Everyone’s eyes were on Kira as she and her friends walked into the barely recognizable gymnasium. A blush crept up her cheeks, and she thanked god for the oversized cat mask—complete with ears—that accompanied her costume. Emma and Dave were holding hands and giggling, completely unaware of the crowd, while Luke and Miles had already headed for the snack table, leaving Kira alone and uncomfortable by the entrance. She was used to the stares she got because of her voluminous strawberry blonde hair, but she had never felt so exposed.
Kira wanted to curse Emma for convincing her to wear the skintight getup and for cutting extra cat scratches up the sides of her legs. Flashes of her skin were exposed all the way up her thighs, and one scratch cut across her entire back. Kira avoided making eye contact with the senior boys who had all but started drooling when she walked in.
Twenty minutes before, when Luke’s trusty pickup had stopped outside her house, Kira had sprinted from her room, down the stairs, and out the door to keep her mother from commenting on her outfit. When she sat safely in the car, Emma kept talking about how she loved the extra black glittery eye shadow and mascara Kira had put on, but the boys had been mysteriously silent. Kira was starting to understand why, and she didn’t like it. It was one thing to feel sexy but another to actually have guys openly staring at you.
Kira took one more look around the room, and all the way in the back of the gym, she spotted him. Tristan sat with Jerome, John, and Diana at a table nestled in the corner of the party, away from the crowd and completely separated from the fun. All three of the boys wore suits, and Diana was dressed in a floor-length black ball gown. They looked like they had missed the memo on the costume party and had instead dressed up for a black-tie affair. But even though Diana was sitting down and in the wrong theme, Kira begrudgingly thought she looked amazing.
Of course, Kira mused, the one guy who I actually want staring at me is completely absorbed in his own world. And Kira left that thought at that, leaving Tristan behind to go find her friends.
Emma had snatched a table right next to the dance floor, so Kira sat with her to wait for the guys who were gorging on hors d'œuvres.
"Aren’t the decorations just amazing?" Emma gushed, while gazing around the room. Kira had to admit that the party committee had done an awesome job. Cobwebs hung all over the ceiling and walls, filled with plastic spiders and white Christmas lights. Carved pumpkins lined the floors and acted as centerpieces. They had even found black lights to make the room and cobwebs glow a creepy purplish color.
"Very mysterious looking," Kira agreed. She looked over at Emma, who was shifting her weight on the seat while going back and forth between speaking and keeping quiet. "Spit it out," she told her friend, more curious than anything.
"I just have to ask about Tristan. What is going on there? I’ve been keeping my distance and waiting for you to talk, but I just can’t wait anymore. And the way he stared at you when we came in. I mean, even I flushed."
Kira snapped her head around to Tristan’s table. "He was looking?"
"Looking like he wanted to devour you! So, spill."
"It’s complicated…"
"Because of Luke?"
Kira silently thanked Emma for the way out. "Yeah totally, because Luke would hate it." Not exactly a lie, but definitely not the real reason for her hesitation.
"You have to let that go. Luke can handle it. And I know you really like Tristan. Your eyes just lit up like stars when I said his name." Kira blushed, hating her obviousness. The boys came back, saving her from the rest of the conversation.
"We are definitely the best dressed here," Luke said as he sat down and Kira couldn’t help but agree. Dave made a great Batman, and Emma looked like the perfect Poison Ivy evil girlfriend. Miles was, well, Miles in his Robin costume, the forever geek, and even Luke had the maniacal charm of the Joker when he wanted to. He had even let the girls cover his face with costume makeup.
As Kira watched Luke, he met her eyes, and for the first time she thought his gaze held more than just friendship. She quickly denied it, blaming her ridiculous costume, and looked away.
"Hey." He grabbed her hand. "Let’s go be evil and mischievous together."
