The Fire That Keeps Us Together

Chapter 3: Friendship

A bothered mind visited me that night. I lay in bed, tossing and turning but I was nowhere near getting some rest. I couldn't stop thinking about my early encounter with Hero. I felt horrible—felt awful to have shown him that. I know it was mean to have threatened him like that but what choice did I have? People only saw the fire that is my curse but they didn't even bother to get to know me more. Anyway, even naïve Hero would soon treat me the way they all do—now that he has seen what I could do. But still...there was a part of me that wondered if we could be friends but I threw the thought away. It was impossible; something like that would be absurd. I shook my head, disappointed with what I was thinking. The only thought that calmed me down was the memory of my late mother. Thinking about her made me sleep that night. Sleep well, Saya. Tomorrow will just be another day.

A few days passed.

I casually walked to school at around 7:15 in the morning. I entered the main gates and I saw lots of students, wandering around and talking to each other. Geez, even at this hour they could waste so much energy just talking. Anyway, I headed towards the tall white building where the classrooms were located. On the way, I passed by the school's small garden where I saw Hero, sitting down on a bench and reading the same book he had. He glanced at me for awhile then continued reading. I guess he finally got my point; he finally realized what he was doing. I gave a smirk and continued my way to the main building. However, there was a part of me that suddenly felt horrible. What now? I needed time to be alone and rethink things. I needed a quiet place and luckily, I knew just where to go.

There was a nice grassy field at the back of our school where no one ever visits. They were all afraid of the bugs, spiders, and especially the snakes. I found out about that place a few weeks ago when I enrolled at Riverwood High. I was strolling around the school grounds when I happen to pass by an off-limits area and discovered a pathway to a field. The path was a rough and rocky; almost covered by weeds and dirt. It led straight to a wide field that used to be the football field of the school. Years of neglect turned the field into a bug infested and dirty meadow that had a lot of over-grown weeds—the grass was tall enough to reach my knees. Even if it was in that sorry state, I still enjoyed staying there. Nothing could compare to the silence and the cool breeze of that only peaceful place where I could clear my mind.

After class, I snuck out. Arriving at the field, I stretched a bit and inhaled deeply, letting the fresh air pass through my lungs. I sat down on the grass and watched the sunset. I began to imagine different kinds of adventure I could possibly think of—adventures outside Riverwood. How I wish they would all come true so that I could leave this dreadful town.

"Wow! this is a cool place,"

I was brought back to reality by a voice; the voice that seemed very familiar. I didn't even bother to turn around for I knew who it was.

"I didn't even know this place existed," Hero said, sitting down right beside me.

I turned my head to him, again in bewilderment.

"How did you know about this place?" I asked, "Did you follow me?"

He smiled and nodded.

"What do you want from me?" I asked again.

His gaze shifted from me to the sunset.

"You're different," he finally spoke, "You can summon and control fire if you will. That is something no one else can do,"

I stared at him.What was his point?

"Something like that, I believe, is not a curse. It is a gift."

A gift? I didn't understand why he was saying this. Didn't he see what I showed him and what the others warned him about? Wasn't he afraid of what I can do to a mere human being like him?