𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

04 | A Date with Fire

When Kyran opened her eyes again, Kateri still had her pinned against the wall. Her body was completely limp, and she felt the tears pricking at her eyes. Her fingers twitched as she fought to shake the fuzziness from her mind, still reeling over what had just happened.

      She couldn't believe what she had seen.

      She had killed a child. An innocent, unborn baby who had done nothing to the world, hadn't even had a chance to breathe its first breath because of her. The thought made Kyran's eyes twitch with unshed tears. She had killed an innocent.

     But why hold her accountable for something she did when she was four years old? She had been a child herself, one that was being threatened. It was self defense. Still, it was an innocent unborn baby she unknowingly killed and she was conflicted by what Kateri had shown her.

     Kyran remembered that night. She remembered it as she remembered most nights when the militia had tormented her. Bryan had escaped from the scene and she had stayed behind to defend him, taking the attention to herself by throwing insults at them - particularly calling the only male on the scene fat. She had gone in for a strike toward him when the woman had grabbed her, pinning her against the wall. In response, to free herself, she had lashed out and kicked the woman as hard as she could in the stomach, not knowing that she was ending a life that hadn't even started yet.
 
     She had committed third-degree murder.

     Her heart ached and her eyes felt heavy with unshed tears. Had she been older and known, she probably wouldn't have done that, she wouldn't have kicked what was obviously a pregnant woman. She didn't even think she was aware of that fact when it happened. All she had been concerned about was protecting herself and her brother. Call her selfish for that, but she was only a four year old after all. Her only thought had been to escape, and to keep them away from her brother. At this point, she couldn't even look Kateri in the eye. She was selfish. A monster. And Kateri knew it.

     "That's right," the woman sneered, taking hold of Kyran's chin and forcing her to look into her dark eyes. "Face me and admit your crime. You committed murder. That's punishable by death." She leaned closer. "But I have a better idea than just death. Killing you would be a mercy. You deserve to suffer for what you did."

     She tried to pull from her grasp, her body shaking, but couldn't. Kateri's grip was too strong.

     "I-I didn't know what I did. I was only four years old," Kyran wheezed weakly, eyes feeling heavy with remorse. The words that Kateri spoke were beginning to make her believe what she said.

     "That doesn't give you an excuse," Kateri retorted, tightening her grip on the girl even more painfully. Kyran's panic increased, and her mind whirled, feeling like a caged animal and completely helpless as she made no move to thrash or break free. It was no use, anyway.

     "I don't know what to say," She whispered, voice barely able to be heard as a single tear escaped her left eye. "I can't believe this . . ."

     "You'd better believe it," the woman leaned closer, until Kyran could feel her breath on her face. "And you will pay for it with blood. I've always wondered what it would feel like to break an unbreakable spirit like you, redhead." There was a mocking sneer in her tone.

     Kyran shut her eyes tightly. No, no. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't let them walk all over her anymore. She wasn't a child.

     She was Kyran.

     She was a wild heart.

     She was fire itself.

     Fire . . .

     Kyran snapped open her eyes, meeting Kateri's cruel gaze once again as a flicker of movement caught her eye. Something in the shadows, watching her.

     Sīd . . .

     Her breath hitched in her throat as a single thought projected from the mind of her spirit animal to her.

     Fire up.

     Kyran shivered in Kateri's grasp, keeping her eyes on her captor so as to not draw attention to the serpent hidden away in the shadows. She had only fired up once since she had summoned her spirit animal, and doing so had killed six people almost instantly. She referred to this as "Supernova", as she lost all control when she allowed it to surface.

     But if it meant she could free herself . . .

     Kyran knew what she needed to do.

     She just needed to wait.

     After what felt like hours to her, Kateri finally let her drop to the floor as she leaned back against the wall. The woman didn't seem to be showing any emotion save for curiosity. Her nimble fingers began to stroke the blade in her hands.

     She was testing her. It seemed she was curious to find out what Kyran would do next. Her finger was still leaking blood but it only seemed to bring a satisfied smirk on the woman's lips.

     Kyran shut her eyes, not wanting to see what happened next as her mind reached down to that place she had locked up for years. The place where her power resided. The door she had vowed never to open again, the door she locked and then threw away the key. Why should she do this? She could kill someone.

     But she knew.

     There was no other way.

     She needed to do this.

     The girl could faintly hear Kateri's voice mocking her from behind as she finally found the will to open her eyes.

     And then, she ignited like wildfire.