Fate, My Elementals & I (Breaking Borders)

Brennon

At the age of eleven.......................................

"Brennon, where were you? I know you weren't in your seat during the show. It may not have been something you like, but I expected you to at least fall asleep in your seat, " chastised my music teacher. She was a somewhat nice older lady, and even had a name to go with it, "Mrs. Bellbury I did watch the show. I promise. I went to the bathroom. Met the kid from the balcony and he invited me and the two other boys you saw me waving to before I got on the bus. I swear, I stayed in the auditorium and I didn't do anything wrong," I attempted to reason out.

"Fine. I won't report it. I expect you to be on time for classes for the rest of the semester. Got that young man?" she blackmailed. Nodding as contritely as I possibly can, so the old bag won't make a big deal about it, I thought about how hot I feel all the time. At first I blamed it on my all-black wardrobe. Now I know it's because I am literally fire. I read a lot, didn't admit to it in her dressing room, but from my understanding of an elemental, it's that they are that thing. Sigh, I don't want to turn into a raging psychotic volcano.

As I took my seat, next to the other outcast in class, I pondered how someone so special as Evony claims, could be grouped together with a kid who eats his own boogers and glue. Wishing I had the window seat, I looked the other direction, hoping to stare out at that one, only to be met with a scowl from the boy who pushed me out of his way when I was still trying to make sense of, as Evony called it, her mistake. Getting tired of being reminded I'm really not that special to regular mortals, I leaned my head on the back rest. Closing my eyes, remembering the way I wanted to stay with her. The devotion I felt for her was overwhelming. It scared and liberated me, all in one. It was the thought that she could never hurt me which made staying all that more appealing. Even when we grow up and she has an amazing guy on her arm, she won't be hurting me. As long as I can be by her side, I will be content.

Getting off the bus, I walked home. A few other kids got off at the same stop I did, but they were all friends and were chatting away about visiting the ice-cream pallor two blocks over. I wondered if we would write letters to each other and get to the point where we would become friends and spend time with each other like that. They are my only hope to stay sane. Not having them to talk to about this stuff would definitely drive me crazy.

While walking, I kicked a can and kept on doing so all the while thinking about how I knew exactly what to do when Addanon looked at me. I felt the coldness leaving Eddie's body. It did not feel like an air conditioning type of cold and it smelled rotten. My conclusion from my over active imagination was that it was death's idea of marking his territory. Addanon must think he was appearing stoic, but that was the furthest from the truth. He had this horrified expression like he was seeing his nightmares come to life. What surprised me really though, was how normal and calm Eddie remained throughout the entire thing. He kept that serene smile and never let on until the end, when he proposed how special he thought we were, and that he would keep our secrets. Maybe it is my experience with dodgy useless adult males that makes me suspicious, but any normal person would not be accepting of unexplained phenomena.

Approaching the rundown single unit, I called home. Noting there was a new hole in one of the shutters, I realized Joey was home. Mostly likely a drunken stupor, hopefully lying on the floor in a pool of his own piss and vomit, so I won't have to answer any of us stupid questions, only to be punched in the gut for talking down on him. Dumbass, I rolled my eyes, swung open the rusted, creaky walk-in gate, closing it carefully. I snuck through the back tip toeing hoping to escape his wrath for at least one afternoon. I smelled smoke. Cigarette. Though there was another smell, like cloth. I wanted nothing more than to run to my room and let the bastard burn, but being a fire elemental didn't mean I was immune to smoke inhalation. I stretched my neck and peered around the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, doing my best to ignore the peeling mint-green paint, and the smell of mold.

In true Joey fashion, he fell asleep after lighting up and it was still lit. His scrawny a$$ was slumped on the ground like he had attempted to take a seat on the over-used orange sofa, missed and stayed exactly where he landed. I looked around and soon saw that the ash landed on the rug. It must still have been hot because there was smoke coming from the spot. No flames though, lucky bastard. I sneaked as quietly as I could, placed an astray to catch them instead and creeped out of there before the jerk woke up and found a reason to blame me for it.

Back in my room, I swore that I would keep my head down and avoid the pathetic excuse of a man until I turn eighteen and then I'd be with Evony and the guys. We'll be an odd bunch, but it will be us against the world. No one will hurt me again and I will protect them too. No matter what.

