Potent

Chapter 1

Flickering above a triple chocolate cake, with 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAFARA!' written on it in glittering white icing, are 16 tiny flames glowing bright red. With one exhale, the beauty is extinguished.

"...Happy Birthday dear Safara! Happy birthday to you!" They sing in chorus.

I look up from my delicious cake to see three beaming faces staring back at me. A smile spreads easily across my face.

"The cake looks amazing guys!"

"That's only because I didn't interfere," Grandad John admits.

"Don't be so hard on yourself; you're not that bad at cooking!" Mum defends.

"Oh really? What was the last meal I cooked you that was actually edible?" He challenges.

"Wait, what about that Sunday Roast you did us for Christmas last year?" I suggest.

"Nope, your mother here got sick because it was undercooked." Grandad points out.

"Oh yeah," I say, suddenly remembering.

"You're lucky that I stopped Isabelle from eating all the chocolate icing!" Mum says.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Isabelle raises her hands up in surrender. "I can't help being a chocoholic!"

I grin; it's so nice to have everyone here for my birthday.

"So are you ready to go?" Izzy asks, bubbling with excitement.

"Go where?" I reply, confused.

"Ah, ah, AH! Can't tell you that, it's a surprise, remember?"

I roll my eyes. "Fine, let's go."

After spending an agonizing 30 minutes blindfolded in the car, I step out and Izzy puts me out of my misery by removing the blindfold.

"Tada!" She exclaims. Gasping in surprise, I gaze around at my surroundings. Bright lights of green, red and blue are everywhere. The scent of candyfloss and sticky sweet, toffee apple, comfort me. Stalls after stalls of: apple bobbing, dodgems, merry-go-rounds, hoopla, ring a duck and ball in the bucket surround me. Looking up, I see towering roller coasters and stomach churning, spinning rides alive with the screams. There are all sorts of people here: children hovering over sweet stalls, teenagers daring each other to go on the biggest rides and embarrassed parents riding on the merry-go-round.

Grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, I exclaim, buzzing: "Oh my god! The fairground! How did you know I wanted to come here?"

Izzy shrugs nonchalantly. "Lucky guess?"

Quickly, I grab her hand and drag her away into the centre of all the bustling fairground energy.

An hour later, we come off a roller coaster called 'The Extreme' which races along the track at 60mph doing sudden turns and drops- leaving me feeling exhilarated and buzzing with adrenaline. Izzy's stomach on the other hand, couldn't quite take it and Izzy is now kneeling on the grass, a brown-sludge of semi-digested chocolate spilling out of her mouth. It reeks.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I kneel behind her, holding back her long, light hair.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" She grumbles.

"Not really, but that's not the point...I was just trying to be nice."

She huffs. "Sorry, but you were the one who dragged me on that ride," she points out.

"I know...I'm sorry. Are you done yet?"

Izzy retches one last time, and then wipes her mouth with the napkin I gave her.

"Yup," Izzy says and then shakily rose to her feet. After gulping down some water, Izzy asks: "What time is it?"

"It's time you got a watch," I retort with a grin.

Izzy raises an eyebrow.

"Fine, it is 7pm," I relent.

"OH!" Izzy yells. "I can't believe I nearly forgot!" Her eyes widen in realisation.

"What is it?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing.

Giving me a lopsided grin, she says: "Your second surprise, birthday girl." With her nausea subsided, she grabs me by the wrist and starts running away from the fairground -nearly yanking my arm out of its socket.

After a good 10 minutes of running, we reach an open field where in its centre stands a blazing, beautiful bonfire, which stops me in my tracks; mesmerized. Slowly, I stroll towards the beacon of light, joining the group of others, which circle it, shielding their eyes away from the intense light. I embrace it-the sting in my eyes and the burning heat which flushes my rosy cheeks. Enchanted, I stumble ever closer to the fire, feeling my golden skin tingle as every cell in my body dances energetically. I would've continued to be drawn in closer, like a moth to a light, but a barrier stops me. Frowning, I consider using my power of fire to set the flimsy, fabric fence alight so that I can proceed but Isabelle's hand on my shoulder brings me back to reality.

"Are you alright? Your eyes are... glowing." She looks at me carefully.

A natural smile spreads across my face. "I've never been better."