"So let's find her." I say, close to screaming again. "Find her and do whatever we need to do. Coal and I will go to the north side, Audrey and Stella -"
"I'm staying right here." Coal interrupts.
I shake my head, standing unsteadily. "You're coming with me. So we -"
"I'm dangerous. We don't know what will set me off, and I could burst into flames at any minute now. It's safer for me to stay here." Coal says evenly.
I go to protest but Stella cuts me off. "Coal is correct. It is best for him to stay where he cannot harm anyone for the time being. We must find the clone and bring him back, and then go from there." She guides me to the door gently.
"No!" I twist around. "I'm staying."
"No, you're not." Coal replies unhelpfully. "Just leave."
The door clicks shut.
I whip around, ready to reopen it and run back in but Oh'Rian is there, obviously expecting this. She takes my shoulders, spins me around, and walks me up the hallway. "It's okay Tide, he'll be fine. You just need to calm down." She says.
Calm down? I need to calm down?
I can't focus. All I can hear is the catch in Coal's voice. I'm the only one who noticed. He's struggling to stay cool and collected. It's taking every ounce of energy in his body not to freak out. He is just barely hanging on, holding it together for everyone else, for me.
Terra is uncharacteristically silent as I sulk all the way to my room. Audrey said that I "was in no shape to go out in the snow" and I know she's right but at the same time I really want to jump on a snowmobile and go as fast as I can over a cliff. That wouldn't help anybody though so I fall onto my bed, head in hands. Terra says a quiet goodbye that I reply to with a grunt. She pauses before leaving, as if she wants to make me feel better but then she walks away dejectedly.
As soon as she's gone I grab my pillow and slam it against the wall. "Why?" I shout, punching it as hard as I can. "Why him? Why not Caelum? Why not me?" Every word is another blow at the cushion.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" I scream, pounding the wall as hard as I can.
I slip down into a hunched position and cry. It's not loud, not the insanity show I put on down in the file room. The tears are silent, rolling down my cheeks in big fat drops but no sound comes out of me. My body trembles as I take in a breath.
"Tide?"
I try to gather the energy to turn towards the small voice. It's Maple, standing shyly in the slight crack that she opened the door. I'm a mess, kneeling on the bed with tears staining my cheeks and my hand still curled in a fist against the wall.
I gulp in a shaky breath, swallowing hard and giving a weak smile to her. "Hey Maple." I croak out, voice tight from crying. "You can come in."
She opens the door further, slipping in quietly and sitting lightly next to me. I sit down normally, legs dangling over the edge of the bed.
"It's about Coal." Maple says softly but clearly. She glances up at me to see my reaction. I nod numbly for her to go on. She looks down at her feet, slowly swaying back and forth. "Well, he...he was telling me a story."
I frown. "Coal? Like, the one sitting alone downstairs?"
She nods. "Uh huh. And he said last night that he would tell me the rest of it, but..."
The pain comes back like a bulldozer. I suck in a breath and nod again. "Yeah."
"Well I - I was just wondering if you knew the rest of it." Maple says. "It was a really exciting part."
I shake my head. "Sorry, but I don't know any happy stories."
"Oh no, it wasn't happy." Maple says. "It was actually kind of sad."
"Why would he tell you a sad story?"
"It's not all sad." Maple looks up at me, eyes wide. "It's very funny too, and interesting. There's lots of action and danger."
"Well then what's the sad part?"
"The girl is stupid and can't see the boy loves her." Maple answers simply, matter-of-factly.
"Oh." For some reason it felt like she was yelling at me, even though she only spoke just loud enough to hear. "Um, just out of curiosity, what was the story about?"
Maple brightens. "It was about a queen who got lost and teamed up with a guy named Ash to find her kingdom, where she belonged. They meet a bunch of people along the way, like a chipmunk that never stops squeaking, and also there's an evil witch that tries to stop them."
I raise my eyebrows, the coincidence not going unnoticed. "And where did Coal last leave off?"
Maple frowns. "Right at the part where they're in the lair of the evil witch and then the dragon is going to blast Ash but the queen sacrifices herself instead." She sticks out her bottom lip in frustration.
