Santa Pyre: The Burning Solaris

10. A Deal's a Deal

November 1st, 2043. Chicken Great Lane, West Flame City.

There by the roadside was Mom so we hurried to her. We were soon on our way home.

"So, you two, how was your vacation?" asked Mom.

"Productive and enjoyable," answered Daina.

"Were you able to...?"

"Yes Mom! We learned control! Check out these cool arm bands!" I held up mine for her to see. She took a quick glance before placing her attention back on the road ahead.

"I was just about to ask," she replied. "What are they for, souvenirs?"

"Oh, no. They help us keep our abilities in check, Mrs. Punjabé," corrected Daina.

"That way, nobody can find out about us! We can be safe in school and out in public!" I added.

"Oh, well that's wonderful! I'm glad. I should really thank Dr. Williky sometime."

"Not just Mr. William, but..." I stopped myself.

"What is it, son?"

"While this is all so exciting, I must remember that we can't just go around talking about this to everyone we meet."

"Billy..." said Daina. "He's right. We can tell you some things, but not everything. I don't like the idea of keeping secrets from you and Mr. Sandrique after you so willingly took me in and all, but Bill and I have both a responsibility and a duty."

"No, Daina, I completely understand," replied Mom. "It's better for our safety, right?"

I frowned slightly. "Yeah. But just know this, you also have to thank Sir Arthur Midian."

"That's really kind of amazing. Did you meet him?"

"Just yesterday, actually," I said.

"Wow." The rest of the trip was quiet after that.

11:23 AM.

At home, Ameera crushed us in hugs as soon as we were through the front door.

"Brother! Sister Daina! You're finally back! I really missed you!"

"I missed you too!" replied Daina.

"Ease up on the gas, sis! We were only gone for twelve days!"

"What! That was a really long time!" she replied. "It felt like an eternity."

I laughed. "I suppose it was pretty long."

"Bill, Miss Daina, how was it?" asked Dad's voice. I broke free from Ameera and went over to him.

"It was great. We finally got a handle of what happened to us. We'll tell you over lunch!"

"Wait! I want to see a demonstration!" exclaimed Ameera. Daina and I exchanged glances. "Please! Please!!"

I turned to her. "Now, now, Sis, I don't think it's such a good idea..."

Ameera gave me her special "I-want-you-to-do-me-a-favor-and-you-can't-refuse" puppy dog face, her brown eyes gleaming like stars. "Pleeeease!?"

"Aw! I hate it when you do that!" I exclaimed. She showed no sign of taking no for an answer. "Alright, already! Sheesh!" I held up my right hand before my face and focused. She smiled. I made a continuous bolt of static exchange between my thumb and first finger.

"Cooool!!" she cooed. She began to draw closer for a better look, but I held out my free hand to halt her.

"Don't come too close! Just because I have control doesn't mean..." Before I could even finish, the bolt suddenly leapt forward and zapped her. She screamed before dropping unconsciously to the floor. I pulled down my hand in shock, "What!? Ack!"

"AMEERA!!" exclaimed my parents as they gathered around her.

"Billy, what was that!?" said Daina.

"I... I'm... so... sorry! I don't know why that happened!" I looked down at the floor. "It was an accident..." I fled from the living room.

"Billy, wait...!" called Daina's voice after me.

*****

On Monday, November 3rd, Daina and I hitched a ride with Samuel and Samantha to school. They had been totally surprised to find out that we were still alive.

At school, Lauren and Joseph had almost practically pounced on us! They were more than happy to know that we were alive. Our class was also glad to have their homeroom teacher back. Everyone was curious about our bands, but we told them that they were devices placed on us by the hospital to "monitor" us. I assumed they all took it with a grain of salt... a hill sized one. We were obviously not going to tell them that we should be dead but we were not because forces beyond their understanding.