Kira leaned in while they discussed what villainous act to attempt, and in the end, Luke went the easy route and pulled Dave’s mask off his head and ran away with it. Kira followed with Miles and Dave hot on their tails. The chase only lasted a few minutes until Dave tackled Luke behind the bleachers. So, Luke tossed the mask to Kira who quickly found herself cornered by Miles. She threw the mask as far away as she could before Miles jumped on her, hoping the recovery at least would be difficult. Then, out of nowhere, Emma appeared, snatched up the mask, and teased Dave until he caught her up in his arms and stole it back.
"No one can beat Batman and Robin, fools," Dave and Miles yelled triumphantly while the whole group walked back over to their table.
"Hey, Kira."
She jumped at the unfamiliar male voice saying her name and turned around. Carter Evans, the school quarterback, was talking to her. Typical, Kira thought, put on some leather and the guy commonly referred to as the most gorgeous person to ever attend this school suddenly wants to get to know you.
"Want to dance?" he asked.
Kira honestly wasn’t sure what to do. He was definitely nice to look at, and he was a completely normal all-American sort of guy. Maybe he would be good for her track record. And with Emma’s eyes practically bulging from her head, Kira knew she needed to say yes. So she took his open hand and let him lead her to the dance floor, which resembled more of a mosh pit than anything else.
"You look amazing," he whispered in her ear as he put his hands on her back and pressed her body against his.
The base rumbled through her. She found the rhythm of the music and decided she just needed to enjoy herself. To forget about Luke and Tristan, to forget conduits and vampires, and just be a normal hormonal teenage girl dancing with one of the most attractive guys at the school.
Carter wasn’t one for words, she quickly realized, as they continued to dance in silence. The music blared, the crowd of dancing students moved as one, and soon Kira began to get really overheated in her leather jumpsuit. Even the skin-showing cutouts weren’t enough to keep the sweat from gathering, so after a few more songs with her body pressed firmly against his rather tall and broad chest, she and Carter went to get some punch.
Kira looked around while he waited in line, noticing the jealous stares of her fellow classmates and pointedly avoiding the table all the way in the back. She was ignoring him tonight and not thinking about how his black suit set off the stark blue of his eyes so nicely.
Shifting her focus, Kira quickly drank the few glasses of punch Carter retrieved and then headed straight to the dance floor again. Carter managed the crowd easily, pushing them closer to the center and away from the tables, so other dancing couples surrounded them.
After a while, Kira started to feel dizzy. Looking up, the white lights and glowing cobwebs above her seemed to move, spinning. Carter’s actions were in slow motion, and she giggled without any reason. When he started kissing her neck, Kira wanted to pull away, but her muscles wouldn't cooperate, and she had to lean on him just to keep from falling over. He looked down at her, smiling, and she laughed loudly, as though his kiss were the funniest thing in the world. Spinning her around, he held her waist when she wobbled and pressed her back against his stomach.
Kira leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes to block out the twirling lights around the room. Carter stepped back suddenly, and she almost fell, but his arm came around her again, lightning fast. She was pressed against his chest once more, but this time he wasn't moving. The music still played, but their dance was abruptly over. Opening her eyes to ask what was wrong, Kira found herself gazing into Tristan's sapphire eyes instead of Carter's honey irises. She giggled at the unexpected, but welcome, turn of events.
"Hello," she said and leaned her head
back against his chest, this time spotting Carter on the floor, doubled over and clutching his stomach. "Did you hit him? That wasn’t very nice." She tried to scold him, but Tristan just rolled his eyes.
"C’mon. You need some fresh air."
"No, I’m fine. Let’s just stay like this." Kira leaned her head against his chest again, stopping her spins and balancing issues in one deft move. Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist and slowly led her through the mass of people, gripping tighter when he felt her balance wane.
After a few minutes, they had slipped free of the crowd and were exiting the humid gym. The blast of cold breeze felt fantastic, and Kira let Tristan lead her away from the school and past the football field to the big tree overhanging the school’s manmade lake. He sat down and leaned against the tree, motioning for her to sit with him, but Kira ignored it and started dancing to the quiet strains of music they could hear coming from the gym.