"Wait, where did the dragon come from?" I ask.
Maple smiles sheepishly. "I like dragons."
He added in a dragon for her. Coal told a story and included a dragon for a little five year old girl. It's so unbelievably cute I can't process it. Coal, the guy who shuts everyone out and prefers to be alone, baked brownies for the younger kids at his orphanage and now he's telling a story to Maple. I smile before I can stop myself.
"Well that's not very fair that he stopped at a cliff hanger, is it?" I ask, and Maple nods in agreement. "So we should go down there right now and make him finish, shouldn't we?"
"But he said not to -"
"I don't care what he said." I take her hand and start walking down to the file room. Now I have an excuse to go down there. Besides, he can't yell at me with Maple around. "Does Sparky want to come?" I ask.
"He hid in the snowmobile sled and went with Stella."
I feel like I should be mad, but I'm actually impressed, and a tiny bit proud. "Okay."
After thinking for a moment, I go the kitchen and turn the tap on, collecting a canteen of water. Then I continue on my way, Maple trailing behind.
We reach the fourth level and I motion for Maple to wait a second. "I'll be right back. Just stay here, okay?"
Maple nods compliantly.
I walk down the hallway and stop at the door. I take a breath before knocking. "Coal?"
I hear a muffled groan and then he shouts, "Go away. Please."
"I'm coming in." I say definitively. "Heads up: Maple's with me. She wants you to finish the story." I smile wryly as I hear another muffled string of swears this time. "Watch it. She's only five." I scold.
I motion for Maple to follow me and I use the water to pick the lock, twist the door knob, and open the door into the room. Sparky must've fixed the lights, because they're flickering once again. Coal is nowhere to be seen, but files are open everywhere. He's been reading.
"Coal!" I shout, voice echoing across the room. "Maple wants to know the ending of a certain story you've been telling her!"
I can picture him grimacing, muttering a swear word to himself. "Tomorrow. Later. Never." I can't tell where his voice is coming from.
"But you promised!" Maple cries out.
"Fine." He caves and I smile, though it vanishes with his next words. "Flippers, go away."
I'm offended. "Oh, so you'll let Maple stay but not me?"
"It's not like that - I don't - god, can you just go?"
It hurts, I'll admit. But I shout "Fine!" and stomp loudly out, opening and closing the door with a slam. But I don't leave. Quietly, putting my finger to my lips so Maple doesn't say anything, I creep back and sit down on the stone floor.
"She's gone." Maple says sweetly and I smile, pleased with my little liar. "Can you finish?"
"If you stay right there," Coal says. "I'm like a dragon right now, okay? I could burn you."
Maple nods in awe and a little bit of fear. "Promise." She squeaks.
"Good, now where were we?"
Maple grins. "The dragon was about to blast Ash but the queen sacrificed herself, remember?"
"That's right. So anyway, there they were, the queen on the ground, the world crumbling around them, and Ash ran to her side to help because he knew it should have been him. The queen was near death and it was killing Ash as well because obviously, he loved her."
I pause, all other words fading out. Does that mean something? What does it mean? Is that why Coal told me to leave? I lean forward, listening.
"Surprisingly, he got rather ticked off. She just had a knack for getting herself murdered. But then he realized that it wasn't her, it was him. He couldn't always be there to protect her, and for some reason that hurt like a kick in the chest. So Ash lifted her up and carried her to safety, where being the stubborn, wisecrack she was, she refused to promise that she would stay out of danger. So Ash decided it would be better to leave and draw away the danger instead. There was just one problem. The queen would not leave him alone. Persistent she was, also with some temperament issues, and Ash eventually gave up and decided on a new plan: he wouldn't leave her side so that he could then fend off any danger. It seemed pretty solid, until something terrible happened."
"What?" Maple gasps, eyes wide.
I want to shush her for interrupting but then I stop myself. Why am I so caught up anyway?
"Patience, patience, I was getting there." Coal says. "So anyway, something terrible happened. Ash realized that the danger was him. It was inside of him. There was no escape. So he made the queen leave finally, after lots of shouting, and locked himself in a room. Then he died. The end."
Stunned silence.