Daina and I discussed our abilities with Mr. Tanaka. Apparently, he used to work for SP Plasma Corp in the Vermillion Resource Mines east inland of West Flame City, digging for pyrium, before he became a teacher. There was an incident involving someone who was racist towards him, proving that society was still far from perfect. He had escaped, mortally wounded by a stab in the chest, and fell into an underground pool of geothermally heated Pyrium LRT. His powers involved what Arthur told us about heat energy manipulation to control the very air. He had used it to boost his speed by reducing the drag effect and rushed in to save me from a punch that was sure to send the cartilage in my nose up into my brain and kill me. Since air cannot be seen, no one who saw him ran suspected anything. They probably simply thought he was very athletic, but I knew I had felt the unnatural displacement of warm wind.

Anyway, I kept up my studies, and by the time examinations in early December were around, I just knew that the laptop was sure to be mine. I was smart enough to win it three times over. Oh, in case you were wondering, we did not have any history exams. Somewhere along the line, Miss Diego had abandoned ship. There was no point in giving the exam if the students had not covered everything they were supposed to during the term. So, we were given a linear grade just for the term.

Anyway, my grades were 3 A-pluses (English, Integrated Science, ICT), 3 'A's (Math, Social Studies, Physical Ed), and one B. You guessed it. Oh, joyous... History!

December 10th, 2043.

To say I was happy when Daina and I entered the house that Wednesday afternoon would have been an understatement. "Mom! Dad! Look at what I got!" I shouted with excitement, flashing my grades slip in front of me. Father shot up from his newspaper.

"From your behavior, I can guess you have brought good news," he analyzed. "Well, let us have a look-see!" I bounded up to him and handed the slip over. He smiled approvingly as he scanned through it. He only frowned for a short second seeing the B in History, but he did not say anything about it. "Hmm, hmm, hmm... Well done, my son." With his free hand, he patted my head, an action which had not been done since I was nine. "I'm proud of you." He really was. I sensed it.

"So...?" I dared, holding my breath.

"A deal is a deal." I was about to shout for joy, but his next words murdered my heart, "You lose."

"Eh?" I crashed right then and there. Oh no. All my hard work wasted. All over a single lousy B in a subject that's not even all that useful. My head fell, because whenever Dad set his mind to something, there was no hope of stopping him. I sighed in defeat as I turned away.

At this, Dad just laughed heartily. "FOOLED YOU, SON! You should have seen the look on your face!" 'Ha! Ha! Ha!'

I turned to look at him in shock. Since when does Dad make play-with-your-emotions jokes like this!? I am ready to start crying here!

"It is all yours, my son." His cheery face soon took up his stern, authoritative look. "But do not let it foil your upcoming terms. Have fun, yes, but do not lapse from your studies and research." With that, he gave me back my grades slip and went back to his newspaper. "It is in my room, in its box on the bed.

I was off like a gunshot as soon as I heard 'box'. I focused as I ran, guiding the electricity to strengthen my muscles. "Light Boost, level 2!" I shot up the stairs quick enough for the eye to recognize as anything less than a blur, past big bro Enrique's room, past mine and Ameera's, past the bathroom and halted in front of my parent's room's door. I relaxed and allowed my muscles to return to my just-above-normal teenage boy strength. There was no need to rip the doorknob, and possibly the very door frame with it, right off, no? I opened the door and stepped inside. My sharp eyes spotted the box in the middle of the queen-sized bed. I smiled widely.

When I entered my room, I found new additions: a computer desk complete with speakers, a mouse and a rolling chair, all on my side of the line. Oh, Dad! You shouldn't have! I went on right over and placed the box on the seat. I took out the laptop and placed it between the speakers on the table top. Next came the charger, with a note taped on containing the Wi-Fi password. After a bit of setting up, I was ready for business.

My first order of business was to download Mozilla Firefox and while that was happening I just admired the desktop. Even the startup was great when Dad and I first turned it on. You would not believe how well the black and red laptop ran. When Mozilla was done, I began to set up a Google account. 'zipzap@g*******m' was what I came up with. 'billpunjab@o*********m' was already my Microsoft account.

At 4 o'clock I shut down and got up to put off the wall outlet. My CoreTec™ Zentop III was already at full power. I exited the room and walked to the edge of the stairs. I noticed Ameera coming up. My apology to her was long overdue, so I waited. She was all sweaty; poor girl probably had to walk home from soccer practice again today. Mom would sometimes forget to pick her up. As she approached, I began, "Hey Ameera, I..."

