up. His arms caught my thighs, hoisting me up as my arms snaked around his neck. I softly inhaled, his hot teenage boy scent burning my nose.

                He turned to face the forest, and I squeezed, fear seizing every cell in my body. He felt me tense and laughed. “Relax, Charter. It just a little free fall.” I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah, that’s what I’m scared off...” His turned his head so I was staring right into his eyes. “No, that’s the best part.” I nudged him playfully. “Easy for you to say…” He laughed and walked us off the ledge.