"Without even telling her he loved her?" I shout in disbelief, then cover my mouth.
"You stayed. Of course you stayed. Why the heck wouldn't you stay?" Coal mutters to himself.
"That's not fair!" I continue. "Maybe if he said something to the queen she would've stopped pulling sacrificial stunts."
"Maybe he did, the queen just wasn't listening." Coal retorts.
"Maybe he didn't make it obvious enough." I shoot back.
"Maybe the queen's a bit slow on the uptake."
"Maybe the queen is confused if he's serious or not." Suddenly I'm not sure what we're really talking about.
"Maybe he feels the same way."
"Maybe -"
Maple cuts me off. "So is Ash dead or not?"
I try to remember who Ash is. Oh, the story, right, right. "He's alive." I say firmly. "Right, Coal?"
"No, I'm pretty sure he's dead as a doornail." He calls unhelpfully.
I take Maple's hand. "That's what the queen thinks." I say, a little louder than necessary. "But then she kisses him and turns out he's not dead, and they live happily ever after. The end." I say firmly, daring Coal to object.
"But does she love him?" Maple asks suspiciously.
"Of course she loves him why else would she put up with him?" I snap, and then smile. "Now go upstairs and tell Sparky the ending when he comes back, okay?"
Maple looks a little unsatisfied, but she nods slowly and then races out the door excitedly.
"You suck with endings, you know that right?" I call when she's gone.
"At least mine are accurate." He retorts curtly.
"Accurate?" I scoff. "When does someone just die? Lock themselves in a room and then just -" I stop there because I suddenly put two and two together.
"See?" Coal says. "Spot on."
By now I've stood, and am searching for the source of his voice. "You're not going to die."
"Really? Cause you seemed pretty darn sure of it a couple of hours ago."
I have no answer to that.
"How long does it take for someone to die if they're on fire?"
"Where are you going with this Coal?" I ask, apprehensive. I don't like the tone in his voice. My eyes flick around the room, trying to find him.
"It would be easier."
"Coal..." I really, really, really don't like the sound of this.
"Izila jumped out of the helicopter onto a mountain covered in snow. She's either dead or gone by now. They're not going to find her."
I turn to the right. "Yes they will. We just have to wait."
"It would be better to get it over with."
"Coal don't you dare." I start running. "Don't you even think about it."
"I'm going to die anyway."
"No you're not!" I shout. His voice echoes around, leading me to dead ends.
"Maybe my powers will go to someone else who can actually use them. It's not like my life is anything special."
"It's special to me!" I sprint wildly down the labyrinth of cabinets. "Don't do it Coal. Don't even try."
"Why not?" He challenges.
I round a corner and almost trip over him. "Oh my gosh."
He looks hollow.
That's the only way I can describe the person sitting limply in front of me, waiting for death. Coal glances sharply up at me, anger and fear igniting in his eyes.
"Can't you just leave?" he snaps. "It'll be easier."
I kneel down next to him. Again, there's that slight twinge in his voice, a tiny crack in his shell that exposes how afraid he is.
"Any second I could burst into flames." He continues. "Any second I could burn you."
I smile sadly and push the hair out of his face, not caring anymore. He locks my gaze angrily, but then his face crumples. "I don't want to hurt you." He whispers. "Why won't you leave?"
"Maybe the queen wants to stay." I reply softly. He stares at me in shock while I wrap my arms around him and hug him as hard as I can. After a moment he returns it and I smile, not letting go. I honestly can't tell who it's for, him or me. All I know is that I love him and I can't lose him and that's final. I push my nose into his shoulder, relaxing in his arms like it's the most natural thing in the world.
"You scared me." I say into his shirt. "You scared the freaking heck out of me."
He doesn't answer for a while, just plays with a strand of my hair thoughtfully. I pretend not to notice so he doesn't stop.
"Do you have a last name?" he asks randomly. I raise my head, startled by the question. I immediately regret it as his fingers untangle from my hair.
"Does Tsunami Girl count?" I reply dryly.
"No," he says. "Like a real full name. You know, first, middle, last."
"I don't have parents Coal." I say. "And even if I did, they're probably dead. Tide is all the orphanage could come up with."