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At the age of fifteen....................

Skipping out before the so-called man of the house wakes up was easier than I thought. After his tirade last night in all his high glory while kicking me anywhere mid-riff about how I needed to stop thinking because I was getting taller, that I was in charge. What did I do to deserve this? Well, other than breathing, I was able to reach the cereal on the top shelf when I saw him struggling to get it. It was a natural response to be honest. I saw that he wanted it and I went and got it for him. Prior to this, when I couldn't reach it without dangerously using one of our old rickety unstable chairs to climb on, he didn't seem to have any issues asking me to get anything for him.

It happened so quickly. I put it on the counter, turned to leave and bam! He got me right on my spine. The pain registered a few seconds after I went down. By then he was already kicking and stamping on me. Screaming to high heavens that he wasn't asking for my help. He didn't need a piece of crap like me touching his food. Along with a few choice insults, to my useless father never being around to teach me any manners. What really saved me, allowing me to be able to even walk today, was that the plowed i***t had dropped his beer bottle before, as usual, right on the floor, so like out of a cartoon, he stepped back to deliver another blow, when he stepped on the bottle, flung his arms around like a windmill and landed backwards, successfully knocking himself out in the process.

As I bustled down the sidewalk, I held onto my side, which looked like an emo version of a rainbow, when I looked in the mirror this morning. It was around the time of the month that Cannon and Eddie wrote. I gave the address of the store I had a job at. The first thing I did there was sweep up for Mr. Ahmad, then I became a shelf packer. Now he lets me hold on at the register for his lunch breaks or when he has to run errands. He said it was because he understood that I was a good kid with only bad situations, so he would give me a chance. That chance turned into him telling people I was his son, with a secret Korean lover. His daughter doesn't seem to appreciate the joke, not out of jealousy but because, at school, she flirts heavily with me. I do my best to avoid her. Knowing that in a few years, I already accepted that no one else would matter other than Evony.

Under no delusions that I could be more than a friend to her. A devoted servant for sure, I didn't care. She will always be the center of my universe and that was satisfying enough. During my musings I arrived at the Everything Corner Store. Hearing the bell ringing as I entered, Mr. Ahmad raised his head from whatever he was doing.

"Good morning, no mail yet, so don't ask. Why are you here so early anyway?" he interjected before I could even take a breath, in his thick accent.

"I needed an out," was all I had to say for him to turn around and get the first aid kit.

"Told you to stay away from that man," he relayed his warning again.

'Well, I'm a slow learner," I attempted to joke, but it hurt too much to laugh.

He scoffed and continued to bandage me up. Muttering under his breath in his mother tongue.

"There, best I can do," he announced.

Deciding not to remain idle, I started restocking the shelves and checking for expired products. The day passed generally quiet for a Saturday. At least no one came and made any trouble. A few kids from school said hello to me as they came in for one thing or the other. Farah came in to greet her father and ask for money to go to the movies. When he went to the back to deal with a distributor, she asked me if I wanted to come with her. I tried to decline as politely as I could by saying I had to work, but clearly she didn't get the hint. Once Mr. Ahmad came back, she pestered him, saying that I should get the afternoon off as it was Saturday, so I could chaperone her and her friends. Keep them safe. My boss, being the insightful man that he is, smelled the rat immediately and told her if she didn't leave now, he would make sure she didn't go anywhere for the rest of the weekend. Stomping her foot on the way out, he grumbled at her in Arabic until she left.

"Never procreate," he threw at me and went back to doing up the books.

This made me think about my future. Children may not be in the cards unless it was with Evony and that was a low possibility. I am not blind. I know I'm considered good looking. The girls at my school call me the weird hot Asian guy. Guys tend to be mad at me because their girlfriends have straying eyes. I do my best to stay invisible. It's not my fault, I want to scream in some of their faces. Plus, none of them were beautiful or interesting enough, to make me forget the little attitude-filled fairy I met some odd four years ago. For someone like her, looks would not be enough and I am not sure I have much else to offer.