"Save it, Brother. Sister Daina already explained it to me long ago." She continued on walking and went right past me. I sighed as my head fell. Then her footsteps stopped. "I have already forgiven you. You are my brother, and nothing will change that. I love you, Bill." I smiled as I heard the bathroom door open and close.

"Awww, that was so sweet," remarked Daina as I stepped onto the floor.

"Aren't you the eavesdropper?" I shot. She feigned mock hurt, to which I just chuckled before moving to the table for my lunch... which was now most likely cold. Darn it. At least there was supper to look forward to in two hours or so.

December 13th. 8:30 AM

That Saturday, Mom had a day off from work. After breakfast, while Dad was doing dishes, she approached me. "Bill, how do you feel like running a little errand for me?"

"Do you want me to go down to Mr. Goodwill's?" I perceived.

Mom smiled and nodded. "Yes. As you know, our family tradition is coming up. So I need you to get you-know-what."

"Sure thing, Mom!" I answered. I then added, "Say, can Daina come with me?"

"Come with you where?" asked Daina in confusion as she stepped onto the scene.

I turned to her with a characteristic smile. "Oh, what perfect timing, Sister Daina! How do you feel about running an errand with me? I could use some extra hands. This'll let you see more of the neighborhood."

"Hmm, that sounds like fun, but I was about to start the laundry."

"No, let me take care of it," said Mom quickly. "Please, you can go with him if you really want to."

"Okay, since you insist!" Daina beamed a divine smile at her and I could have sworn I saw my Mom looking a bit envious of it.

Within a minute saw Daina and I embarking on our way. This would be the first time since she began to live with us that she would see more of Brown Hills than our house. The sky was clear and the morning was cool, perfect for a walk. I waved to the neighbors as we passed. There was a skip in my step, for I was in high spirits today. When I was younger, I used to complain about running these errands. But now, with my wellspring of energy, it did not feel like such a chore anymore.

I glanced at Daina, catching her deep-in-thought look. "Daina, is something the matter?" I asked, concerned.

"No, not really," she replied. "OK. I was just wondering about Mr. Tanaka. Something he said bugs me."

"Huh? What is it?" I prodded further.

"He said it felt good to have "more" family. It makes me wonder if he has no family left and was feeling lonely for a long time on the inside."

"Hmmm, but he seems to get on well with everyone at school," I brought up a point. "I wonder how long he has been hiding his powers. It must've taken a lot of training. You and I are newbies compared to him." We both looked to our armbands. "Come to think of it, I never saw his band before."

"That is because you are new to the school. His was white." I looked at her in shock. "He has had it up until this past school term. I never paid much attention then because I had my own worries."

I nodded before looking back to the road ahead of me. The store was coming into view. And that was when I saw Sammy entering in with his big sister Samantha. I wondered what sort of elaborate scheme he was up to this time, seeing that he had to bring help along.

I took my mind off of it as I dug out the shopping list from my pocket. Mom and Dad wanted to cook a feast for the upcoming Christmas Dinner and as always, she wanted to have their ingredients secured well early before the rush. Even the neighbors we had passed by had already started setting up their decorations.

Mom was surprised this morning when I had not made a fuss, even more when Daina had offered to accompany me. I mean, even without my energy, I was 13 and therefore old enough to understand responsibility, even if I did not like it very much. Also, Mom's cakes were too good to pass up.

Anyway. "Hi, Mr. Goodwill!" I greeted as Daina and I entered the building.

"Good morning, Bill," replied an old man in a smart purple suit. The owner of Goodwill General and I were good friends. He waited for me near the entrance every Saturday, and we would talk a little before I carried out my errand. Sometimes, he would give me free chocolate. "Oh, who is this? A friend?"

"Yes; this is Daina Scotland." I nudged her arm and whispered, "Say hi, Daina."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Goodwill," she greeted as politely as she could.

