Fireproof // H.S.

1. A Strange Encounter

It was cool and dark out as I stepped out of the bakery to catch the subway to the city. Christmas Day was in two days and I still haven't found anything for Aunt Lottie. What do you buy for the woman who has everything?

I walked aimlessly through the streets looking for something she might like. A store selling kitchen appliances caught my attention and I walked in. I perused the aisles thinking long and hard about what she needed. Does she need a new toaster oven? No, not really. How about a KitchenAid mixer? She'd love it but not the price. But she's not paying for it, right? I paid for the mixer and left the store, humming in satisfaction. I thought it would take a long time to find the right gift for my aunt but it only took an hour.

I wanted to spend more time in the city but decided against it as most shops were beginning to close for the night. I made my way back to the subway and waited. To keep myself entertained, I watched a dad chase his son around. The little boy cried in laughter when his dad successfully caught him. I smiled. The subway finally arrived and I climbed on, relieved at how empty it was. I sat towards the back and put the mixer on the seat beside me. I looked around at the people on the subway spotting the dad who chased his son around earlier, a woman with gray hair knitting what looked like a scarf, a pompous young woman applying bright red lipstick to her lips, and a boy with blond hair staring right at me. I quickly broke eye contact with the boy by looking out the window. I could feel myself blushing, embarrassed that I was caught staring.

All of a sudden it got really cold. I buttoned up my coat and shivered. Is the heater broken? Even if it is, I swear it's not that cold outside. I looked at the other people on the subway to see if they were cold as well and they were. The dad hugged his son tightly muttering about how cold it was, the woman with gray hair put her knitting supplies away and put on some gloves, and the pompous young woman hugged her body as she was only wearing a dress that didn't go past her knees. I looked at the boy with blond hair but he seemed unfazed by the cold. I breathed out in frustration at how cold it was getting. I can see my breath! This is ridiculous!

The windows and security cameras were frosted over. The ticker froze at "Next stop: Union Street // 10:02:25 PM." The seats were unbearably cold. My jeans felt like glass. I didn't dare move in fear that my jeans would break into a million pieces. The subway suddenly came to a screeching halt. I quickly held the handrail to stop myself from falling. The mixer toppled to the ground.

I stared straight ahead of me. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I looked at the people around me. They were frozen. Literally. Ice covered their pale, blue bodies. Movement caught my eye and I stilled at the sight of the blond boy walking towards the pompous woman. How is he not frozen? He stopped right in front of the woman and looked her up and down.

"Rich b*tch," I heard him mutter. "Let's see what you have in here." I saw him reach for her clutch. I was surprised her fingers didn't fall off at how roughly he pried it from her hands. He took his time looking through her clutch. I heard him whistle and pull out a wad of cash.

"Who the hell carries a thousand dollars in cash?" I heard the boy exclaim. I saw him stuff the money in his coat pocket. "Now who's next?" I stilled and looked off into the distance to make it look like I was frozen. I pray that I don't get caught. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him making his way towards me. Sh*t. I could see him opening the bag containing the KitchenAid mixer.

"Whoa, KitchenAid, eh?" he grinned. "I can't take that. It'd be obvious I stole it. But let's see what's in that purse." I could see him reaching for my purse. I couldn't let him steal from me! My blood boiled in anger. How could he be so heartless? He unzipped my purse and started digging around for my wallet. Oh hell no. Without thinking, my right hand quickly went to his throat. I could see the surprise in his face. His hands went to his throat but he made no attempt to remove my hand. He recovered from his shock and smirked at me.

"What are you?" he asked. His blue eyes were so intense I wanted to look away but I couldn't.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied nonchalantly.

"Yes you do. You're supposed to be frozen but you're not," he said, smiling. I want to slap that stupid smile off his face but I don't dare. I don't know what he's capable of. I stayed silent, trying to calm my breathing.

"Your hand is really warm," he observed. "You can control the element fire." My confidence faltered and it was obvious he noticed. "So I'm right then." He gently removed my hand from his neck. For some reason, I wasn't fighting it. He let go of my hand and started rubbing his neck. I could see the red mark I left on his neck. Did I really do that to him? I felt a tinge of guilt.

"It's not every day that you meet someone like yourself," he said, still eyeing me cautiously. He stuck out his hand and I flinched because I thought he was going to hit me. He laughed so hard that his eyes were closed and he held his stomach. I didn't understand what was so funny.

"What's so funny?" I asked, offended. I tried so hard to hate him but I couldn't. Even though I saw him rob someone, I didn't find him dangerous. He looked like the kind of guy who wouldn't hurt a fly.

"The fact that you thought I was going to hurt you when I just wanted to shake your hand," he managed to say, finally catching his breath. He stuck out his hand again. "I'm Niall by the way. You?"

I cautiously shook his hand. "Violet," I replied.

"Well, Violet, I'd like to have lunch with you some time," he said, taking a piece of paper and pen out of his pocket. I saw him scribble his number on it and he handed it to me. "We have a lot to talk about." I took the paper and put it in my coat pocket. He picked up the KitchenAid mixer and put it back on the seat beside me. He then backed away from me towards his seat, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel it getting warmer on the subway. The frost on the windows and security cameras were starting to retreat.

"Wait!" I shouted. He stopped walking and stared at me, waiting for me to continue. "Put her money back."

"Aw, you're no fun," he pouted but he put the money back anyway. "In a few minutes, everything is going to be back to normal. Do me a favor and pretend this never happened. Just go on with your day." I nodded. He turned around so he was no longer facing me and went to sit back in his seat. The subway started moving again. The frost was now gone and I could see the people on the subway moving again, acting as if nothing ever happened.

A million thoughts were going through my mind and my heart was racing. What the hell just happened? I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice the subway came to a stop. Union Street. That was my stop. I grabbed my bag and stared at the blond boy one last time before stepping off the subway.

It was only a ten minute walk to the bakery. I took out my keys and unlocked the door. Once inside, I quickly locked the door behind me. I went into a dimly lit hallway and opened a door that said "Employees Only," which led to a flight of stairs that went straight up to my aunt and uncle's house. I quickly went to my room without saying hello to my aunt and uncle who were both cuddled up on the couch watching TV. I hid the mixer in my closet and collapsed on the bed. Even though my eyes were closed, I could still see his icy blue eyes. It didn't take too long to fall asleep.

-----

What do you think of the story so far? Please vote and comment!