"Kira, sit down." He sounded frustrated.
"No! I want to dance." She started jumping up and down to the beat of the music and almost lost her balance, but Tristan stood up and caught her before she crashed. He slipped off his jacket, and Kira pushed her arms through the oversized sleeves. Finally, she calmed down and swayed with him to the music.
Kira sighed, resigned to the fact that the moment felt completely right.
"What?" he asked.
"I’m supposed to be ignoring you, but it’s not working."
He laughed quietly. "No, that doesn’t seem to be working for either of us."
"Is that why you punched Carter?"
"I just couldn’t stand the way he was touching you."
Kira smiled. "Jelly belly," she said, wishing she could get her mouth to stop word vomiting. She could feel his chin on the top of her head as he pulled her in closer.
"Maybe," he said, but it sounded more like a begrudging yes.
Kira yawned.
"Time to sit down," he told her while helping her down to the spot next to him on the ground and leaning her back against the tree. Kira watched the moon reflect off the water. She looked at the sky and saw it still swerving there, and finally had the realization Tristan must have had in the gym.
"I think my punch was not just punch," she concluded as the world continued to spin.
"I think you’re right." He put his arm around her, letting her head fall to his shoulder. They sat silently in the moonlight, just enjoying one another’s company.
"Are you like one hundred years old?" Kira spat out the first question that came to her mind. She had never even thought of it before, too consumed by his eating habits instead.
Tristan shrugged. "A little older."
Kira sat up, fascinated, and turned to look him in the eyes. "How old?" she asked, feeling like a little girl.
"About one hundred and fifty, give or take a year."
Kira’s jaw dropped and her eyelids widened in complete shock. "Gross!"
She clamped her hands over her mouth before she could say anything else. He just laughed it off.
"I look pretty good for someone who’s more than a century old, right?" He grinned. She blushed, thinking of their kiss, and silently agreed.
"So, what do we do now? I’m seventeen and growing, you’re seventeen and stagnant." Kira finally felt herself coming down from the alcohol Carter had slipped her. The lake still seemed to glow, and the stars still danced in the sky, but she was regaining her mental control.
"I don’t know," he whispered and reached for her hand. Kira intertwined their fingers, amazed at his cool touch against her boiling skin.
Fire and ice, she thought. That really was what they were, complete opposites. Fire could melt ice and ice could douse a fire, but was there any way for the two to meet in the middle? But, she thought, Tristan wasn’t just icy, he was passionate and alive too—more like a flame trapped in the arctic, struggling for the chance to be set free.
Kira snuggled in closer as his arm tightened around her shoulders, and she let her breath slow, enjoying the comfort of these moments where nothing but her feelings mattered, when her mind had shut off for a moment.
A scream sounded, waking Kira from her reverie.
She bolted upright, out of Tristan’s arms, and he stirred beside her, jolted from his quiet slumber. They both heard the second scream loud and clear.
Kira looked to the right toward the woods by the school. She swore it came from that direction.
"Come on, we have to help," Kira said and took off at a run toward the noise. Tristan swore and ran past her, using his supernatural speed to shoot ahead. Kira made it to the tree line, where the moonlight lost its power, and everything was pitch black. She heard whimpering ahead of her, sure that whatever girl had screamed was now in real danger. She crept forward, trying not to trip on the roots and twigs all over the ground.
The blue glow of a cell phone filtered through the trees and Kira hid behind a bush to evaluate the situation. She had to help. What if that girl had been her? But she wasn’t sure what she would face on the other side. She started to stand.
"Stop." Tristan breathed into her ear. She nearly screamed from fear. "It’s Jerome and John. Let me." And without another word, Tristan disappeared around the tree bend toward the noise.
"Jerome. John. Control yourselves." She heard the commanding tone in Tristan’s voice. But there was no reply.
Kira couldn’t help it. She was too curious and too worried that Tristan wouldn’t save the girl. She crept on her hands and knees around the tree and peered toward the light from the cell phone. The LCD cast an eerie blue glow around the forest, illuminating Tristan. She followed his gaze further and could barely make out the shadow he stared at.