Moving on autopilot, I swept up around nine at night, before calling it quits. I knew I took a lot of breaks today and moved slowly to avoid any more pain than necessary, but I think I got everything done. Mr. Ahmad had hired his nephew to see to the store from eight to two in the morning on weekends. So I had already said my goodbyes to him. Naveen asked me if I was okay when he saw me taking some more pain killers earlier,but I told him I was just clumsy. The only people that knew what really was going on in that house were Eddie, the guys and Mr. Ahmad. I wanted to smack myself for letting it slip out around Evony. She didn't mention it but I knew she felt sorry for me. I will let her know that it only made me more resilient, once we meet again.

Right before I left, this weird heat took me over. Normally, my fiery core just keeps me warm, but this no, this was something else entirely. Hearing the bell chiming, I looked up and saw this huge guy walk in. He had to duck to enter and had the muscles of a wrestler. His hair was red, more than likely from a bottle rather than his natural color, and I was positive the heat was coming from him. He looked at me oddly, like he knew me. He looked Indian, but didn't sound like it. It must just be genetics then. Naveen piped up and asked if he needed any help, oblivious to the stalemate happening between me and the kushti.

He continued to glare at me, like he was expecting me to do something. Must be accustomed to people backing down, or wreaking fear once he enters a room, but tough luck for him. One I was not afraid of anyone anymore, mostly numb to danger thanks to Joey. Second, Naveen is too stupid to know when he's in danger. That's why I was confused when Mr. Ahmad hired the dofus. Realising the sasquatch had no intention of looking away, I jut my hip out and leaned against one of the few sturdy shelves in that place.

"You looking for something other than trouble mister?" I quired.

He oof grunted. It sounded like a bear, deep, gutteral and from the diaphragm. Hmmmm he'd make a pretty good bass in the glee club.

"Give me a pack of smokes, don't care which brand,' he answered Naveen, finally looking away from me.

As he moved towards the counter to pay, I walked out not saying anything to either of them. All I wanted to do was get away from the creepiest, most uncomfortable situation I ever had to experience and that was saying something, especially considering the people I live with. As I made my way home, my mind and body were trying to make sense of the pressuring heat that came from the guy. Did he know he was doing that? If his heat could affect me as a fire elemental, then why wasn't Naveen sweating buckets? Finding no answers and more questions, I decided best to put that aside and focus on my problem at hand. How to get into the house without letting my mom or her useless boyfriend know I was back.

Sometimes I try so hard to love her. She's my mother, it should come naturally, but knowing she rather takes Joey's side and let him hurt me, killed whatever could have been any affection towards her. When I was little I was stupid enough to ask her to run away with me, away from the pr!ck, she slapped me and told me not to mess up her life more than I already did. How could a mother do that to her son? Anyone's guess is as good as gold to me, because I can't find any.

Climbing through my window was the only option, as I couldn't sneak around anymore. Getting taller and broader shoulders stopped me from being able to move about undetected and as quietly as before. Once inside, I made sure the door was still locked like I left it and changed out of the clothes I had on all day, preparing to take a shower. The only positive about this place is that my mother hated the master bedroom with the attached bathroom. She said it was too small and wanted the one down the hall . So I got this room. The washroom was indeed small but it suited my purposes just fine, as I didn't have to leave my room and get in their way even more.

Sometime mid shower, I felt incredibly hot again. The same stifling heat from earlier. I turned off the shower, only to hear banging on my door from Joey. I got out and slipped on some pants, without drying, and answered him through the door.

"What do you want?" I yelled.

"It's Saturday you little sh!t," he slurred.

Sigh, he wants money, should have known.

"I didn't go today, this is all I got," I said while sliding fifty dollars under the door.

"You are playing me boy. This isn't enough for me to get my medicine," he roared and started pounding again.

"Take it or leave it," I insisted. I wasn't giving him sh!t after last night.

I assume he took it because it became quiet and then I heard the front door slam.

Stretching, I decided to dry my hair and then take out the expired stuff from Mr. Ahmad's store, that he let me take to put in the cupboards while Joey was gone. Still feeling that foreign heat, I wonder if the psycho followed me home. I looked out my window but didn't see anything. I opened my door and went to the kitchen, when a hand grabbed me from behind and put me in a choke hold.

