Kenna

Kenna's POV Seven years ago, I realized that the world wasn’t just black and white, life or death. I realized that there was a thick veil in between that only a select few people could see, could be a part of. It is in this veil that you become familiar with the grey in this world. The grey is where I live but it never used to be. I used to be like everyone else, normal, unaware and untainted by the knowledge of a world far greater than the one you live in. The political views, the plummeting economies and never-ending wars were the furthest things from my mind. Seven years ago, I died in a tragic house fire that took the lives of two of my best friends so how exactly are you reading this if I’m no longer alive? Well, like I said, the world isn’t just about life or death. People called Hearts are born into this world, each stemming from one of the seven gods and when they die by means of their god’s element, they are then awakened and become that which they always were meant to be. So, to put it bluntly, yes, I did die that night but I was reborn as something far greater than a mere mortal. At first, I had no idea what happened. I had no one to explain to me what I was experiencing and I was stricken with guilt. The question, why was I alive but my friends weren’t kept repeating itself in the forefront of my mind. The guilt still clings to me along with the stench of death. I stopped walking to glance at the flickering city lights from across the river. They were nothing in comparison to the sun nor were they any match for Vulcan’s flames. My mind was sent back to that fateful night, the night I died. “Kenna? Hay, Kenna?” Alice pressed while waving her hand in front of my face. I blinked and shook my head to clear it as Vaughn laughed at me and took a swing of his beer “Sorry, I spaced out. What were you saying?” I asked which slightly irritated Alice as she slumped back into the couch but not before rolling her eyes like she always would. She could be very dramatic if she wanted to be. Vaughn shook his head and waved his hand dismissively “Nothing, forget it” this only seemed to annoy Alice more as she sat up straighter and punched his shoulder. She liked to wear a lot of chunky rings which caused Vaughn to wince in pain but it wasn’t serious “Stop trying to change the subject!” she scolded him which caused my eyebrows to scrunch up in confusion as I pondered whether I really wanted to know what she’d been saying or not? “I said, you two should hook-up” my lips parted in shock as I glanced quickly between her and Vaughn. He was looking away, fingers nervously tapping at the beer can in his hand. Alice and I met when we were little. We grew up in the same foster home but I’d only met Vaughn a few years prior when I started collage “Why?” it wasn’t the response that Vaughn had been expecting or rather that he’d been hoping for. Alice rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that night and shot up from her seat as she began to explain “I see the way you two look at each other and when you’re not around, it’s all Kenna this, Kenna that-.” Vaughn cleared his throat as if warning her to stop but Alice was never one for warning signs so she pressed on as I stared at Vaughn from across the living room “He clearly has a thing for you and I think you have a thing for him too” my cheeks lit up as blood rushed to my face out of embarrassment. I never once admitted to liking him but it would’ve been a lie to say that I’d never thought of us hooking up before. Vaughn was a very attractive young man, he was majoring in biology so clearly, he was intelligent and he was a drummer. I peeked at him, taking in his black skinny jeans, old brown boots, olive green, v neck shirt and messy, long curls “I never said I do” I argued to which Alice sat down on the arm of the armchair I was seated in, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned down towards me. She knew me better than anyone “You don’t have to” her hazel eyes narrowed onto me. I refused to make eye contract with her, instead staring down at the dirty carpet while I chewed on my bottom lip. It was then that I closed my eyes in regret and sighed heavily. Alice knew that whenever I bit chewed on my bottom lip, it meant that I was either really nervous or lying, neither of which helped my case “So what is I do?” I snapped which was exactly what Alice had wanted. In my irritation, I ended up turning my head to look at her but caught Vaughn’s eyes instead. His piercing green gaze caused my body to stiffen and my breath to catch in my throat. Alice smirked then stood up “Well, my job here is done” she declared in all her smug glory before downing the rest of her glass of wine and reaching for her black leather jacket that was thrown over the back of the chair that I was sitting on “I’ll see you lovebirds in class” she excused herself as she shrugged on her jacket and gave a quick wave of her hand on the way to my apartment door. It clicked shut behind her and no sooner did Vaughn break the silence that she left behind “I have a thing for you too” he admitted, copying Alice’s words from before. I quickly averted my eyes as thoughts of him began to fill my mind. I could still smell his cologne from across the living