Changeling: The Daughter of Fire (GxBxNB)

Changeling 1

August was scorching hot the year everything changed. Rather than being safely home under the sweet aegis of air-con and enjoying a break from school, I was forced to pick up garbage at a local park.

"Hey Nadia, how's trash patrol going?" Someone said, his leg coming into my peripheral vision.

I looked up and saw my best friend Liam. His normally tousled red hair was darkened and flatted by sweat. He had a smile on his face and a pair of slushies in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Picking you up," He grinned and checked his watch. "It's... One and a half minute to four p.m."

"Sweet Freedom!" I said, raising my hands up in the air. "Well, almost."

"And I thought you might want a little pick me up." He gave me the slushy and I took a sip. It was lime flavored, my favorite.

"You are the best," I said wrapping an arm around him. "This is going to send my blood sugar through the roof though." I laughed a little before adjusting my insulin pump to compensate for the sugar rush.

I then grabbed the bag of trash I was filling and brought it to the drop-off point, Liam following behind me. My community payback supervisor gave me the all-clear to go.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Liam asked.

"Take a month-long shower and hide somewhere with AC."

"Gotcha, better head to your house then."

We started walking. 

Never step on a crack. 

Four steps per pavement tile, six hundred and twenty-eight tiles. 

It was right, it was balanced and even... 

Then we got home. I locked the door behind us, and left Liam downstairs, heading for the shower. Twelve stairs up, nine to the bathroom door. That was wrong, it needed to be closer or further by one...

I closed the door, locked it, undressed, relocked the door, and then I jumped in the shower and got washed. Beginning at the bottom of my body and going upward as always. The ritual had to be done right or I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it... 

Had I locked the doors? Fuck...

I got out, wrapped a towel over my body and ran down. The door was locked. I sighed and went up to my room. I took forever to get dressed, just enjoying the cool air against my naked skin.

Then I got lazy and put on some sweats, along with a metric ton of deodorant and finally deigned to join Liam downstairs.

He was patiently waiting on the couch like a little obedient puppy. We were alone, I could hear noise from the auto shop next door my parents ran, clearly, they were still working hard.

For a while now, I had a feeling Liam liked me as more than as a friend, but I wasn't sure what I thought about that. Besides, he hadn't made any kind of move or expressed interest vocally, just the occasional blush and other little tidbits of body language.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Starving."

I nodded at the kitchen the next room over and he got up following me. I opened the freezer and took out some fries and chicken tenders then started the oven and countertop deep fryer.

My siblings, the older Ghali and the younger Aisha came by, stole some of our food before going their own way, leaving Liam and me alone again.

"Tomorrow is gonna suck..." I moaned once Liam and I were served.

"Oh yeah?"

"I've got a meeting at Unity and then more community service. So like my whole day is booked with tediousness."

"Guess I better think of something, make your day better." He grinned.

"Like burning down a hospital, clearing out my morning schedule?"

"You know, it's good your parents are busy in the shop, I don't think they'd like the arson joke."

"Good thing it's only you and I," I said with a grin. "Liam Bannerman, my partner in crime."

Life's already hard when you're one of the only Arab girls in Portland's whitest suburbs, add to that a conviction for fire starting and an official diagnosis as a pyromaniac and I was basically a social pariah. Liam was the only one not to care. So, we'd been friends for years. Even after the few people who'd talk to me had taken their distance, not wanting to be with the crazy chick.

"So, what do you think about some Call of Duty?" I proposed. "Got the latest one."

"How could I refuse?" He grinned.