HOUSE OF FIRE

Chapter 8

    “say, what do you think… about practising without your blindfold today?” I tense at the carefully laced question, eyes rising to stare at Steven in surprise. I wanted to be sure I heard right, and judging by the sheepish, inquiring look on his face I know he did in fact just asked me to conjure fire without my sight hindered.

      We’re standing barefoot in his backyard and once again I’m in yoga pants, a thin long sleeve hoodie, and black sports-bra while he’s dressed casually in shorts and a loose tank top. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea-”
  
    “Just hear me out okay,” he interrupts, raising his hands to stop me when I tried to say something else. “Amelia has you on those antidepressants and Propranolol, so it should be fine for you to actually face your fears now. Plus, I read up online that one of the ways to help treat PTSD is prolonged exposure therapy. A type of behavioural therapy that involves having the person relive the traumatic event that causes their anxiety. It helps you control your fear and gradually become more comfortable with situations that are frightening and causes anxiety.”

     “but shouldn’t a professional be the one to help me with something like that?”
 
    “look, I know I’m not a professional nor do I have the qualifications. But I just want to try, okay?” Sighing in reluctance, I nod. “great,” he claps enthusiastically, rubbing both hands together with an excited smile. “since we’re outside and pretty exposed to anyone who can see us, today you don’t have to conjure anything. All I want you to do is stand there and I’ll conjure a fireball, once I do that I want you to stare at it for at least 1min. Hopefully, as you get better maybe you’ll be able to prolong your fears. Okay?”

     Nervous, I nod timidly, my stomach in knots. “okay.” I sigh.

      Breathing in, Steven raises his left hand in front of him and spreads his fingers in the air. Suddenly, blazing flames erupt from his palm. His eyes glow in that unnatural shade of red and his tattoo lights up, as the flames began to grow I start to feel sweat perspire on my skin. Immediately I begin to tremble, swallowing thickly as the air around me grows humid. Gasping, a whimper escapes my lips when Steven cautiously steps closer as his eyes rise to mine, and I involuntarily take a step back. Lungs constrict with the urge to breathe, and the smell of ashes and smoke burns my throat. The flames slowly morph into a large ball and a memory flashes in my mind. The memory turns into an illusion and suddenly we’re no more in his backyard, instead, we’re on the streets and high in the sky there’s a descending ball of fire.

     My body shakes violently when the image dissolves and now I’m inside the burning building. As nothing but smoke, fire, and ashes surrounds me, every cell within my blood quakes in fear. I want to look away, to close my eyes, to cover my ears and block out the screams echoing through the building. Crunching to my knees I sob and place my head between my legs to drive away from the pain, fear, and chaos that surrounds me. And just when I didn’t think I could take it anymore, the illusion falls away to reveal his backyard once more.

    Dazed, I’m surprised to find Steven standing before me, his eyes no longer coloured nor are his hands as they rest on my shoulders. There’s fear, worry, and the alarm is written clearly across his face. I frown when I notice his lips move, but do not hear a sound, and just as I’m about to ask why he isn’t speaking out loud I pass out in his arms.

~*~*~*~
  

    Waking up, I frown when I find myself in the infirmary. There’s a drip connected to my wrist, and I’m covered up and tucked in by a soft, blue blanket.

     Turning my head, I see Dana seated behind her desk with a dark scowl on her face and tried to call out to her. Only my mouth is dry and my throat feels like sawdust, coughing into my hand, that ultimately gets her attention and she turns to me with a startle. “hey,” she breathes, a small smile on her lips as she rises to her feet slowly and draws closer. “glad to see your awake.”
 
     Sucking in a deep breath, I ask desperately. “do you have water?”

     Nodding, she immediately hurried to her desk and back with a sealed bottle. Swallowing my saliva, I try to sit up but even moving feels like such a hard task. My body is extremely weak, I’m starving, and I wonder why I have no energy. As if aware of my predicament she helps me open the cap and supported my head to tip the mouth of the bottle towards my lips. Drinking a few gulps, I let out a sigh of relief and lay back on the bed to stare at Dana in confusion. “what happened, why am I here?”
 
     “you passed out, again,” she stressed, her smile immediately dropping into a narrowed eye stare. “so Steven brought you here.”

      The “and judging by your expression I’m guessing he didn’t only bring me over. He told you.”
 
    “he had to, not after I threatened to drown him with my powers.” she snorts, shaking her head. “I can’t believe the both of you kept your condition a secret. If anyone finds out do you know how dangerous it’ll be for you-”