A/N: OMFG WE HIT A THOUSAND READS IM SO HAPPY THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH YOU'RE THE BEST<3<3<3<3<3
18
Heather peeked out the gym doors into the hallway. Not a soul in sight. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Alright. Everyone out,” Heather ordered quietly. The students and the P.E. teacher shuffled out, terrified expressions painted on their faces. They gathered in the hallway and looked at Heather. She took a tentative step forward.
“You guys alright?” The group nodded. “Good.” Heather studied the students. They looked a little pale, but otherwise fine. Belle had a few scratches and bruises, but she didn’t look like she was banged up too badly. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Behind her, the gym doors opened and closed, and Ivy approached. She looked a little disgruntled, but was still beautiful despite the day’s events. Heather figured Ivy could be dressed up in a burrito costume and have a blind man do her makeup and she would still look flawless.
Ivy froze when she saw the gaggle goggling at her. “Who are these people? I thought it was just the girl.”
“They were hiding in the locker room,” Heather explained.
“I wasn’t hiding.” The overweight P.E. teacher lurched forward and gave Ivy an arrogant smile. “I was protecting all of them.” He rested his meaty hands on his wide hips.
“Gross,” Heather muttered and Ivy rolled her eyes.
“Were they there the whole time?” Ivy murmured to Heather. Heather nodded slightly. “Okay, then,” Ivy clapped her hands once then folded her arms across her chest. “What exactly did you guys see?”
One of the girls shuffled awkwardly before speaking up, her voice shaking. “Well, we were in gym and some guy in a chicken suit came in with a flame thrower and started burning everything up. We ran into the locker room, but some of us weren’t fast enough to make it out.” Tears pooled in her eyes.
Heather had an insane urge to laugh. The real thing had been so serious, so terrifying. And what did these people see? A guy in a chicken suit with a flame thrower.
“Are you part of the government?” A boy stepped forward.
“Yeah, you look young. Are you, like, a Narc? Or a spy?,” another boy piped up.
“Are we gonna go to jail?”
“I can’t go to jail! I have my whole life ahead of me!” The teacher wailed, panicked.
“Oh, shut up, Mr. Broski. You’re already old,” a girl’s voice declared.
“Everyone, shut up!” Ivy snapped.
“Wait, hold up, hold up. Chicken suit? Flame thrower? What are you guys talking about?!” Belle said, speaking for the first time since they left the locker room. “It was a giant falcon-thing that breathed fire!” Heather and Ivy exchanged glances while everyone else stared at Belle.
“I think you inhaled too much smoke,” the girl next to her grunted.
“I always knew she was on drugs,” one of the students whispered to her friend.
“What? No, I’m serious!” Belle said, exasperated. “The bird, like, breathed fire. Heather told me—“
“Okay, time to go, Belle.” Heather grabbed Belle and dragged her off to the side before she could say anything incriminating. Ivy followed closely behind them.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Ivy demanded.
“Russia, what the hell is going on?” Belle asked, completely ignoring Ivy.
“Just wait here one moment. And don’t say anything,” Heather said. She yanked Ivy away from Belle.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Heather whispered to Ivy.
Ivy looked baffled. “No, I thought you did!”
“All I know is that Belle can see whatever we can see. You know how normal people are only supposed to see what their mind can comprehend?”
“Of course I know that. I was a Kidellian way before you,” Ivy interrupted.
Heather resisted the urge to strangle her. She continued, “Well, something about Belle is different. I don’t know what it is, though.”
Ivy glanced at Belle, who was staring at them impatiently. “Maybe she’s just smarter than everyone else.”
Heather shook her head. “But that shouldn’t allow her to see everything, though, right? Do you think she’s a Kidellian?”
“You’re such an idiot,” Ivy said, giving Heather a weird look. “That’s impossible. There were five verses in Damien’s dream at the beginning of this Hirt. That means there are only five Kidellians. No exceptions.”
“Well, what should we tell her?”
“I don’t know, Heather. I thought you were the leader,” Ivy said as if she knew something Heather didn’t.
“Seriously Ivy, come on! If you know what to do, do it,” Heather was so frustrated. It had been an extremely long day, and all Ivy was doing was being difficult. Did she realize that Heather hadn’t asked to be leader? She hadn’t had a choice! Anger pounced through her exhausted body.
Ivy smiled, as if she had won. “Just tell her the truth, I guess. She already sees the things.”
Heather studied Ivy. “Has this ever happened before?”
Just for a moment, a spark of panic flashed in Ivy’s eyes before they returned to their normal bright green. She shook her head slightly. Heather sighed, nodded, and walked back over to Belle. She heard Ivy walking behind her.
Belle crossed her arms. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there. Did you have a nice conversation?”
