Fall Is Beautiful

Chapter 5: Merry Christmas

"I can't do it! I don't know what you want from me but I can't do it!" I yelled, throwing my hat off my head. For the past hour I've been trying to melt the ice on the rode with just my bare hands. Hina told me that if I wasn't able to do it by night, he'd have me stripped down to my underwear so I'd learn to make a fire out of thin air from my hand to keep myself warm. Damn that bastard...

Jafar got off on the easy end. Apparently he was able to control minds by making contact with their skin and his skin. So he'd have to wear gloves wherever he went until he learned how to control it. How did that work? Did Hina just predict it off of what happened that one day? Gosh.

I've become more irritable lately. Usually I'm not hot-headed, but in the past few hours, it seemed that way. All I wanted to do was go to sleep in a bed. Ugh... do I even remember what a bed feels like? Warm covers, a cool feathered pillow, and a nice, soft mattress... mmm... how I missed my bed back home. I closed my eyes, imagining my bed. Wrrrrghhh... I missed it so much! Wraghhhh! I clenched my fists in frustration. I just want to go home, wake up to my alarm clock, smell my mother's pancakes, watch the morning news with my dad, help my little brother get ready for school- I want it all back! I slammed my bare fist down onto the iced road, a small flame creeping up on fingers. I growled, planting my fingertips on the ice. The fire wasn't light enough to melt it. Urgh!

I closed my eyes again, trying to think of something else I missed. Ah, Yamuraiha's science experiments. Those were definitely a blast. There were Sharrkan's arguments with Laya, who'd always say stupid things like, "how'd I ever become friends with a chocolate bar dabbed with white frosting?" She always came up with the best insults. Then there was Serendine... oh Seren. I missed her so much. I know I always denied the fact that I liked her but... that was just me lying to myself. I've always known I've liked her. If I ever get the chance to see her again... I'll make sure to tell her my feelings. She'd always make these cupcakes and bring them to class for everyone. She was the sweetest popular girl I knew in school. Everyone liked her. To think I missed my chance...

"Sin..." Serendine reached out to touch his hand. He backed away. Rain pattered over his clothes, and his purple hair clung to his face. The girl didn't know what to say, or to do. She just stood there, watching him as he turned away.

"I'm sorry, Seren. I don't like you like that." And then, he walked away, leaving the girl to fall to her knees, sobbing. The rain drowned out his own wails as well.

A fire lit inside me, one larger than before. I was enraged at myself. To think, I let the girl of my dreams go just like that- because I thought I would be returning back to P1 base the next week. I hurt her so much. I needed to apologize, but I never did! I'm so stupid! Suddenly, the entire road was set aflame, melting the ice. My hand burned- it stung- but I held it there. I had to. This was what I got for turning away the girl who loved me.

Then, the world gave out.

...

"Sin! Oh my god. He's burning up! This is all your fault!"

"My fault!? He's the one who sent the entire road ablaze and gave himself the fever!"

I groaned, my head foggy, my eyes dizzy.

"Yes, but you're the one who pushed him too far! You're pushing him too far and now he's sick! He asked you to help him fight so he can survive not die!"

"Listen pipsqueak, I'm not the one who told him to get himself angry! I just told him to melt the goddamn ice!"

The yelling around me gave me a headache. I rolled over, groaning more.

"And look at where that's brought us to! I'm sick and tired of you putting the blame all on Sin while your the man who started it all for us! You're the man who ripped us from mama and papa and gave us no reason why, the man who didn't care to explain why we moved to an oilfield town, the man who told my brother to kill himself!"