room and it was intoxicating. I quickly stood and nervously picked at my fingers “I’m going to bed” I informed him then turned to head towards the bedroom. The apartment that I stayed in wasn’t big, it was a small apartment on the third floor of an old apartment building so the walk to my room took only a few brief strides “Kenna!” Vaughn interjected as he set his beer down, shot up from the couch and crossed the room quick enough to grab hold of my wrist, preventing me from going any further “I know I’m not the type of guy you’d normally go for but I like you a lot and-.” his words became mutterings that fell onto deaf ears as my eyes locked onto something behind him. In his haste to get to me, he’d knocked over one of my lit candles on the coffee table which caused the carpet to catch on fire along with the nearby curtains. I could only stare in awe as I watched the flames dance and flicker. They were beautiful as they beckoned me in, calling to me in a gentle voice ‘Heart of the sun, return to me’ it repeated as I watched the flames grow ever taller, creep ever closer. Ever since I could remember fire has always interested me. It has mesmerized me and enchanted me in such a way that I’d fallen in love with it. My chest squeezed with a need and desire to be close to it and only when Vaughn’s back caught fire and he screamed out in agony before dropping to his knees, did I momentarily snap out of that trance. The windows shattered and class flew in every direction as I watched Vaugh struggling. He tried to peel the shirt off his back, clawing at it but that only caused the skin on the palms of his hands to melt with every attempts. His hair caught fire and even when he rolled around on the carpet, nothing seemed to tame the blazing inferno that seemed to engulf everything surrounding us “Kenna! Vaughn!” Alice’s voice called out to us from the door before she started coughing from inhaling too much smoke. I wanted to tell her to leave, to run and get to safety but I was too focused on the flames that lapped at my feet and the burning sensation in my lungs. It was becoming harder and harder for me to breathe but I didn’t cough, nor did I move when the flames started crawling their way up my legs and torso. The feeling of fire burning your flesh, melting it down to the bone was excruciating, it was torment but I didn’t scream or cry, instead I was frozen in place, able to feel everything but unable to move or speak. Alice’s screams started ringing in my ears but they were drowned out by that same gentle, strong voice from before “Heart of the sun-.” a man appeared before me in the flames, they lapped at him but did not burn him. His eyes flickered bright orange and red like the fire surrounding us and his hair was as black as night, almost as if it had previously been charred. He wore dark jeans, biker boots and a biker jacket. He had a silver cross that dangled down from his left ear and symbol of a sun tattooed onto the side of his neck in black ink. He was beautiful and when he stepped closer to me, I felt my heart still from its erratic beating in response to the pain of being scorched alive. Each stride he took, eased my pain tremendously until there was nothing left and he was stood directly in front of me. He was tall and he smelt strongly of ash. He raised his hand and brushed the backs of his fingers across my cheek as he studied my facial features. My blond curls, small nose and bright blue eyes before his gaze settled on my puffy lips, my bottom lip swollen from how much I chew on it “Return to me” he breathed the words so close to my face that I felt them tickle my cheeks before he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. My body burst with sparks, not from the fire that destroyed it but from the effect that he had on me. The flames reached my hair, burning it until it was as black as his before they retracted completely. The flames moved away from my body as my eyes rolled back into my head and I collapsed onto the floor of my apartment near the man’s feet. The last thing that I remember from that night was the sound of sirens wailing in the distance and the man’s footsteps retreating from me, past the wall of flames, past the other two bodies who had gone silent. The darkness swallowed me whole. I placed my hands flat against the stone wall in front of me, my eyes still fixed on the lights across the river, though they stung with tears at the memory. Vaughn died that night while I merely watched and Alice who had noticed the fire from the street tried to save us by rushing into the apartment. She was selfless but I was selfish. My love of fire had prevented me from saving them, from saving myself. I was the reason for their death, the reason why their families had to bury them a few short weeks after the incident. I had stood there, watching as each casket was lowered into the ground then covered in a few feet of dirt. I watched their families weep for them, mourn for them after I’d woken up in the hospital with little to no injuries to show. I was a murderer and the guilt of that followed me wherever I went. I could never escape it, no matter how hard I try to forget, how far I try to run, the past always seems to catch up with me, one way or another.