Mr. Goodwill offered her a hand, which she timidly accepted. "Same to you, Missus Scotland," he replied carefully, always knowing how to behave around women. His venture awarded him one of Daina's divine smiles, catching him off guard by the sheer radiance of it. It made me a little jealous when I remembered that I had to work for it, and he was receiving it so easily.

After that, we began our hunt. First things first, I picked up two baskets and handed them each to Daina along with my professional, "Try to keep up!" I dashed ahead, expertly weaving through wayward shoppers.

"Hey! Billy! Wait for me!" She gave pursuit. I slowed down a little.

I sighed. No point in leaving her too far behind, right? After all, I haven't told her what's about to happen yet. "Daina! We're about to play the Speed Shopper game! Are you ready?"

"The what!? Bill, won't you slow down!"

"Just follow my lead! Trust me, it will be fun! Here goes! Flour!" I picked up four pounds, shot towards Daina and placed them into one of the baskets. "White sugar! Baking powder!" I repeated the action. "Dozen eggs! Icing!" Like this, the pattern continued. Daina gradually got used to it, learning the ropes, and steadily had a better time keeping up. "Time for round two!"

"Bring it!" replied Daina with a smile, getting fired up.

"Yeah!" I continued the game. "Vanilla Essence! Butter!" Daina worked harder. "Chocolate Chips! Sprinkles!" Various onlookers watched with interest as our game continued. See, this was the way to do something: have fun doing it! Daina seemed to enjoy this form of shopping as I caught her playful smiles. Little did she know that this was something my Mom and I always did whenever she came with me. It was like a tradition.

Soon enough we were waiting in line, a little winded but otherwise happy. Daina said it was the most fun she had ever had in all her life.

"Yo! Bill!" called Samuel's voice from behind. I turned to him. "That looked like fun. We should have a competition to see who can shop the fastest!"

"Oh, brother!" said Samantha. She gave him a soft smack on the head with her wallet.

"Ow! What'cha do that for!?" he overacted.

Daina and I laughed. Then came our turn to cash our items. As soon as Daina and I were taking out our items from the baskets, a funny feeling overtook me and I paused. I looked around. "Huh? Billy, is something the matter?" asked Daina.

I felt heat well up for a second. "Daina, stay here." I looked around some more, and spotted a window. I ran towards it, leaving her in the line. From the window, I could see the street. What I saw astonished me. "Huh!?"

Mr. Richard, one of the security guards, was down on the road. Three masked individuals attired in blue garbs and carrying weapons were approaching the store. One saw me and quickly took his g*n to fire at me. I covered my head as I dropped from the window. The round flew in and shattered a product on a shelf. Panic broke out. I got up as Daina ran towards me.

"Bill! Are you okay!? What's going on!?" she asked hurriedly. Next, I heard tires squealing and the car that owned them rolling away at top speed.

"Some goons shot at me! I think they did something to the security guard, Mr. Richard. I... need to go."

"Go? Go where?" She was genuinely confused.

I hastily took out the wallet and gave it to her. "Here, buy the stuff and head home. I'll follow you later."

"What!? What do you..." I shot off away from her. "Hey! Wait! BILLYYY..."

Sorry Daina, but this is an S-class situation. I raced out of the store and went to the crowd where Mr. Richard was. I could see that he was not hurt in any way, just unconscious. I looked down the street to see a minivan moving away at high speed. Most times in Brown Hills, things were not ever so busy, so this had to be the goon's getaway vehicle. I ran behind a large Pyre Plant tree. "Okay, here goes... Light Boost, Level Two!" All of my muscles tensed as I focused electrical energy to stimulate them. I focused even more energy before shooting forward in a full sprint. At the speed of at least 45 meters per second, I would be an unrecognizable blur to the n***d eye.

By pushing myself, I was able to catch up to the car since it was not driving all that fast now that it was clear of the village. I won't let you get away! This is for Mr. Richard! Strength Enhancement! I concentrated power to my right fist, slapped it against the body and flipped the car over before seeking cover behind a tree. I heard the whining of police car sirens and, not wanting to risk being seen, or stick around in general for that matter, I made my way back to the village at my top speed of 50 meters per second.