Cold Fire [SAMPLE]

[4]

 CHAPTER FOUR

It’s pouring with rain when school finishes for the day, and I stand in front of the main entrance under the shelter along with numerous others. I left my umbrella at home today, and since I have to carry my school laptop because it doesn’t fit in my bag, I can’t walk home in the rain like I usually would.

An orb of light – or spirit, I should say – flits around the front gate, zipping back and forth through the metal bars. No one notices it, of course, and I do my best to ignore its presence. I pull my phone out of my pocket and send a quick message to my mum, telling her to come pick me up.

Just as I hit send, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and turn to see Caden behind me. “What now?” I ask, feeling annoyed.

“I thought you might need an umbrella,” he says, half-smiling as he offers one to me.

“And what? Since we’re such besties you thought you’d lend it to me?”

He laughs. “Something like that.”

As much as his offer is tempting, I shake my head. “Keep it. I’m getting a lift from my mother anyway.”

He lowers his arm, and for a few awkward and uncomfortable seconds, we just stare at each other. It doesn’t make sense for him to be to so kind to me, especially when he could have befriended anyone in the school. Why doesn’t he keep his distance like everyone else?

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I finally ask.

There’s a few seconds of silence, in which the sound of the rain seems to vanish, and all I can here is my pounding heart. His response shouldn’t matter to me – I don’t want it to matter to me – but I find that I’m sitting in wait, hoping.

I notice him considering the question, searching his brain for an answer. Maybe there isn’t one.

A part of me hopes there is.

With a shrug, he says, “Why not?” and I feel oddly disappointed. “Surely someone has to be nice to you.”

I shake off the disappointment almost as soon as I feel it, mentally frowning at my immediate reaction. I shouldn’t care what he thinks of me and I definitely shouldn’t get my hopes up with the possibility of a friend. No one can be friends with me – the girl whose touch will burn your skin and whose disease will freeze you to death. Even if people did like me, I’d end up hurting them one way or another, and in the end, I always have to leave.

Memories of Sarah flitter into my mind and I let in the images of her sad face for just a moment, before sending them away. I had to leave my only friend and fly to the other side of the world because of my disease and I haven’t seen or heard from her since. Although, it’s probably for the best. She never knew of my condition, and I can’t help but wonder if she would have wanted to be my friend if she had. I can’t imagine she would have.

After a while, Caden just says, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” with a small, almost sad, smile before walking off. I turn away from his retreating figure and focus on the steady flow of rain.

My mum arrives soon after and I hop into the warm car, drops of rain clinging to my bare arms from my dash to her silver rental corolla, sitting a fair few metres from the shelter.

My mum turns around in her seat, directing her typical forced smile in my direction. “How was your day?” Her eyes flick momentarily down to my bare arms, and disapproval falls upon her features before she looks up and it vanishes.

Without really thinking about it, I rub a hand against my right arm, which is tingling as if her gaze had actually touched my skin. “Fine,” I say in response.