It was Joey. The a$$ only pretended to leave. He hissed into my ear to give him more money. As I made to grab his arm, I saw it flame up. Joey released me and started shrieking like a little girl, flinging his arm around trying to out the fire. I was at a loss. Since separating that day, I could not conjure nor manipulate my element. I just felt like it was awake and ready, but never used it. I watched Joey squeal like a pig being prepared for s*******r, as even water could not extinguish the flame climbing his limb.

Snapping out of it, I attempted to communicate with the flame, asking it to come back to me. It was then I realized it did not belong to me. It let me know I wasn't it's master nor could it hurt me. My mother came in from work at that moment asking what all the noise was about, when she, too, started screaming when she saw the scene of her partner, lit up like a bar-b-que grill. With all that was happening, I started looking through the windows, looking for the source, but not seeing him.

Soon enough, the house itself started going up in flames at random in places. I sprung into action then. Headed into my room, grabbed all the money I hid from my parents and my handband. Shrugged on a t-shirt and shoes ready to bolt out my window. Knowing I might regret this, I groaned and stuck my head out of my room, called out to my mother to let her know I found a way out. When she dragged herself and Joey over, she was already coughing uncontrollably, asking if I could help her with him. By now the fire had left him and was doing damage to the property. He smelled and looked charred. I pushed him through the window and helped her next. When I had one foot out, I heard footsteps. I looked back and saw the fire parting and through the thick smoke, I saw an outline of a man. It resembled the size of the man from the store earlier. Deciding not to test if the fire really couldn't hurt me, I jumped out.

After landing, I noted that my mother was holding Joey and wailing like a new born babe on the lawn. I looked up and saw the figure disappear from near my window. The police and fire officers came. Their attempts to control the crowd worked. Much to their dismay, they could not reduce the fire. We sat there and watched as the fire burnt the house to ash. The destruction of the house of horrors was something I thought of for a long time. Now seeing it happen in front of my eyes, with fire magic that did not belong to me, it did not seem to make me feel anything I thought I might have felt. No relief, no joy, only a bit of sadness that my room was filled with things I worked so hard for, hidden in every nook and cranny so, the adults I lived with couldn't steal and pawn to purchase drugs.

With that thought, I looked around for them, somewhat pissed that my mother was still weeping over that jerk, even though he was being tended to by the paramedics. Keeping my backpack with me, I walked over to them. They were checking my mother as well. As I got closer, I noticed she was singed in numerous places. Great, how do I explain that I got away without a scratch on me? Just as I was about to speak up, Joey started pointing at me with his good hand, accusing me of causing the fire.

The first words out of my mouth were, "Are you crazy, you psycho? You had me in a choke hold when it all started. Where and how was I able to even begin to light you on fire? Maybe it was one of the lit cigarettes you leave lying around every time you forget what your doing and go in search for more beer or drugs, huh?"

At that moment I was livid. I couldn't believe he had the audacity to point fingers at me. The allegations thrown at me caused the police to intervene. Due to my counter, they suggested we all be checked out by the doctor and he could confirm or deny any allegations. While at the hospital, I noted how white and sanitary everything looked and smelled like. I hated it. Much to my dismay, the doctor was quite thorough. Meaning, not only did he confirm bruising forming on my neck, but he found the evidence from the night before. They found no residue of any flammable substance on me, very little smoke inhalation and no burns.

The police were nice enough once they found out I was a victim of constant abuse. When I told them I was a survivor, they got even more gentle. It pissed me off. I didn't want pity. Special victims unit, came into play and child services. I was questioned about what happened that night. I told my end of it, how Joey had me in neck lock, mom came home, and the house lit up like a bon-fire. I was definitely never going to confirm that Joey's arm was burning while he was touching me. Nope. I got to stay in the hospital for observation due to my bruises and have a good night's sleep.

Sometime during the night, I heard a creaking sound like the door opening and then the shuffling of feet. I attempted to open my eyes to see who it was, when I felt a prick in my neck ........... Ouch and then nothing.

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Unknown amount of time passed........................

The next time I am lucid enough, I am going to break out here.......................... Evony, I'm sorry.