He nods. "Right, but did you ever get adopted?"
"What do you think?" He smiles crookedly at my response. I tilt my head. "Why, did you?"
"Once." He says after debating pause. "Then I burned down their garage and they took me back."
"So you do have a full name?" I ask.
Coal snorts. "Technically, yes."
"Well, what is it?" I demand after he shows no intent on informing me.
He regards the ground with concern. "Well, I was less than a year old so they could completely rename me if they wanted. They kept Coal, but as my middle name."
I raise my eyebrows. "So, what's your full name?"
"Anthony Coal Walker." He mutters. "What are you laughing at?" he demands after I smile widely.
I shake my head quickly, dismissing the question because really I had been thinking that Tide Walker sounds good together. "Nothing. So Anthony," I try the name out. Surprisingly enough, he looks like both an Anthony and a Coal. "Why did you go by Coal after that?"
"I didn't. Everybody else did."
"Oh." I tilt my head.
"What?" he asks, eyes searching my face.
I shrug. "I can't decide which name I like better."
"You've been calling me Coal since we met."
"Yeah, but Anthony is so..." I fish for the right word. "Awesome."
"Coal has been working pretty well so far."
I grin. "Okay Anthony." He glares at me, realizing the tool he just gave me while I snicker softly.
Abruptly he pauses, glancing up at me suddenly, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "It's late..." he says slowly, inching away from me.
Automatically, I narrow my eyes and before he can stop me I raise my hand to his forehead, pushing back his curls and feeling how hot he is.
"You're burning up." I note. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Fine." He says. "You should go."
I shake my head. "The heat is bothering you, isn't it?"
"I'm fine, Tide," Coal insists. "Go and make sure Maple didn't break anything."
"I'm not leaving."
"You're making this harder than it has to be." Coal rubs his temples, the stress showing.
I cross my arms. "I am not leaving and will not leave until you are perfectly fine and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it."
He looks annoyed. I don't care. Eventually he sighs, "Fine, but no kissing."
"What?"
"Well, the last time I was almost dead you kissed me..." He reasons, a smirk growing on his face.
"I can't - you're so - ugh!" I throw my hands up and turn my back so he can't see my red cheeks. He's joking, which makes it worse. He's totally making fun of me. "I can't believe I cried over you." I mutter to myself.
"You cried?"
I jump, surprised he heard that. "No!" I snap. A stolen glance over my shoulder reveals not the smirk I was expecting, but that he's sitting up and looking at me with concern in his dark eyes. I turn fully to him and mutter, "Yeah I cried a little, so what?"
"Are you alright?" he asks gently
I fidget with my hands, debating whether or not to tell him that no, I am not alright and I really need a hug right now.
I decide not to ask, just open my arms and he hugs me after a second. I melt into him, tears threatening their way out again. I cannot, and I will not lose him. I take in a sharp breath, trying my very hardest not to cry. My hands tighten around his shoulders, tugging at the fabric of his shirt.
"Hey, it's okay." Coal says softly in my ear. "Everything's going to be fine."
I clench my teeth, knowing if I try to talk I'll break down sobbing. How can he say that? How can he say that when he's the one in danger? I push my nose into his collar, squeezing my eyes shut in attempt to stop the tears but they come out anyway.
"You're gonna be alright Tide." Coal says quietly. His hand rests on the top of my head, fingers running gently through my hair. "Listen to me; you'll be fine, okay? I promise."
I shake my head. "What about you?" I manage out and then break down. My shoulders shake and I can taste the salt of my tears as they run down my face. "What about you?" I ask again.
He doesn't answer for a while, stroking my hair in an attempt to comfort me. "I can't promise that." He whispers eventually, not able to lie to me.
I can't stop the tears once they've started. My entire body trembles with the effort of crying silently. "I'm sorry." I say shakily, hiccupping somewhere in between.
"For what?" he sounds confused.
"I'm not doing anything helpful."
He chuckles, a low sound that resonates from his chest. "There's nothing you can do. Besides, you're staying here, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but I'm bawling my eyes out." My throat is becoming tight again and my voice won't work.