Kira inched closer. Then she understood.
A girl in a Cinderella costume lay sprawled on the ground, perpendicular to Kira. Her hair was filled with leaves and dirt, proving a struggle had occurred, and now she wasn’t moving. Jerome leaned over her neck, and John, with his back to Kira, held her wrist to his mouth.
Kira was paralyzed. They were killing her. But instead of feeling powerful and angry, Kira felt afraid. The scene dredged up a memory she had buried long ago, but now it all came rushing back…
Baby Kira looked up into the pale freckled face of a woman with straight pearly blonde hair—her mother. She tugged on the loose tendrils, thinking it a game, and laughed when she caught stray strands flying in the breeze.
"We have to hurry," her father said, and Kira was scared by his tone. She looked over at the tall man with curly red hair, and he strained a smile for her benefit. "Don’t you worry, baby girl," he said and tapped her nose.
She tried to reach his, but her arms were too short. Instead, she used her fire and shot a bolt at his face, laughing as the pretty colors danced across the sky. He looked shocked as the flame landed on his cheek, but it sunk deep into his skin with no harm done.
"I’m going to get you," he said, sweeping her from her mother's arms and swinging her over his shoulder to pat her bum. Kira laughed and shot a bolt at her mother for another reaction. Her mother caught it in her hand and shot it back. Kira clapped her pudgy baby hands and tried to squish the light, but she missed. She tried again and shot a long stream at her mother, who now caught it in two hands. She was about to send it back when seven men burst out of the trees to their left.
"Lana!" her father shouted as the strangers grabbed her mother, who shot the light at them. They fell backward, but kept coming. Her father ran to the side with Kira and lifted her off of his shoulders, hiding her in the twigs and leaves of a bush.
"Kira, baby. Listen to Daddy," he whispered urgently, "be quiet and don’t shine your light. Whatever happens, this is very important. Do not let anyone see your power."
Even as a baby, Kira knew to listen. He kissed his fingers and touched the kiss to her forehead. Then he turned and shot bolts of light from his hands like bullets, slamming them into the vampires nipping at the woman lyi
ng on the ground. The vampires stumbled backward, but more came from behind her father and jumped him, biting into his flesh. He screamed and let the light come out in a long wave. Some vampires were thrown away, other’s who were feeding were immune to the effects. Eventually, her father fell to his knees, then his stomach, until he too lay still on the ground.
Vampires circled both bodies, lying over them, not letting a single drop of blood escape their lips.
Kira sat in the bush, still not able to crawl. She didn’t release her fire. She wanted to make her father proud. Kira cried silently, until a minute later another crash came, this time from behind her. Arcs of light soared over her head toward the vampires. At first nothing happened, but slowly the vampires moved back against the onslaught of light, not totally immune. Someone grabbed Kira and lifted her from the bush, but she listened to her father and didn’t show anyone that she could make flames as well.
The vampires moved from her father, but they could not be pushed from her mother. The woman was still surrounded and dying.
"Let’s go. We must hurry," Kira heard.
In an instant, she had been turned from the scene and a new woman was holding her and telling her everything would be all right...
"No!" Kira shot up from the ground, propelled from the memory into the present day.
Jerome looked up. His pupils had expanded, making his eyes ivory with bloodlust. Fury scorched Kira's veins, growing hotter the longer she met his cold stare. Quick as it had ever come, as though the memory had fully awakened her powers, Kira shot fire at John’s back and right into Jerome’s face. Both were instantly sent flying through the air, slamming into and breaking tree branches with the force of Kira’s power.
Somehow, she kept the light from Tristan and it curved around him. He was safe. He was not evil and not the force of her rage.
When Jerome and John had been flung completely from her sight, Kira winked out the fire, fast and easy, as though turning off a light bulb.