A half smile crept onto Heather’s face at her sarcasm. “Listen, Belle—“ Heather paused when something caught her eye. She thought she saw a little flash on Belle’s hand. Heather continued to stare at it until Ivy nudged her.
“Um, hello? Earth to Heather?” Ivy huffed.
“Um, sorry,” Heather apologized, refocusing her attention on Belle’s brown eyes. “Okay, so I know this is hard to understand, but basically there are people who can use more of their brain power. That means that they have special powers. And now, there is a very evil guy trying to take over the world and those people who can access more of their brain are trying to stop him. If normal people ever see a fight between these individuals, or see them using some of their special powers, they try to fit it into their reality, and their brain shows them something they can comprehend. So, yes, while you saw a giant, fire-breathing falcon, everyone else saw a guy in a chicken suit with a flame thrower.”
Belle’s eyes flicked between Ivy and Heather, and a disbelieving expression came across her face. “So, you’re trying to tell me that I can access more of my brain power? That I’m one of these people?”
Heather shifted uncomfortably. “Well, no. We don’t really know what you are, but we already found all the people who can use more of their brain.”
“But you guys are some of them?” Ivy and Heather nodded. “And it was actually a falcon, not a chicken suit?” They nodded again.
Belle sighed, and rolled her eyes. “Why doesn’t anyone just tell me the truth?”
Heather blinked. “What?”
“I’m crazy, okay? Just admit it! There was no fire-breathing bird in there, and you want to know why? Because fire-breathing birds don’t exist! I don’t know who either of you are, or why you feel the need to lie to me, but just stop, alright? I’m not as gullible as you think,” Belle threw up her hands, trying to get her point across. “And, you know what--“
“Belle, your hand--“ Heather tried to interrupt, but Belle ignored her.
“--some fantasy where birds are the size of Asia and people can set things on fire with their minds!”
“Wait a second, wait a second,” Ivy stopped Belle. “How did you know that?”
Belle paused to stare at Ivy. “Know what?”
“That we can set things on fire with just our minds. We never told you that, yet you knew,” Ivy explained, suspicion lacing through her words.
Belle’s eyes widened. “I . . .I don’t know. I didn’t know you could do that.”
“Then why’d you say it?” Ivy accused.
“I . . .”
Suddenly, a spark ignited in Belle’s hand and flames went flying, but luckily, Heather was ready for it.
“Look out!” She yelled, tackling Ivy down to the ground just as the flame flew past their heads. Ivy yelped in protest and grunted when she slammed into the ground. Belle stood frozen, staring at her hand and the group of students off to the side fell silent.
“Heather, get off me,” Ivy muttered, shoving her off.
Heather sighed, rolled her eyes and gingerly stood up. “Oh, you’re welcome, Ivy.” Ivy glared at Belle as she made her way to her feet.
“So, what was that about not knowing you could control fire?” She snapped.
Belle sputtered, flabbergasted. “It . . . never . . .I . . .what . . .”
“Well, whatever it was, you’re coming with us.” Heather grasped Belle’s hand, but Belle yanked back, and shot her hands up in defense. Another burst of flames flashed out of her hand, and Heather yelped and ducked, but Ivy wasn’t so lucky.
“Control yourself, woman!” Ivy yelled, swatting the flame out of her tank top.
“Whoa, Belle! When did you get a lighter?” A girl from the group asked.
“I’m sorry . . .I . . .” The baffled expression on Belle’s face told Heather this wasn’t a secret plan. She genuinely had no idea what was going on.
The next minute or so went by in what felt like slow motion. Another spark exploded from Belle’s hand and attached to the ceiling. The flames danced, and Heather noticed, just a second too late, that they were about to hit a pipe running along the edge of the ceiling.
“C’mon!” she yelled, but it felt as if she were speaking through honey. Suddenly, the wail of sirens that sounded dangerously close snapped Heather out of her daze. Heather met Ivy’s gaze, and they both knew they had to get out before the fire department showed up.
Ivy grabbed Belle, who didn’t even protest because she was in such a state of shock, and slung her over her shoulder. The trio bolted for the door and exited the school. They raced down the pathway, Belle’s hand shooting off one more flame, which, unfortunately, latched onto the dry California grass and started to spread quickly. Heather, who was behind Ivy and Belle, saw this and flinched, but kept running.
They finally reached the car in the parking lot that Damien had obtained under mysterious circumstances. Heather had learned not to question how Damien acquired things; he would just laugh and give her a mischievous smile.
Ivy threw Belle into the backseat and slid into the driver’s side. Heather began to race around to the other side, but she froze when a realization slammed into her.
“Wait! The group of people—“ she screeched.
She was too late. The school exploded, the intense heat reaching them all the way out in the parking lot.