"Tide, back away." Coal says suddenly. "I can feel it -" he lets go of my shoulders and pushes me off.
I fall back, hurt, but then I reach for the bottle of water I brought down as he clenches his teeth in pain, his hand sparking. As fast as I can, I unscrew the cap and dump out the contents, collecting it in a puddle and throw it at Coal. I hear hissing as the water hits his hand, which has already lit up in flames.
I gather the steam and freeze it, pushing it back onto his hand. There's not enough water to keep up.
"Back away Tide." Coal hisses out through clenched teeth. "I can't control it. Leave now."
I don't stop, but instead grab his arm and pull him up roughly. His skin is tingling with heat. "You need to get to the pool." I say and he shakes his head but I interrupt his protests. "I may burn with you, but I am going to drag you there if it's the last thing I do."
It sounded good, but the truth is I'm freaking out. I'm barely hanging on, barely stopping myself from unravelling in fear. I can't even imagine how Coal must feel.
"Come on Coal!" I pull him farther. "Just hold on."
I keep drenching him with water but it steams away just as quickly. He can't talk right now, he's hardly even walking straight. I drag him through the maze of filing cabinets until we reach the door. I fumble with the knob and burst out, pulling him up the steps. He tries to keep up with me, he really does, but another wave of heat hits him and he stumbles.
"Hang in there Coal." I bite back tears. They won't help him. I just can't stand the agony on his face as his entire body burns up.
My hand is beginning to hurt from gripping him but I ignore it and loop my arms under his, pulling him faster up the steps and down the hallway.
His teeth are clenched, concentrating on not bursting into flames. The immune system, the fireproof one is wearing away slowly and painfully.
I pull him farther and finally reach the pool. I don't even think, I just throw him in and jump after. Steam rises around him, creating a cloud that blinds me for a moment. I swim over to him, scared of the boiling water. I freeze the entire pool on the edges, centering on us.
"Coal?" I ask, urgency evident in my tone. I dip my hand in the ice water and push it on his forehead to cool him down.
He's breathing heavily, gasping in breaths like he was holding them. I pull my hand away once his eyes open.
"Keep doing that." He says, almost begging. "Please. It helps."
I pull him towards me, cradling his head against my shoulder and stroking his head with cold water. He doesn't fight back and insist I leave, which shows me how bad it is.
"I'm sorry." He says hoarsely. "Tide, I am so sorry."
"For what?" I'm pretty much supporting him fully now but I don't mind.
"For hurting you, I -"
"Coal, get over yourself." I laugh, though it's strained. "It's fine, really. Besides, Stella almost fixed it."
"You don't understand." He says, managing to look up. "Before I knew it hurt, but now..." he shudders painfully, the horror filled look returning.
That was for me. That look of pure agony was the fact that he had inflicted this on me. Not because it had hurt him, but because he had hurt me.
I squeeze him harder.
Tell him. Tell him now.
I open my mouth to blurt it out, to say that I love him but something stops me. What if he doesn't love me back?
Are you kidding? He practically said it already!
Yeah, almost.
He could've been about to say the clone for all I know. I'm so stuck up. He probably meant it as a friend or sister if anything.
He. Freaking. Kissed. You.
But what if that was because he thought he was going to die and I was the only person around? That's probably it. I mean what the heck? Why not? That's what happened. Nothing more.
Coal's skin starts to heat under my fingers. His body tenses against me, trying to push away but I won't let him. The water starts to steam and it takes all my concentration to keep the ice forming. I have to focus all my energy on keeping us cool.
I look down as Coal goes limp. His eyes are closed, the effort taxing him. Frantically, I check for a heartbeat and feel a little relief as it comes, although faintly. He's just unconscious.
"Don't die. You can't die. Don't die, Coal, don't die." I whisper, not able to talk any louder without losing concentration. "You can't Coal, you freaking cannot die on me. Just don't die Coal, for me okay? I need you, so you can't die."
I mutter that over and over again until I can barely keep my eyes open I'm so tired. I don't know how much time has passed, but Coal hasn't woken up.
I'm just slipping off when Audrey and Stella appear from the hallway. It's weird; they're running upside down...