"Well, well. Someone has certainly learned a thing or two in the past few weeks," Diana spoke, emerging from the trees behind Tristan. "Can’t hit me without getting lover boy too. Such a shame."
Diana pouted, glaring at Kira. Though her tone was light, her eyes sparkled with rage—Diana must have known where Tristan had gone when he disappeared from the school dance. Kira thought about trying to shoot her powers around Tristan again, but her initial anger was waning, and she wasn’t sure if she could control it.
"Get out of here, Diana." Tristan said, trying to move out of the way, but Diana just followed, protected as long as she remained two feet behind him.
"Oh, Tristan." She placed an arm over his shoulder. "I’ve been letting this go on for far too long, letting you suck on your plastic bags, letting you get more human with each passing day. But, it ends here." He made a move to escape her but she held steady. "Oh, not right now. I’ll let you live in this dream world, where you and our mortal enemy live happily ever after. But I’ll be back, and you’ll be my Tristan again. And when you are," Diana let him go and forced him to look Kira in the eyes, "she’ll be the first one you kill." Diana pushed Tristan from behind, and he stumbled into Kira with a look of horror marring his features.
Kira caught him, distracted enough to miss her chance to weaken Diana. Instead, Diana disappeared into the woods, following John and Jerome—probably more than ready to concoct a plan for revenge.
"This is all my fault," Tristan swore.
Kira hugged him, closing her eyes and comforting him for the moment he needed, before standing up and walking to the girl lying on the ground. She looked so small in her torn and now bloodied Cinderella costume. Kira figured she must be a freshman who was excited by Jerome or John’s interest, never once suspecting anything bad would happen.
Kneeling down, she lifted the girl’s head onto her lap. She had healed herself before, now it was time to try the skill out on someone else.
Kira placed her palms over the girls ears, holding onto her head, and let her power melt into the girls skin. Her fire traveled through the girl's veins, sealing wounds and healing bruises. After a moment, she stirred and moaned in pain, and Kira stopped. She would be safe. The girl would live.
Kira kept looking down, imagining the girl as the woman she had seen in the dream, with pale blonde hair and a dazzling smile. She saw her mother, alone, abandoned by her people, left to die while her husband’s body was recovered and her baby taken away.
"Is it painful?" she asked Tristan.
He understood. "No. Most times, the victim is in a dream state, not aware of their surroundings or of what’s happening. There are sometimes exceptions though, if no care is taken." Kira nodded. "Let me have her. I’ll bring her body closer to the school where someone will take notice and call an ambulance."
Kira felt more than saw the girl be lifted from her arms. Exhausted, she let her body fall back on the dirt, curling into a fetal position to cry. Had her mother been in pain the whole time? Had she felt the life drain from her body? Her father had been killed quickly, perhaps because he was a man and they feared the Punishers more. Kira prayed her mother had been sucked into a dream and that she never knew what happened. That in her mind, Kira and she played with fire all the way back to a safe house where the three of them could have grown up as a family. She prayed her mother died to dreams of kissing her child goodnight, growing old with her husband and escaping the confines of conduit society. The truth would have been too hard to bear.
Tristan returned for Kira. She barely noticed him pick her up and hold her close to his chest, letting her tears soak his fresh white button-down. She pulled his jacket tighter around her, relishing the smell of him—the smell of musk, generic soap, and burnt embers that might have come from her.
Eventually, Tristan stopped walking and opened his car door. They slid into the backseat with Tristan still cradling her in his arms. Kira fell asleep while he hummed a jazz tune quietly in her ear and placed a loving kiss on her forehead.
That night, she dreamed of the first year of her life—of her parents, of her powers, of how happy she had seemed in that memory. She remembered the games they had played to teach her how to control her flames and how to hide when she needed to. They had loved her, and she had loved them with all her heart, and when they were taken away, Kira had shut down. She had promised her father to never show anyone her powers, so she never used them again—not in front of her adoptive mother and never even alone. Eventually, Kira realized, she had just completely forgotten about her powers.
But clearly, now all of that had changed.
Chapter Twelve